How many of these will a 3DS set you back?

Rumours are great: all the fun of information with none of the hassle of facts. With Nintendo sticking to its January 19th event to reveal the official details of the 3DS's launch price and release date, several UK retailers have jumped the gun with their own guesses, varying from the optimistic to the greedy.

UK site TheHut.com – which also runs sites for Woolworths, Best Buy UK and others – initially pegged the machine for release on March 18th at a whopping £299.99, though has now tempered this to a pre-order deposit of £2.93.

A more conservative estimate comes from UK trade magazine MCV, which reckons the console will set you back a much more reasonable £200-230 when released "on or around March 25th".

On the high street, major retailers Game, Gamestation and HMV have all opened their books for pre-orders, with a £10 deposit in most stores securing you a place on the list, though there's no mention of release date or pricing.

Of course, Nintendo has yet to make any official announcement on price and release date, but remember that the company will be sticking to its mantra that it does not set retail prices.

We'll be reporting from Amsterdam on January 19th to bring you the confirmation of when you can pick up your 3DS and for how much. In the meantime, enjoy speculating in the comments below – it's free, after all!

[source mcvuk.com]