We're still a few hours away from the official launch of the Nintendo 3DS in Japan, but as is the way of the world, the handheld has already been unofficially launched in Hong Kong.
An example: CNN tech writer Ravi Hiranand picked one up yesterday in a store in Hong Kong, and has been enjoying it ever since. So how are people in China playing 3D games now while those in Japan, the home of Nintendo, have to wait and line up tomorrow?
A number of Kotaku readers in Hong Kong have told us that the machines have been on sale for a couple of days now, and were most likely sourced via distributors who skimmed a few units off the Japanese launch allocation as it was shipped from Nintendo's Chinese factories.
Considering these are essentially world firsts, prices aren't that shocking, as we're told the units themselves are going for around HKD$3400 (USD$436). That's a lot more than the 3DS' retail price in the US, which is USD$249, but hey, it's not a bad premium for anyone who wants to be one of the first in the world to own Nintendo's newest piece of hardware!