Nintendo announced a price and a release date for the 3DS in Japan, but only tentative information regarding a U.S. release. From the sound of things, we’ll be getting this earlier than you might expect.
You may have noticed that I’m a bit of a 3-D hater, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to love it. If anything’s going to convince me, it’s not going to be 3-D movies. It will be 3-D videogames. And if there’s any company capable of breaking through, it’s going to be Nintendo. I predict big things for the 3DS. Though the price announcement isn’t exactly great news, it’s definitely not bad news.
The 3DS will officially be released in Japan on February 26th of 2011 at a price of 25,000 yen. After a quick Google search, I found that 25,000 yen is equal to approximately $299 in US dollars, which is just about the price I expected, but higher than the price I was hoping for.
Along with the system itself, you’ll get six paper cards for use with Nintendo’s augmented reality games, a charging cradle, a 2GB SD card, and a telescoping metal stylus. There’s also a bit of software included with the system, though nothing quite as exciting as a ‘Mario Bros.’ pack-in.
According to Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo America, we’ll be seeing the 3DS before the end of March. A U.S. price wasn’t disclosed. Since it’s not uncommon for Japanese systems to get a bit cheaper for their U.S. launches, there’s still hope for a $250 price point.
