Nintendo has officially announced the launch date and price of the long-awaited 3DS today. They also shared a final spec sheet for the system.

The 3DS is to launch in Japan on February 26th 2011 at a retail price of 25,000 yen. It will be available in Aqua Blue and Cosmos Black color variations.

You will get the following items when you purchase your 3DS:

• Nintendo 3DS System
• Nintendo 3DS Exclusive Charging Stand
• Nintendo 3DS AC Adapter
• Nintendo 3DS Exclusive Touch Pen
• SD Memory Card (2 Gigabytes)
• 6 AR Cards (paper cards used for playing with the camera)
• Simple Starter Guide
• Instructions
• Warranty

Here are the system’s specifications

• Size: 134×74x21mm
• Weight: 230g
• Upper Screen: 3.53 inches, wide screen with naked eye 3D support, 800×240 pixel resolution
• Lower Screen: 3.02 inches, 320×240 pixels
• Camera: One camera on the inside, two cameras on the outside. Each camera is 0.3 megapixels (640×480)
• Wireless Communication: 2.4GHz. Can exchange data with other 3DS units through Surechigai (Tag Mode). Can connect to the internet via wireless LAN access points (compatible with WPA/WPA2 IEEE802.11 security).
• Inputs: A/B/X/Y, D-pad, L/R, Start/Select, Slide Pad (360 degree analogue input), Touch Screen, Internal Mic, Camera, Motion Sensor, Gyro Sensor
• Other Inputs: 3D Volume (can smoothly adjust degree of 3D output), Home Button (for opening the Home menu), Wireless Switch (can turn off wireless even while in mid-game), Power Button
• Connector: Game Card Slot, SD Memory Card Slot, AC Adapter Connection, Charge Connection, Headphone Connection
• Sound: Stereo Speakers on the left and right of the top screen
• Touch Pen: Can be contracted. Max length 10cm
• Battery: Lithium Ion Battery
• Game Card: Nintendo 3DS exclusive game cards. Size is the same as DS cards. Max memory capacity will be 2 gigabytes at system launch

Another interesting to note is that the 3DS offers backwards compatibility. You can play DS and DSi games. How sweet is that!

Along with the 3DS release, Nintendo also announced that it has more than halved its expected net profit for the fiscal year to 90 billion yen, down from 200 billion yen.

The official announcements today also resulted in the company’s stock price taking a plunge.

It’s quite shocking to see stock prices falling due to the official announcement of the 3DS.

The 3DS will cost about 300-400 SGD for me in Singapore. That’s almost the price of a PS3!! It’s extremely expensive >_<.

Source: andriasang, SankakuComplex