In a brief Nintendo Direct this morning, Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, and Game Freak announced a new way to store Pokémon. Alongside Pokémon X and Y on October 12, a new Pokémon Bank will be released. The downloadable software will store 3,000 pocket monsters.

The Pokémon Bank will also be compatible with Black/White and Black/White 2 via a the Poké Transporter. Players can use the Bank to import their previous Pokémon into X and Y. The Bank will carry an as yet undisclosed annual fee.

Additionally, Nintendo confirmed that Pokémon-themed red and blue 3DS XL units will be available in North America on September 27. It does not seem to be a bundle with an early release of the game.

Pokémon X and Y will be available on October 12, 2013, with the original three starting Pokémon in tow (with mega evolutions, too). You can read our recent hands-on experiences from PAX 2013.

You can check out the full Pokémon X and Y Nintendo Direct below.

Our Take
Nintendo addressed the reasons for a Pokémon Bank fee head on: ongoing maintenance and compatibility with future titles. Unfortunately, leaving the pricing a mystery so close to launch seems like an error. In the Nintendo Direct chat, people were noticeably upset that there is an annual charge for this program. Nintendo is allowing people to assume the worst, and would do well to get in front of this quickly by announcing the price.