Iwata and Miyamoto on the 3DS’ AR Games, 3D photos
This information comes from the latest Iwata Asks with Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata…
Miyamoto: Well, basically speaking, over half of the built-in software was not planned by me from the beginning. Many people within the company suggested and researched many things, which made it happen in its current form.
Iwata: Oh, right. For example, in AR Games, you can add various objects to the real scenery seen through the camera. This will allow you to mix the virtual world with reality. And this is something members of the Entertainment Analysis & Development Department (EAD) have been working on for some time.
Miyamoto: Yes. It started off like their science fair project, for which we did not have any specific hardware to run. (laughs)
Iwata: And when you first saw it, you knew it would be a great idea for a new game?
Miyamoto: No, I didn’t! At the time, I said, “We can’t use that kind of stuff as a new game.” (laughs)
Iwata: (laughs)
Miyamoto: I said something like, “You can’t let trends decide what you do.”
Iwata: (laughs) You are very strict on not following current trends.
Miyamoto: But as the basic features of the Nintendo 3DS system started to become fixed, all the ideas from here and there started to make a lot more sense.
Iwata: You’re exactly right about that.
Miyamoto: Once we decided on taking it to 3D, it all happened very quickly. Suggestions like “we have a camera on it, so let’s make it possible to take 3D photos” started to be made one after another. Even the projects I felt doubtful of in the beginning, when the prototypes were completed, we all felt very convinced that it would work.
Iwata: Yes. When they took a 3D photo themselves, just looking at it on the spot made them feel very happy.
Miyamoto: That’s right.
Iwata: Of course, 3D photo-taking existed in the past, but it had never been so readily available to so many people and they would be able to so easily pick it up and enjoy.
Miyamoto: You don’t have to buy a special camera or use a special printing process. You can take the pictures and see them on the spot to get surprised. That entire experience is a fun entertainment.
Iwata: Yes. You can enjoy using the Nintendo 3DS system even just as a viewer for 3D photos.
Miyamoto: If you just look at it that way, it’s like a very easy-to-use 3D photo frame. In that sense, I thought it would be better to keep it built into the Nintendo 3DS system so everyone would be able to use it together. I felt the same way about the AR Games, Face Raiders and Nintendo 3DS Sound software. They were all included under the same philosophy.
Iwata: I see.
