Nintendo's new 3DS gaming handheld was one of the biggest hits of last week's E3 show. Though we have yet to see it in person, many of those that have came out impressed with the hardware, claiming it ends all doubts surrounding the possibility of creating 3D effects without the need for glasses. But for all the praise it received, what Nintendo failed to reveal at E3 was an actual release date and pricing details for its next-generation gaming device.
Today Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime killed all hopes for a holiday debut, though. Speaking in an interview with IndustryGamers, the executive confirmed the Nintendo 3DS is coming by March 2011 to major markets. He didn't specify who will get the device first and how much it will cost, other than it is still "making individual market decisions in terms of what's happening in Japan, what's happening in the Americas [and] what's happening in Europe."
The new handheld reportedly took two years to develop and has already won widespread support from Electronic Arts, Konami, Activision Blizzard and other major game publishers. During the interview, Fils-Aime also said that one of the reasons for showing off the 3DS last week was to gauge the public's reaction to everything in the device, from the button placement to the depth slider and analog-type stick. The design of the device seen at E3 is not final, though, so Nintendo could still tweak a thing or two by the time the final product hits stores.
