3DS: Anyone pick one up yet?

[abiscuit]

I want one... just not right now. When there's more games I want I'll get it. That or when there's the inevitable redesign.

[Cpt. Winky]

Ah, I still rocking a DS phat from launch with a broken hinge. We can be DS phattie brothers, Ignatius.

I to am still rocking my old DS Phat, although Winky did a number over on it. I'll probably pick up a 3DS this month when they release Ocarina of Time.

well thats a total lie. I think I used it all of 4 times to play pokemon. I inherited said problems, I did not instigate them.

[TheCarpe]

My launch DS performed with distinction for many years, and it was still in respectable shape when I gave it to a friend upon desire of a new model DS.

[Will T.]

I still have my original blue DS, from within a few weeks of when they were first released in that color. The only problem is that the battery loses all of its charge after a week of non-use, meaning that the system memory wipes itself and I have to re-enter my name and stuff when I want to use it again. It doesn't affect game saves of course, just my personal info in the system.

Other than that little issue, it's still going strong. I really only use it every few months when the desire strikes...

[Bronze Fox]

I thought I might bump this thread with this info:

Boy, those 3DS sales sure fell off a cliff. So much so that Nintendo has instituted one of the swiftest and deepest price cuts for a handheld in recent memory.

The 3DS only went on sale earlier this year for $249, but as of August 12, it'll be slashed all the way down to $169.99. That's...wow.
"For anyone who was on the fence about buying a Nintendo 3DS, this is a huge motivation to buy now," Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime says of the move. "We are giving shoppers every incentive to pick up a Nintendo 3DS, from an amazing new price to a rapid-fire succession of great games."

In addition to the price cut for new consumers, those who bought/buy a 3DS before the August 12 markdown will be able to download 20 free games from the 3DS eShop. That offer comes in the form of ten NES Virtual Console games (including classics like Zelda and Super Mario Bros.), which will be available after September 1, and ten Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games (like Yoshi's Island and Metroid Fusion), which will be available a little later.

Yes, you read that right. In addition to original Game Boy games already available there will also be a Game Boy Advance Virtual Console and a NES Virtual Console for the 3DS.

In Japan, the cuts take the 3DS from ¥25,000 to ¥15,000. In Europe, while no exact price has been revealed, Nintendo says the rrp will be cut by "around a third". In Australia, the 3DS will be from AUD$350 all the way down to AUD$250 (with the same twenty-game offer).

-Kotaku

[Zork Nemesis]

That's impressive? Does that mean that 3DS sales are tanking? I can't imagine why they'd slash their prices so much when they're still the only generation of handheld avalible.

I'm probably getting one soon, i'm practically drooling over a handheld port of Star Fox 64 and one can never get enough Ocarania of Time or Pilotwings.

[Bronze Fox]

That's impressive? Does that mean that 3DS sales are tanking? I can't imagine why they'd slash their prices so much when they're still the only generation of handheld avalible.

Yes, "sure fell off a cliff" lead to another article about Nintendo's sales.

Here it is if you want to read it.

[DDYzErO]

Game Boy games like "Metroid Fusion" and "Mario Kart" will only be accessible to the Ambassador members; Nintendo says there are no plans to make them available to the general public.

While Nintendo's announcement did not directly address the reasons for the 3DS price drop, the company may be reacting to disappointing sales numbers.

The company is 39 million units short of projected sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, and has cut financial projections for the year from 110 billion yen to 20 billion yen -- a plunge of 82 percent.

Competition from the new PlayStation handheld Vita device, expected later this year, may also be spurring the price move. Vita is expected to hit the marketplace at $249, with more than 80 titles.

Guess they are getting ready for the Holiday's early as well.

[TTHREAZ]

I heard it was because they fell 39 million short of unit sale projections.

[Bronze Fox]

I heard it was because they fell 39 million short of unit sale projections.

Global DS sales are down from 3.1 million this time last year to 1.4 million this past quarter. Wii sales are down by 50% as well, from 3 million to 1.5 million sold. That would be OK if the new 3DS was doing a roaring trade, but in the past three months only 710,000 of the new handhelds have been sold. Worldwide.

[Boss Llama]

I feel like the biggest thing that has been haunting consoles for quite some time, and which is probably causing part of their sales woes, is their excessive cost. The barrier to entry is huge for somebody who would like to try something, but isn't certain they'll like it. $500-$600 or more for a console system, or $250 for a pocket toy, is a massive amount of money when you think about it. If you love console gaming and really want to play something, it's no issue, but for anybody who isn't certain... forget about it. These are machines that really don't serve any practical purpose beyond entertainment. For the price of a home system you can purchase a solid PC (which has as many entertainment functions, as well as countless non-entertainment functions), or for the price of a handheld, you could pick-up a smartphone (with gaming, internet, communications, gps, etc). Heck, you could by a netbook for the price of a DS, which is infinitely more useful in most situations.

The $250 pricetag for one of these little single-player hand-helds with a screen smaller than that of my phone is quite high. It's out of range of the young folks it wants to appeal to, and is high enough that a parent can very easily say no. It has no appeal to somebody like me who's a PC gamer, because I could nearly build a computer for that (and don't even get me started on the home systems), and it doesn't strike me as practical, because unlike a computer or phone, it doesn't do anything else. It's stuck with the demographic of working adults who are already console gamers, and well-to-do or over-indulgent parents. These are significant demographics, to be sure, but can't support the entire industry. If these console manafacturers want to grab more sales, they need to look at their pricing model and realize it isn't going to keep working.

I think a pricing model that allows the successful spread of a new single-function electronic is that of the ebook readers. Look at Amazon's Kindle, for example. While they range up to ~$380 for the high end model, they also start at a non-threatening ~$120, which gives people more of a comfort zone to learn the technology, decide if they like it, and become more involved with it. When you start changing the hundreds place to a 2, there's a big cut off in people willing to try out some single function gadget. All I need to do is hop on the metro here to see half a dozen people, of all ages and socio-economic statuses, using ebook readers. It is a rare day, however, when I spot a handheld game on the train. Usually I'm the only one playing, and I do so on my phone.

The price cut being discussed here may help the DS for now, but Nintendo (and the others) need to look at a release price in that range if they want to build their base. Keep releasing their upscale models for the fans and converts, but have a gateway too, to draw people in.

----
tl;dr

The lack of an entry-level price point is hurting the console industry. Only people who are already fans or those with significant disposable income are willing to drop the kind of cash required on a single-function entertainment device with few advantages over cheaper, more practical alternatives.

[Will T.]

The reason the 3DS isn't selling well is because the vast majority of people who would have bought it just bought the still-new DSi XL barely a year before. The 3DS is the fifth Nintendo DS system, and the original turns only 7 years old this year. It took them over 20 years to release an equal number of home consoles.

Nintendo has become extremely greedy in recent years, sacrificing quality in favor of quantity based on the (now visibly erroneous) assumption that people will endlessly buy whatever they shove in front of them. It's finally catching up to them now.

[Boss Llama]

Nintendo has become extremely greedy in recent years, sacrificing quality in favor of quantity based on the (now visibly erroneous) assumption that people will endlessly buy whatever they shove in front of them. It's finally catching up to them now.

Hmm, I'll have to check the market records... sounds like Nintendo got bought by EA!

[THE Flying chihuahua]

The reason the 3DS isn't selling well is because the vast majority of people who would have bought it just bought the still-new DSi XL barely a year before. The 3DS is the fifth Nintendo DS system, and the original turns only 7 years old this year. It took them over 20 years to release an equal number of home consoles.

Nintendo has become extremely greedy in recent years, sacrificing quality in favor of quantity based on the (now visibly erroneous) assumption that people will endlessly buy whatever they shove in front of them. It's finally catching up to them now.

If that's true, its gonna take them a while to die, they own the 2 largest selling games in video game history (Mario and Pokemon) and the overall quality of their games are always outstanding.

[Will T.]

True, they're a big company, and that makes it very unlikely that they'll die from a lack of sales on their newest stuff. But their cockiness in being at the top is costing them now as we see that even the most rabid fans will eventually stop re-buying the same slightly-tweaked product year after year.

I find it a little disappointing. The 3DS has great potential as its own system; I've seen the 3D function, and it actually works impressively well. But it's severely hindered by the fact that they rushed the DS through 3 generations in just three years. Had they simply skipped over the DSi and DSi XL, waiting instead to release the 3DS as their first system to have the additions those two introduced, I think it would be selling a lot better right now.