Christmas 2013 looks good for the 3DS, thanks to Pokemon X and Y

Nintendo today revealed the next generation of titles in the Pokemon series, with a pair of games for Nintendo 3DS due for release later this year.

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are set for launch this October, and Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was keen to stress that the games will release worldwide at the same time, rather than receiving a Japanese launch first as per usual.

These new titles mark big changes for the franchise on Nintendo handheld systems, as the visuals and battle scenes have been completely revamped to take advantage of the Nintendo 3DS's capabilities.

And as you'd expect, Iwata's short Nintendo Direct presentation -- which only lasted around 10 minutes, and spent the majority of that time listing the history of the Pokemon series -- showed off new Pokemon creatures that will be introduced alongside the titles.

The last Pokemon RPG titles in the main franchise were Pokemon Black and White 2 , released for the Nintendo DS late last year. Pokemon X and Y will be the sixth generation of titles for handhelds.

Pokemon Black & White still stand as the fastest-selling titleson a Nintendo handheld to date, selling 5 million units in their first three months on sale in Japan.