When the Nintendo 3DS was released just six months ago there was quite a bit of fanfare and even more expectations of big time sales. Since its release the device has fallen well short of expectations.
It seems so odd to think about the furor that was surrounding the impending release of the Nintendo 3DS, where even pictures were getting all sorts of press and pub. But since the machine actually hit the market it has simply not sold at a rate that is remote impressive. Part of the reason for that seems to be that it simply doesn’t seem like a completed product. Some of that feeling might have been alleviated with the addition of the ability to stream Netflix on the device, had that ability been added sooner than it was.
Unfortunately, even this latest feature wasn’t enough to keep the Nintendo DS off of the bargain bin and so now Nintendo is not only slightly dropping the price of the still relatively young gaming device, but what can only be termed as slashing its price, dropping it from $249 MSRP to $169. To be clear, it is almost unheard of for amajor video game provider to be dropping the price of a device that has only been on the market for six months $80.
While this certainly makes the device much more affordable, one should first wonder whether Nintendo is going to be able to stick by their device and continue producing games and updates for the hand held device.
Current owners of the 3DS need not become too outraged with this sudden drop, due to take place on August 12th. Nintendo has said that as long as current owners of the system register with their “Ambassadors” program, meaning they simply need to log into Nintendo’s eShop before August 11th. Should they do this, they will be given 20 free downloadable games in order to make up for the price difference and the loyalty they have shown by buying the system at full price.
The move to drop the price follows a truly miserable financial quarter, posting its first ever quarterly loss and the company is now expected to see just a $450 million profit in 2011 after earlier projecting a $2.2 billion profit at the beginning of the year.
