Nintendo has set to launch its 3DS on the February 26th for the Japan market and North America by March, with the cost put at about $299 for the 3D-capable handhelds.

This however comes with news that the timing could affect the company’s fiscal results, originally expected to be shipped before the holidays. Nintendo still expects to make a good profit in the current fiscal year ending by March, slashing its estimates by $1.4 billion to $1 billion. It also plans to sell a small number of Nintendo DS systems 2010 fiscal, lesser that 2009’s. This is a drop from about 27 million to the expected 23.5. The company puts four million of the drop to be from Nintendo 3DS systems.

The results of the company have reinforced the idea of effects of an iPod touch on the firm from Japan. Nintendo has always had the advantage of first type of party title issues, but media and internet lack of full support plus an older hardware and quite expensive games has seen analyst seeing it as the factor that is slowly steering the games from the current DS. The 3DS are expected to be $299, about $50 more than what the iPod touch, fourth generation, costs, at $249, with its hardware drawbacks.

The Nintendo 3DS are expected to be produces in black or aqua, coming with storage means in the form of 2 GB SD card. For virtual characters, the company is planning to supply about six reality cards that have been augmented.

Nintendo has also confirmed there is a Wii Remote+ as a part of the impending launch, although has yet to give more details. It has promised a new Super Mario that is Japanese oriented, perhaps by January 28 at $215.

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