Nintendo 3DS includes two screens. The bottom touch screen makes use of a telescoping stylus that is stored in the unit itself. The top screen displays 3D visuals to the naked eye. Looking at the screen is like peering through a window into a world where characters and objects have true depth. The system also has a 3D Depth Slider that lets players select the level of 3D they enjoy the most. The 3D effect can be ratcheted up to the highest level, scaled back to a more moderate setting or even turned off completely, depending on the preference of the user.

In addition to the familiar + Control Pad and button controls found on previous Nintendo hand-helds, Nintendo 3DS now also includes a Circle Pad, which provides a full 360 degrees of direction, giving it the freedom and precision needed to play games in 3D worlds. It brings the same degree of responsiveness that gamers enjoyed when Nintendo introduced an analog control stick to navigate Mario™ through Super Mario 64™ on the Nintendo 64™ system.

• Sound: Stereo speakers positioned to the left and right of the top screen (supports virtual surround sound).
• Stylus: Telescoping stylus (approximately 3.94 inches when fully extended).
• Electric Power: AC adaptor (WAP-002 [USA]). Nintendo 3DS Battery Pack (lithium ion battery) [CTR-003].
• Charge Time: About 3.5 hours
• Battery Duration: When playing Nintendo 3DS software about 3-5 hours. When playing Nintendo DS software about 5-8 hours. 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.
• Game Card: Nintendo 3DS Game Card. The size is approximately the same as Nintendo DS Game Card.

Input Controls: Input controls are the following:

• A/B/X/Y Button, +Control Pad, L/R Button, START/SELECT
• Circle Pad (enabling 360-degree analog input)
• Touch screen
• Embedded microphone
• Camera
• Motion sensor
• Gyro sensor

Other Input Controls: Other input controls are the following:

• 3D Depth Slider (enabling smooth adjustment of the 3D level effect)
• HOME Button (brings up the HOME menu)
• Wireless switch (can disable wireless functionality even during game play)
• POWER button

Connector: Connector includes:

• Game Card slot
• SD Card slot
• Cradle connector
• AC adapter connector
• Audio jack (stereo output)

Size (when closed): 2.9 inches high, 5.3 inches long, 0.8 inches deep.

Weight: Approximately 8 ounces (including battery pack, stylus, SD memory card).

Upper Screen: Wide-screen LCD display, enabling 3D view without the need for special glasses. Capable of displaying approximately 16.77 million colors. 3.53 inches display (3.02 inches wide, 1.81 inches high) with 800 x 240 pixel resolution. 400 pixels are allocated to each eye to enable 3D viewing.

Lower Screen: LCD with a touch screen capable of displaying 16.77 million colors. 3.02 inches (2.42 inches wide, 1.81 inches high) with 320 x 240 pixel resolution.

Cameras: One inner camera and two outer cameras. Resolutions are 640 x 480 for each camera. Lens are single focus and uses the CMOS capture element. The active pixel count is approximately 300,000 pixels.

Wireless Communication: 2.4 GHz. Enabling local wireless communication among multiple Nintendo 3DS systems for game play and StreetPass. Enabling access to the Internet through wireless LAN access points (supports IEEE802.11 b/g with the WPA™/WPA2™ security feature). Recommended distance of wireless communication is within 98.4 feet. This can be shorter depending on the enviromental situation. WPA and WPA2 are marks of the Wi-Fi Alliance

*Some of these features may not be available at launch

**There is a limit to how many times transfers can be made. Some software may not be transferred. DSiWare downloadable content and point balances are not currently transferable to Nintendo 3DS.

***Additional features added through system updates may also be subject to Parental Controls. Some of these features such as the Internet browser, Nintendo eShop, system transfer and the ability to download software and videos using SpotPass will be available after system updates are performed.