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Nintendo reveals new Mario 3D game at GDC 2011

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's Game Developers Conference keynote speech made some news when a new 3D Mario game for 3DS was announced.

Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
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Dan Ackerman
Dan Ackerman

There was a quick surprise during Nintendo President Satoru Iwata's Game Developers Conference keynote speech when a new Super Mario game for the 3DS was announced, but without a formal title or details.

We had an inkling earlier this week that something was on tap for the normally non-newsy keynote speech, when a source told us that Nintendo had a secret announcement planned for it, and the company was concerned that Apple's iPad 2 launch event, held literally next door, would divert too much attention.

There were also several announcements about launch of the upcoming 3DS handheld. Nintendo added details about the Netflix app for 3DS, confirming that Netflix will stream some 3D video content, such as movie trailers, starting this summer. Also teased was 3D video recording (in addition to the 3D photo capabilities) as a likely future software upgrade for the 3DS. Also, via a scheduled software update due in May 2011, current DSi owners will be able to transfer their online WiiWare game purchases to a new 3DS console. Finally, 3DS handhelds will be able to access the Internet for free via 10,000 AT&T hot spots.