Nintendo has announced its next handheld gaming system intended to replace the current selection of DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL hardware.  While the DS introduced the touchscreen to the Nintendo audience, the new system boasts glasses-free 3D gaming.  Prepare to say hello to the Nintendo 3DS.  How does it work?  What does it do?  What does it look like?  We'll have to wait until E3 in June to find out when the 3DS will be officially revealed, but the company plans to launch the system before March 2011 in Japan.

There's obviously a lot that we do not know about the 3DS and I think it's much too soon to form an opinion of what's to come, but like other new technology coming up such as Sony's PlayStation Move and Microsoft's Project Natal, I really need to get my hands (and, in this case, eyes) on the hardware to see just how it works and what sort of fun it offers.  Still, I wonder how well the 3D capabilities work on a small screen that is always moving just slightly in one's frantically gaming hands.  Let's just hope that the company plans to launch with a core game in addition to DS 3D Sports or whatever other casual sports title is surely in the works.