E3: Wait, E3 is this week?

So all sorts of interesting stuff is being announced regarding the impending offerings of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Historically I've breathlessly followed their press conferences when new consoles were impending. Today I just walked obliviously into the fact that Nintendo announced their new console.

I'll comment more later when I've had a chance to actually watch the press conference. That said, I'm concerned Nintendo isn't taking usability into consideration these days.

The 3DS requires you maintain a perfect, motionless posture to properly view the 3D aspect. Any motion at all and portions of the screen go flat, resulting in a fairly awkward mix of 2D and 3D that strains the eyes.

The Wii U requires you look back and forth between two screens. "Ah," you say, "But did not the DS require the same?" No, it didn't. The two screens on the DS are equidistant from your face and directly next to one another. Looking between a touch screen in your hands and your TV 6-10 feet away requires actual neck movement and refocusing.

These concerns may be unwarranted and overblown, but they're my first impressions having just seen pictures of the console and its controller.

Oh, and I guess Sony is releasing a new handheld. It's name makes me think of a brand of vegetable juice. Meanwhile Microsoft is upping the ante with Halo 4: The "We couldn't be arsed to make something new so we're just rereleasing Halo again and printing money" edition.