Nintendo is the dominant leader in the handheld market right now, and that's one of the reasons why the upcoming Nintendo 3DS is one of the biggest subjects of discussion around the internet.

One of the larger focal points brought up in conversations, as of late, is the lack of first party support for the 3DS on launch day.

The only Nintendo-made title that has been confirmed to launch with the system is Nintendogs + Cats, but where are the Zeldas and Marios we were hoping to purchase on day one? According to NeoGaf, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata stated that the reason Nintendogs is the only first party game at launch is because Nintendo feels that the software that comes pre-installed on the 3DS is similar in comparison to that of Wii Sports. Iwata also allegedly admitted that they wanted most of the attention to fall on the third parties supporting the new three-dimensional portable.

Apparently, Nintendo has also held off on releasing some of their games that finished development even before Nintendogs + Cats just to keep Nintendo titles coming out on a semi-regular basis for the platform. Don't get in a frizzy over Nintendo purposely keeping Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D away from you, because the games Nintendo is likely referring to are probably Pilotwings and Steel Diver. That's certainly not a knock against the quality of those two titles, but they don't have the fan base, or overall popularity, of some of Nintendo's other well-known games.

Nintendo 3DS UK Launch Date

The pre-installed software that comes with every Nintendo 3DS seems to be pretty fun (from what we've experienced with our hands-on time), but it's still uncertain just how long the downloaded goodies will keep people pre-occupied. Nintendogs may not appeal to the hardcore as much as Paper Mario, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, or Star Fox 3D, but it's nice to know that Nintendo will be releasing all of them later this year.

In the meantime gamers who are fortunate enough to find a 3DS at launch will have to make due with launch titles such as Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, three different versions of Nintendogs, Rayman 3D, Splinter Cell 3D, and Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars — just to name a few.

The Nintendo 3DS will launch in North America on March 27th.

Would you have purchased Pilotwings or Steel Diver on launch? What games are you most excited for on the 3DS?

Source: NeoGaf