Nintendo slashes 3DS prices

ONly one reason why there is a price-drop. Nintendo is getting desperate. When the 3ds came out and the price of ps vita was announced nintendo said that they were not worried about the 3ds's price. but look what happen lol. i have to admit, this is a better price for the 3ds but i feel sorry for people who rushed out and paid the extra $80 for the 3ds at launch. but i still am leaning towards the ps vita. BUT i would prefer to see more games(specifically RPGs) on the ps vita before paying $250.

Bring the R/S/E pokemon remakes alrady!

@SnuffDaddyNZ lol no its not it is for people that bought the 3ds on day one. you may want to look up the definition of extortion. oh never mind i will include the kids dictionary definition for you the crime of getting money from someone by the use of force or threats they are not making you buy anything

You people who are happy about the 20 free games realize you took a 80$ hit right? $80 for 2-3, 10-30 year old games of which you will actually be playing for more than 20 min. If Vita fumbles it's release like Nintendo did here, then they will see similar results and they cannot afford any price cuts with that hardware

Well, so much for selling it at $210 on Ebay. : ( But that awesome selection of free GBAand NES games more than makes up for it for us early adopters. Way to go, Nintendo.

@matthew856 LOL

Good move. At the old price, the system simply looked too expensive when compared to the Vita.

Sales will probably pick up once Star Fox is released. The one thing the 3DS lacks at present is games, this will be amended.

This price drop was soooo predictable.... I still don't know why people just didn't wait, the only surprising thing was the fast price drop: only after 6-7 months of the system release.

This is what happens when there's a shortage of new game releases, limited launch line up and the price itself being high. Nintendo have released the device too, too early they should've released it in winter 2011 for the more lucrative X-Mas season. If they did that they'd have had a better launch line-up, new games being released a little more frequently and to top it off it would have been in a much higher demand by the consumer not resulting in them having to do this. Nintendo are focusing too much on the hardware sales ignoring the fact that it's really the software game content and how many that are regularly released that sell the consoles not the hardware of the device itself. Hope Nintendo doesn't do the same with the Wii-U because if they do what they've done with the 3DS the way things are carrying on I do see them going back in 3rd place between Sony and Microsoft.

I just got mmy 3ds yesturday

vita cool btter thn 3ds if thy wnt dwn on the 3ds games nstead of 40 to 30 or 20 $ thn i buy it caus most of thm r crap

Eh, I'm still gonna wait for the inevitable better-quality unit remodel and another price drop. And Mario. I love Nintendo, but they've double/triple/quadruple-dipped too many times with their handhelds. It's nice that they gave out a bonanza to early adopters, though. Those are some excellent games. Still, this seems to be proof again that early adopters are basically saps. All of their enthusiasm gets them nothing but an outdated, overpriced alpha model, while the guy a year behind 'em gets the slimmer, smoother-running machine with the monster hard drive and low price tag.

Sony has a problem XD. BUt then again, a price drop this early just confirms how weak the 3DS is. This will fail in the long run if good games don't come up frequently.

I'm ecstatic for my twenty free games, especially the GBA games I missed out on when they first came out.

The only thing bad about this is the Aug. 12 effect date. Why would you do that Nintendo? That's 2 weeks of no sales for the 3DS.

I still think the vita will do better. Offering more stuff for your dollar then the 3DS. Maybe when the handheld reaches $120 I might care. Till then Nintendo can stop raping customers wallets to make a 200% profit. Also 20 games for $80 lulz. I get better priced games during sales on steam which aren't repackaged NES classics.

Seems at this rate, if I wait a bit longer I'll be able to get a pre-owned one and DOA Dimensions after all. Must say, it's a wake-up call for the entire industry that even the big N can mis-step. The Wii U launch will be a nervous time for them, I think.

The vita price doesnt look so good anymore

Wow, didn't expect to see this so early in the game. Possibly because of game delays, outright cancellation of some 3rd party games, the growth of online games and cell phone apps, the overall skepticism of 3d tech, and the looming Vita @ a comparable price point frightening Ninty into lowering their prices? I think so. Regardless, this is a pretty good deal, dropping it that much. Definitely desperation on Nintendo's part, might be a good time to watch their stocks, then possibly buy low, sell high!

I was going to buy one anyways, this works out great for me.

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This is a good lesson for Sony. They better launch Vita with a strong lineup or risk the same fate as the 3DS.

I guess I qualify for those 20 free games since I bought it @ $250. (Yeah, I can brag, whatever) I think it's interesting that these games will not be released to the general public, only to those who spent $250 for the 3DS... this is sorta a win-win for 3DS and non 3DS owners.

Wow I am surprised. I have had a lot of hate for the 3ds because of the price but this is a little more reasonable. Now if some store would just do the price drop early so I can get both deals. lol

20 free game's I'd rather Nintendo cut me a check for 80

Wow! This is great! Now it can compete with the Vita.

This reeks a little of desperation. I've never seen such a huge price drop on a video game system ever. However the 3DS has had relatively weak sales and the high price and low quantity of games is a major contributer to that. This lower price should the 3DS a lot during the Christmas season, and it is in a much stronger position versus the Playstation Vita when it releases. Ultimately it's still going to take more high quality games for the 3DS to succeed, and the threat of the smartphone games is still a major threat to dedicated portable gaming overall.

20 free games? Maybe not worth the $250, but it certainly helps. But, I doubt the 3DS is being sold for a large profit anymore.

If they can slash the price that early by one third, it means that the remaining two thirds can still put decent money in their pockets. GREED.

well, 3ds vs. vita. I'll take a 3ds please.

Looks like Nintendo are pushing the panic button.

At First I Felt Like a Total Dumbass But when i saw 20 free games I Felt Like a Smartass I'm Happy now.

Price drop needs to take effect now.

This is what I was waiting for, but it should have been released at this price to begin with. Still, I'd rather wait to make sure there won't be another 3DS version coming in the next year or so.

The free games are a good trade off, but in reality that only really applies to the newest generation of gamers; pity.

If I'm reading this correctly, they are trying to get people to buy a system at a higher price right now to get "free" games. But if I wait, I can get it much cheaper without the "free" games. Isn't this a form of extortion, therefore illegal, and shouldn't Nintendo offer the 20 free games to people who buy the console at the reduced price? The answer is YES if they want to avoid jailtime.

Sweet! now i can save $80! I've been looking forward to the 3DS for well over a year, and with this price drop the system seems even close to my reach!

This is good for anyone who wants to buy it. I will wait till Sony vita comes out to see how that goes. the 3ds is looking more interested now after the price drop tho. Might pick it up, thank you for price drop yes!!!

Too bad you dips didn't just launch it at this price. EDIT: Wow, didn't read the whole thing. Well, at least Nintendo is doing something to compensate us, but I feel bad for the people who can't get their 3DS to go online. Also, why don't they have plans to put these other games online? It seems stupid to just give them to us and then nobody else can ever download them.

Well I feel cheated out of $80. Thanks, Nintendo.

Good move, but they should really remove that region-lock crap. I want my import games!

Wasn't sure about a 3DS or PSVita. I think I'll get a 3DS, now.

When I first saw 3DS price drop, I started to freak out but the 20 free games more than makes up for me buying this at launch. Now I need to get a bigger memory card.

Heya Heya Heya kiddies, buy this on sale now, free peanuts and popcorn on the side, won't melt your eyes, oh yeeeah! :D

this is great now i get 20 free games :) even though i have some of them already it's still good compensation for us early buyers just wondering what all the titles will be?

I thought about updating my phat ds for a lite/dsi/xl, but after those news.. definitely a 3DS!

@LovePotionNo9 nintendo satisfying the consumer? what juvenile world do you live on. they are trying to satisfy investors.

This is good news for us gamers. I have a 3DS so I am looking forward to getting Metroid Fusion for free, that is my favorite GBA game. That said, you guys should poke around the internet for Nintendo and Sony financial outlooks over the next year. In short, they suck. Both companies have lost a ton of money over the past year, and Sony, over the past 3 years. The Vita isn't going to be profitable for 2 years! They cite two factors: the weak dollar and the earthquake. They can recover from the earthquake but the weak dollar isn't going away. I am worried about my two favorite electronics companies right now. Sony has already reduced the onboard RAM of the Vita by half to lower production costs and not make the next 2 years so brutal. That said, with all the mobile phone gaming, I truly fear for both their futures in the world of handhelds. If the Vita doesn't sell a lot of games, they are in trouble. Nintendo might do better because it is more aimed at children, but not much better. I see 12-13 year olds walking around with smart phones now.

Man, this is awesome compensation :O I bought the system because my original DS was literally falling apart (and it would've been a waste to just buy a new DS when I knew I'd be getting this at some point), but this is awesome. Even though I have some of the GBA games, this is how to make your fans happy, Nintendo. You've made the right choice again.