The day is finally upon us. Nintendo has made their big 3DS announcement giving us info on the release date of the console, pricing, and some of the cool new features that will make the 3DS as successful, if not more, than its predecessor. There were more than a few reveals so let's give each a quick rundown.Available in Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black and releasing on February 26th in Japan at a price of 25,000 Yen ($299), the 3DS comes boxed with some unique goodies. Included with the system and AC adapter will be a charging stand, a telescoping stylus, a 2-gigabyte SD card, and 6 Augmented Reality (AR) cards. Using the 3D camera, players will be able to scan the AR cards to insert various objects into the game screen (think PlayStation’s Eye of Judgment). For a larger than expected price point, this is certainly a robust offering.
While the console has a solid release date for Japan, Nintendo announced that each overseas branch would announce their own release date. However, Nintendo did state that other regions will likely receive the 3DS after Japan. We believe North America will receive a March release date for the console, as many were expecting, since CEO and President of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, claimed there would be no holiday release this year.
New features were also announced for the 3DS. Miis will be making an appearance with more customization options than ever before. Using the new 3D camera, gamers will be able to snap a photo of themselves and make adjustments to create their own Nintendo avatar. Miis are certainly going to be a factor when using the 3DS' stronger connectivity capabilities.
Tag Mode, while a novel idea utilized in the original DS, will have a better offering on the 3DS. Data from various games, whether they are in the 3DS cartridge slot or not, will be uploaded and stored on the console even while it is in sleep mode. Gamers can now better keep track of the game accomplishments of their friends and stay connected. Could this mean Nintendo achievements/trophies are on the way?
More a than a few games were unveiled or hinted at as well. It was announced that after Kingdom Hearts 3D, gamers should expect more content from Tetsuya Nomura. As promised, Capcom announced two new 3DS titles: a new Resident Evil entry titled Resident Evil: The Mercenaries, which is going to join Resident Evil: Revelations on the console, and Mega Man Legends 3. These new announcements just add to the already mouthwatering games that will roll out for the 3DS. Check out some of the other announced titles in the video trailer below:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT0Hl5ZYzDw&feature=player_embedded
The announcement that is sure to appeal most to the retro gamer in all of us is the virtual console. Using the 3DS, gamers will be able to download Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles from a downloadable network that Nintendo will be rolling out. In a brief video, Super Mario Land and Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX were shown as examples of games being offered on the Virtual Console. Start making your wish list now gamers.
While many were expecting both the release date of the console to be sooner and the price to be lower, the plentiful improvements and additions that have been made to make gaming on the 3DS a completely new experience are impressive. It may seem like Nintendo is shooting themselves in the foot by making the price point on the console so high, but some quality tech is being put inside this powerful machine. I personally can’t wait until we have a North American release date so I can pre-order mine just minutes later.
What are your thoughts on the release date/window and price point for the 3DS, Ranters? Are you disappointed, excited, a combination of the two? Lets us know in the comments below.
The Nintendo 3DS will be available in Japan on February 26th, 2011 for 25,000 Yen. A North American release date has not yet been announced.
Source: Andria Sang