Nintendo Warns on 3-D for Children

Nintendo Co. warned that young children shouldn't play three-dimensional games on a hotly anticipated new game device, citing possible health risks and raising concerns about a technology that many hoped would boost the appeal of 3-D entertainment in the home.

The Japanese company said on its website that children 6 years old and younger shouldn't play 3-D games on the coming Nintendo 3DS hand-held game machine, due for release in Japan in February. The company said looking at 3-D images for a long period of time could have an adverse effect on the eyesight development of young children.

Given scant evidence of medical dangers, it wasn't known what prompted the warning from Nintendo, which echoed that of other 3-D manufacturers. Some people in the industry speculated that it was a prospective effort to fend off litigation.

For now, glasses-free 3-D technology is mostly limited to smaller screens rather than the giant sets in many living rooms. The Nintendo 3DS has a 3.5 inch 3D screen, while Toshiba's new glasses-free television sets come in 12- and 20-inch varieties.

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