Few U.K. 3DS Customers Sought Refunds For Nausea, Headaches—Nintendo U.K.

Published reports were overblown when they said thousands of U.K. 3DS consumers wanted refunds after they developed nausea or headaches when using the autostereoscopic 3D system, said Nintendo U.K. Calling the reports “incorrect,” Nintendo U.K. said in a written statement: “The number of calls and emails with queries on Nintendo 3DS is in fact well below the rate experienced during past hardware launches and having spoken with our retail partners there are only a handful of people who have actually gone into stores to request a refund."

The 3DS was designed with a 3D depth slider that lets users adjust the 3D effect “so that everyone can still enjoy this product,” whether they play games or view other video content in 3D or 2D, Nintendo U.K. said. “When viewing any kind of 3D images, including movies and on TV, some people might experience minor discomfort,” the company said, but “the effects are short term and have no lasting effect; most people can continue after taking a break.” Nintendo U.K. recommended that “customers with any concerns should contact their local Nintendo Customer Support” online. Nintendo posts a warning on the 3DS hardware and software packaging that says, “Viewing of 3D images by children 6 and under may cause vision damage.” It recommends use of “the parental control feature to restrict the display of 3D images for children 6 and under."

Nintendo of America didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about 3DS customer complaints in the U.S. But GameStop spokesman Chris Olivera told us, “This is something that we are not experiencing.” Toys “R” Us spokesman Bob Friedland said “we have not heard of any complaints.” Target declined to comment on the amount of return requests, but a spokeswoman said “we don’t require guests to provide specific reasons for making a product return.” Amazon, Best Buy and Wal-Mart didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

We didn’t develop a headache or get nauseous while using the 3DS for a few hours in recent days, nearly all while the system was set at the highest 3D level possible. Twice, we used the system for about an hour, but used it for less time on other occasions. A ten-year-old gamer and an eight-year-old gamer experienced no such problems while using the system for more than an hour each.

But consumers who find they can’t use the new system’s 3D functionality may end up second-guessing their purchase, unless the system’s enhanced wireless features are enough justification for them spending $249.99 if they already own a DSi, or spending $100 more to get a 3DS rather than a DSi if they don’t already own the earlier system. The lack of 3D movies for the 3DS at this time and the relatively small number of 3DS games available now for the system, meanwhile, could stop consumers who like the technology from embracing the 3DS at this early stage. While the ability to shoot 3D photos is another enhancement to the 3DS compared to the DSi, the resolution of the photos that the new system’s cameras can take remains only 640 x 480 pixels.

The 3D application apparently takes a huge toll on the battery duration of the 3DS. According to Nintendo’s website, “when playing Nintendo 3DS software” the battery will last “about 3-5 hours.” But we found that the system, after a full charge, could be used for just under 3 hours on one occasion while playing 3DS software. After another full charge, the system lasted about 3 hours and 20 minutes after we left the system on opened to the built-in AR card games but did not play them. “When playing Nintendo DS software” without 3D elements, battery life extends to “about 5-8 hours,” according to Nintendo’s website, but “battery duration differs depending on the brightness setting of the screen. The information regarding battery duration is a rough standard. It can be shorter depending on what functions of the Nintendo 3DS system are used."

The 3D effects were more unique in the augmented reality Face Raiders and AR card mini games that came built into the 3DS out of the box than the three first-party games -- nintendogs +cats, Pilotwings Resort and Steel Diver -- that Nintendo of America supplied to us with a review unit of the device. The 3D, however, enhanced the look of the virtual pets in nintendogs +cats compared to prior entries in that game series. Face Raiders and the AR card games take advantage of the new system’s 3D, as well as its camera system, accelerometer and gyroscope. In the HAL Laboratory-developed Face Raiders, the user takes a photo of somebody’s face and that image is then incorporated into the game, attacking the player, who must shoot at the face. Whatever the player is facing the camera at while playing serves as the game’s background.

Combining the built-in 3DS games with the coming release this month of THQ’s game Fantastic Pets for the Kinect motion sensor system on the Xbox 360, augmented reality is making a significant entry into the videogame category this season. The technology has previously been used in various businesses, including sports broadcasting and porn. Adult entertainment company Pink Visual, for example, demonstrated augmented reality at its Adult Entertainment Expo booth in January.