Nintendo’s 3DS may eventually become a 3D camcorder too

Nintendo will break new ground with the 3DS portable gaming system later this year, offering the first consumer electronics device to let people enjoy stereoscopic 3D effects without wearing glasses. But it looks like the company might have much bigger ambitions for the gadget.

In the latest Iwata Asks Q&A with the company’s global CEO, Satoru Iwata reveals that he would like to include video recording capabilities into future updates of the 3DS, letting people shoot home movies in 3D and watch them back on their device or (presumably) on a 3D TV via SD card.

“I think it will be fun if we're able to include video recording capabilities with future updates,” he says.

While that’s stopping short of an official announcement – and if one’s coming, it’s likely a good way down the road – it’s an interesting addition that could give the company a leg up on the entertainment industry as a whole. (And Iwata is a man who chooses words carefully – so there’s a better than average chance of this happening.)

3D camcorders were all over the place at this year’s CES. Some looked good. Some didn’t. But they were almost all way out of the mass market’s comfortable price range. Only Sony had one that was at a reasonable price point – the $250 3D Bloggie HD, which will go on sale this April.