Days ahead of the Feb. 26 launch in Japan, the buzz around Nintendo 3DS seems to have escalated. While the company has announced the US launch titles, the tech press is atwitter with reports on expected sales figures, reviews of the handheld and leaked details on Augmented Reality (AR) games.

Ahead of the March 27 launch in the United States, Nintendo revealed that the gamers scooping up a Nintendo 3DS will have 16 titles to choose from, besides the two preloaded games. Only three of the titles, namely Pilotwings Resort, Steel Diver, and Nintendogs + cats are from Nintendo.

The list includes: Face Raiders (preloaded), Mii Maker (preloaded), Pilotwings Resort, Nintendogs + cats, Steel Diver, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D (Konami), Asphalt 3D (Ubisoft), Bust-A-Move Universe (Square-Enix), Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D (Ubisoft), Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (Lucasarts), Madden NFL Football (EA Sports), Rayman 3D (Ubisoft), Ridge Racer 3D (Namco Bandai Games), Samurai Warriors: Chronicles (Tecmo Koei), Super Monkey Ball 3D (Sega), Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (Capcom), The Sims 3 (EA), and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Shadow Wars (Ubisoft).

The games are priced at $39.99 each. 3DS will be launched in the US on March 27 at a price of $250.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that pre-orders for the Nintendo 3DS has reached the top selling spot at GameSpot. This initial trend is specially encouraging for the makers considering that the device has gained popularity through word of mouth.

Wired.com has revealed the 'mystery' Nintendo 3DS Augmented Reality Games. Quoting an anonymous source, the magazine has provided details of five as-yet-unannounced titles.

A source who was provided a preview of the Nintendo 3DS filled us in on the mystery titles in Nintendo's AR Games line: Fishing, Graffiti, AR Shot, Mii Pics and Star Pics, the report said, noting that the names of the games are descriptive and not necessarily official titles.

Nintendo has said that 30 games will be available for the system between the March 27 launch and this June's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, including 3-D versions of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and StarFox 64, along with Kid Icarus: Uprising and a brand new Mario Kart game.

Since its unveiling back in June of E3, the handheld that features glasses-free 3-D technology has enjoyed the constant attention of the tech media. However, ahead of the Japan launch this week, the buzz seems to have reached an all-time high.

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