My OperaJapan to see at least 13 different 3DS designs by end of year
By Masonwaffletower. Thursday, November 10, 2011 6:56:06 AM
You heard right, folks. Japan will be seeing a slew of special hardware bundles later this year, in addition to the new and/or limited edition units currently available. Some of these have a catch, though, so read on to find more information and to see if you can snag one of these delicious imports at a website near you 
It's no secret that Nintendo has gotten ferocious with their marketing of the 3DS since it's poor launch-frame numbers made a sad face in its calculators. Price cuts, free games, new content announcements and even new peripherals have already made headlines in the short time since the 3DS hit store shelves.
Nintendo seems really adamant about taking back the homeland, however, and some developers like Capcom and and Konami are stepping up their game by not only producing new hard-hitting 3DS titles, but including with them special 3DS handhelds. Check the sections below for the different 3DS models Japan will have hovering in the market by the end of the year, and for details on if and how you can get one.
- Standard Units (5 Versions)
- Club Nintendo Japan (3 Versions)
- New Love Plus (3 Versions)
- Monster Hunter Tri-G
- SD Gundam G Generation 3D
1As you can see to the left, Japan got the European treatment by getting an "Ice White" and "Mystic Pink" model, in addition to the now de facto Black, Blue and Red.
It could be coincidence that Japan and Europe will both have a White 3DS, the latter of which will be bundled with Super Mario 3D Land, but it would certainly be a strange one considering that Mario's title doubled 3DS sales in Japan after its release2.
"Clubbed" to Death
3And to the right? It's the Japan-only Club Nintendo limited edition Mario themed 3DS units, of which only 1,000 each will be produced. Members of Club Nintendo Japan can enter to win one of the 3,000 units by purchasing and registering two 3DS games by January 15th. In addition, those who enter will receive a copy of 3D Classics Kid Icarus4.
With 5 standard colors and 3 Club Nintendo Mario units, that makes a total of 8 so far.
New Love PlusIn order to drive sales and encourage fans to purchase a 3DS console, Konami is selling a limited edition unit for its its next Love Plus dating sim title, New Love Plus. The game will be released on December 8th in Japan5, and like its predecessors will involve dating one of three women. Konami promises new game modes to make it a worthwhile experience, and is holding a raffle to see which lucky fan will get the honor of purchasing one of these very limited units6.
3DS Hunter Tri-G
7No surprise there Capcom is releasing a 3DS bundle to accompany its highly anticipated Monster Hunter Tri-G. The bundle will ship with the standard amenities (AR card, charger, and 2GB SD card), as well as a copy of the game, and will be available at the game's release for 20,800 yen. For those outside of Japan, online retailer Play-Asia has been selling preorders for shipping outside of Japan, but claims that it has outsold its current allocations. The site encourages potential buyers to check back after the unit hits store shelves on December 10th.
Additionally, to confirm earlier reports Capcom will be selling another limited bundle for 6,990 yen. This bundle will include a copy of the game and the Expansion Circle Pad for those who already own a Nintendo 3DS.
A standalone copy of the game will cost 5,800 yen.
Never forget how beautiful the 3DS looks from afar.8Gundam Clause may be visiting Japanese children this Christmas with their own copy of SD Gundam G Generation 3D. The standalone game will run 6,090 yen and the unit bundle will cost 21,090 yen. There really isn't much room for error for parents (or Santa) with this one, as the game releases two days before Christmas Eve. For the rest of us, Play-Asia has outsold their preorders, so it looks like there's no Gundam love for our stockings this year, but orders may become available after the street date.
For those of us who still love to toy around with the 3DS camera and show off our funny stuff to our friends, Namco-Bandai is also including a Gundam themed AR Card with the bundle. Given the picture (at top) it seems as though there may be multiple AR Cards to choose from (unless both are included).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------There you have it! Thirteen lucky unit styles to choose from. Granted, some are being marked as near impossible to obtain, even for those who are lucky enough to reside in Nippon Land at a time like this. With sales on the rise, and game developers expecting to sell many more units in the coming months, these incentives can only serve to further repair Nintendo's deficit, which is still projected to reach one and a quarter billion US dollars by the end of the fiscal year (March 2012)2.
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1http://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/hardware/index.html Retrieved 2011-11-10
2http://videogamewriters.com/super-mario-3d-land... Retrieved 2011-11-10
3http://club.nintendo.jp/chotto_mario/index.html Retrieved 2011-11-10
4http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/... Retrieved 2011-11-10
5http://www.konami.jp/products/newloveplus/ Retrieved 2011-11-10
6http://www.siliconera.com/2011/08/24/... Retrieved 2011-11-10
7http://www.siliconera.com/2011/10/05/... Retrieved 2011-11-10
8http://www.siliconera.com/2011/10/19/... Retrieved 2011-11-10
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AntonCaptainSeagull # Thursday, November 10, 2011 7:01:13 PM