Nintendo conference reveals 3DS, Wii and DS secrets

Nintendo yesterday announced that the new 3DS portable console would go on sale in Japan on 26th February, with a Western release date sometime in March. The Japanese price tag is ¥25,000 (£189) - although there's likely to be some mark up in price from there to here.

With all the information coming through Nintendo's Japanese headquarters it's been difficult to keep up with (and translate) everything, but you should find this video of all the top titles speaks for itself.

There's also a second video on Nintendo's Japanese website that illustrates some of the built-in features (except of course the 3D effect, which is impossible to replicate without an actual 3DS in front of you).

One feature not mentioned in the video is the ability to transfer your downloaded games from a DSi or DSi XL to the 3DS (the 3DS is backwards compatible with all DS cartridges as well). This option was notable by its absence in previous Nintendo portables, which meant your downloads were tied to the console you bought - not a moveable online account.

The bad news is Nintendo are warning that not all downloads will be moveable and there will be a limit on the number of times you can transfer them.

But while Nintendo still doesn't seem to entirely grasp the whole online thing they do appear keen on the concept of augmented reality games (things like Start The Party! and Invizimals where computer-generated graphics are superimposed on a camera view of the world around you). In fact they're releasing something called AR Games for the 3DS, although they haven't yet provided any real details.

The 3DS can also use QR codes (the square next gen barcodes that Japan has been obsessed with for years) and Nintendo has already been illustrating this with collectible cards that feature a code that when scanned unlocks new items or features.

In terms of actual new games though, the biggest news remains Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D and Mega Man Legends 3 Project from Capcom.

As for non-3DS news Nintendo did have a few announcements to make. The Wii will be getting its first taste of the surreal music game Rhythm Paradise, as well as a new entry in the Project Zero (aka Fatal Frame) survival horror series.

There's some confusion over what exactly the latter is, especially as Nintendo refused to release Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse in the West. The early screenshots suggest the new game may simply be a remake of Project Zero II on the PlayStation 2/Xbox.

Finally, Wii exclusive role-playing game The Last Story, from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, will be released on 27th January in Japan - although that probably says little about any potential European release date.

The only announcements for the Nintendo DS were a new Kirby game, where you get to control up to 10 of the little pink blobs at once, and a typing game called Battle & Get: Pokémon Typing DS - which comes bundled with its own wireless keyboard.