Did you just pick up a 3DS or suddenly become interested in one? Here's what you need to know.

The 3DS will be available tomorow, August 12, at its newly reduced price of $169.99 in the United States. Walmart and Target may have jumped the gun in offering the deal early, but now you don't have to worry about going to any specific store in order to get the cheaper price.

The reasoning behind the price cut is simple: the system wasn't selling as well as Nintendo hoped, and it needs to drive demand in order to ensure there is a sufficiently install base for Nintendo and third-party publishers to sell their games to. Everyone has their theory on why 3DS hasn't sold especially well -- people don't care about 3D, smartphones have eaten away at the handheld gaming market, the price was too high, there wasn't enough good software. Publicly, Nintendo blames the lack of hit games. In reality, it was likely a combination of all of the above, but times are changing; not every 3DS game will necessarily take advantage of 3D, there are games worth owning on the way, and the price is now lower.

With that all in mind, there are a great deal of people now in the market for a 3DS who had little to no interest in it previously. Here's a look at everything you need to know about the system right now, whether you've just picked up a 3DS recently or intend to pick one up at the new, lower price.

Hardware

The hardware you pick up now is identical to what was released back in March in North America. What is found in the box is no different, which is to say you can count on getting the 3DS itself, a stylus, an AC adapter, AR cards for use with the included AR Games app, a charging cradle, and a 2GB SD card. Besides the included SD card and internal storage, you can of course buy additional SD cards, should you need more space.

The charging cradle (pictured below) is particularly useful because the system's battery isn't especially long-lasting. This dock makes it charging it much more convenient -- a real necessity, given how quickly the battery can be run down. (Or you can avoid this problem altogether by picking up a third-party battery replacement.)

As of today, there are still only two color choices available: Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black. A third, Flame Red, will go on sale on September 9 in North America, coinciding with the release of Star Fox 64 3D. All three systems feature a layered design, the purpose of which was explained by Nintendo earlier this year.

The titular 3D effect isn't for everyone. Some people report getting headaches from playing games in 3D, which Nintendo has responded to by suggesting two things: take a break and use the depth slider. The latter is a small slider control located on the right side of the upper half of the system and allows you to alter the intensity of the 3D effect at any time. You can push it down to easily turn it off altogether, or find a comfortable medium if having it turned up all the way proves to be too much for your eyes. The 3D effect is automatically disabled when playing non-3DS titles, regardless of the slider's positioning.

Whether you're impressed with the lineup of games on 3DS or not, there's already a huge library of games to play, thanks to the system's backwards compatibility with all DS titles. You have two options when playing DS games: have the system upscale the games to fill the screen (without breaking the aspect ratio), or enable 1:1 mode (by holding down the select button while the game is initially booting up) to preserve the original resolution. There are pros and cons with each; upscaling can lead to blurry graphics and text but you get a larger image. 1:1 mode prevents that unnecessary blurriness, but the size of the screen is smaller than that of a DS screen.

Unfortunately, like the DSi, 3DS doesn't feature a slot for Game Boy Advance cartridges. Ten GBA games are being handed out to 3DS Ambassadors later in 2011, but there are (officially) no plans to sell any of them on the eShop as of this time, so you'll need to hang onto an older piece of compatible hardware in order to continue playing anything GBA-related for now.

Systems are identified with a single friend code, which you can exchange with friends to keep track of each other. Both friends need to add one other before the connection can be made, but once it has been, you can see when friend come online, what their designated favorite game is, and what they're currently playing. Unfortunately, exchanging this friend code doesn't import their Mii into your library of Miis; you need to specifically add individual Miis, either by passing by another 3DS owner (more on that in a second) or by scanning in a QR code.

3DS handles local multiplayer wirelessly, but the more exciting wireless functionality comes in the form of SpotPass and StreetPass. When the system is in sleep mode (which is to say, the screen is closed but not powered off), it's still "on" and actively seeking wireless connections. StreetPass allows the system to exchange information (Miis, recently played games, high scores, and other data) with other 3DS owners when passing near them. This is done automatically and requires nothing of you. SpotPass is similar, except that it automatically grabs new videos, software, and other data when a Wi-Fi network or wireless hotspot is in range. One example of this is the new Nintendo Video channel automatically downloading new videos as they are released.

Other features of note: the circle pad (a poor man's analog stick, but much welcome for games set in a 3D world), Wi-Fi, gyro sensor, motion control, and bottom touchscreen (just like the DS, it's not multi-touch).

Software

We've looked at the built-in software previously, so check here for a briefing on all of it. Put simply, you can expect to turn your new 3DS on and find a Mii Maker and the Mii Plaza to show them off; a 3D camera; Face Raiders, a game that uses the system's camera and gyro controls; AR Games, which use the included AR cards to let you play various games and view 3D models of Nintendo characters; the Activity Log tracks a fairly in-depth amount of information about your usage; and Nintendo 3DS Sound, a basic music editor. There is also a section to take down notes regarding the games you play and a notifications area to inform you of things like system updates, the Ambassador program, and new app releases.

The online store, known as the 3DS eShop, wasn't available at launch. It was delivered by firmware update in early June, so you'll need to download the update before gaining access. Along with the eShop (check out our hands-on impressions here), the firmware also added support for the browser and the ability to transfer DSiWare purchases from a DSi or DSi XL to the 3DS. The fairly simple process removes the games from the original system and -- with a few exceptions -- allows them to be played on 3DS.

Everything on the system is accessible through the 3DS menu. This is first brought up when the system is turned on, and can be accessed at any time by pressing the Home button. A limited number of things -- friends list, game notes, notifications, and the browser -- can be accessed while something is already running. Switching between games or apps requires you to shut down an already-running game or app. In the case of Virtual Console games, these can be safely exited and resumed at a later time. They also feature a restore point feature that allow you to save the game at any point. You can then load this save back up as many times as you wish, something that can make an unrelentingly hard game much, much easier.

In July, two new video apps were released on the eShop: Netflix and Nintendo Video. Netflix allows Watch Instantly subscribers to stream the service's full catalog of content on 3DS, provided it's connected to Wi-Fi. As of yet, no 3D content is available from Netflix. Nintendo Video showcases 3D content that ranges from movie trailers to CollegeHumor originals. The content is only available for a limited time; it's delivered on a regular basis by SpotPass, and only four videos can be stored at a time. As new videos come in, older videos are removed.

The Games

Games have arguably been the system's weakest area. At launch, there weren't many must-have games, thanks in large part to Nintendo releasing only three games: Pilotwings Resorts, Steel Diver, and three versions of Nintendogs + Cats. There was no Mario, Zelda, or Metroid, and it was some of the third-party launch games like Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition and Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars that were considered the best available options.

Only one new 3DS retail game from Nintendo has been released since then, but it was a big one -- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. It's quite good, as one would expect from Ocarina of Time, but it is a Nintendo 64 game originally released in 1998, so it's hard not to excuse someone who doesn't view it as a system-seller.

There haven't been many great game releases over the past few months from third parties, either; Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D was one one of the bigger names, but it was lacking content and was marred in controversy for Capcom's decision to prevent the one and only save game slot from being erased.

Moving forward, the situation is beginning to change. Nintendo has admitted it should not have had such a big gap between the release of the system and its heavy-hitter games. It brought out Ocarina of Time 3D in June and has Star Fox 64 3D readying for a September 9 release. Both of those are admittedly remastered versions of Nintendo 64 games; it'll be a bit longer yet before we see the kind of original 3DS content from Nintendo that many are hoping for.

Super Mario 3D Land, an all-new Mario platformer, has been given a November launch window in North America. It'll be followed a month later by Mario Kart 7. Before either of those, Pokemon Rumble Blast, a sequel to WiiWAre beat-em-up Pokemon Rumble, will be released at retail on October 24. Kid Icarus: Uprising is also planned to be out this holiday season.

From there, other 3DS games Nintendo has in the works are further away, but include some goodies. Those include Luigi's Mansion 2 in 2012 and new games in the Paper Mario, Animal Crossing, and Super Smash Bros. series.

Third-party support is also stepping up as the year goes on. Cave Story 3D has been delayed a number of times but is now set for November 8, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked is coming August 23, Bit.Trip Saga and Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns are both September 13 releases, FIFA 12 is September 27, Shinobi (after being delayed) is November 15, and Sonic Generations is coming in November.

There would be more on the way in 2011, only several games have been delayed or canceled. Mega Man Legends 3 (and its 3DS eShop Prototype Version) were canned last month. Sega delayed Crush3D along with Shinobi, possibly in an attempt to wait until a larger install base exists. The puzzle/platform game now won't be out until February 21, 2012. The 3D version of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was also reportedly pushed back to 2012, although Konami claims there was and still is no release date for the game. At E3, it looked like it still needed some work, and with an HD version of the game launching this fall, its delay made plenty of sense.

Further down the line, there is a lot of pledged support for the platform including the likes of Contra, a music game from Rock Band maker Harmonix, Professor Layton (a 3DS game, Mask of Miracle, is already out in Japan), a Professor Layton-Ace Attorney crossover, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts. Resident Evil: Revelations, a more traditonal RE game than The Mercenaries, is shaping up to be good and will be out in 2012. Assassin's Creed will support Wii U, but its 3DS offering, Lost Legacy, has been canceled canceled.

The digital side, on the other hand, has a fair amount to offer. That's primarily due to the fact that almost the entire DSiWare catalog is on the eShop, opening the door for non-DSi owners to pick up Starship Defense, AlphaBounce, the Art Style games, and many others for the first time.

Besides that, the Virtual Console features classic Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, including Super Mario Land, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, and Donkey Kong. The pool of games is small right now, but should be increasing a great deal by the end of the year, including the addition of upwards of ten NES games -- with simultaneous multiplayer support -- that will be given to 3DS Ambassadors for free. NES games confirmed for the system so far include Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber, and The Legend of Zelda.

Ambassadors are also getting ten Game Boy Advance games, though Nintendo claims it has no plans to sell any of them on the eShop. It's a puzzling decision to restrict them to early adopters if they've been prepared for release on 3DS. Hopefully it's only a temporary measure and they'll eventually be released on the eShop to all.

In addition to the direct ports of classic games, some titles -- like Excitebike and Xevious -- are a part of the 3D Classics line, meaning they've been remade to take advantage of the 3D effect. Those are the only two available to date, and, unfortunately, the offering of new, original games in 3D is also pretty small at this point.

The eShop does get new content once a week (it updates on Thursdays), bringing with it an assortment of games. The specifics are always different; this week and last saw no new games for 3DS (only DSiWare and classic games like Mario's Picross), while the two weeks before brought with them Let's Golf 3D and 3D Classics: Xevious.

The Bottom Line

The new price cut to $169.99 helps to make the 3DS a much more attractive purchase. We initially gave the system a B+ in our scorecard back in March. Since then, there hasn't been a great deal of new games to change things significantly, but it looks like that won't remain the case for much longer.

Whether the system is right for you depends upon your interest in the games we know are coming and if you're still willing to carry about a dedicated gaming device that primarily sells its games for $39.99 each. In this day and age of disposable $0.99 iPhone apps, that may not be for everyone.