Nintendo Australia have presented a press conference this evening in Sydney to announce the official price point and release date of the new 3DS handheld. As expected the release date is set at March 31st, the unit will be available in either blue or black, and the initial price point will be $349.95.

There has not been any word yet on pricing for the games themselves, however I’m sure that will be announced in the coming weeks. Nintendo also stated that although they are working on Wi-Fi deals to use the SpotPass feature, which allows the 3DS to automatically seek Wi-Fi signals to automatically download updates, nothing is set in stone yet.

The handheld’s key features are its 3D screen which doesn’t require 3D glasses, and it’s 3D camera. A number of games have been announced for launch including Kid Icarus: Uprising, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, an Nintendogs + Cats. The 3DS will also include an Augmented Reality feature built into the system, which will use cards (six of which will be included in the box) to create simple mini games. The player will place the card on a surface in front of them, then aim the 3DS’ cameras at it to see the game pop up out from the card, created the illusion of it really being on your kitchen table, or desk.

We will keep you updated with new details as they are announced.