Nintendo revealed that the Nintendo 3DS will launch sometime in March 2011 in the U.S. following its Feb. 26 debut in Japan. Official pricing for North America has not been revealed, but the Japanese price translates to almost $300 - so expect it to be pricey.
Other news about the Nintendo 3DS:
- Prior purchases will be transferable. Unlike with the DSi XL, which cannot play downloadable games previously bought on a DSi, Nintendo is promising some form of limited transfer capability. More details on how this will work as we get them.
- Colors will be Aqua Blue and Cosmos Black.
- Stylus is telescoping (can be expanded in length).
- A 2GB SD card is included.
- Games can exchange data with nearby 3DSes while in sleep mode using a feature called StreetPass. There's an indicator light that lets you know if this has happened.
- Mii can be created with a picture of your face using the built-in camera, and they can be transferred and shared with a Mii Plaza app.
- There will be a Virtual Console-style store offering downloadable Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles (though not Game Boy Advance games - early reports apparently got this detail wrong).
So, would you pay $250-300 for the next Nintendo gaming portable?
I don't know. I mean... I usually buy portable systems BECAUSE they are cheaper than consoles+portable. But this? This is like buying another 360 or a PS3 for something that you travel with and probably won't use as much as a console.
I guess some will pay it. But personally? I will wait for a price drop.
Also, you can't download GBA games? There are a bunch I would download. But original Game Boy games? Like Tetris, Star Trek, Mario, Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Super Mario Land? And Game Boy color games Gold, Silver, and Crystal? Sounds good.
If they included the ports that the GBA had of SNES/NES games, that would be great too.
I'm not a big Nintendo gamer anymore, simply because I don't have enough room/money for more than one console/handheld. My console: Xbox 360. My handheld: PSP or Game Boy SP.
But we shall see. Maybe what we can download will push me to it when I actually scrap up the money and decide not to get a Wii/PS3.
I just can't spend this kind of cash on 3DS. That's a PS3. I'd much rather have one of those or a slew of games than this new system. Besides I don't see 3D as the huge deal the media makes it out to be.
The price will always drop so I'm not too worried about it. With the barrels of money they print using the DS and the Wii I'm sure this is just Nintendo's way of seeing how much cash they can grab at the start. It's still not as bad as Sony's initial "get a second job" pricing on the PS3. I have full confidence this price will drop with a March release date I wouldn't be surprised to see it drop by holiday season that year.