Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata has confirmed that its 3DS handheld console will hit Australia in March 2011. This means that retailers will miss out on selling this product during the peak Christmas buying period.
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Nintendo was aiming to launch the handheld for the Christmas holidays
but was afraid that it would not be able to keep up with the demand. Iwata told analysts that due to this, he decided to launch the handheld in 2011.
The Nintendo 3DS will be available in Japan on February 26, 2011 for 25,000 yen (AU$307.96). It will then be available in the US, Europe and Australia in March 2011, with its overseas subsidiaries announcing the local pricing and the launch date at a closer date.
The Nintendo 3DS is a handheld console that allows a user to enjoy 3D gaming without glasses.
“When you can play games in 3D, the characters can be seen in 3D, which will naturally increase the dynamism. In addition, you can feel a stronger sense of realism to interact with the worlds inside the games, and as you will be able to better comprehend the height, width and depth of the gaming world, you can more freely move around and explore the world,” said Iwata.
“Last June, we showcased Nintendo 3DS at the E3 show, where we felt strong and positive reactions from the visitors. However, for the market penetration of Nintendo 3DS, we have no optimistic view about the challenge we will face,” added Iwata.
Iwata then said that one hurdle is the fact that 3D without the glasses must be viewed with ‘your own eyes’.
“The existing marketing approaches to convey the appeal of software by TV ads, print media and Internet web pages, cannot communicate the attraction of Nintendo 3DS directly to potential consumers. Of course, we can install interactive units at retail outlets, but those who are not interested in Nintendo 3DS may not bother themselves to visit the retailers, so this cannot be an effective tools to convey the appeal to them.”
