There's a lot of nebulousness in the air about the 3DS's launch, including terms like "launch window" being thrown about willy-nilly. First up, here're the official release dates of the games so far, according to the source:

March 2011 (almost certainly launch):
-Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
-Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D

Spring 2011 (likely to be launch):
-Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
-Bust-a-Move Universe
-The Sims 3

Early 2011 (likely to be launch):
-Super Monkey Ball 3-D

Q2 2011 (likely to be launch):
-Pilotwings Resort
-Nintendogs + Cats
-Steel Diver

First Half 2011 (may be launch):
-Asphalt 3D

Summer 2011 (confirmed by Capcom, not launch):
-Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D

2011 (probably won't be launch):
-Kid Icarus Uprising
-The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
-Star Fox 64 3D
-Ridge Racer 3D

TBD 2011 (very unlikely to be launch):
-Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
-Madden NFL Football

TBA/TBD (very unlikely to be launch):
-Dead or Alive Dimensions
-Samurai Warriors Chronicles
-Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars


So, lots of vague dates here, and they're sort of hard to get to on the site. What's this mean for Nintendo fans? Well, I think it's a little concerning of launch day itself. Why would Reggie and the rest of the gang want to leave people in the dark about launch specifics? From a marketing standpoint, wouldn't it make more sense to start hyping up the launch titles so people can decide what game(s) they'll buy with their shiny new system? Probably, but I think the issue is that many of these games simply won't be ready for launch.

I think the "launch window" topic Nintendo skirted around quickly implies that there're a fair number of games within the first three months of the system...but the launch day itself might come up short (to clarify, they've defined the launch window as the period of time between March 27 and when E3 starts in June). I also think that some of these are cutting it very close to launch day, so the devs aren't sure if their game can be done by then or not, so they'd rather play it safe instead of making an official delay.

Let's hope that in the coming weeks, we can get a clearer picture of what'll be available for launch day.

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I'll pick up a 3DS the moment Ocarina of time arrives.

The "Launch Window" has been defined as between March 27th and June 7th (aka Day 1 of E3).

Ocarina of Time I think was confirmed in that Launch Window so we should expect that before June or the first week anyway.

I think another question to ask is what this all means for E3 2011. What will they have to show for themselves there? Hmm...

NOA confirmed these games as expected for the launch window (by June):

Pilotwings Resort
nintendogs + cats
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
Madden NFL Football
The Sims 3
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
Ridge Racer 3D
Dual Pen Sports
Super Monkey Ball 3D
Thor: God of Thunder
CRUSH 3D
BUST-A-MOVE UNIVERSE
Samurai Warriors Chronicles
Dead or Alive Dimensions
Asphalt 3D
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Shadow Wars
Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 3D
Rayman 3D
Rabbids Travel in Time

So says Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/5737885/

Of course, Destructoid claimed to have a list of launch titles including RE: Mercenaries which turned out to be wrong, so I don't k ow who to trust anymore.

@rebonack

Super Monkey Ball 3D is a guarantee buy for me. And I'm going to pick up Pilotwings Resort. The rest I'm indifferent with though Bust-A-Move would be fun... but probably overpriced for it's value.

It's a shame that according to that list that Paper Mario, OoT, and Star Fox are all not in the first three months of the system.

Also, what's this "Shin Megami Tensei" game? I've heard that name before but don't know why it's relevant.

@rebonack
I'll believe Nintendo's list. I'm sure some companies are aiming for the launch window and are unsure if they'll actually make it out by launch.

Paper Mario was never confirmed for the launch of the system. Even in Japan it's slated for the end of 2011. Not to mention a Mario RPG has never released for the launch of a system anyway (and for good reason, it takes a bit more development time).

@CPA Wei Yeah that's true. I posted from my phone earlier, and I didn't click the link to see it went to Nintendo.com. Durr. I'm a bit disappointed with the launch games (or what we expect them to be) but the good games are coming, and we know that. So I'm still excited for the 3DS, and will definitely be getting one on March 27.