Nintendo 3DS scheduled for a February/March release

One of the most sought after gadgets, the Nintendo 3DS will be hitting retail in February in Japan and March in Europe/US. Nintendo have pushed their original release launch for April, forward. Proving they are ahead of schedule right now and ready to get major sales for this hot handheld product.

While many had hoped the date might be pushed forward for the lucrative Christmas sales, this doesn't seem to be a realistic time frame for the Kyoto based company.

Pricing information so far points to a 25,000 yen cost, which translates to $300/£190 – a reasonable figure for a product with 3D image support. As always, UK consumers may well be asked to fork out more than £190, as is often the case when these devices are imported.

The Nintendo 3DS has two panels, the top panel shows the 3d images which gives the player a good impression of a virtual reality experience. These games don't require special glasses and they also obviously don't need 3D TV sets either. I can't imagine many people will want to walk around wearing glasses to play their handheld console, so this is a good move – if the quality is high.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has said that the quality of the device can't be easily shown in TV or magazine adverts – it has to be seen in the flesh, so we hope that many stores across the globe will be holding ‘hands on' demos. “We are not taking the success of the 3DS for granted,” Iwata told reporters at Makuhari Messe hall in this Tokyo suburb. “The value of the 3-D experience can be understood only by getting people to try it out.”

People who have already had the chance to try Metal Gear Solid from Konami on the 3DS say that it is a fantastic looking title which really does manage to convey depth of field and spacial effects.

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