The
3DS handheld system's price is dropped four months after its release. Faced
with horrendous earnings and ongoing weak demand, Nintendo has dramatically
lowered the price of its 3DS handheld system just four months after the system
hit store shelves. Starting Aug. 12, the company will drop the price of the 3DS
from $250 to $170 -- a move it hopes will spark flagging consumer interest and
lay the groundwork for a strong holiday season.
The move might quell
frustration from existing users and lure in new buyers, but it won't prevent
people from pointing to the 3DS as a significant stumble on Nintendo's part.
The company had bet heavily on the system -- which lets users play games in stereoscopic
3D without the need for special glasses -- to help it regain ground lost to
mobile devices like Apple's iPhone. But the high price and weak launch lineup
of software quickly killed any momentum
The collection of free games is a pretty notable one. Starting September
1, people who paid the full $250 for the 3DS will be able to download 10 NES
Virtual Console games for free before they become available to players who
waited for the hardware discount. The titles include Super Mario Bros., Donkey
Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend of Zelda.
Then, at the end of the year,
they'll get another 10 Virtual Console game -- this time from the Game Boy
Advance lineup - which will only be made available to the $250 early adopters
(Nintendo has euphemistically labeled this group members of its "3DS
Ambassador program.")