Nintendo may not have had the greatest of years with its 2011 outlook, but 2012 could be an interesting turnaround for them between the 3DS' rising popularity and the prospect of the Wii U, despite its price rumors.  But Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo of Japan, is ready to send the company out of the year on a high note, as he will host a "Nintendo Direct" web conference the day after Christmas.

Not willing to wait for trade shows like CES and Game Developers Conference, Nintendo's "Direct" broadcasts share announcements with folks throughout the world, including release dates for upcoming games, information on possible add-ons and improvements to Nintendo's online improvements, and more.  Granted, this broadcast probably won't have any new information on the Wii U.  Instead, Iwata should be focusing more on the Nintendo 3DS.

So what can you expect from this announcement then?  Well, along with any Wii titles rumored for 2012 (none of which have been announced yet), the focus will be on the 3DS games that are coming in the New Year, including Luigi's Mansion 2, Mario Tennis, and the new Monster Hunter game coming from Capcom, which will make use of the additional circular pad add-on for the system.  (BTW, that's being offered exclusively through Gamestop next year.)  Additional services for the 3DS shop should also be discussed, including new 3D Classics (like the already announced Kid Icarus and the rumored Wario game), and the possibility of introducing more 3D programming through Netflix, as Nintendo previously mentioned during a press conference.  (Original games could be announced as well.)

The press conference is set to take place December 27th around noon in Japan, which translates to December 26th here, around 10:00 PM EDT, 7:00 PM PDT.  It could be quite the Christmas treat for Nintendo fans, even if the Wii U isn't being discussed just yet.  That's likely to come at E3 2012.

Meanwhile, for those of you who want to wait for a U.S. edition of "Nintendo Direct", rumor has it that Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime will be holding his own segment on December 27th, similar to what he did last time.  We'll let you know once this is confirmed.  It'll be interesting to hear what he has to say, especially after taking flack over an interview where he said the Wii U was for families with disposable income.

Yes, because all my income is totally disposable, right?

Anyway, look for a recap of the announcement shortly following Iwata's speech.

About the Author

Robert Workman

Senior Writer/Editor

Robert has years of experience in the video game industry, writing for such sites as AOL GameDaily, PlanetXbox360 and Comic Book Resources.  He can also outdrink you any day of the week.  And twice on Sunday.  Follow him at www.twitter.com/thedcd.