Nintendo details Japanese 3DS launch

The ten Japanese 3DS launch titles have been named at a public event in Tokyo, alongside the schedule for first-party releases and the device's battery life.

When the handheld makes its debut in Japan on February 26 it will be accompanied by Konami's Winning Eleven 3D Soccer (known in the West as PES), Capcom's Super Street Fighter IV and the latest Level-5 Professor Layton title - Mask of Miracle.

Tecmo Koei's Samurai Warriors: Chronicle also joins day-one releases alongside Tobidasu! Puzzle Bobble from Square Enix, Namco Bandai's Ridge Racer 3D, three versions of Nintendogs/cats and Combat of Giants from Ubisoft, the only Western developer on the list.

The release of major first-party tiles will be staggered throughout the the year, with Zelda, Steel Diver and Pilotwings all coming in spring, Star Fox and Kid Icarus in Summer and Mario Kart, Paper Mario and Animal Crossing coming later.

Nintendo also divulged the system's predicted battery life, with an estimated playtime of 3.5-5 hours when using 3D settings, depending on brightness and the use of Wi-Fi. Turning the 3D features off to play a DS or DSi title will extend that playtime to 5-8 hours, roughly in line with the current model DSi. Charge time will be roughly 3.5 hours.

Whilst the publisher didn't give any further details on launch schedules or pricing outside of Japan, it's expected to reveal these in a press conference on 19 January. What CEO Satoru Iwata did clarify, in an interview with the Japanese Wall St Journal translated by Andriasang is that he expects 1.5 million of the 4 million projected sales before the end of March to come from Japan.

The 3DS will be available in two colours, black and blue, at Japanese launch, and will cost ¥25,000 (£194).