“Nintendo warns young kids off 3DS 3D games” plus 1 more

Nintendo warns young kids off 3DS 3D games

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 03:25 PM PST

Depending on how you look at it, Nintendo is taking a pretty big risk with the introduction of the 3DS. Even though there is a slider to turn down the 3D effects, this is a handheld meant for games to be played in 3D. Not everyone can view 3D, and not everyone likes viewing it, so there's already a segment of the market Nintendo cannot cater to.

Now some new guidance (Japanese) has been put out by Nintendo for young kids using the 3DS, and for the regularity of breaks when using the device. In both cases, play seems more limited if you want to stop your eyes getting too tired or your vision to be impacted.

In the case of young children (under 6), Nintendo suggests they don't use the 3DS at all to play 3D games. 2D viewing is fine, but 3D is a big no-no. This is because such young eyes are still developing so viewing 3D may be detrimental to that continued development. Parents will find controls to stop 3D being displayed if they do intend on buying a 3DS for a child in that age group.

As for everyone else, Nintendo used to state that a break every hour was recommended on previous 2D devices, but with the 3DS that has been cut in half to 30 minutes. This is due to viewing 3D content making your eyes tired more quickly. Even 30 minutes may be too long, with a break suggested at the first signs of you not feeling great.

While the 3DS is sure to be a hit when it launches in March, the decision to go 3D does bring with it a few extra limits. Will those same people who got sick watching Avatar in 3D be unable to stand more than a few minutes of 3DS play? Or will it be a completely different type of person who suffers the ill effects?

One thing's clear, this is the first Nintendo hardware that may not be universally playable.

Zosia Bielski

Globe and Mail Blog

Posted on Wednesday, December 29, 2010 9:17AM EST

Morning Radar: Three things we're talking about this morning

Watch it, pops: Kids feel safer when their mothers are behind the wheel --and more entertained, says a poll of children aged 6 to 15.

Seven in ten children see their dads as risk-takers who are more likely to speed or freak out at other drivers.

More related to this story

Almost a third said they prefer a ride with mom because she talks to them more. To boot, she's a jester, more likely to play games and crack jokes when driving.

Still, fathers won out in the technical department: 60 per cent of the kids surveyed said dads are better at parking and reversing; 62 per cent said mom is more likely to stall the car or get lost.

But who will ask for directions?

Pass the bong, mom: Jade Jones-Hawk, 17, spent most of her childhood running wild on the psychedelic festival circuit with her mom.

She recalls hanging with the "wolf pack," a horde of kids who essentially raised themselves in among the glowsticks and patchouli: "The younglings would be cared for by the older kids and often all the children of the encampment would run together as a single herd, whether they numbered three or twenty."

Now, the Burning Man-loving teen offers parenting advice -- and man is she precocious under those desert goggles.

A sample: "No matter what — tuck them in. Just outside the thin walls of the tent, the bass is still going and the lights are casting neon shadows and perhaps you have a lover waiting for you — but all the kid is waiting for and listening for is your voice and your kiss goodnight. If you have night-time rituals like story time or songs, keep them; maintain some sort of basic structure."

And then get back to your tent lover.

Don't try this in Canada: Fliers facing delays in the Northeast got nothin' on Russian passengers who attacked airline staff on Tuesday after a crippling ice storm caused four days of delays.

The passengers rioted after massive flight disruptions at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, beating employees of Aeroflot, Russia's largest air company. Some of those beaten were reportedly women.

Those not using fists used money: Some passengers claimed they bribed personnel to retrieve their luggage.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people attempted to break past passport control at Domodedovo Airport.

Not quite the holiday spirit.

Kids Games

Wednesday, December 29, 2010