Nintendo’s 3DS was released in Japan on February 26th and it has been selling great hitting the top of the sales charts. How could it’s sales possibly be surpassed? By the PSP, that’s how. According to Media Create the PSP sold 58,075 units in the week of March 28th to April 3rd, while the 3DS sold 42,979.

So what’s going on? It’s due in large part to the PSP dating sim Amagami, which is an old PS2 game that’s just been re-released for the handheld. Turns out they really love that old game more than 3D.

If you are a Nintendo fan, then chances are that you have noticed that there seems to be a drought of 1st-party Nintendo titles this spring. In fact there aren’t any. Zero. Nada. Zip. So what does it mean?

Well, it may just mean that we can expect the new console very soon. Kotaku has compiled some data of Nintendo’s game release history for the past 10 years and it seems to back up this speculation. It is looking very likely that we will see Nintendo’s next console this spring.

You won’t be playing Super mario on a phone anytime soon. Nintendo has said that it isn’t planning to build a phone or license its games for third-party software platforms. They are going to focus on consoles and handhelds.

The high costs involved in cellular carrier partnerships are the main roadblock. That would affect the price of games. It just isn’t something Nintendo is looking at right now, but who knows? Maybe down the road, we will get a Nintendo phone. Just not now.

Some gamers have been complaining about headaches and eyestrain when playing the new 3DS console. It seems like it is only a few users right now who are having trouble playing games on the console comfortably. But Nintendo’s UK PR head Rob Saunders says that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and that a risk of discomfort comes with the territory when you are talking 3D content.

Like with any activity that is strenuous on the eyes, he advises that people take breaks. Maybe they could use that break time to go outside and enjoy some nature. Watch a butterfly glide on the breeze, if you know what such a creature is. Feel the warm sun on your pale gamer skin. Whatever. Just don’t stare at a tiny screen all day and you should be fine.

Nintendo’s US president Reggie Fils-Aime has said that the company’s Wii sequel won’t use 3D. The reason is apparently because glasses-free 3D is very difficult to accomplish for multiple people on a TV, so the future console will most likely be 2D.

While we don’t yet know what the next console has in store for us, it is expected to finally have HD and to get a speed upgrade for more detail. There is no way to know for sure, but we may see it as early as the E3 event in June.

Nintendo is counting piles and piles of 3D cash. Without glasses of course. The company has issued a press release claiming that “U.S. day-one sales numbers for Nintendo 3DS were the highest of any Nintendo hand-held system in our history.” To clarify, that’s unit sales.

We don’t have exact numbers, but the big N says that more information will be available when the NPD releases its report on the first-week sales. So it looks like the $250 price point might have been right on target and plenty of fans opened their wallets wide.

It’s always interesting to know how much a device costs to actually build, compared to what you pay for it and what it is capable of. In the case of the now available Nintendo 3DS, research firm iSuppli has the answers.

They have taken a 3DS apart to figure it all out. The most expensive parts inside are the Sharp screens estimated at $38.80. The processor is about $10, and the memory subsystem costs about $8.36. The user interface with a gyroscope costs $6.81, $5.00 for a WLAN system, $4.70 for the cameras, and about $3.50 for the battery system. The total cost is…

The 3DS just went on sale over the weekend here in the US, but the console has been available in Japan since February 26. But are they tired of it yet? It’s starting to look that way. Japanese retail blogs are reporting that the handheld keeps being sold back to stores.

That isn’t good news for Nintendo. So, what is the reason? The black screen of death? Well, it seems that there are many reasons that users are ditching the console. There’s the lack of good games for one, even though that will change. Maybe there is just a general disappointment after the buildup.

The Nintendo 3DS hit the UK last Friday and here in the US this weekend, and it looks like 3DS owners are already reporting problems with Nintendo’s new handheld. Some folks over at GoNintendo even experienced the problem, which is dubbed the ‘black screen of death’.

We aren’t sure how widespread the problem is or how many users have experienced it, but if you are one of them, let us know. This isn’t exactly what you want your new gear to do after you have just bought it. Hopefully Nintendo is looking into the issue.

If you were hoping to import Japanese games for your US Nintendo 3DS, this is bad news. If you want to play imports, you will have to buy a foreign system since a 3DS from one territory will not play games from another. It won’t even show up in the menu.

This is confirmed for the Japanese version so it is safe to assume that the US version will work the same. To some this is not a deal-breaker, but to others this is a big issue. If you want to play foreign games, you’ll need a 3DS from the same country.

You know that slider on the side of the 3DS? It adjusts the 3D aspect to the user’s preference. And although the 3DS’ screen doesn’t force you to wear glasses, it does have to be held at just the right angle to get the most out of the 3D effect. And there are many of us who would just want to use it for plain old 2D gaming. So it’s good to know that Nintendo now says that no game should require 3D as part of its gameplay mechanics. And frankly that’s just a good rule of thumb for making a good game if you ask us.

Hideki Konno, one of Nintendo’s producers says that the company wants all of its 3DS games to be playable in 2D, reducing the 3D aspect to an aesthetic enhancement. Some might feel ripped off, but what did you expect? Nintendo wants to please the mass market, otherwise people will soon tire of the 3DS, like they did with the Wii. Novelties wear off quickly.

Gamer anticipation is reaching critical mass as it is now less than one week until the Nintendo 3DS launches. Sure the line-up of launch games leaves us a little cold, but more games will come in due time and at least we will get to hold the 3DS in our hands.

Those who live in New York have another reason to be excited about the 3DS launch. Nintendo is throwing a midnight launch event. It starts at 9:00 PM EDT at the Best Buy in Union Square. There will be plenty of hands-on 3DS demos, food, music, and giveaways. Probably a bunch of people in costume too. Sounds like a good time. Additional Best Buy locations will also be selling the device at midnight, but maybe with not so much fanfare.

After selling 500,000 units of the Nintendo 3DS handheld on day 1 in Japan, Nintendo has hit another milestone. Amazon UK has announced that they have received more pre-orders for the 3DS than any other gaming console they’ve previously sold.

The Xbox 360, PS3 and the Wii all come in second to Nintendo’s portable glasses-free 3D gaming sensation. They didn’t reveal the exact numbers, but 3DS pre-orders were 20% higher than the PS3, 56% higher than the Wii and 255% higher than the DSi. Looks like the big N has a huge hit on it’s hands.

The Nintendo 3DS launches next week and now there are rumors that the company may focus on a replacement for the Wii. Frank Gibeau, label head at EA Games, said in a chat with IndustryGamers that he was aware of a follow-up coming. The device is unknown and wasn’t confirmed, but it is a fair bet that it will have have HD support, rivaling competitors from Microsoft and Sony.

Nintendo has been one of the most conservative console makers especially during this generation of console. The Wii was mostly built using faster but nearly identical processors as the GameCube. The company has often refused to discuss the possibility of a next-gen console as long as sales continued to dominate, but sales are not what they once were and it would seem that the time is right.

Nintendo of America has announced a partnership with the National Art Education Association (NAEA) where they will introduce the Nintendo DS into classrooms in selected schools across the country. The idea is to give students a fresh, fun way to learn drawing and painting techniques.

Art teachers in elementary, middle and high school classrooms have been given Nintendo DSi XL systems and copies of Art Academy. These teachers will use the game console and the game to make classroom activities more engaging and fun. This should definitely make the classes more fun for kids.