Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo’s new device which offers portable entertainment in 3D without the need for special glasses, launches this week in Europe on March 25th. Play games in 3D, take 3D photographs and enjoy engaging new social applications that will offer a new surprise every day. Nintendo 3DS will launch in Cosmos Black and Aqua Blue alongside 13 3D games including nintendogs™ + cats, Pilotwings Resort™, Super Street Fighter™IV 3D Edition, Tom Clancy's™ Ghost Recon® Shadow Wars, PES 2011 3D and The Sims™ 3.

“Nintendo 3DS represents a dynamic shift in how we interact with games and continues the tradition Nintendo has for changing the technology landscape in the same way it did with touch-screen gaming in 2004 and motion-controlled gaming in 2006,” said Laurent Fischer, Nintendo of Europe's Managing Director of Marketing & PR. “People will truly need to experience it to believe their eyes.” 

Nintendo 3DS also comes with a large selection of pre-installed software, including Face Raiders, a game that asks users to battle with funny depictions of their own faces, AR Games, Mii Maker, StreetPass Mii Plaza, Activity Log, the Nintendo 3DS Camera and Nintendo 3DS Sound. The Nintendo 3DS also features new connectivity functions called SpotPass and StreetPass.

The StreetPass feature offers a new element of fun and surprise when you meet another Nintendo 3DS user. StreetPass allows you to wirelessly connect with other Nintendo 3DS systems around you, as you move through your daily life. Each time you open your Nintendo 3DS you may find another Mii™ character has greeted you in the StreetPass Mii Plaza gathering point, which will subsequently aid you to complete StreetPass minigames. Many games also utilise StreetPass to exchange data and you don’t even need to have the Game Card in the system. Once you see the green light on the right shoulder of your Nintendo 3DS, you will know you have exchanged data with someone and a new surprise awaits!

The SpotPass feature connects to Wi-Fi access points to go online automatically, even if the system is in Sleep Mode. It is compatible with public hotspots and you can also use your wireless broadband Internet connection at home. Once connected, the Nintendo 3DS system will be able to receive new content and updates on a regular basis. Later this year you could be viewing sports highlights in full 3D on your Nintendo 3DS courtesy of Eurosport – or spending your morning commute in the fun and quirky world of Shaun the Sheep, from Aardman Animations, just some of the possibilities available with SpotPass.

From around late May, even more features will be available*. People will be able to update their Nintendo 3DS to gain access to the Nintendo eShop to download new content, such as 3D games and classic games directly to the device. The simple update will also provide the ability to browse the Internet; play 3D video content; and transfer previously downloaded Nintendo DSiWare™ on a Nintendo DSi™ system to the Nintendo 3DS. 

Nintendo 3DS launches across Europe on 25th March. For more information about Nintendo 3DS, visit http://www.nintendo-europe.com

About Nintendo: 

The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.5 billion video games and more than 577 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi™ XL, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance™, Super NES™, Nintendo®64 and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of Europe, based in Grossostheim, Germany, was established in 1990 and serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in Europe.