Nintendo President Satoru Iwata gave his keynote address today at the Game Developers Conference, and of course the focal point of his presentation was the 3DS, Nintendo’s glasses-free 3D portable which is off to a hot start in Japan and is due for North American launch on March 27th.

The tease of a 3D Super Mario game grabbed the spotlight, as well it should coming from Shigeru Miyamoto and the team behind the two Super Mario Galaxy Wii games. But Iwata also talked about three other important 3DS developments.

First and foremost, a free system update launching the 3DS’s Nintendo eShop is officially scheduled for release “at the end of May.” The eShop is an incredibly important piece of the 3DS puzzle too, as it will implement many of the system’s major online features. Those features include an Internet browser, availability of Nintendo DSiWare software, a transfer solution for porting previously purchased DSiWare games from a DSi/DSi XL to the 3DS, a Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console offering classic downloadable games from the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16, a new “3D Classics” storefront offering select classics remastered in 3D, and a short-form video service providing access to movie and game trailers (among other related media).

Nintendo has also announced collaborations with AT&T and Netflix to further broaden the 3DS’s online capabilities. With help from AT&T, 3DS owners will be able to take their device online for free at more than 10,000 Wi-Fi Hot Spots stationed at coffee shops, airports, restaurants, and book stores nationwide. And with the system’s SpotPass feature turned on, the connection will be made automatically. These hot spots should be in place by the May eShop launch.

On the Netflix front, subscribers with a $7.99 per month unlimited plan will be able to stream movies and TV shows directly to the 3DS come summertime. Cooler still, the service will be interoperable between the 3DS and Wii. That means you can start watching a video on one platform and then pick up right where you left off on the other platform. Now that’s handy!

Trendy Entertainment is breaking new ground in the gradual evolution towards platform-agnostic multiplayer interconnectivity, today announcing that Dungeon Defenders, the studio’s Unreal Engine 3 action-RPG / tower defense hybrid, will feature cross-platform play across four platforms — a feat that has never been accomplished before. Portal 2, you have been one-upped!

Dungeon Defenders is already available for iOS and Android devices, and soon it will also make its way to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Unfortunately, the Xbox 360 is the odd duck out, but the other four platforms — iOS, Android, PC and PS3 — will allow true cross-platform multiplayer action for up to four players, with online services like matchmaking and stat tracking powered by GameSpy Technology. So whichever platform you decide to play on, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding fellow dungeon defenders to defend dungeons with.

And who knows. Epic Games also demoed Dungeon Defenders running on Sony’s Next Generation Portable, so if a full NGP port ever gets made we may be looking at the first game to support multiplayer across five devices!

Wait, what!? Magicka in Vietnam. Really? REALLY? Yes, really!

A couple weeks back, Paradox Interactive and Arrowhead Studios promised a HUGE Magicka surprise to be revealed at the Game Developers Conference. Well, GDC is here, and with it has come the surprise of a lifetime: Magicka is going to Vietnam! Wow, I was WAY off with my prediction!

Magicka: Vietnam is the first expansion to Arrowhead’s indie fantasy action game, and it will be released this spring on all major digital download services. Watch the announcement trailer above and laugh your ass off until more content specifics emerge.

This morning, Paradox Interactive issued a press release outlining the company’s game lineup for the San Francisco Game Developers Conference scheduled to run between February 28th and March 4th. Amongst the text, this blurb immediately jumped out at me:

Magicka “Surprise”
The best-selling Magicka is a satirical fantasy action-adventure game where up to four players embark on a grand adventure to save their world from certain doom using a fully dynamic spell system. Players combine elements to cast spells and wreak havoc and devastation on the minions of darkness. Enough said. So what is the Magicka surprise? We won´t say until GDC. But here is a clue – it is not what you think it is.

So, what do you think this big surprise could be? The part about it not being “what you think it is” leads me to believe it’s not something along the lines of DLC or an expansion, which is an obvious first guess. But what else is there? Well, there is one possibility. I’m not sure if you remember, but when Magicka was first announced, it was said to be coming to PC and consoles. So personally, I’m hoping for an announcement of XBLA and/or PSN versions of the game. Hell, maybe even ports for iPad, 3DS and/or NGP. I can dream, can’t I?

Any other guesses?

Image Source: Magicka’s Photos – Goblins invade Magicka Office