Global 3DS launch by March 2011

Nintendo has vowed to launch the 3DS is Europe, America and Japan before the end of its financial year in March 2011.

The reason we haven’t announced a launch date or pricing is that, first, we wanted to get reaction here,” NoA boss Reggie Fils Aime told IndustryGamers at E3.

Secondly, we’ll be making individual market decisions in terms of what’s happening in Japan, what’s happening in the Americas, what’s happening in Europe. The one thing, for sure, is that we will launch in all of our major markets by March 31st 2011.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the device won’t hit retail by the end of 2010, though if that does happen the chances of seeing it outside of Japan are slim.

As for the look of the device, Fils-Aime added that in much the same way the original DS got an aesthetic overhaul in the time between it was first revealed and landed at retail, the 3DS could yet see a few design tweaks prior to launch.

You know typically, at an E3, our engineers are looking for feedback,” he added. We have an army of Nintendo representatives out on our show floor talking to attendees, getting reactions to everything in the device: the depth slider, the buttons, the sliding pad that is, essentially, an analog-type stick.

These are things that we’re looking to get reaction to, including the overall button placement. When we get all that feedback, then we’ll finalise the design.”