Japanese publications have put out first unconfirmed details on 3DS, detailing hardware specs and more.

The new handheld will have 3D analog sticks, according to newspaper Nikkei, with the screen set to be smaller than DSi XL at four inches diagonally: the DSi XL is at 4.2 inches diagonally.

Nikkei has also mentioned improvements to battery life and better wifi transfers.

Meanwhile, fellow Japanese newspaper Asahi says the screen will be a "parallex barrier LCD" from Sharp, which has already been included into some cell phones in Japan, but is "unsuitable" for TVs.

The handheld was announced this morning for a release sometime before March 2011, with more information to come at E3. This is possibly what it may turn out to be like in terms of software.

Thanks, Engadget.