Nintendo unveil the 3DS at E3 press conference

Nintendo have officially unleashed their 3DS handheld console. The true successor to the Nintendo DS console that went onto be the most popular portable games machine of all time, it will add glasses-free 3D graphics into the mix.

Again a dual-screen affair, the 3DS will see a massive jump up in graphical capabilities, with the screen resolution rising to 800 x 240 across its 3.5 inches. Likely more a measure to protect a players eyesight rather than a comment on the quality of the 3D tech, there will be a slider on the DS to manage the intensity of the 3D effects.

Twin cameras will allow the device to take pictures in 3D. There will also be the ability to playback 3D movies, so expect some sort of online video store to eventually open for the 3DS. There will also be a built-in web browser with the handheld, with over the air software updates possible across a Wi-fi connection.

The 5.3 x 2.9 x 0.8 inches (W x L T), 8 ounce device will be fully backwards compatible with your old DS games, but already a number of games have been lined up for launch. These include: Kid Icarus, Nintendogs 3D, Metal Gear Solid, Fifa, Madden, Assassin’s Creed, Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil Revelations and DJ Hero.

No word on pricing or release date yet, but easily the most exciting E3 announcement so far.