Super Mario 3D Will Use Gyro Sensor, Probably No StreetPass Functionality

We know that Super Mario 3D has a raccoon tail in the logo, which means the Tanooki suit will be a significant part of the game in some way. We also know that it’s coming this fiscal year, putting it sometime between now and the end of March 2012.

Thanks to British newspaper, The Telegraph, we now also know that it will use the 3DS’ gyro-sensors in some manner and that there are currently no plans for the title to include StreetPass functionality. These details come straight from the horse’s mouth — that of Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto.

“Sometimes people ask why the 3DS isn’t double stick,” Miyamoto said to reporters in the U.K., during a recent interview, providing some insight into the 3DS’ hardware design. “One is normally used to control the camera, but having the gyro sensor you can replace the analogue stick by moving the console, which is very intuitive.” He confirmed that Super Mario 3D will make use of the gyro sensor, but didn’t outright reveal how.

Steel Diver on the Nintendo 3DS is one example of a game that allows you to use the gyro sensor for camera control. It requires that you move your entire torso from left to right, along with the system itself, so that you don’t lose the 3D image by not keeping your face directly in front of the screen.

Miyamoto also stated that, “unless a spectacular idea comes to mind,” Super Mario 3D won’t use the 3DS’ StreetPass features.