Nintendo 3DS comes with free headaches, dizziness, and nausea

by Steven Mostyn - Mar 31 2011, 15:24

The Nintendo 3DS may currently be flying off retail shelves in Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom, but it would appear not everyone is enjoying the console's glasses-free 3D interaction.

More pointedly, daily publication The Sun has reported that new 3DS owners in the UK have been complaining that exposure to Nintendo's autostereoscopic technology causes dizziness, headaches and nausea.

“The 3D gave me a headache, so I hated it,” revealed one disgruntled player to the newspaper, while another said that playing with a friend “made both of us feel ill.”

Instead of relying on the conventional 3D glasses used in movie theatres and with modern televisions, the 3DS sends out separate images to each of the user's eyes, thereby tricking the brain into creating 3D depth.

Luckily for anyone experiencing a sense of 3DS discomfort, Nintendo has included a handy Depth Slider on the side of the console's upper screen, which varies the strength of the three-dimensional effect (or completely removes it) depending on the user's preference.

Evidently some simply haven't found it.

Those people might also exercise some common sense when taxing ocular muscles hitherto unused in everyday life, by following Nintendo's advice to take a break from the 3D visuals every 30 minutes.

Also, it's worth bearing in mind that plenty of people experience the same negative sensations when using 3D glasses. Some eyes simply just don't respond well to the effect.

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