The following comments come from Satoru Iwata...
First, talking about "3D images," various 3D images exist in our world beyond those of the Nintendo 3DS. If you visit an electronics store, there are TVs which offer 3D images by using special glasses, and it is very popular to enjoy 3D movies by wearing glasses at the movie theatre. The variety of stuff that can be seen in 3D will continue to increase beyond what is possible today. Regarding these 3D images, the technology used in the Nintendo 3DS, the technology used in movies, which requires glasses, and the technology used in TVs are all slightly different, but the basic principle is very similar. The users can experience a stereoscopic effect because different images are able to be delivered to the left and the right eyes. It is not our eyes but our brains which make us feel the stereoscopic images. Accordingly, the topic of discussion about 3D viewing is not a possible effect on our eyes but on our brains. Such comments as, "It's bad for your eyes" or "your eyes get tired" have wings, so much so that some people appear to have the impression that viewing a 3D image is not good for their eyes, but what has been discussed here is whether there are any negative effects on the development of the brain."
Until now, a number of movies have been viewed in 3D, and I have heard such comments as, "My eyes got tired" or "I experienced a headache." I suppose you have also heard the same stories, but there are no studies saying that these symptoms have any negative effect whatsoever on children's eyes. Also, taking into regard the fact that 3D movies are widespread in the U.S., which is a country well-known for litigation, any such negative effects would have had caused a huge debate over there but, as I see it, it is not happening.
In the case of a nine-year-old child (who was mentioned in the question), the stereoscopic view function in the brain has been said to be already matured, and as for even younger children who are in the development stage, the well-accepted academic theory is that in many cases the functionality of stereoscopic viewing will mature in the brain when a child is about five years old or younger. We have carefully taken the individual differences in a child's maturation into consideration and, because nobody appears to have the information to declare that it is definitely safe to show 3D images to young children aged six and under, we decided to proactively encourage consumers to take care when children aged six and under are using the device. I understand that not very many companies make statements such as, "Our products have these features, so please be careful," but we thought we should do this. Also, since video games are a type of entertainment which can be played by children for a long period of time without their parents' supervision, we have decided to communicate the message that "we do not recommend the viewing of 3D images for users who are aged six and under." However, this recommendation was somewhat blown out of proportion, and there are some consumers who think, "3D images are not good for children's eyes" and as in the shareholder’s example, "even a nine-year-old child shouldn't see 3D images."
Also, there seems to be large individual differences when it comes to the most comfortable parallax and viewing distance for 3D viewing. Even with a very large stereoscopic depth effect, some users say, "I do not feel tired at all. In fact, I feel it is more dynamic at this depth, and I like it." On the other hand, some say, "I get tired when I see intense depth effects." We considered these differences at the development stage of the Nintendo 3DS, and implemented the "3D Depth Slider" in the right-hand side of the screen. By using this feature, the users will be able to adjust the 3D depth at anytime to a level that is most comfortable for them, and we have also been communicating the message, "Please adjust the 3D effect to your most comfortable level by using this function" to the public, but I believe there is more room for this communication effort.
So far, only 1.2 or 1.3 million Nintendo 3DS systems have spread throughout Japanese society, which means that this product is yet to be sufficiently recognized in this country. We have been trying to communicate to the public to increase the awareness of such functions as the 3D Depth Slider and, also, Parental Controls, by which parents can disable the 3D effect for younger children unless they enter a PIN code, so that even if a child moves the 3D Depth Slider to the strongest level, he or she cannot see the 3D images. Hearing this comment from a shareholder right now emphasizes the importance of our continued communication efforts.
By widely communicating these two points: one, "In most cases, regarding 3D viewing, users can maximize comfort by using the 3D Depth Slider," and two, "Parents who have a concern over any possible effect on the growth of their children’s eyes, which is more accurately the growth of their brain, should use the Parental Controls feature to restrict their children’s access to 3D images," I think we will be able to dispel the harmful rumors, such as "you cannot buy this or play with this because 3D is not good for your eyes," which was raised in this question. We are also aware that the Nintendo 3DS will not become widespread unless we dispel such rumors. We are trying hard to communicate these messages to help people have an accurate understanding.
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First, talking about "3D images," various 3D images exist in our world beyond those of the Nintendo 3DS. If you visit an electronics store, there are TVs which offer 3D images by using special glasses, and it is very popular to enjoy 3D movies by wearing glasses at the movie theatre. The variety of stuff that can be seen in 3D will continue to increase beyond what is possible today. Regarding these 3D images, the technology used in the Nintendo 3DS, the technology used in movies, which requires glasses, and the technology used in TVs are all slightly different, but the basic principle is very similar. The users can experience a stereoscopic effect because different images are able to be delivered to the left and the right eyes. It is not our eyes but our brains which make us feel the stereoscopic images. Accordingly, the topic of discussion about 3D viewing is not a possible effect on our eyes but on our brains. Such comments as, "It's bad for your eyes" or "your eyes get tired" have wings, so much so that some people appear to have the impression that viewing a 3D image is not good for their eyes, but what has been discussed here is whether there are any negative effects on the development of the brain."
Until now, a number of movies have been viewed in 3D, and I have heard such comments as, "My eyes got tired" or "I experienced a headache." I suppose you have also heard the same stories, but there are no studies saying that these symptoms have any negative effect whatsoever on children's eyes. Also, taking into regard the fact that 3D movies are widespread in the U.S., which is a country well-known for litigation, any such negative effects would have had caused a huge debate over there but, as I see it, it is not happening.
In the case of a nine-year-old child (who was mentioned in the question), the stereoscopic view function in the brain has been said to be already matured, and as for even younger children who are in the development stage, the well-accepted academic theory is that in many cases the functionality of stereoscopic viewing will mature in the brain when a child is about five years old or younger. We have carefully taken the individual differences in a child's maturation into consideration and, because nobody appears to have the information to declare that it is definitely safe to show 3D images to young children aged six and under, we decided to proactively encourage consumers to take care when children aged six and under are using the device. I understand that not very many companies make statements such as, "Our products have these features, so please be careful," but we thought we should do this. Also, since video games are a type of entertainment which can be played by children for a long period of time without their parents' supervision, we have decided to communicate the message that "we do not recommend the viewing of 3D images for users who are aged six and under." However, this recommendation was somewhat blown out of proportion, and there are some consumers who think, "3D images are not good for children's eyes" and as in the shareholder’s example, "even a nine-year-old child shouldn't see 3D images."
Also, there seems to be large individual differences when it comes to the most comfortable parallax and viewing distance for 3D viewing. Even with a very large stereoscopic depth effect, some users say, "I do not feel tired at all. In fact, I feel it is more dynamic at this depth, and I like it." On the other hand, some say, "I get tired when I see intense depth effects." We considered these differences at the development stage of the Nintendo 3DS, and implemented the "3D Depth Slider" in the right-hand side of the screen. By using this feature, the users will be able to adjust the 3D depth at anytime to a level that is most comfortable for them, and we have also been communicating the message, "Please adjust the 3D effect to your most comfortable level by using this function" to the public, but I believe there is more room for this communication effort.
So far, only 1.2 or 1.3 million Nintendo 3DS systems have spread throughout Japanese society, which means that this product is yet to be sufficiently recognized in this country. We have been trying to communicate to the public to increase the awareness of such functions as the 3D Depth Slider and, also, Parental Controls, by which parents can disable the 3D effect for younger children unless they enter a PIN code, so that even if a child moves the 3D Depth Slider to the strongest level, he or she cannot see the 3D images. Hearing this comment from a shareholder right now emphasizes the importance of our continued communication efforts.
By widely communicating these two points: one, "In most cases, regarding 3D viewing, users can maximize comfort by using the 3D Depth Slider," and two, "Parents who have a concern over any possible effect on the growth of their children’s eyes, which is more accurately the growth of their brain, should use the Parental Controls feature to restrict their children’s access to 3D images," I think we will be able to dispel the harmful rumors, such as "you cannot buy this or play with this because 3D is not good for your eyes," which was raised in this question. We are also aware that the Nintendo 3DS will not become widespread unless we dispel such rumors. We are trying hard to communicate these messages to help people have an accurate understanding.
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