3-D gaming without glasses? Nintendo 3DS faces technological hurdles

Days before Nintendo is set to release the DSi XL console, the company flashed some bits of info about a new hand-held game device it plans to show off at the Los Angeles E3 expo in June. Tentatively titled the Nintendo 3DS, the device plays three-dimensional games without users needing to wear special glasses.
The Japanese company was mum on details. But the system will succeed the Nintendo DS series and offer backwards compatibility, meaning it will
play the old games, according to a statement. To do so, we could assume the Nintendo 3DS will have some of its predecessor's key pieces of hardware -- two screens, at least one of which is touch-sensitive, and a microphone.
Nintendo plans to release the product in the next 12 months, the company said in the news release. A spokesman declined to comment further, but multitude of questions need to be addressed before then.

With 3-D technology still very much in its infancy, especially one that doesn't require glasses, Nintendo will have to pull off some magic. Some exhibitors at the Consumer Electronics Show in January were showing off picture-frame-sized video screens that can project 3-D images without needing glasses. They weren't impressive.
Inherent in glasses-free 3-D is a predetermined viewing area. A filter on the screen redirects light to give the impression of an image popping out at the viewer, explained Tom Zerega, chief executive of the no-glasses 3-D technology company Magnetic 3D.
Because the gadget is designed for personal use, Nintendo has the luxury of planning for just a single user, rather than having to accommodate several vantage points. However, current glasses-free technology restrains the user from moving outside a small viewing zone.