Analysts Are Surprised by 2011 Date for Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo has announced that the new 3DS handheld, complete with its innovative screens that deliver three dimensional gaming without the use of any glasses, will be launched in Japan on February 26, 2011 for the price of 25,000 Yen, with Europe and North America getting the device later during spring.

Most of the gaming world was surprised at the late February 2011 date, considering that fact that Nintendo hinted at a pre holiday season 2010 date for the Japanese market.

And analyst are saying that the perceived delay could be a sign that initial supply for the Nintendo 3DS might be severely limited.

Colin Sebastian, who is an analyst working with Lazard Capital Markets, says, “Given the later launch of the 3DS in Japan, we note that shipment quantities to the U.S. next spring might be more constrained than originally anticipated”.

Jay Defibaugh, from MF Global FXA Securities, expressed his disappointment at the lack of any 3G functionality in the device, at the 2011 launch date and at the price points, which he expected to be around 20,000 Yen, the equivalent of about 250 United States dollars.

It seems that Satoru Iwata himself, the president of Nintendo, has admitted that the company could not produce enough Nintendo 3DS handhelds to meet the demand it expects on launch date so it chose to push it back in order to create the needed supply.

Nintendo expects to sell about 4 million Nintendo 3DS devices before the March 31 date which makes the end of the its current fiscal year, which is quite impressive, especially given the price point of the device.

It's not clear whether the number also includes first month sales for North America and Europe.

At the moment we known that the Nintendo 3DS will be supported by such launch titles like a new Zelda experience, Super Street Fighter IV 3D and a new Ridge Racer.