Nintendo Pearl Pink 3DS launching for Valentine's

Nintendo has announced plans to release the pink 3DS – previous sold only as part of an nintendogs bundle - as a standalone color option, unsurprisingly hoping to cash in on Valentine's Day with the $169.99 handheld. Set to go on sale on February 10, the Pearl Pink 3DS is functionally identical to the existing consoles, which means glasses-free 3D, integrated WiFi and access to the Nintendo eShop.

After a slow start, the 3DS passed the 4m US sales mark earlier this month, though it required a hefty discount from the original sticker price in order to motivate demand. Nintendo has been stoking the 3DS' fire in the meantime, too, releasing new 3D game demos for download, and pushing out a firmware update to the console that enables 3D video recording among other features.

However, in the future the wireless services Nintendo offers will increase. The company announced plans last week for the Nintendo Network, a wireless service for the 3DS and the upcoming Wii U that will allow gamers to receive updates, alerts and more directly to their device.