NEW YORK – Nintendo 3DS will cost $250 when it launches on March 27 in the United States, the company said Wednesday.
Speculation that the strong yen would put the glasses-free 3-D gaming system's price closer to $300 came to a crashing halt Wednesday morning when Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime said "we're not going there" as he revealed the price point during a New York City media briefing.
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"Right off the bat, 3DS is mass-market ready," said Fils-Aime.
It's a high price tag for a portable game machine, but Nintendo is banking that the device's array of innovative features like a glasses-free 3-D display will justify it to gamers and non-gamers alike.
Nintendo said that between launch day and the E3 Expo on June 7, Nintendo and third-party developers would release 30 different 3DS game titles, including Nintendogs + Cats and Pilotwings Resort.
3DS' online capabilities will be beefed up from the previous model, said Nintendo. While it will still use the antiquated Friend Code system in which users have to exchange lengthy numerical codes before they can play together online, only one code must be used per console, instead of individual codes per game. Also, if you line up with a friend in real life, you don't need to exchange Friend Codes to add them to your 3DS friends list. You can access the list at any time to see what your friends are playing.
Disappointingly, some anticipated features of the device have been pushed back from the launch. Nintendo will not have a downloadable games store or an internet browser ready for the 3DS when it launches, and did not say when these would be available via firmware updates. Similarly, functionality that allows 3DS to play 3-D movies will be added post-launch.
Wired.com will have hands-on coverage of 3DS launch games and more information about the console later Wednesday.
The innovative 3DS features that Nintendo detailed during the conference include:
- The StreetPass system, which will let a user put the 3DS into sleep mode, carry it around with them, and collect and share game data with other 3DS users that come into range as they go about their day.
- The SpotPass feature will automatically connect to open Wi-Fi hotspots anywhere, automatically downloading new content even if 3DS is in sleep mode.
- By exchanging a single Friend Code per system, players will be able to add other 3DS users to their Friends List, and always be able to see who is online and what games they are playing.
- Games like Nintendogs + Cats will use facial-recognition software to find specific users; virtual pets will react differently depending on the player.
- Built-in Activity Log software acts as a pedometer, measuring your steps throughout the day. Walk around enough and you'll earn Play Coins that can be traded in to access unlockable content in certain games.
- Using the Mii Maker software, players can create new Mii characters or import previous designs from the Wii. Mii characters can be shared via StreetPass, or images of them can be saved directly to the 3DS' SD card. A 2-GB SD card is included with 3DS.
- 3DS will also include a selection of small augmented-reality games. Using special physical playing cards included in the box, users can play games that project 3-D graphics onto real-life backgrounds – you might see a dragon walking around on your kitchen table, to use the company's example.
Nintendo's presentation was not without its disappointments. Here are the features that will not ship with the DS and that must be added later through firmware updates:
- The Nintendo 3DS eShop, which will allow users to download new games and classic ones. When it launches, users will be able to download demo versions and watch video trailers of some games.
- An updated internet browser.
- Software that allows users to transfer their previously purchased Nintendo DSiWare downloadable games to the 3DS.
- The ability to watch 3-D movies on the device.
Live Blog: Nintendo 3DS Press Conference
Live blog coverage based on Jason Schreier's reporting from New York City is below.
9:03 – And we're off to the races.
9:08 – "3DS is entertainment that doesn't just request your attention, it actually pulls you in," says Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime onstage.
9:09 – "Right off the bat, 3DS is mass-market ready," he says. It's "customizable – one size doesn't have to fit all."
9:10 – Fils-Aime touting the 3DS' capabilities, like 3-D camera and 3-D picture display. "Wouldn't it be great to have a realistic 3-D picture of your child and play it back on same device for years to come?"
9:12 – 3DS will be launching in the blue and black colors shown in Japan.
9:14 – As in Japan, the system will be packaged with a charging cradle.
9:15 – Interesting. The "Home" button will take you to the 3DS' menu screen, so you can do things there, and your game will pause and wait for you. The 3DS' LED light will show you various information – green means you're using Street Pass and will automatically connect to other users, orange means a friend is online.
9:16 – "3-D display is a compelling feature for every purchaser – whether they consider themselves gamers or not," says Fils-Aime.
9:19 – Fils-Aime talks Nintendogs + Cats: "Just like real life, puppies will beg for affection and attention. You'll have to work harder to find love from a kitten."
9:20 – The puppies and kittens will be able to see, and remember, your face. If you put your face close to the screen, they might lick you. If somebody else looks at them, they won't regard them with the same affection as they do you.
9:21 – Third-party support is "bigger than any Nintendo launch in history," says Fils-Aime. Representatives of various software publishers are on hand to talk up their 3DS games.
9:22 – Team Ninja's Yosuke Hayashi talks about Dead or Alive: Dimensions on video. Konami talks about Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D.
Peter Moore of EA Sports is there to discuss Madden 11: "We have optimized (the user interface) for three-dimensional elements."
9:26 – Street Fighter IV will have a "figurine mode," says its producer. You choose a "figurine" that you win by playing the game, and keep your 3DS on in sleep mode as you travel around. Encounter another player running this mode, and your characters will battle while you're not watching. Later, you can open up your 3DS to find out if you won, and what loot you got.
The game also has a Spectator mode – if other players are fighting near you, you can watch their matches take place on your 3DS.
9:28 – Time to "fill in the blanks" on the details of 3DS, Fils-Aime says. There are still some games with no specific launch date, but they will be "launch window" titles that will arrive between the console's launch and the beginning of E3 Expo later in the year.
9:29 – Within that launch window, says Fils-Aime, 30 games (first- and third-party) will be available in genres including action, sports, RPG, shooter, fighter, family and racing.
9:30 – Fils-Aime detailing the software loaded onto 3DS in the box. As in Japan, it'll have a Mii Maker tool and an Activity Log that functions as a pedometer. By walking around a lot you can earn "activity coins" with ... some functionality or another.
9:32 – A preinstalled game called Face Raiders lets you shoot down 3-D images of your own face. Finally, AR Games are a series of brief, augmented-reality games that project a game onto real-life backgrounds.
9:33 – Nintendo 3DS will also feature an "enhanced internet browser" and a playback feature for pre-produced 3-D movies. But here's the catch: "Many features will come pre-installed with the hardware, but some will only become fully functional with system updates performed online after purchase," says Fils-Aime.
9:35 – Nintendo 3DS has the same Friend Code functionality as Wii and DS, says Fils-Aime, but only one Friend Code per system. So there's no need to have a separate code for each piece of software if you want to build a friends list. But, he adds, if you register your friends wirelessly through a local connection, you don't need to have codes at all.
9:36 – Fils-Aime talking about downloadable games store. "Easier than ever to access digital game downloads," he says. Shows video of the 3DS store in action – there's an entire Mario section. A "steady flow" of classic games from Game Boy and Game Boy Color, including Super Mario Land.
9:37 – 3DS will retail for $250 in the United States. Launch date is March 27.
Live blog coverage is over.
Photo: Jason Schreier/Wired.com
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