( CNN ) -- Nintendo 3DS , a glasses-free 3-D handheld video game system , arrives March 27 for $ 249.99 . Nintendo hopes it will make the strongest case yet for 3-D special effects affordability and relevance . But calling it a gaming console may be the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American public . Gaming , it turns out , might be among the least of the system 's capabilities . The device will also deliver an array of other fully-connected entertainment experiences , according to Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime at the 2011 Game Developers Conference . From 3-D movies to TV shows , digital music to augmented reality applications , the company is clearly assigning tremendous importance to non-gaming applications . Though they wo n't say it directly , Nintendo clearly plans to make the system a Trojan horse for the larger world of 3-D multimedia . This should scare the competition . It 's an infinitely more practical , and reasonably priced , 3-D argument than a $ 1500+ HDTV that tethers you to your couch . If Nintendo can make this portable device as common and trusted for 3-D entertainment as smartphones are for e-mail or Web surfing , it may single-handedly deliver the breakthrough that carries this technology to mainstream prominence . Yes , the system will play 3-D versions of premium game franchises like `` Street Fighter '' and `` The Legend of Zelda , '' says Fils-Aime . Yes , in the wake of increasing pressure from tens of thousands of readily available free and 99-cent apps , it will redouble efforts to justify $ 39.99 average software prices by offering `` premium experiences you ca n't get anywhere else . '' But with free AT & T WiFi hotspot availability , Netflix movie streaming and the ability to create , download and physically interact with 3-D content among its arsenal of tricks , the company may have yet to play its trump card . The system lacks 3G/4G high-speed connectivity , and Nintendo is known for ardently policing material licensed for sale or distribution -- virtually or otherwise -- for its consoles . But by letting users view , download and generate a variety of 3-D material , the system could prove to be the most cost-effective and practical on-demand 3-D content portal on the market . Should Nintendo decide to enable sharing of user-generated content or enable the three-camera device for high-speed cellular connectivity and casual videoconferencing , the scope of this potential power play becomes even larger . While a dedicated stand-alone gaming system such as the Nintendo 3DS ca n't rival smartphones or tablet PCs for sheer ubiquity , consider this : . If 3-D technology takes off the way manufacturers hope , Nintendo 's new device may give them an instant entrée into entirely new areas of entertainment , a leg up in the race to legitimize 3-D content and a secret weapon in the war to reclaim the territory recently ceded to Apple and its growing gaming focus .
Nintendo 3DS may be the greatest hoax ever perpetrated , says Steinberg . Steinberg : Nintendo wo n't say directly , but system is portal for loads of 3-D multimedia . The system will play 3-D versions of premium game franchises like `` Street Fighter ''