Gaming in three dimensions may be the latest craze, but Nintendo today issued a warning that repeatedly playing games in 3D can cause permanent eye damage in small children.

"For children under the age of six, looking at 3D images for a long time could possibly have a negative impact on the growth of their eyes," Nintendo said on its website. The company recommends that children "take breaks every 30 minutes when playing games in 3-D and stop playing immediately if they feel ill."

The warning is significant because the company is moving toward launching the 3DS, a hand held gaming system set to replace the venerable Nintendo DS, which sold over 300 million units worldwide. The 3DS provides native 3D gaming without the need for special glasses. Nintendo stated that the 3DS has a switch that can disable the 3D graphics, something it cautioned parents to do after six hours of continuous play.

The new 3DS will go on sale in Japan on February 26th and will launch in Europe and the United States in March. The expected price of the unit is $300.

The 3D warning posted today by Nintendo is similar to the warnings previously issued by Samsung, Sony and other 3D TV manufacturers stating the dangers of young children watching 3D images for long periods of time.