Nintendo has finally given us some concrete information on when its next generation of Super Smash Bros. titles will be released. It will hit handhelds first, arriving on the 3DS and 2DS this summer, whilst the home console version will be available for the Wii U this winter.
The announcement was made via a special Nintendo Direct presentation last night, fronted by series creator Masahiro Sakurai. It was also confirmed that the 3DS version will feature a framerate of 60 fps and stereoscopic 3D. There will also be a dedicated online mode solely for 3DS players.
Sakurai also announced that player transformations have been removed from the game. This means that two new, fully-fledged characters will be joining the roster for the new Super Smash Bros. – Zero Suit Samus and Sheik. They previously existed as in-game transformations of Samus Aran and Zelda respectively.
Three other characters have also been confirmed: N64 original favourite Yoshi, Brawl newcomer Charizard (this time without the accompanying Pokémon Trainer), and all-new Pokémon combatant Greninja. This brings the roster’s confirmed total up to 29.
If you’ve got the time, you can check out the full 39-minute Nintendo Direct announcement just below.