News

Nintendo in serious trouble, slashes 3DS price by 1/3
Posted: 28.07.2011 16:52 by JonahFalcon Comments: 24
Things are looking truly bleak for Nintendo, as the company has revised its forecast earnings for the fiscal year ending March 2012 by 82% less. Part of this is due to the fact that the Nintendo 3DS has struggled since its launch. As a result, Nintendo has announced a severe price cut of $80 to $169.99, down from $249.99. The price cut will be implemented on August 12, 2011.

If you bought your 3DS before August 12, the 3DS Ambassador Program will offer 3DS owners 20 free digital titles. The free downloadable titles will be released in two stages:

* Starting Sept. 1, Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors will be able to download 10 NES Virtual Console games at no charge and before they are available in the Nintendo eShop to the general public. These games, including Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend of Zelda, are slated to become paid downloadable games, but Ambassadors get them early for free. Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the Nintendo eShop later in the year, the updated versions will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost.

* By the end of 2011, Nintendo will provide Ambassadors with 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games. These include games like Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. These games will be available exclusively to Ambassadors, and Nintendo currently has no plans to make these 10 games available to the general public on the Nintendo 3DS in the future.

Let us know if the cut to $170 will influence you to pick up a 3DS, or if it’s just too much – or if the games you’re waiting for have yet to be released.

Comments

By stuntkid (SI Elite) on Jul 28, 2011
stuntkid
Price probably alright but not many attractive games
By Knave (SI Core) on Jul 28, 2011
Knave
I think game companies are starting to realize that 3d just isn't the boon that they were hoping. The gimmick might work for hollywood, but I don't think it's catching on with Gamers who are more concerned with good gameplay.
By SirRoderick (SI Elite) on Jul 28, 2011
SirRoderick
82%!?

DAMN BRO!
By JonahFalcon (SI Elite) on Jul 28, 2011
JonahFalcon
Keep in mind, Nintendo buried the Wii by announcing the Wii U - for 2012. Only 33 Wii releases so far this year, and now Nintendo has 18 months of NOTHING but the 3DS.
By nocutius (SI Elite) on Jul 28, 2011
nocutius
Poor Nintendo, and they were just about to build a second mount Fuji with all the cash they made so far :(.
By Thibby (SI Core Veteran) on Jul 28, 2011
Thibby
Maybe the moment to buy a 3DS?
By Knave (SI Core) on Jul 28, 2011
Knave
Maybe the moment to save your $ and wait for the next line of nintendo handhelds/consoles :)
By Xyfer117 (SI Core) on Jul 29, 2011
Xyfer117
I just hope the next pokemon games arent for 3DS! i literally got my own ds just weeks before the 3DS came out lol. I'm not interested in 3DS at all, like most people by the sounds of things.
By neilmike (SI Core) on Jul 29, 2011
neilmike
really i couldn't give a damn about shitty ninendo....sorry to say.
By nocutius (SI Elite) on Jul 29, 2011
nocutius
Well considering how important Nintendo is to gaming i would refrain from using words like 'shitty' when describing them.
By steven101x1 (SI Member) on Jul 30, 2011
steven101x1
^Real talk. Respect the founders of gaming.
By Thibby (SI Core Veteran) on Jul 30, 2011
Thibby
Nintendo aren't the founders of gaming :O
By SirRoderick (SI Elite) on Jul 30, 2011
SirRoderick
Bah, the founders of the Roman Empire were fishermen. They couldn't build an aquaduct.

If you know what I'm saying there
By Knave (SI Core) on Jul 30, 2011
Knave
Apart from the motion controller Nintendo has been very light on innovation for the last long while. They appeal to casual gamers and nostalgic older folk who want the same Mario/Zelda/Metroid game re-released every several years.
By nocutius (SI Elite) on Jul 30, 2011
nocutius
Even if they never return to their former glory nothing can change their role in popularizing gaming.
You don't need to like The Beatles but you simply can't ignore the huge impact they had on music, similar with Nintendo.
By dontpKaniC (SI Newbie) on Jul 30, 2011
dontpKaniC
"the founders of the Roman Empire were fishermen" where the fukc did you get that?
By Kres (SI Elite) on Jul 31, 2011
Kres
Lets keep it civil guys. No need to resolve to cursing to prove a point. Cursing is a not a point... Don't make us higher a mod cause that means more ads to pay them off!
By Knave (SI Core) on Jul 31, 2011
Knave
If you need a mod I'll work for games!

I'll even review them for you ;)

Everyone play nice!
By bosnian_dragon (SI Core) on Jul 31, 2011
bosnian_dragon
Heeheh a little bit of self-marketing here :p

Anyways, Kres is right, there is no need for cursing and stuff like that. Nintendo was a major player in gaming industry, but their role is slowly fading away. Maybe they come back, who knows... I hope they come back for good ;)
By Xyfer117 (SI Core) on Jul 31, 2011
Xyfer117
No one can argue of their importance in the gaming industry theyre probably just having a bad phase, imho i think the whole 3DS thing was a waste of time and money for them they should have concentrated on either the next wii or completely new handheld console
By unsilviu (SI Core) on Aug 01, 2011
unsilviu
Yep, basing an entire console on such a gimmicky concept as 3D(which has had several popularity spikes over the last century, but always eventually dies down due to its sheer inconvenience) was a reckless move on their part. People simply don't want to put on glasses or have to watch at a specific angle to play games or watch movies. And don't even get me stared on 3D glasses when you also have eyeglasses...
By chiefone (SI Veteran Member) on Aug 01, 2011
chiefone
I just have no interest in the 3DS. Even if it was $50 and the games were $1 I wouldn't get one. I can see a 10 year old going bananas over it, but it just isn't cool for an older gamer to walk around with one. If it was built into my phone it might work.
By Xyfer117 (SI Core) on Aug 01, 2011
Xyfer117
Tbh I don't even like 3D films and neither do a lot of my friends, when I go to the cinema I watch the 2D versions. I only watched Avatar in 3D.
By unsilviu (SI Core) on Aug 02, 2011
unsilviu
3D in film is only good if made with special cameras. 3D transitions will never have the same quality as Avatar. Also, vivid colors tend to make the experience better(Avatar's blue smurfs, anyone?), and films such as HP, with many a bland, dark color palette simply don't translate well into 3D... I could see this trend defining the film of the future only if every film started using Cameron's cameras.