Nintendo has quietly announced on its Japanese Web site plans to introduce a new portable game device capable of producing 3D graphics. Nintendo said it will reveal more news at E3, the annual gaming convention which returns to Los Angeles, Calif. in June, according to a report at The Wall Street Journal.

The device, which news reports have dubbed the “Nintendo 3DS,” will be compatible with existing games designed to work on Nintendo’s popular DS system. But beyond announcing the system and indicating that it would reveal more details, Nintendo is absolutely mum on any of the device’s technical specifications or capabilities.

3D is the new buzzword in entertainment devices. At this month’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, several vendors including Intel and graphics hardware maker Nvidia demonstrated technology that enables games to be played in 3D, though those products require users to wear special glasses and use special displays to complete the effect, similar to watching “Avatar” on the big screen in 3D – a huge capital outlay. Nintendo indicated that their new portable system works without requiring the user to wear special glasses.

Nintendo has dabbled in 3D portable gaming systems before, with its ill-fated Virtual Boy. The device was released in 1995 but was not very successful – Nintendo discontinued it the following year.

Nintendo suggested it would release the new product during its coming fiscal year, which will end March 31, 2011.