14 DAY TRIAL // Nintendo has confirmed that at its upcoming presentation scheduled to start before the TGS 2011 convention, a new product will be announced, presumably a new version of its existing 3DS handheld platform.
Nintendo's 3DS was released at the beginning of the year but, sadly, didn't manage to attract lots of customers, largely because of its steep price as well as the hard to understand glasses-free 3D effect, which wasn't perceived by all owners.
Now, after a major price cut that seems to have saved a bit of the dwindling sales numbers for the device, Nintendo is scheduled to hold a 3DS-centric conference before the start of the Tokyo Games Show 2011, next week.
The gathering was confirmed last month, and takes place on September 13.
The Japanese company has now released a few more details, describing the event, via Andriasang, as a "Nintendo 3DS new product announcement conference."
As you can imagine, this has immediately led to new rumors concerning a so-called 3DS Lite portable console, which might scrap the 3D feature altogether from the existing device, thus lowering the price even more, closer to the current $99 DSi handheld.
Previous rumors said that a new 3DS model would be presented, with a second analog nub that allows it to support different types of experiences that require two such features on the console.
Nintendo itself confirmed that the 3D function of the 3DS wasn't being actively used by its customers, so it makes sense to scrap it altogether, thus getting a boost in performance from the already powerful 3DS hardware.
Until next week, however, Nintendo's 3DS plans are a closely guarded secret, so expect to hear more about the company's portable strategy at that time, before the start of TGS 2011, on September 15, as well as during the actual show, which ends on September 18.