Additional Details Surface on Nintendo 3DS

Following up on Nintendo's announcement of the Nintendo 3DS today, a few mainstream sources have issued reports containing some possible details.

Nikkei reports that Nintendo plans on including a stick for controlling characters in 3D and will also include rumble in order to communicate attacks and strikes to the player. Nintendo acquired patents related to these control methods last year, the site reports.

The Nikkei report also states that the wireless speed and battery life are expected to improve greatly. Nintendo is also looking into including an accelerometer, which would allow players to control the action by tilting the system. The screen is also expected to be smaller than 4 inches.

Reagrding the timing of the announcement, the Nikkei report states that due to decreased software releases, Nintendo believed it was necessary to bring out a new system.

Nikkei also mentions a more specific time frame for the system. Nintendo announced a release for some time in the coming fiscal year, which starts on April 1 and ends in March 2011. The Nikkei report states that the expected release time frame is the second half of 2010. This appears to be calendar 2010.

Yomiuri Shimbun reports "it is believed that the system will use a Sharp 3D LCD panel." This display technology, according to the site, covers the screen with a small film, separated from the screen by a small space. The 3D effect is achieved by the slight differences in the image seen by the right and left eyes.

Mainichi Shimbun reports that some software developers have been briefed on the system and that software will be available at launch. This, of course, isn't really saying much.

Typical for mainstream publications, none of the sites listed sources for their information. It's unclear how much was heard directly from Nintendo and how much is educated speculation.