Nintendo 3DS launching 27 March $250

Winda Benedetti writes:Nintendo has announced that it will begin selling the new Nintendo 3DS handheld gaming device on March on 27th and that it will carry a price tag of $249.99.

The gadget will not only play video games in 3-D without requiring users to wear special glasses, it will also be able to take 3-D photographs and display them on its screen.

At a press conference in New York on Wednesday, Nintendo also announced that more than 30 games will be available to Nintendo 3DS owners between the launch date and early June.

"Nintendo 3DS is a category of one – the experience simply doesn’t exist anywhere else," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "You have to see Nintendo 3DS to believe it. And it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before."

This latest handheld game device from Nintendo – a follow-up to their extremely successful Nintendo DS and DSi game machines – will have two screens like the previous DS. The bottom screen will be a touch screen and the top screen will be able to display 3-D images...as well as 2-D images. A "depth-slider" will allow players to adjust the level of 3-D they see.

As for the 3-D still pictures, the 3DS will come with three cameras built-in: one camera points at the player, while two additional cameras point outward. The two outward cameras allow users to take their own 3-D photos.

The 3DS will also have a built-in motion sensor and gyro sensor to sense the motion and tilt of the device. And in addition to the Control Pad and button controls previously found on Nintendo handhelds, the 3DS will also includes a Circle Pad, which provides a 360 degrees of directional control in a game.

When it launches, the Nintendo 3DS will be available in Aqua Blue or Cosmo Black and will come pre-loaded with several games and applications. One application allows users to use the 3DS as a pedometer and earn coins for how many steps they take. The coins can be traded in for additional content.

The Mii Maker application will let players create Mii avatars or import their Mii characters from their Wii game systems.

The 3DS will be able to play the older Nintendo DS game cards with their original 2-D visuals. And using a service that will be provided after the hardware’s launch, players who own a Nintendo DSi or DSi XL will be able to transfer games they downloaded from the Nintendo DSi Shop to their new 3DS.

As for the games that will be available first, Nintendo said they will launch "Pilotwings Resort," an acrobatic flying game; "Nintendogs + Cats," a new version of the best-selling Nintendo DS pet simulation game; and "Steel Diver," a side-scrolling submarine adventure "that gives the illusion that the player is peering into an aquarium."

Nintendo is also working on 3-D games "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D," "Star Fox 64 3D," "Kid Icarus: Uprising" and new installments in the "Mario Kart," "Animal Crossing" and "Paper Mario" series.

As for 3DS titles coming "soon" from other game companies, Nintendo announced the following: "Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked" from Atlus; "Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition" and "Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D" from Capcom; "Madden NFL Football" from EA SPORTS; "The Sims 3" from Electronic Arts; "Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D" from Konami; "LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars" from LucasArts; "Ridge Racer 3D" and "Dual Pen Sports" from Namco Bandai Games America Inc.; "Super Monkey Ball 3D," "Thor: God of Thunder" and "Crush 3D" from Sega; "Bust-A-Move Universe" from Square Enix; "Samurai Warriors Chronicles" and "Dead or Alive Dimensions" from Tecmo; and "Asphalt 3D," "Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Shadow Wars," "Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D," "Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D," "Rayman 3D" and "Rabbids Travel in Time" all from Ubisoft.