New ‘Nintendo 3DS XL’ coming to US on 13 February?

Hello Nintendo. Nice hearing from you again. The all-too-quiet company has a bit of a leak flying around, and looks to be something a little special for the States. GameStop and Ars Technica have revealed that a new Nintendo 3DS XL will be launched in the U.S. on 13 February.

Most of the information garnered is sourced from a poster that had first appeared on NeoGAF.

In something of a pre-Valentine’s Day present to the portable gaming world, Nintendo’s 3DS refresh will allegedly arrive across the Pacific after plans of Nintendo’s upgraded 3DS surfaced in August of last year.

The upgraded system features a beefier set of hardware to play more intensive games, but also boasts an additional analog stick for other Nintendo titles. There’s also two more shoulder buttons and a new (still gimmicky) 3D head tracking feature that irons out some of the previous 3D issues, and of course, NFC.

Image: vinnygambini via NeoGAF

Read more: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS review: knockout king

Whether the device will be available in standard 3DS size is a question only Nintendo can answer later today, when the company’s CEO and president Satoru Iwata talks about the future of the company, and namely the Wii U and handheld consoles.

The press conference takes place at 4pm SAST in you’re in South Africa and 9am ET if you’re on the American east coast.