Nintendo is set to announce 3DS release date

Rumors have been flying around regarding the release date of the Nintendo 3DS. Some say it will come out this year, others say early 2011 but only Nintendo knows for sure. Nintendo has only provided a release window for the 3DS as being sometime before March 2011. That’s too broad of a date for most of us and Nintendo wants to get people talking about the 3DS well ahead of time. The company confirmed to Bloomberg Japan it will announce a solid release date for the 3DS on September 29, 2010.

We’ve got a whole two months before we start marking our calendars. We can also expect retailers to start dishing out pre-orders around that time. Nintendo hasn’t given a ball park price for the 3DS, but it’s bound to have a price ready alongside the release date. Analysts predict the 3DS will sell for around $250. This would make the 3DS $100 more expensive than the original DS at launch. It’s also possible 3DS games will be more expensive than DS games because they require more processing power and are more expensive to make.

Nintendo is seen as the company that sells hardware at a lower cost than its competitors. Gaming enthusiasts will probably have no problem laying down $250 on the 3DS, especially if they’ve tried it in person ahead of time. The casual audience on the other hand could look at the 3DS and wonder why would they buy it instead of a Wii.

The 3DS has the support of numerous publishers and developers. I may be jumping the gun, but I think Nintendo has another hit on its hands.

Via [Bloomberg] Read [Tech Radar]