Nintendo Blames 3DS Price Drop on Gamecube
Nintendo doesn't want to make the same mistake twice according to CEO Satoru Iwata.
Last week brought reports that Nintendo will slash the 3DS handheld gaming platform price tag by $80, bringing the cost down from the hefty $249.99 to a playful $169.99. The new price won't be effective until August 12, and was reported to be the result of a disastrous fiscal first quarter that forced the company to project a new annual operating profit forecast, the lowest its seen since 1985.
But despite Nintendo's financial woes, the 3DS pricedrop is certainly good news to those who previously weren't eager to shell out nearly $250. "For anyone who was on the fence about buying a Nintendo 3DS, this is a huge motivation to buy one now," said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America president. "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."
Following the new price announcement, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata answered a few questions during a Tokyo investors briefing on Friday. He said that the pricedrop was partially due to the Gamecube and the lessons the company learned from its mistakes in marketing the console. Iwata admitted that he – along with the company's entire management -- felt that they had a chance that wasn't utilized to its full potential. They didn't want to make that same mistake with the 3DS using its current price point.
Iwata also added that the success of the Nintendo Wii and DS platforms have given Nintendo a healthy cash reserve from which to take a few risky business decisions, namely the 3DS price hack.
Later Iwata revealed that Nintendo is currently preparing a paid item transaction model in both the 3DS and the upcoming Wii U console. This new system will be available to developers by the end of the year, and will likely allow gamers to purchase new levels and other premium features. Overall the company wants to beef up the current e-Shop so that it will have a "larger presence" and bring in more than the 5 to 10-percent increase in online digital sales it's currently bring in.
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But where are the killer games? Doesn't matter what price you bring it too, how fancyyou make the 3D - it's all about the games.
Is "blame" really the best choice of words?
Casual gamers have gone smartphone. The only market left are the hard-core gamers. Being in the category I am waiting for the Vita.
Maybe they'll pioneer micro-transactions done right. Buy any game for $10-15, 1 chapter at a time. Not only do the developers have to produce an excellent game, they have to deliver excellence in every new chapter to get their full $60 for the product, or $10-15 x # of chapters. They can release chapters faster than a full fledged game and have more time to finish the last chapters before they become available. It could be a win-win for casual gamers. It'd force better quality since if it sucks, the customer's only out $10-15 and doesn't have to bother with anymore chapters.
This is just a better reason not to buy the 3ds or the wii u, the micro transactions are the stupidest thing I've ever seen. What happened to games being finished when they were realeased? Those "micro" transactions ruin every game they are used in and I refuse to ever buy anything that has them. I will not be nickeled and dimed to death by games I already payed for. There's a reason the top grossing apps in apple's app store are the micro transaction ones.
They should give the consoles for free, or lower the game prices to $20 from $60-$70 per game.
But can it now play Crysis??? Had to....
But can it now play Crysis??? Had to....
At least move on to Crysis 2?
Actually, i bet it could play c2.... maybe even id tech 5
Wii U looks rubbish, not going to save Nintendo.
Maybe they'll pioneer micro-transactions done right. Buy any game for $10-15, 1 chapter at a time. Not only do the developers have to produce an excellent game, they have to deliver excellence in every new chapter to get their full $60 for the product, or $10-15 x # of chapters. They can release chapters faster than a full fledged game and have more time to finish the last chapters before they become available. It could be a win-win for casual gamers. It'd force better quality since if it sucks, the customer's only out $10-15 and doesn't have to bother with anymore chapters.
3ds is 40-50$ with many discounts at 20-30 on new, thats the category they are in, but great idea.
imagine professor laytown, free, first 10 puzzles free, and than packs of puzzles or 1 at a time for a fraction of the new game, ultimately costing 10$ more than buying the full game outright.
it would be good for people to try out the games, and it would be incentive to buy games outright instead, and give devs more money in terms of 10$ more total for buying chapters, but its charged in such small amounts that it may be worth it, like over a month period of time, or even a year.
only problem is there is little incentive to ever drop the price down when games get older.
This is just a better reason not to buy the 3ds or the wii u, the micro transactions are the stupidest thing I've ever seen. What happened to games being finished when they were realeased? Those "micro" transactions ruin every game they are used in and I refuse to ever buy anything that has them. I will not be nickeled and dimed to death by games I already payed for. There's a reason the top grossing apps in apple's app store are the micro transaction ones.
so you dont buy games, because most dlc is basically a more expensive micro transaction.
Wii U looks rubbish, not going to save Nintendo.
imagine playing battlefield, you attach the he pad to the end of a gun, and there, you are looking down the barrel to aim. you press a button on the gun, the clip releases, and you remove it and pop it back in to reload the gun. or sniping, you looking down the barrel, and moving to more accurately simulate sniping, if anyone ever played those sniping arcade games where you look in the scope exclusively to see zoomed in, those were awesome.
im HOPING that the devs take their time with fps games, because they have the chance to REALLY make them better on the console than the pc with this system.
F*** the mouse and keyboard, they are good and accurate, but so is the wii and ps3 controller, what they were missing before is something like the wiiu pad.
just imagine a game where you are standing up and moving around to aim, in 360 degrees, YES some people are lazy and wouldn't like that, but you can not honestly tell me that you have no interest in it at all if its done right.
with as much care as dice gives all its games, i SERIOUSLY DOUBT that they wont take full advantage of those features.
look at it this way, i would rather have a stick than the wasd keys, as you can control movements better, and with a second stick aiming with gyro tech helping it, and i have to imaging a camera also helping, this could be an epic experience.
im hoping for the best, so sadly they can only disappoint.
you should change the title. so misinforming
At least move on to Crysis 2?
Correct me if wrong, but isn't Crysis a much more graphically intensive game?
I was under the impression that Crysis 2 was a decent downgrade in the graphics and WOW factor department.
The title of this article is pretty misleading of what Iwata actually says...
My question is, who would pay $250 for a handheld? OK, well, who would even pay $170? Yeah, no thanks. Maybe if it made me 3 meals/day and coffee as well.
3DS is crap, because there is nothing to play on it. I am not buying a 170 dollar system just to play Street Fighter 4 and Zelda.
Blame? They said they learned from there mistake with the Gamecube nothing about blaming the bad sales of the 3DS on a past system...
Correct me if wrong, but isn't Crysis a much more graphically intensive game? I was under the impression that Crysis 2 was a decent downgrade in the graphics and WOW factor department.
Nope, Crysis 2 has lower comparable system requirements, when you compare what was mid range and high end hardware by performance and price tag four years ago and in March this year. It is said to be more graphically intensive because it was demanding better than what was high end hardware then. Crysis 2 looks a notch better and demands mid range hardware for that.
How comes that Gamecube is hurting 3DS??? They are targeting diff market segments. Nintendo made unappealing handheld that brings nothing worth buying it over DS line of products. Anyway, I'm buying DS XL for my kid, the previous one served it's time good.
Nope, Crysis 2 has lower comparable system requirements, when you compare what was mid range and high end hardware by performance and price tag four years ago and in March this year. It is said to be more graphically intensive because it was demanding better than what was high end hardware then. Crysis 2 looks a notch better and demands mid range hardware for that.
Where the heck are you getting your information?
Horrible textures, some ripped from the first game and halved, massive lack of dynamic objects, worse lighting, smaller draw distance despite easier to render backdrops, simpler mechanics and a much more scripted story.
Here's just one video, but I have seen better user made ones. It still gets most of the points across though.
Some effects have been improved (like the particles etc), but in almost every area, technically speaking at least (the rest is subjective), Crysis 2 is worse than Crysis 1. Crysis 2 does do a better job of getting the most out of hardware, but I honestly don't think it would be that big a difference if they didn't also cut so much out.
Maybe nobody cares about 3D? It's just a lot of hype for something that only makes video look "neat" and provides no real additional functionality.
Even at the new price.. I don't care.
I have a DS-lite and I'm fine with that.
Where the heck are you getting your information?Horrible textures, some ripped from the first game and halved, massive lack of dynamic objects, worse lighting, smaller draw distance despite easier to render backdrops, simpler mechanics and a much more scripted story.Here's just one video, but I have seen better user made ones. It still gets most of the points across though. Some effects have been improved (like the particles etc), but in almost every area, technically speaking at least (the rest is subjective), Crysis 2 is worse than Crysis 1. Crysis 2 does do a better job of getting the most out of hardware, but I honestly don't think it would be that big a difference if they didn't also cut so much out.
While the new patches address a lot of quality issues, I still agree. Crysis 2 lacks a majority of interactivity that made Crysis a lush world.
Not to mention I can't play Crysis 2. It crashes if I load a saved game.
$170 is a good price for a relatively new handheld. There arent much games yet, but their coming. just needs a smash bros and Ill buy it.
Should have used a DS XL screen size for the 3DS, I was actually planning on buying one until I found out it was the original size. Now I want to get the android 3d instead...
Def tuff to be a gaming only company since the other two console brands are part of huge companies. Hope Nintendo can pull it together and continue to be an innovative gaming company. I also believe the 3DS is hurt by iPad and similar smart phone devices.
The 3D gimmick didnt work as well as Nintendo forcasted.
Where the heck are you getting your information?
Probably Fox News.
^^Naw it came from the Communist News Network...
wow, another article where i get down voted for stating an opinion that a fps could be better on the wiiu than on the pc...
im not even saying anything that isnt true, im just thinking that if nintendo realy wants to push the fps as must play on the wiiu that is what they will have to do.
can anyone tell me where im wrong in what i said?
wow, another article where i get down voted for stating an opinion that a fps could be better on the wiiu than on the pc... im not even saying anything that isnt true, im just thinking that if nintendo realy wants to push the fps as must play on the wiiu that is what they will have to do. can anyone tell me where im wrong in what i said?
If you start capitalizing your words when needed, and use slightly better grammar, I'll personally go out of my way to thumbs up anything you write.....
Microtransactions work great in League of Legends. If a free game is good, you're going to want to buy stuff just to help promote it, unless you're a cheap bastard...