Have you looked at all of the buzz around the newly announced details of Nintendo's 3DS and all of its major titles with branded appeal and thought, "That seems like a really important piece of technology, but I'm just not that into handheld gaming?" If so, then you are definitely not alone. With many North Americans seeing the iPhone as the most widely-used console for mobile gaming, there exists a massive difference between those who are eagerly waiting for Nintendo's next example of "real" mobile gaming, and those whose simpler needs are met by bite-sized games on the go. So maybe this piece of news will be more up your alley.

Apparently, when the 3DS arrives, not only will it be able to play flagship titles like Super Street Fighter IV and Mega Man Legends 3, but will also be able to play episodes of television in all of its three glorious dimensions. How? Through Wi-Fi streaming, of course. Sadly the plans only include 3DS users in Japan, with programs supplied daily by Japanese television stations Fuiji TV and Nippon Television Network. It will no doubt be slim pickings to start with, since the pilot program receiving massive amounts of content at launch is unlikely. But small steps still mean progress, so there's plenty to look forward to.

We've heard Nintendo speak about the ability the 3DS will have in playing "Hollywood 3D movies" so the ability to also play television shouldn't come as a huge surprise, but the implications here are much larger. We've already seen some uses of the network that Nintendo has built around the device can be used, and while the addition of streaming video content is certainly not wild enough to lose supporters, it will definitely go a long way to recruiting more early adopters. And Nintendo will need all the help they can get to meet their lofty sales goals.

As someone who never quite took to the DS in a big way, I can attest to the fact that the ability to run streaming 3D video on the 3DS will pique the interest of plenty of people on the fence. The performance of the device's 3D already had me willing to give it a shot, and now I can watch 3D video without glasses? Man, it really makes me wish the whole top of the 3DS were a video screen. But as a great man once said, it's nice to want things.

Does the addition of streaming 3D television mean you no longer have any choice but to pick up a 3DS, or are your current mobile entertainment needs met by another device? Nintendo has once again made the choice a lot more difficult for gamers, debating whether to pick up their own 3DS when it launches in Japan February 26th, and in North America and Europe in March 2011.

Source: Kotaku