3DS Aussie midnight launch confirmed for Melbourne

With just under a week to go until the launch of the Nintendo 3DS in Australia, Nintendo's local arm has announced that it has teamed up with EB Games to have the official Aussie launch of the console at the EB Games store on Swanson Street in Melbourne's CBD. Coincidentally that store is also Nintendo's lifestyle store, with a section of it dedicated to various Nintendo products.

Kicking off at 11 p.m. on Wednesday night, punters will be able to check out the 3DS before they buy it, get their Miis printed on special cards, and enter into the draw to win a console. Food and drink will also be on hand for those waiting to pick up their consoles at midnight.

If you are thinking about heading down, keep in mind that this will be a good opportunity to get a head start on StreetPass by trading Miis with other 3DS owners.

At this stage, it's unclear whether any other stores will be doing midnight openings for the console, with EB Games and GAME stores in Sydney not revealing their plans. GameSpot AU tried to get in contact with both retailers to find out their plans for nationwide midnight launches, but neither was available for comment at this time. If you haven't preordered yet, you might want to get in quick, with EB Games saying in a marketing e-mail that the retail giant is down to its last 1,000 consoles for its online store. Whether EB Games has more available for the brick-and-mortar stores remains unseen.

For more coverage on the Nintendo 3DS, be sure to check out our launch centre.

[UPDATE] EB Games has since gotten in contact with GameSpot AU and confirmed that one store from each state will be hosting a midnight launch. The stores open at 10pm tonight and there will be basic food and drinks on-hand for eager punters who are waiting around to pick up their consoles. Before heading out, be sure to call the store you intend on buying it from to confirm the details.

To find out what store in your state will be open at midnight, check out the list below:

State - Store:
Victoria - Swanson Street
New South Wales - Macarthur Square
Queensland - Indooroopilly
South Australia - Marion
Australian Capital Territory - Canberra Civic

In Western Australia the Midland store will be opening early at 8am tomorrow for breakfast, instead of opening at midnight.