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Nintendo Confirms North American And European 3DS Launch For March 2011

By Spencer . November 1, 2010 . 1:16am

Nintendo Confirms North American And European 3DS Launch For March 2011The West won’t have to wait too long for 3D cats and dog licks. Japan gets the Nintendo 3DS during the last week of February. Then it’s heading to the West sometime in March.

 

Nintendo of America has not announced a timeline for the 3DS, but the latest financial supplement page pegs the Nintendo 3DS for a March launch in North America and Europe. Currently, no titles have a targeted release date

 

Games slated for a "spring" release in Japan include: Pilotwings Resort, Steel Diver, nintendogs + cats, and The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time 3D.

 

Nintendo Confirms North American And European 3DS Launch For March 2011


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  • http://www.youtube.com/user/Alhazardous Yui

    March?! Why so long a wait?! =(

    • https://twitter.com/#!/SplashdownTiger STiger

      Gives people’s wallets a chance to recover from Christmas. Also, tax refunds!

      • http://www.jb2x.com/wordpress/ JB2X

        I concur!

        • https://twitter.com/#!/SplashdownTiger STiger

          And Nintendo will conquer those wallets. THEY JUST WON’T LET UP!

    • http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

      Because my birthday is in march, duh!

      • GamerKT

        March birthdays ftw!

  • malek86

    Yeah Nintendo, I’m more interested in a confirmation that it will be region-free. Just say that small little word, and I’ll buy it at launch. Of course, the other small little word would make me wait for a while instead.

    • OneOkami

      For some reason I feel like its been confirmed that its not region free. (Or maybe it was just speculation seeing as the DSi is not)

      • malek86

        I’m afraid it will not be, but I’m hoping Nintendo is smarter than that.

    • http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

      If the 3DS is not region free, this will really, reaaaaaally suck…. i still gonna buy it though… but i wont feel 100% happy for doing so

  • Feynman

    Nintendo has the right idea releasing Ocarina of Time in 3D within the first few months of launch… I imagine there will be a lot of Zelda fans who pick up the system for that game alone. It’s a pretty canny move on Nintendo’s part.

    • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

      Do Zelda games really sell that much? I thought the fan base has actually been shrinking these past few years.

      • Jellybit

        Actually, aside from Spirit Tracks, recent Zeldas have been selling better in the past few years than prior games. Twilight Princess was the best selling Zelda game since Ocarina of Time and Phantom Hourglass may have been the best selling handheld Zelda game ever. So yeah, if you want to say the entire series fanbase is shrinking due to Spirit Tracks, go ahead. I just personally think that’s too little to base that claim on.I also want to say that I found I was sick of the formula when Twilight Princess came out, so I know my own interest dwindled, but the numbers say otherwise for the general public.

        • Yusaku_Matsuda70s

          When Link speaks, Evil wins permanently, Ganon becomes your best buddy, and the game ends with a steamy hot lapdance from Zelda on top of Hyrule Castle, I’ll know that the series has reached jaw-dropping new heights and I will buy three copies of that game.

          EDIT: If that sounds totally offensive then I apologize but the point is I would like to see some drastic changes in terms of storylines.

      • PersonaBull

        Not so much shrinking as aging. This will most likely cultivate a new mass of fans the same way the original Ocarina of Time did back in the N64 days, anyway.
        Also, Twilight Princess was a launch title with the Wii, and I’d say that moved units pretty well. According to this: http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/sales/4573/the-legend-of-zelda-twilight-princess/
        sold 815,000 units in its first week (total, unaligned releases, of course).

        So, yea, Zelda games really sell that much.

      • tr1gun1212

        I just realized that the reason I bought a Nintendo 64 and Wii both was to play a Zelda game, as is the reason I am planning to buy a 3DS. I haven’t even liked any that much since Ocarina, but they still are getting me to buy them somehow…

        • NeoTechni

          I bought my GBC for Zelda DX, and Pokemon
          I bought my GBA for Zelda LttP (I predicted being a portable SNES it was obviously going to come out), and Pokemon
          I bought my DS for Zelda OOT (which I figured was a sure bet given Mario64 ran on the same engine) got 2 others which admittedly were horrible horrible games, and Pokemon
          I will buy 3DS for Zelda OOT

          • http://www.youtube.com/user/Alhazardous Yui

            Your other comments frustrated me, but I seem to have fallen in love with you. Forgive me. =(

          • NeoTechni

            Oh if that’s all it takes. Read my Buzz to see what I’m building.

            http://www.google.com/profiles/NeoTechni#buzz

        • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

          Well I guess you are going to be excited to get two Zelda’s on the Wii, Skyward Sword? You didnt get the gamecube?

          • NeoTechni

            Oh hell yes I got the Gamecube. Thing’s adorable.

            I have Twilight Princess, Wind Waker, both collector’s discs, import copy of Four Swords + (for Tetra’s Trackers) as well as the GBPlayer

            I am excited for Skyward Sword. I have Link’s crossbow training.

  • andref

    Now all we need is a general price point and I really hope it isn’t $300 without tax

    • neon6

      Nintendo isn’t dumb enough to release a handheld at $300 when they know consumers could just use that same amount to buy a PS3/360/Wii.

  • http://twitter.com/Ale598 Ale598

    Sadly there is still no game that makes me want to buy this at launch yet.

    • NeoTechni

      Really? I hated the DS/Wii and even I want 3DS at launch. Steel Diver, MGS3D, StarFox, OOT, Resident Evil

  • EvilAkito

    I too am curious if it’ll be region-free or not. I also want to know whether or not I can buy it in red, though I sort of doubt it since I’m convinced that Nintendo is run by color-blind morons (judging by DSi color-choices).

    • http://honorless.net honorless

      Judging by the DS and Wii…it’ll come out bundled with a Mario game everyone already owns, three years after anyone who wanted it gave up and acquired a system in an inferior color. ;)

    • NeoTechni

      “I too am curious if it’ll be region-free or not.”

      It’s not ;_;

      Which is sad since most of my DS games are imports.

  • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

    Hm it is difficult to decide which of those would be the top selling titles…LOL who am I kidding. I think Pilotwings Restort and Nintendogs+Cats will both go on to have more than 10 mln unit sales.

    March is not too far away; let us just hope that the analysts arent correct, and that Nintendo does not slip the 3DS launch into April for North America and Europe.

  • Pichi

    I’ll wait awhile before buying one. Mainly to see if its sturdy and people report no problems on their launch units.

    • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

      I should probably do the same, I went through 3 DS systems, one hinge cracked, replacement unit had dead pixel that was in the dead center of the screen, another had an ugly looking touch screen panel. I just gave up and ended up buying a second DS Lite, I was tired of messing around with their replacement units.

      Hm I wonder if waiting longer would mean more colors would be available in year 1.

    • http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=2704923 Buntar0

      Sounds similar to my approach:New if it’s cheaper than the Japanese one. Used if the hardware is reliable but as expensive as a Japanese model.Wait for a revision & buy interesting games in advance if all else fails.

    • Joanna

      Same here. Launch colors are usually boring, so I’m going to wait for either a color I like, or the Lite revision. :3

      • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

        Joanna, how come youre always playing catch up with the comments?

        • Joanna

          I just can’t keep up with Siliconera. I love this site, but if I leave it alone for more than two days, I’ve got about 4 pages of catch up waiting for me. I guess I could just skip the older articles, but I love reading about everything. ^^;;;

  • http://whatistheexcel.com/ Excel-2012

    Looks like I’m going camping this March.

  • maxchain

    Wake me up when they confirm the North American release of something interesting that I didn’t already play on the N64.

    • http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

      did you play in the N64 a remade version of Zelda Ocarina of time IN 3D!!? IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND!?
      i think not!, but yeah, i hope they release more stuff with the handled…

      • NeoTechni

        Ive played in my hand before. PSP, my UMPC.

        Not in 3D though

        • http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

          Yeah, but with a lot of bugs right? and barely playeable

          • NeoTechni

            (A UMPC is a full PC that fits in your pocket)

            So no, no bugs. And very playable.

    • http://myfigurecollection.net/collection/ashgail Ashgail

      Man, this situation reminds me of how PSP was being the home of ports

      • maxchain

        I can only hope Gitaroo-Man made good use of its second chance.

        • http://myfigurecollection.net/collection/ashgail Ashgail

          I don’t want to look at the sales figure, but Gitaroo Man will live on forever within our hearts.

          Always

      • NeoTechni

        And so many DS fantrolls railed on PSP for that.

        • malek86

          Now to be honest, we still don’t know just how many ports the 3DS will get. The DS looked like it could have been home to many N64 ports (since it launched with Super Mario 64 DS, and because the GBA was basically used as a portable SNES reciper), but it eventually ended up getting nothing of the sort.

          • NeoTechni

            to be honest i dont care
            i like buying portable versions of console games and the addition of 3d is huge
            i would have preferred ports to most of ds games
            the two zeldas it had were horrible

  • MemeticRichard

    As long as it ain’t over $250…

    Hell, I doubt they’d dare price it higher than their own Wii…

  • karasuKumo

    Looks good, Nintendo have always been creative and original. Very clever move because it would be almost impossible to emulate a 3DS Game in 3D on a PC haha

    Why do I have this horrible feeling that SE will release a 3D FFVII to avoid remaking it on HD consoles for a while?

    • NeoTechni

      “Nintendo have always been creative and original”

      They never have been. We’re on what, the 300th Mario game now? 60th Pokemon game?

      • Joanna

        Why are you so butthurt over Nintendo? Most of your posts about them are always something negative.

        • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

          I imagine that people are just tired of endless supplies of sequels, or in Nintendo cases for those two franchises, sequels that rarely change the gameplay in any drammatic way. Pokemon is still the same thing from generation 1 of the olde days…Mario Galaxy was somewhat revolutionary but in terms of the game, its still the same olde thing just with a different way of moving through 3D space (and it had a sequel come out so fast that offers nothing new apart from more levels).

          When was the last time Nintendo offered a new meaningful franchise that introduced new characters? Apart from games to increase the reach on the branch of people not used to playing videogames as of late, Ninty are perhaps far from being original or creative with their main franchises of olde.

          • Joanna

            Most of the new Nintendo I.P.s are still in Japan: XenoBlade, Last Story, ASH, and Soma Bringer. Only Hotel Dusk and Trace Memory/Another Code made it over here.

            But I am willing to admit that Nintendo keeps around a lot of franchises, older and newer. I don’t mind that, I like the gameplay in both Pokemon and Mario and wouldn’t want that to change. The issue I have here is not about NeoTechni liking or disliking Nintendo/Nintendo games/Nintendo’s business approach, but his constant negativity at everything Nintendo. It’s almost troll-like. I know a bunch of commentators on Siliconera that do not have a good opinion of Nintendo, but I don’t see them constantly saying the same negative crap in almost every Nintendo related article. I don’t usually bring this up, so it’s really telling.

            Furthermore, Siliconera is the *only* multiple system/console site I frequent because, for the most part, the community is free from fanboyism and negativity about particular game system makers such as this displayed here by NeoTechni. I love reading the comments, but I just get so drained constantly seeing the same crap here that made me abandon multiple gaming sites. The way I see it, if you don’t like console X/Company X, ignore them, don’t read articles about them if you can’t keep your negativity to yourself. I read lots of PSP articles, and I do get disappointed at times, but I don’t rain on someone’s parade.

            *disclaimer: there is a difference between criticism and negativity. The former is about arguments and debate and well as well voiced personal opinions. The latter is about claiming x, y, z sucks, is unoriginal, or stupid as if it were a fact.

        • NeoTechni

          “Most of your posts about them are always something negative. ”

          Nope.

          “Why are you so butthurt over Nintendo? ”

          Why are you so butthurt over the truth?

      • karasuKumo

        Console wise, their console designs and features are very original, they started the motion gaming craze. The original idea of the Mario and Pokemon games is very original too. Doesn’t matter about the countless spin offs, by that logic any game that has a spin off or sequel is rendered unoriginal.

        • NeoTechni

          Actually Sony started the motion gaming crazy with eyetoy, Nintendo even admitted that was wii’s inspiration.

          The spinoffs and countless sequels do count. If they were truly that original, theyd have more original games

  • thebanditking

    That’s a pretty quick turn around from the JP launch, still I am passing on this one. Ultimately I hated DS for the first year and a half after buying it at launch, so I will wait until a hardware revision/price drop. OoT in 3D sounds cool and all but I have played that game enough to not want to again and the rest of the 3DS line up I care about is likely years off (Resident Evil, Layton X Ace Attorney). Besides I will bet NA/EU only get the console in black, which is boring.

  • ThunderGod_Cid

    Didn’t Nintendo say basically the same thing at E3.

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