So Apparently all 3DS owners are getting 20 free downloads during the 3DS downfall starting September 1st as I understand it. Keep your trigger fingers ready(?)

Bummer IMO, Nintendo gave up too soon on this wonderful console.

I don’t think they’ve given up yet… I think they picked the wrong price point from the start, and to keep current customers happy (those that “overpaid” for the console), they’re giving away the free downloads.

I personally think they just need some good games, not a lower price, but maybe they need more system sales before 3rd parties will jump onboard (chicken and egg kinda thing).

DogP

Iff i whas understanding the program right then this 20 games will never come for sale or download later in the store or on disk.
so only the people that have buy it right away will own them

I had buy mine on release day and already own about 10 games for it and really i like the systeem.

i hope the price drop will be succesfull and allot off people buying it but the really need some new good games for that will happen

VirtualJockey, they didn’t give up on it at all. the console’s MSRP was way too high so the execs took a salary hit to lower its cost. in an effort to keep people that already owned the 3DS happy during the price drop they opened up a slew of free content.

there are going to be some killer apps coming to the system, no doubt, and nintendo’s going to make sure of it. i know i’ll be buying one when kid icarus hits stores! if more 3DS consoles get moved as an effect of the price drop, then third party devs will be even more eager to hop on.

DogP schrieb:
I don’t think they’ve given up yet… I think they picked the wrong price point from the start, and to keep current customers happy (those that “overpaid” for the console), they’re giving away the free downloads.

I personally think they just need some good games, not a lower price, but maybe they need more system sales before 3rd parties will jump onboard (chicken and egg kinda thing).

DogP

Well the price was too high from the begin with. With 249 it was more expensive than an iPod but had less power and abilities.
However, the price was a problem but the bigger problem is the lag of games. I had my system from the first day on with ridge racer. I used it for lets say two weeks and then i put it on my desk to wait for the System Update and eShop. After playing with that a bit i had nothing to do again so i didnt play until Zelda came out. I was not interested in the other Games so far. After finishing Zelda, my 3DS is again not in use because there are no intersting games i want.

I am sure i am not alone with that.

Fire-WSP wrote:
I was not interested in the other Games so far. After finishing Zelda, my 3DS is again not in use because there are no intersting games i want.

I am sure i am not alone with that.

for me the Wii was the same way at launch. i wasn’t truly interested until a few months into its lifespan.

Whoooaa, VJ, slow down buddy, you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. They haven’t given up at all. Its just a readjustment in strategy.

Here’s a bit of the stuff Iwata has said given the current situation. Its evident that Nintendo is still fully standing behind the platform.

– by the end of the year, the Mii Plaza will be updated with new features
– various titles are in development that will take advantage of your Miis
– this software will see release this year and next
– the original price of the 3DS was a challenge for third parties
– third parties would say “Even if they are interested in this game, they can’t buy it,” or “We placed a big bet that the 3DS would sell without question, and are a bit disappointed.”
– now third parties are saying “We’re extremely relieved” and “This will definitely sell.”
– Iwata admitted that retailer revenue will go down, but there will be an overall benefit from more systems sold
– One retailer from America was so pleased that he said “It’s like Christmas has come early!”
– Nintendo is holding a “Price Protection” program where to refund retailers that bought the 3DS in bulk at its original price
– Most at Nintendo feel that they missed a price opportunity with the Cube, and they don’t want to miss that opportunity again with the 3DS
– the success of the Wii and DS have built up money for Nintendo so that they’re in a position to take bigger risks, like the 3DS price cut and Wii U in general
– Iwata says the current 3DS software lineup is more targeted to young males, and this has to do with the system not launching during the holiday rush
– 3DS has a low adoption rate among females
– Iwata says usage among females is higher than sales indicate, due to one person buying and a family using
– the trend for young males purchasing the 3DS is even greater overall
– Nintendo is still working on spreading the information on younger players and 3D, as some people are confused about what is safe and what isn’t
– this spreading of info will continue on through the year
– 3DS’ adoption rate among young users is low due to the system not being available during a holiday season
– the price also made a hurdle for families that had more than one kid
– Iwata believes the current sales situation and demographic will change greatly in 4 months
– there will be a focus on DLC for the 3DS and Wii U

All said, once the good games start flowing in, and the christmas season kicks in, it’ll be a much different story. The eShop continues to grow, and this price drop and realignment of stategy shows me that Nintendo knows it has to step it up. Its going to end up benefitting us all.

Maybe it’s me who is naive or something but I feel people are alarmist, expect more of Nintendo than other companies and like to come at them whenever they’re in a pinch. Are they holding a grudge from the days where Nintendo ruled with an iron fist(NES era)?

Or, is my fanboyism blinding me? Whatever the case, I still trust Nintendo. It -might- change in the future but for now, not.

No it’s not fanboyism, people are alarmist. When the Gamecube was almost at the end of its cycle, my friend told me he read that Nintendo was so unhappy with the Gamecube they were were going to become a 3rd party publisher and not make systems anymore. The worst part was he agreed with it because he HATED the gamecube. People put that rumor out there, Nintendo never said that. In the wake of the success of the Wii & various DS Systems I can say he was WRONG! If you look on the internet now those same rumors are starting again, with people not being sure about Wii U and DS price drop, all the same rumors start 5 years later.

Oh come on Iwata, I’ll eventually get a 3DS (Holiday, probably) despite being female!

I want to “adopt” a 3DS for christmas! don’t worry, I’ll take care of it and make sure to NEVER abandon it! :thumpup:

In my opinion, this is actually a great move on Nintendo’s part.

Afterall, it seems only fair that they compensate us “early-adopters” for the $90 price cut taking place just less than 5 months after launch; they certainly didn’t HAVE to do this, but that’s not to say they wouldn’t lose some fans if they hadn’t.

What this does for me is help to maintain the feeling of pride instilled when purchasing at launch, rather than overriding that with an overwhelming sense of betrayal. I find it especially nice of them that the GBA games in particular are going to be EXCLUSIVELY available to “3DS Ambassadors” (as they are currently claiming, at least), meaning you’ll have bragging rights that in my mind supersede those of someone who “paid $100 less than you”.

[VirtualJockey]

Well, if 3DS isn’t in a downward spiral, good for Big N. I’m more of a fan of VB than 3DS, so won’t shed too many tears if the outcome is gloomy.

If the Ambassador program is an apology…(Do Nintendo kids even know what an “Ambassador” is?), I guess there is nothing we can do but be thankful. I do see a list of good games, which I guess is a plus, but I’m not a fan of roms or “roms purchased officially”. I see Metroid Fusion is one of the downloads, wish it was remade in stereo 3D and I’d be happy there.

If this program means that 3DS isn’t a failure in Nintendo’s eyes, which I still doubt, I *guess* I should pretend to be thankful for the peace offering. To me, roms are lame and free and it doesn’t mean $80 or jack to me.

I’ve now beat Zelda, so 3DS needs some titles to make it worth it. Not some price drop, not some free roms that are free anyway, but some darn games. Before you give up Nintendo, I’d like Dragon Hopper/Kid Icarus Uprising.

If they’re already free… and the “free” games are not revamped in 3D for 3DS, I’d like my $80 back. I already own the games offered in the “ambassador” free ROM program in original & official monetarily valuable physical form.

I look forward to playing MasterQuest, because I FEAR it will be the last thing I will do/enjoy on this thing.

A side note to others, Giant AR cards are now available on Club Nintendo. You can print up useable ones yourselves, but still a cool item to own.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 8 months ago by VirtualJockey.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 8 months ago by VirtualJockey.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 8 months ago by VirtualJockey.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 8 months ago by VirtualJockey.

You don’t think Kid Icarus Uprising will become an unreleased game… right?

It is one of the top reasons I want a 3DS…

i don’t know what’s giving anybody the impression that the machine is a failure. even with the “lackluster” sales, they’ve pushed almost 3 and a half million units in 4 months, and that’s with fairly minimal software support. the big titles are yet to hit, and when they do, given the current price point, unit sales are going to pick up like mad. we don’t even have any real numbers on sales with the new price, yet.

in retrospect: the PSP has pushed 3.4million units this entire year so far (7 months) and the 3DS has pushed 3.3million in 4 months. in 7 months this year, the 360 pushed 4.6million and even the Wii pushed 4.7million. it goes without saying that the thing is going to get big once it gets the killer apps, which – having seen E3 this year – it’s going to in spades.

if nintendo canceled anything regarding the 3DS they’d just be asking for losses, which is not something they could risk on such a humongous endeavor.

renardqueenston wrote:
if nintendo canceled anything regarding the 3DS they’d just be asking for losses, which is not something they could risk on such a humongous endeavor.

Dragon Hopper probably could have been a good selling VB game too :rolleyes

the VB also only pushed 800k units by then. the 3DS has already quadrupled those sales statistics in a third of the time.

dragon hopper wasn’t going to be an a-list release for the VB just because the VB itself wasn’t a-list; nintendo already had their killer console in the pipeline (the n64) and were banking on that instead.

the 3DS is such a different case because the software lineup is set up to phase out the DS. all the big titles are coming, and people will replace their DSes with 3DSes when nothing will be coming out on the DS any more. it’s a much more natural progression, whereas the VB was a curveball, something completely different, just horrendously marketed as a replacement.

renardqueenston wrote:
the VB also only pushed 800k units by then. the 3DS has already quadrupled those sales statistics in a third of the time.

800k VB sales by 1996 to 4m sales for 3DS in 2011 isn’t exactly a fair comparison considering how “nerdy” games were viewed/perceived by the public compared to the now when families, adults, and women enjoy gaming opposed to pretty much exclusively just adolescent males asking their parents to make purchases in 1995/1996.

dragon hopper wasn’t going to be an a-list release for the VB just because the VB itself wasn’t a-list

I wouldn’t go that far, DH was a 2nd party game to be published by the big N themselves and looked like a fantastic Zelda-inspired game. I still don’t understand why DH never had a release, even if they were giving up on VB, it would have pushed the sales of the close-out consoles.

Dragon Hopper was a VB exclusive and scheduled at a late release date, much like KI Uprising is on 3DS, which is why I compared the two HUGE titles.

OT: Love your username, have you seen Ladislas Starewitch’s 1930 film classic “Le Roman de Renard / The Tale of the Fox”?

fair play on both of those points for sure. i suppose the main point stands that it’s not far behind other consoles and has only been out for a few months, and is sure to pick up. mostly because of the whole “replacement console” thing it has going on.

and yes, i’ve definitely seen le roman de de renard! even if it was after i chose the username, it ended up being a good connection to have, hahaha

renardqueenston wrote:
whereas the VB was a curveball, something completely different, just horrendously marketed as a replacement.

The Virtual Boy was never meaning to be a replacement to the Game Boy… Gunpei Yokoi once mentioned that in an interview

yeah, i’m aware it wasn’t, hence me mentioning that it was horribly marketed as one. including “boy” in the title after the game boy and marketing it as being portable made it sound like a replacement or upgrade to consumers, which it wasn’t, while the 3DS is an obvious upgrade to the DS in every way.