3DS Is Becoming Virtual Boy 2

[Edward1]

Wow, Nintendo just announce a massive price cut to 170.   I'm kind of shocked, and did not see this coming.  For people who paid 250 for it, they can download a bunch of NES and Gameboy games.   Actually many good ones like Zelda, Mario, Yoshi's Island.   I guess Nintendo is finally realizing that there is competition.   Now if they could get some good exclusive games for it, I might get one.


http://kotaku.com/5825495/nintendo-3ds-gets-sudden-massive-price-drop

[JesusSaves]

Didn't the Virtual boy get a large price cut shortly after it's release?....

Either way, it was a very smart move. Now the 3DS actually has a chance against the Vita.

[gilly]

I just heard the news on the price drop plus 10 gba games and 10 nes games via download for early adopters. It's like Nintendo was reading this forum and last minute surprised us. I gotta admit, I was not interested in the 3ds but this changes things. I have to at least think about it now.

[ActRaiser1]

[QUOTE=gilly][QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]I think things are looking dire for Nintendo on all fronts, but especially the 3DS.  Like many gamers I was intrigued with it at first, but it has been sitting on my shelf lately.  The main problem is that the 3D mania in general is quickly winding down.  Heck, some people are even avoiding 3D in the theaters in favor of the normal versions.
[/QUOTE]

I'm one of those people that prefer the 2d version of a movie to the 3D.
[/QUOTE]

Ditto.  I do the exact same thing as well.  With shades on the colors are darker and less vibrant.

[Hardcore_Sadism1]

What if the price was also dropped because of the technology dropping down in production costs? If that is the case it should be far from surprising that they lowered the price.

[ActRaiser1]

They're dropping prices because profits for the year are expected to plunge 82%!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/29/technology/Nintendo-earnings.html

The company said that it expected the price cut to help it meet a previous sales forecast of 16 million 3DS machines by the end of March.

In a letter posted online, Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s president and chief executive, offered a profuse apology to Nintendo users, saying that lowering prices so soon after a game machine’s release was a painful move.

“Never in Nintendo’s history have we lowered prices to such an extent, less than half a year since the product launch,” Mr. Iwata said. “But we have judged that unless we move decisively now, there is a high possibility that we will not see many of our customers enjoying a Nintendo 3DS."

[chrisbid1]

never before? 

how quickly did the virtual boy price drop?

[JustLikeHeaven1]

I have zero interest in the 3DS.  Actually, I just have no interest 3D period.  Going to see movies in 3D is usually a waste of money, and playing games in 3D seems just as silly to me.  I thought it was kind of dumb when Sony put so much stock into it, and was surprised when Nintendo announced the 3DS.  I figured if any company could make 3D work its probably Nintendo...the jury is still out, but its not looking too good for them.

[JesusSaves]

[QUOTE=Hardcore_Sadism]What if the price was also dropped because of the technology dropping down in production costs? If that is the case it should be far from surprising that they lowered the price.[/QUOTE]
I doubt it because the 3DS only costed around 100 dollars to manufacture when it was launched. Even if the production costs were already down (unlikely), it would make no difference.

[Michael D]

[QUOTE=JesusSaves][QUOTE=Hardcore_Sadism]What if the price was also dropped because of the technology dropping down in production costs? If that is the case it should be far from surprising that they lowered the price.[/QUOTE]
I doubt it because the 3DS only costed around 100 dollars to manufacture when it was launched. Even if the production costs were already down (unlikely), it would make no difference.
[/QUOTE]

The reason they dropped the price is because of everything I laid out and the fact that Nintendo actually did it shows I was right on target with my comments.  Still, I am surprised it's this much of a drop and there is something to be said about their Ambassador program for current 3DS owners, even if it is basically a glorified apology not just for cutting the price so quickly (not Apple quickly, thankfully), but dropping the ball on the people who took the plunge on this console early.  And with NES and GBA games coming to the 3DS Virtual Console, there's more life there, too.  
 
Yet whether this all helps Nintendo in the end or not still depends on the games and if they can drive the hardware.  And they need to be new games; seeing how Ocarina of Time sold only a little over 300,000 copies last month, I'm thinking that it may indicate that people are getting tired of ports being showcase titles for this system, even when they are of great games (I'm concerned about Star Fox 64 for that very reason; well, that and its inexcusable lack of online play).