With widespread speculations already making rounds since long about whether Nintendo will release the 3DS this year or the next, Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime made an inadvertent confirmation of the 2011 release at the latest Late Night show with Jimmy Fallon.

During the demo of Donkey Kong Country Returns on the show, Fallon asked Reggie about the 3DS release, Reggie instantly let the 3DS launch window slip – saying that the device would hit the market in 2011.

The disclosure from Reggie indicates that the eye-popping Zelda, Metal Gear Solid, Nintendogs + Cats, Starfox, Mario Kart, or Resident Evil would not appear this year at least.

With Reggie’s comment that the 3DS is “coming out next year” seemingly having been made in the passing, there is no confirmation about whether the console will hit the North American store shelves only by next year or whether it may be released in Japan during the holiday season this year itself.

Furthermore, given the fact that Fallon’s shows are well rehearsed, it is quite likely that Reggie’s inadvertent leak of the 3DS release was possibly a planned one. Nonetheless, on thing is fairly clear from Reggie’s comments that gamers can, by and large, expect the system to be released by 2011.