This is a funny one. You'd think the President of Nintendo America, Reggie Fils-Aime, would know the date of release for his revolutionary new 3DS, but telling Jimmy Fallon on Friday that it'd launch "next year" was incorrect, apparently.
His mistake hasn't been cleared up officially by a Nintendo spokesperson, but according to our brother-site Kotaku's Japanese Nintendo sources, he was "mistaken" in saying it'd launch next year. Must've been too pre-occupied playing Donkey Kong Returns on the Wii, as shown in the video here.
A pre-Christmas launch certainly makes the most sense, if Nintendo really wants to capitalize on the 3D craze this year. We know, thanks to their initial press release on the console, that it's going to launch before the new financial year begins in April next year. Speaking from experience, if people have any pocket-money left over after January—enough to buy a pricey 3DS—Nintendo will be very lucky indeed. [Kotaku]