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TOKYO (AFP) – Japan's Nintendo launched the world's prototypal recording mettlesome housing with a 3-D screen that entireness without primary glasses, a figure the entertainment giant hopes module alter its sliding fortunes.

But as the DS3 makes its entry in Japan on Saturday, it module be hunting for a place in an progressively crowded recreation market.

More than 1,500 fans queued right Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara, the hub of Tokyo's comic-book subculture, to be the prototypal to possess the machine, with some having spent the night on the streets aweigh of the farewell launch.

"I'm extremely excited. I can't wait to move activity it," said Arisa Kubo, a 19-year-old nursing student who began queuing on weekday night.

"The quality has dramatically improved," said Kubo, who proven a pre-sales dissent of the housing terminal month. "The screen is beautiful. 3DS is totally assorted from the normal DS."

Nintendo, which for some gamers is substitutable with its "Super Mario Bros" series, is covering a raft of challenges to its one-time domination of the market.

Traditional recreation rivals much as Sony with its Playstation, and Microsoft whose XBox has been a global hit, impact been connected in the bust by smartphones and paper computers, including Apple's iPhone and iPad which impact condemned a accumulate discover of the recreation market.

Falling income and a obstinately strong yearning are also hitting Nintendo, which saw its assemble net acquire fall nearly 75 percent for the figure months to Dec and analysts say the newborn housing is a alive plop in the hoped-for turnaround.

"For the next five years or so, Nintendo fully expects the 3DS to behave as a key pillar inexplicit its coverall business performance," said diplomatist Defibaugh, director of justness research in consumer electronics and games for MF Global FXA Securities.

"Whether 3DS ends up being a one-trick pony or manoeuvre module be observed by whether Nintendo and its third-party partners crapper deliver original newborn approaches to gameplay."

The dual-screen 3DS, priced at 25,000 yearning ($305) module effort the appetite of Nintendo's set fans and the wider mart for 3D gaming, after rivals catering to what is seen as a more "serious" recreation mart launched their possess updates.

The 3DS ran into disceptation aweigh of its move after the consort warned children under the geezerhood of sextet should not ingest the gadget in 3-D fashion because it could affect their eyes.

The figure is incoming a fast-evolving and highly combative Atlantic of recreation technology.

Sony terminal year launched its PlayStation Move system, which enables users act primary glasses to play 3-D games using wand-shaped controllers.

And in January it undraped its stylish takeout touchscreen recreation housing codenamed "Next Generation Portable" to follow its PlayStation Portable device, jactitation 3G ambulatory connectivity and WiFi.

Microsoft's motion-sensing Kinect grouping for the Xbox 360 system, which lets players ingest body gestures and does not order hand-held controllers, impact the mart terminal year.

"Nintendo's competitors used to be meet Sony and Microsoft, but the consort now faces challenges from Samsung, Apple and providers of social-networking games," said Yusuke Tsunoda, shrink at the Tokai Yeddo Research Centre.

For its stylish device, "the direct should be children... I believe it is arduous to attain adults add the 3DS to the items that are already in their handbags at a instance when more and more people ingest smartphones."

Nintendo's stylish organisation allows the deceit of depth to be increased or decreased so that games crapper be played in both 2D and 3D, patch built-in cameras let users verify 3D pictures.

Like some smartphones it also includes an accelerometer-based motion detector, patch it crapper connect to existing Wi-Fi networks to download added noesis and exchange accumulation with other nearby 3DS units.

Around 30 code titles module be available by June, Nintendo said.

The consort reportedly plans to promulgation around 1.5 meg units in Japan in the prototypal period in an effort to avoid the Brobdingnagian shortages seen with the move of early versions.

The new-generation DS organisation module be free in aggregation and the United States in March.

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