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Executives will announce the European pricing and release date for the new device, which is released in Japan on Feb 26 at 25,000 yen (£190).
The 3DS' screen uses a special layer that allows each of the user's eyes to see a different set of pixels, producing a stereoscopic effect. Like previous iterations of the DS, it also has a second screen, in 2D with a stylus, and wi-fi internet access.
The 3DS' stereoscopic capability is viewed as a weapon for Nintendo in its battle against gaming on smartphones, which have become more sophisticated since the launch of the highly successful original DS in 2005.
"Non-dedicated mobile devices, notably Apple's iOS device range, are winning increasing shares of gaming consumption," said Ed Barton, a senior videogames industry analyst at Screen Digest.
"While dedicated handheld games publishers would argue (fairly) that the quality and investment of games for DS and PSP is of a different scale to games on smartphones and tablets, the issue is how much of the market cares enough to invest in a dedicated handheld games console if they already own, or plan to buy, one of the increasing numbers of smartphones or tablet devices tied into iTunes or the Android Marketplace."
The games available for the 3DS on its Japanese launch will include Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracles, Puzzle Bobble 3D and Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition.
The console is not Nintendo's first attempt to popularise 3D gaming. In 1995 it launched the Virtual Boy, which featured a separate, single colour screen for each eye. It was a commercial failure and was discontinued the following year, before it could be launched in Europe.
Sony, Nintendo's only serious rival as a dedicated handheld console manufacturer, is poised to announce its next device, the PSP2, on Jan 27 in Tokyo.
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