Iwata: 3DS XL to be sold at a profit, 3D likely a 'minor element' in future Nintendo

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.c...6/3dsxlbox.jpgNintendo CEO Satoru Iwata revealed one way Nintendo is working to stop selling the 3DS at a loss, which it has since last year's price drop. "First of all to the 3DS XL, we will not be selling this at a loss," Iwata told the Independent. "We don't have a huge profit margin on it, we intend to sell it at a profit." He wasn't as forthcoming about the Wii U's pricing, of course. "As for Wii U we haven't even announced price so it's too early to comment."

He also had some thoughts on the future prospects of 3D. Though "3D is the normal state for human beings, it's how we see our environment," Iwata doesn't believe 3D television will really take off until it can work glasses-free. The 3DS was able to include 3D, he said, "because there are various circumstances on a handheld machine which make it possible. You have the screen and the console being one, normally you have almost constant distance between [the user] and the screen, so with the currently available technology it is possible to provide a high quality 3D experience without glasses. "

That said, 3D in video games had a "surprise effect" that Iwata admits is wearing off. "But I think it's an important element, it makes graphics more impactful, it proves a sense of immersion that 2D doesn't have, so I would say generally that 3D is better than 2D." Iwata added, "It's nice to have good graphics but not necessarily on their own, so I don't think we'll present [3D graphics] as one of the key features of our consoles but will probably stick with 3D as one of the minor elements of our consoles in the future. "

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/12/iw...minor-element/