On September 12th Nintendo dropped the price on the Nintendo DSi and the Nintendo DSi XL. Although this move was expected in light of the upcoming Holiday Season, it was also considered by some to be an uneccessary act. Every single month the Nintendo DS line dominates the hardware charts with insane sales numbers that defy reason even after 5 years on the shelves. It's not like Nintendo needed to drop the price on the DS. Considering the situation, maybe there is another reason for the price drop? If the 3DS does launch this year a price drop on old hardware will help clear the shelves for the new system.

Many GameStop stores around the United States now have a contact list for people who want to be informed the second the 3DS is available for pre-order. They also have an online alert system posted on their site. Simply click THIS LINK to visit the site. You will be asked to provide your email address, and once the 3DS is available for pre-order you will be notified immediately. (Sort of like an email hotline.)

This development seems to imply that GameStop knows something about Nintendo's launch plans. Also, and much more importantly, when it comes to the retail front Nintendo has a very good reason to launch the 3DS this holiday season.

Just two days after we ran our original story IGN dropped a bomb on the internet. They claimed to know the Hardware Specs for the Nintendo 3DS, allegedly provided by an inside source. Now if this story is true the "leak" can be a legitimate leak from a trusted source or it can be a viral reveal, with the blessings of the Big N. But either way, IGN does have the connections to acquire this highly guarded information. And the response to this leak was explosive.

Here's what they have to say:

"IGN has learned that the Nintendo 3DS will pack not one, but two 266MHz ARM11 CPUs, along with a 133MHz GPU, 4MBs of dedicated VRAM, 64MBs of RAM, and 1.5GBs of flash storage. The information comes from persons familiar with the hardware who spoke to us under the condition of anonymity."

A German news paper called "BILD" has recently published an article claiming the 3DS will launch in Japan on November 11th. They also claimed the system would launch in Europe during the first quarter of 2011, with a price tag of 200 euros. (That's roughly $267 US.) A small list of possible launch games was mentioned in the piece, including Mario Kart, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS, and a new Professor Layton Title. The Euro release date is closer to Nintendo's original claims that the system would launch in March of 2011. The original Nintendo DS launched in Europe in March of 2005.

Now the question remains, is "BILD" a reliable source? Although the paper isn't exactly the "Wall Street Journal" its also not "The Enquirer." But it's occasionally racy subjects and somewhat sensationalist tone make it closer to a tabloid than a trusted news source.

UK Retailer GAME Says 3DS Coming to Europe in 2011

Just as this article was going to press a representative from GAME the leading video game retailer in the UK, stated "Nintendo is expected to release the handheld 3DS in Europe next year." This conventional thinking is consistent with Nintendo's original statement that the system would launch in early 2011. However, recent evidence seems to imply the 3DS might launch in Japan and the US in 2010, and in the UK and Europe during early 2011. This sort of staggered launch would be consistent with Nintendo's previous history. Also, in recent years the company has put greater focus on the American Market. The most obvious example would be releasing the Nintendo DS in America first. Ironically the DS wouldn't launch in Europe until March of the following Year. Could history repeat itself? It does seem likely at this point. 

About The Author:  E.Thomas is our fearless leader and our resident portable gaming fantatic. He owns literally dozens of portable game systems. If you catch him in line at the E3 Expo, he'll probably have a portable game system in his hands.