Four years ago, when releases for other home consoles trended toward ever more elaborate graphics and cutthroat multiplayer game designs, Nintendo unleashed the cartoony avatars and easy-to-understand motion control of the Wii. Its user-friendliness managed to ensnare a new generation of gamers — i.e., parents and retirees — and make the Wii one of the best-selling game machines of all time. Now the Japanese corporation is aiming for another surprising success story with a handheld gaming device that offers 3-D graphics without cumbersome glasses. It has dual screens like those of previous Nintendo DS models, but the new 3DS uses stereoscopy to add depth to its top screen. The device won’t be in stores for a month or two, but the demo I watched — of a sky filled with enemy ships and laser beams — made me feel as if I were in a miniaturized 3-D movie theater. Exponentially better than systems using red-and-blue glasses, the 3DS creates clearly delineated depth that pulled me in yet didn’t strain my eyes. Rather, the 3.53-in. display served as a portal to a vibrant, layered world that I wanted to poke, prod and touch.
