Analyst: Nintendo 3DS Will Arrive in the United States in March 2011

Lazard Capital Markets is expecting to see the Nintendo 3DS handheld arriving in North America in March 2011, with a price set between 249 and 299 dollars. The device will initially be launched in Japan, with the predicted date coming before the end of 2010. The new mobile gaming platform will allow gamers to experience full three-dimensional videogames without the use of any special glasses. Major publishers are preparing a host of titles for the fresh gadget, the maker itself promising a new Zelda and Mario for it.

Colin Sebastian, who is an analyst working for Lazard, said, “We have little doubt that the 3DS will prove successful for Nintendo and quite possibly third-party software publishers, as the 3D-effects will give reason for consumers to upgrade from their current devices, as well as potentially reduce the cannibalistic impact from smartphones and tablets.”

Lazard Capital Markets is also saying that while Nintendo might dominate the handheld market, it will start having trouble on the home console market, where Kinect from Microsoft and the PlayStation Move from Sony will help the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 make inroads into the motion tracking-loving segment of the audience. The company believes Kinect will be launching for less than 150 dollars and is expected to sell 3 million units until the end of the year.

The big question is whether hardcore gamers, those who love the console for its line up of first person shooters, are interested in picking up motion tracking devices. The problem for them will be potential lag and it's very likely that this segment will only buy Kinect or PlayStation Move after they see it in action, tested by the more casual-oriented first adopters.

Lazard Capital Markets is also stating that Activision was the publisher with the best line up of videogames at E3, with its focus on long running franchises and big marketing pushes.