Nintendo 3DS launch date and games revealed

Games console and video games giant Nintendo have announced that their new Nintendo 3DS product will be released for sale in Japan on 26th February with US and European launches expected in May.

The initial line-up of games for the machine will include Samurai Warriors: Chronicle, Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Ridge Racer 3D, and Winning Eleven Soccer 3D, amongst others. Big games such as Resident Evil 3D and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D will follow soon after launch.

Some industry observers regard the move as a triumph for Nintendo over Sony, with Nintendo having won the battle to get a glasses-free handheld 3D console to market. The forthcoming 3DS product has a main screen that gives a stereoscopic 3D effect, whilst a touch screen lower down on the device will allow users to control the console in a similar way to the existing DS.

The groundbreaking parallax barrier screen has been created by well-known electronics firm Sharp, to give the game player a convincing glasses-free 3D experience.

The launch price is expected to be just under £200, whilst battery life should give around three to five hours of gameplay on 3D titles – with up to eight hours on standard 2D titles.

The Nintendo 3DS was on display at the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas at the end of last week, where attendees were also hoping to get a glimpse of the anticipated Sony 3D PlayStation Portable.

With no launch date for that device provided as yet by Sony, Nintendo could therefore have several months of competition-free marketing time for the 3DS. A Nintendo press conference in Amsterdam on 19th February will reveal additional information on the arrival of the 3DS in Europe.