HOW A 3DS REALLY WORKS

By Jack L

The 3DS

Have you ever heard of 3D? It’s where you look at a screen and the image is popping out at you. Well, on February 26, 2011, Nintendo’s first 3D gaming

console was released to the public. It has the power to make any 3DS game turn the screen into

a 3D image. All you have to do is flick a little switch and almost magically what was once on the screen is now right in front of you. Normally when you had

3D, you had to wear glasses, but now you don’t. Here’s how it works.

3D3D "works" in real life because the placement of our

eyes combines two 2D images into one 3D image. Hold your finger at arm's length in front of you with

one eye closed. Then open that eye and close the other. Notice the difference? You won't when both

eyes are opened. That's all well and good for the real world, but how do 3D images work on a flat screen?

Simple: If two 2D images are taken at different angles--say, the average distance between human eyes--and we view them side-by-side while cross-eyed (with the right eye looking at the left image,

and vice-versa), the image appears to pop out at us.

DIFFERENT WAYSThe most iconic way is via red-and-cyan "anaglyph glasses,"

which work with red-and-cyan movie projector filters. The red "lens" only admits cyan light, while the cyan "lens" only admits

red light. In this way, the eye only sees the light source meant for it, and the cross-eyed 3D effect is achieved without confusion or

eye strain .Of course, the Nintendo 3DS displays its 3D images without the

user needing to don a strange pair of glasses, so how does it manage to project 3D?

The Nintendo 3DS's top screen utilizes a filter called a "parallax barrier." One of the images necessary for seeing 3D is projected to the right, and the other image is projected to the left. The left image and the right image occupy alternating vertical columns of pixels, and are filtered through the parallax barrier. The barrier

acts as a vent to project the images and ensure they hit your eyesight at the necessary angles to produce the desired 3D effect.

Some of the games

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