The wait is over and the early signs are that UK sales of the Nintendo 3DS since midnight on Thursday have been very healthy.
Many pre-order purchasers will have woken to the ring of the doorbell this morning with postal workers across the land getting the best reception they've had since Christmas. Not only did the 3DS take the PlayStation 3's crown as the largest pre-ordered console ever with Amazon, it has outsold it by more than 70%.
The 3DS has two screens, the lower one a touch screen while the upper one displays the 3D images without the need for the glasses. The 3D Depth Slider lets you adjust the impact of the image. Games available at launch include Ridge Racer 3D, Pilotwings Resort, Super Monkey Ball 3D, Rayman 3D and Super Street Fighter IV 3D.
The 3DS boasts a number of features Nintendo hopes will see the glory days return when it was selling games units in the hundreds of millions, and comes with a price tag of up to £229.
Price check has tracked down the best deals at the time of publication, but prices are likely to move fast so add any cheaper deals below.
High street
If you are eager to get your hands on a 3DS now, Morrisons offers the best in-store price of £187 – but stocks are very limited, so ring ahead.
The best in store package is offered by Tesco, which is selling the console plus any 3DS game for £209. Asda are promoting a similar in-store deal of console plus game for £212.
Online
If you can wait a while to get your console the best price online is at Amazon, also for £187. In addition, it is also offering a package of 3DS with a game and screen protector for £202.
Asda is also charging £187 online with the opportunity to purchase one of 14 games for a further £15.
Trade-in prices
A few outlets are offering trade-in deals with previous Nintendo consoles. Argos lets you trade in your DSi XL to get the 3DS plus an accessory kit and vouchers for £109.99. Hand over your DSi and you will pay £144.99.
HMV is the best place to trade in the DS Lite, meaning your pay £164.99 for your 3DS console.
If you wanted to sell it independently and put the money towards a 3DS the average sale price on eBay for the DSi was about £75, and for the DS Lite about £60, though obviously these prices fluctuate.
