The Nintendo 3DS New York City launch event, in pictures
Trust us when we say this: you were lucky not to have weathered NYC's shockingly cold East Village this evening. No matter how much you want a Nintendo 3DS -- nothing was worth the blistering wait.
Except, to the hundreds of folks munching down hot dogs and giant pretzels (not to mention the free tacos), and happily donning 3DS-branded woolen caps and tees, the cold wasn't such a big deal. As we approached the front of the line, blankets and makeshift blanket forts were keeping the most loyal -- or perhaps the craziest? -- warm in the last painful hour, with smiles as ubiquitous as the blankets.
The cold, it seems, may have pushed some people off. As you'll see in the gallery after the break, the 3DS's big coming-out party could've probably used a few more attendees lining up to get inside. We're sure Nintendo will have no problem getting rid of consoles at launch and in the coming weeks, but the catering company from tonight's event is likely gonna need to get rid of a few hundred extra hot dogs.
%Gallery-119783%At the head of the 3DS line was the same man who headed up Nintendo's Wii launch day line back in 2006: Isaiah-Triforce Johnson. Though this line is far shorter than the Wii's, Johnson wasn't going to miss another opportunity to be number one -- he waited all week to be the first person on the East Coast to buy a 3DS. And his wish came true earlier this evening.
"Now I'm playing with power ... the power of 3D!" Johnson announced as he held up his 3DS with Nintendo of America prez Reggie Fils-Aime tonight at Best Buy. All the while, the hundreds of folks behind Johnson in line headed to a separate bank of registers, new consoles and games in-hand, a mixture of relief and excitement in their eyes -- no longer waiting, no longer cold, and finally some sleep. Perhaps they'll dream in three dimensions.
