Nintendo 3DS Arriving February in Japan

Yesterday, as reported by IGN and Gamespot, Nintendo announced at a press conference that its new 3D handheld system, dubbed the 3DS, will be released in Japan on February 26, 2011 for 25,000 yen (approximately $300). Nintendo of America later confirmed that the 3DS will be released in the United States in March 2011. However, the specific release date and price will be announced later.

Hopefully the price will come down a bit for the release in the United States (maybe $250), but $300 does not seem too exorbitant given the addition of 3D and the other details Nintendo revealed about what will come with the system and the control and interface upgrades over the DSi.  The 3DS will come with a charging stand, a stylus, and a 2GB SD card. The system supports stereoscopic 3D, which allows you to see a game in 3D without the need for a special set of glasses. There is a 3D “volume” control on the 3DS, which will allow you to adjust the level of 3D effect and even turn it off so that you can play a game in 2D (if you are one of those people that get headaches after watching something in 3D for a period of time).

There will still be one camera facing the player, but now there will be two cameras on the outside to allow you to take 3D pictures. In addition to the d-pad and traditional four buttons plus two shoulder buttons setup, the 3DS will have an anlalog input for the first time, what they dub a “slider pad.” Taking after the iPhone/iPod Touch (and, to be fair, the Wiimote), the 3DS will also have a gyroscope and motion sensor so games can be controlled by tilting the system.

The 3DS uses the same size cartridge as those for the DS and will be able to play all games made for the DS and DSi. And, happily, Nintendo will, for the first time, allow you to download to the 3DS games you already downloaded on another system, including games you might have downloaded to your DSi. However, Nintendo warned that there is a limited number of transfers for games and that some software will not be transferrable. The online store for the 3DS will now include videos of the games and a ranking system so you can opine on your purchases and see what others thought about a game before purchasing it.

Besides the basic photo and sound software included on the DSi, the 3DS will also come installed with a Mii creater and Mii Plaza similar to that available on the Wii. That means the Mii-obsessed can now have an army of Miis in their pocket too. Whether or not you can download your Wii Miis to the 3DS or vice versa has not yet been revealed. The 3DS will also include some multitasking capabilities, allowing you to view the home menu and even use the internet browser while you are in the middle of playing a game.

I have been a bit skeptical about the 3DS, but these announcements definitely piqued my interest. It sounds like Nintendo is really improving the interface and online capabilities, and is finally getting with the program in allowing you to download games you previously bought so you do not feel like you are losing your prior purchases when you upgrade systems. Although it will remain to be seen what other developers do with the 3D, Nintendo always takes advantage of the new features of its systems. So, I believe that the Zelda, Mario Kart, Paper Mario, Kid Icarus, Pilotwings, and Nintendogs titles promised for the system alone will be reason enough to upgrade to the 3DS and will be showpieces for the system. Concurrently, the (hopefully) upgraded DSiware interface will bring more smaller, accessible, and portable games to the system and, along with the incorporation of tilt controls, increase the casual options for the system when you just want a quicky on the train on the way to work.