Nintendo trucks along to ECTS

Console giant Nintendo is set to have a presence at ECTS this year for the first time in three years - but it won't be within the event hall, instead opting for a large tour bus outside the Earls Court venue.

Presumably this is designed as an attempt to lure consumers away from the expanded PlayStation Experience show, which takes place alongside ECTS - although we're not convinced that a bunch of game pods on a large truck outside the Brompton Road entrance to the venue amounts to quite the same amount of sound and fury as Sony's extravaganza.

Anyone heading along to the Nintendo mini-show will be treated to final code of Mario Kart Double Dash (the first time that this has ever been playable publicly, according to UK trade mag MCV), some other Cube goodies and a variety of GBA games including Legend of Zelda: Four Swords.

This all sounds like a fairly small sub-set of Nintendo's E3 line-up, though, so don't expect anything interesting to emerge from the company over the course of the London Games Week, er, festivities. There remains the possibility, however, that Nintendo will hold another press conference during ECTS, as they did last year - although given that the highlight of last year's was Charles Martinet amusing us all greatly with live renditions of Mario and Wario catchphrases, we wouldn't get our hopes up for any greatly exciting news at that either.