Have you got yours preordered yet?

With Japan's hugely successful launch of the 3DS, it's now only a matter of weeks before the system hits the rest of the world, and preorders in the U.K. are coming in thick and fast.

CVG reports that Andy Yates, Sales Director at Nintendo UK revealed the 3DS is approaching 100,000 preorders ahead of its European launch on 25th March. Speaking to trade publication MCV on preorder expectations, Yates said:

We're very encouraged that it's going to be a big launch... Our target was to get over 100,000 pre-orders - and we're in line with that. So far, we've already beat our personal best for a console launch. With three weeks to go, we're in a great position, as pre-orders are still building... Retailers tell us that things are good, and they're pretty relieved to have a big launch in March; they need something of that magnitude.

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Earlier this week, GameIndustry.biz reported on the number of 3DS units being allocated to the U.K. as 185,000, but according to MCV, Nintendo will be consistently supplying retailers with more stock to meet consumer demands.

Nintendo UK Marketing Director, Dawn Paine, also noted that the company is aiming for a system launch on par with the Wii, and touched on the timing of the launch date:

I don't think you can underestimate peoples' hunger for new technology - the performance we're expecting comes from the quality of the product. The pre-order numbers are a testament to that... We are building towards Wii-style launch proportions. That has been our ambition all along: to get the UK into a 'feeding frenzy' situation. We feel we've picked the perfect time to launch the 3DS.

[source computerandvideogames.com]