It's possible to take a 3D picture with the Nintendo 3DS. That much was revealed during the handheld's E3 2010 unveil. But Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says the device is also capable of capturing 3D video for chat purposes.
In a recent interview with Forbes online, Iwata floated the possibility 3D video chat. "Technologically speaking," he said, "a variety of different things are possible with the 3DS; for example, 3D video chat."
Iwata didn't linger on the point, not even to say that the device probably wouldn't incorporate the feature, which, functionally, seems like it could be a mess. As 1UP rightly notes, the two cameras that make 3D pictures possible are located on the back of the 3DS' top screen. The front-facing camera is just that--a lone camera. How would we chat with our buds, much less see them, if forced to talk to the back of the device?
My best guess is that Iwata was merely speaking to technical potential. But the Forbes piece does, in general, hone in on what the 3DS is bringing to the table. There's a suggestion in the article that we'll learn about even more new features in the near future (alongside pricing and release date details). Surely, 3D video chat will be one of those freshly revealed features--if it's going to happen at all.