So, Iwata recently stated that the 3D effect on the upcoming 3DS will be optional, being given the user the opportunity to turn it off with a switch of a button, thus 3D is not the flagship feature of this handheld.

I was thinking:

- The console most likely will be able to take 3D pics. For that, it needs two cameras right?

Having two rotative cameras to point forwards or backwards (to the user), is it possible that both cameras can track user's eyes?

If so, I was imagining a pointer functionality that no longer requires a stylus, it places right were you are looking.

This would be awesome in a FPS game.

Not sure if that's possible with just cameras. (It probably is, but I'm not sure.) It also probably requires a high learning curve for site vision. The Apache helicopter actually does it in real life, but thats with a sensor in the helmet, and the gunner trains for months.

Eye-tracking?

An interesting concept. I wonder if it would really be that desirable an interface though... Our eyes do all sorts of things subconsciously, and involuntarily giving a game a bunch of input doesn't seem like a great idea. Definitely the sort of thing you want to run past R&D a couple times.

me and my bag of chips think that would rock my socks off

The big innovation won't be 3d visuals, it will be 3d controls. Remember those chess boards in star wars?

Yeah I posted on here about have rotating camera's in the hinge a while ago, as it would allow DSi backwards compatibility (one facing the user and one facing away from the user) and also allow 3D picture and video capture both towards and away from the user.

Eye tracking would be pretty awesome, however the system would have to know where the user is in relation to the screen being looked at to accurately track the eyes movements. It would also require a high resolution camera to be able to pick up the minute movements of the eye and reflect those movements into the game.

The other issue of course would be that the human eye doesn't move smoothly, it's very jittery movement and also I would assume that the camera would be controlled by the eye tracking, which would cause the same issues that the Wii pointer has in relation to bounding boxes. I don't think eye tracking on such a small screen would work, maybe Natal 2.0 could have something like that..

it's a holographic effect. not processed 3d from what i understand.

that's a disadvange and advance, it wont eat resources, but u won't be able to apply anything other than 3d illusion.

What chess boards?

I'm not saying it will be exactly like this, but perhaps it will be one step closer to it. You'll be able to manipulate objects in a 3d space with the stylus.

@ mortono

I really doubt that the 3D effect of 3DS will allow us to move things like that, especially knowing now that 3D is a a optional feature of the console.