Special Edition Pikachu 3DS XL Lands In Europe Later This Year

Bored with the red and blue 3DS XL variants Nintendo is currently offering? If you live in Europe and like Pokemon enough to let everyone know, you're in luck, because Nintendo has announced that its special edition Pikachu 3DS will be launching in Europe later this year. The handheld, which is bright yellow in color and features a large image of Pikachu on the front, was announced today during the company's latest Nintendo Direct livestream.

Prior to this announcement, this 3DS XL was exclusive to Japan. There doesn't appear to be a game that comes bundled with it, and pricing hasn't been announced yet. A solid release date was also missing from Nintendo's reveal, but the company does say that it'll be available in Europe before the Sun sets on 2012.

Also unknown is whether or not this variant will make its way across the Atlantic to the US. Nintendo is notorious for launching variants of its handhelds and consoles that remain exclusive to Japan, so the fact that it's launching in Europe is a good sign. Then again, if the US releases of Xenoblade and The Last Story are any indication, US consumers could be waiting a while, if they get it at all.

Don't want to carry around a bright yellow 3DS XL that features Pikachu's adorable little mug? Nintendo has you covered there too, as it will also be launching a special Mario Kart 7 bundle in Europe on November 17. The bundle features a white 3DS XL that comes with Mario Kart 7 pre-installed. Nintendo is keeping its mouth shut on pricing for this bundle as well, but we'll keep an ear to ground for additional details. Stay tuned.