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    Nintendo Chops Price for Slow-Selling 3DS Handheld

    By Barry Levine, newsfactor.com | Newsfactor.com – Thu, Jul 28, 2011
    Is 3D gaming losing steam already? A price drop by Nintendo for its much-publicized, recently released 3DS handheld game console suggests it might be. The 3DS launched at the end of March, and Nintendo announced Wednesday that the original price of $249.99 will drop $80 to $169.99, beginning in two weeks.

    'Huge Motivation To Buy Now'

    Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said the price drop is a "huge motivation to buy now" for anyone who has been "on the fence about buying a Nintendo 3DS."

    To smooth over any angry feelings from customers who have already purchased the 3DS at its original price -- about 830,000 people in the U.S. alone -- Nintendo is providing 20 free downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop.

    The free titles are available via wireless to anyone visiting the eShop before midnight on Aug. 11. These customers, who will automatically be registered as Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors, will get 10 NES Virtual Console free games, beginning Sept. 1, including Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber, and the Legend of Zelda.

    By the end of the year, the ambassadors will also receive 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games, such as Yoshi's Island, Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and others. Nintendo said has no plans to make these games available to the general public.

    Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said the price drop and slow sales for the 3DS "definitely shows that simply adding 3D does not increase sales."

    'Very Little Good Content'

    He said the 3DS has had two problems, one of which had been the price, which "is relatively high for a handheld device," is more than Apple's iPod touch, and is "well above Nintendo's other portable game consoles."

    Greengart said the other problem is that "there is very little good content" for the 3DS that takes advantage of the 3D technology, always a key factor, since people buy game consoles for the games.

    He noted that Pokemon, Mario and other titles that have driven sales of Nintendo's handheld devices, aren't available yet for the 3DS, and few of the ones available take advantage of 3D. Greengart said Nintendo has implemented the 3D technology well, and, for the few titles that use the third dimension, "there is a big difference in game play."

    He pointed to Pilotwings Resort, a flight-simulator where the added depth perception helps game play, and Nintendogs + Cats, where the 3D helps bring to life the golden retriever that lives as your pet inside the device "and gives you a feel for the character."

    Greengart said that, given the lower price, and assuming better 3D-focused titles emerge, the 3DS should start showing much better sales figures.

     

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