Durban got the opportunity to be the first city in South Africa to get hands-on time with the new Nintendo 3DS XL on Friday night. This past weekend saw the console being showcased at the DBNGamers Infinity Round, the eighth gathering of gamers from in and around the Durban area, where we celebrated the arrival of the new handheld into the South African videogame market.

It was clear that the Durban gamers were ready to put the 3DS XL through its paces, with many eager attendees arriving over an hour before the festivities were due to kick off. It didn’t take long for everyone to head over to the 3DS XL table and be the first gamers in the country to check out the new console, and get a few more practice rounds in before the tournament kicked off.

While everyone celebrated the end of the week, indulged in delicious hamburgers and mingled with friends, we were kept entertained by hilarious Mario impersonations, trivia about the Mushroom Kingdom, Streetpass prizes and general merriment from awesome competitions while the New Super Mario Bros theme music played in the background. The four player Mario Kart Wii on the big screen attracted many supporters, showing just how fun splitscreen gaming is, and got everyone motivated for the Mario Kart 7 tournament that was to come.

Prizes were handed out all evening, and almost everyone went home with some awesome Nintendo swag, we’re happy to report that many keyrings, mugs, 3DS pouches, hoodies and posters found loving new homes. Before long it was time to kick off the main event of the evening, a Mario Kart 7 tournament with the biggest prize of them all up for grabs, a Nintendo 3DS XL console!

The tournament ran smoothly, with two groups of gamers each racing three races until we had a set of finalists. Many contestants had friends helping them strategise how to win their round, while others used headphones to focus their attention on the task at hand. The crowds supported each race with gusto, patiently waiting for the next race and perhaps one final chance to prove their worth on the race track.

The two sets of four finalists nervously sat down for their final race, no doubt having just one end goal in mind ‒ to win the race and be the first gamer in the country to own a shiny new silver Nintendo 3DS XL. Both races were hard-fought and came right down to the last stretch, with friends eagerly peering over shoulders and yelling encouragement to their mates.

In the end Urjit and Tom took top honors, both deserving winners who each took home a new Nintendo 3DS XL with a huge smile on their faces! An honorable mention goes to Tom who gave his limited edition Legend of Zelda 3DS to the runner-up in his final race.

DBNGamers Infinity Round was another great event for the gamers of Durban. Thanks to everyone who came from near and far to join the festivities, we hope you had an awesome time and we hope to see you all again next month (with more friends in tow):and hopefully for the launch of the WiiU after that too!

Thanks to Nintendo for giving Durban the opportunity to be involved with this launch event and for sponsoring the fantastic prizes. A big thanks to Mandy who co-ordinated the event, safely guarded the 3DS XL demo consoles on her trip down to Durbs, and who also managed to bring along some really awesome prizes with to spoil us with as well. Thanks also go to Jay who brought amazing posters to transform the venue into a fun Mushroom Kingdom.

Last but not least thanks to Pieter for all of his help with organising the event, and to Mathew for designing our great event posters and for always being ready to lend a helping hand! Thanks also go to the members of my El33tonline team for always supporting DBNGamers and for being such a bunch of stand-up guys.

The Nintendo 3DS XL is available now across South Africa at a recommended retail price of R2 349, you can choose from three colour configurations: Silver/Black, Red/Black and Blue/Black.

Here’s some more pictures from DBNGamers Infinity Round:

Tags: 3dsxl, dbngamers, launch, nintendo, southafrica