Nintendo 3DS welcomed by the world at Japanese launch

Hundreds upon hundreds flocked to Akihabara, Tokyo to get their hands on Nintendos next big thing Although several stores in Japan accepted only pre-orders for the system, there were still crowds of people who waited in line on a cold morning, in fr...

Hundreds upon hundreds flocked to Akihabara, Tokyo to get their hands on Nintendos next big thing

Although several stores in Japan accepted only pre-orders for the system, there were still crowds of people who waited in line on a cold morning, in front of one of the very few stores known to be offering same-day stock, Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara. People who were lucky enough to snag a pre-order there in January (where pre-order stock was immediately exhausted) got their consoles at 8:30 this morning Tokyo time, while those waiting in line needed to wait until an hour later when the store opened.

With promo material to be seen almost everywhere you looked, Nintendo certainly didn’t want anybody to forget about the 3DS

Buyers at this store were forced to help Nintendo market the 3DS on the streets by carrying a branded bag

Toyohisa Ishihara, the first person in the world to purchase a Nintendo 3DS

As we’ve seen from all the various 3DS preview events held both here and overseas, people are very excited about the 3DS and the way it will propel gaming to the next level. Indeed, 3DS fever had swept the crowds in Tokyo this morning. "I have been away from playing games for a while," says Hitoshi Yanagi, a 39-year-old Tokyo resident, "but 3DS brought me back to it."

Nintendo expects to sell 4 million 3DS consoles in Japan before March 31 (which, of course, is when the 3DS launches here in Australia). Will it ever outsell the DS family? Who knows? We’ll have more from the 3DS launch in Japan shortly.

Source: Andrisang, Reuters, 1UP

Emre Aral