Nintendo 3DS price slashed from $250 to $170 amid weak sales

Prompted by weak sales, Nintendo has announced plans to drastically reduce the price of its latest handheld console. The Nintendo 3DS launched less than six months ago for $250 with a goal of selling 16 million units by March 31, 2012 (the end of its fiscal year), but things have kicked off to a slow start with only 830,000 US gamers purchasing the console. To meet its original sales target, the company has slashed 3DS prices by $80 to $170.
The new price is already offered at Amazon, and although you can purchase a 3DS at that rate, it won't ship until August 12 when the change becomes official. "For anyone who was on the fence about buying a Nintendo 3DS, this is a huge motivation to buy now," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "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."
Although the new price will undoubtedly lure new customers, Nintendo realizes that existing 3DS owners might feel a bit cheated having paid the full price of admission only a few short weeks or months ago. As compensation, such customers will receive 20 free downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop. To claim your downloads, you'll have to log into the eShop at least once before 11:59PM on August 11. By doing so, you'll be enrolled in the "Nintendo 3DS Ambassador" program which contains two parts:

• Starting September 1, Ambassadors will be able to download 10 NES Virtual Console games at no charge before they are available to the general public in the Nintendo eShop. The titles will include Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend of Zelda. When the paid copies are added to the eShop later in the year, Ambassadors will be able to download the updated versions for free.

• By the end of 2011, Nintendo will provide Ambassadors with 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games, including Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. These titles will be available exclusively to Ambassadors and Nintendo has no plans to release them to the common 3DS users in the near future.

Nintendo reported a 25.5 billion yen ($328 million) net loss alongside a 37.7 billion yen ($485 million) operating loss in the recently ended quarter. That prompted the company to lower its annual profit forecast 82% from 110 billion yen to 20 billion ($257 million) while projected annual operating profit has been cut from 175 billion yen ($2.25 billion) to 35 billion ($450 million). Nintendo has also slashed its expected fiscal year 2012 sales for the Wii and DS from 13 million to 12 million and 11 million to 9 million.

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Game On! Which Mobile Gaming Device is Right for You?

      When you look through the store for a new mobile gaming device, you may see a few options. How do you know which one is the one you should be taking home?
      The two main players in the mobile gaming market are Sony, with it's Playstation Portable, and Nintendo, with it's DS. Both companies have announced a new model of their device which are not out currently. Nintendo's new model will be available March 27, 2011, while Sony's new device's release date is yet to be announced.

NINTENDO DS

      Nintendo's DS is geared towards more casual gamers. Pokemon, Mario, and Zelda work great with this device. There is a Call of Duty game on the DS, but the graphics aren't great, and there aren't many games like it on the DS.
      The DS uses two screens one on each half of the device. The device folds like a typical clamshell laptop. The top screen is usually where most of the action in a game happens, while the bottom screen, a capacitive touchscreen, is where additional data or controls usually go. On the two sides of the bottom screen are the  A,B,X, and Y buttons, while the other side houses the up, down, right, and left buttons.
      The DS is now in it's 4th generation, with the 5th, the 3DS, coming late March. The current model, the DSi XL, measures in at a pretty big 4.2 inches tall, and 6.34 inches across, and weighs about twelve onces.

      At a newly lowered price of $169.99 you get, along with the obvious ability of playing games, a front and rear facing camera (although no videochat), as well as some cool effects to add to your photos. The DSi XL includes a microphone, which, along with being useful for blowing up balloons in Mario Cart, can also be used to record sound clips, which can later be edited on the DS.
     The DS's online features allow for one to download games and add on's from the DSi Ware store. The device also includes a web browser.
     If you want all of the features of the DSi XL, but don't like the big size, the $149.99 DSi is fine.
     The game selection on the DS is pretty big, but is focused on casual games. Nintendo brings some exclusive games to the DS, like Mario and Pokemon.
     The next generation of the DS, the 3DS, is probably worth waiting until late March for. It's the first mobile gaming device with 3D capability. Read my review here for more info.

SONY PLAYSTATION PORTABLE

PSP 3000

     Sony's Playstation Portable, or PSP, is the device for more serious gamers. You'll get great graphics for games like Call of Duty, but casual games are harder to find. 

     The PSP is available in two models, the PSP 3000, and the PSP Go. The 3000 is a device about 6.7 inches across, and 2.7 inches tall. At 6.7 grams, the PSP 3000 is almost half the weight of the DSi XL, making it much more portable. 

     The PSP 3000 uses small CD-like disks for games and movies, but also has support for storing content on a memory card. 

     The front of the PSP 3000 houses the 4.3 inch screen, as well as the legendary Playstation buttons. On the other side of the screen is the up, down, left, and right buttons. A mini joystick can be found right under the directional buttons.

     With the PSP's built in WiFi, you can surf the net, download RSS podcasts, and even download and read comics. The PSP also allows you to remotely play games on your Plastation 3 (a device you hook up to the TV) that's at home.

PSP Go

     The PSP 3000 directly competes with the DSi XL with the MSRP of $169.99. For the same price as the DSi XL, you get more intense graphic capabilities, a built in microphone, a big 4.3 inch screen, and even the ability to make calls using Skype. 

     The PSP Go is almost identical in features to the PSP 3000, the main difference is the fact that you have to download games onto the device, as there is no disk drive. The Go also sports a slide out piece that houses the controls.

     Sony recently announced a new model of the PSP, known as the PSP2. This device sports a touchscreen and some more new features, but no pricing or release date information is available yet.

SURPRISE, THE IPOD TOUCH

     Although most don't think of an iPod as a gaming device, the iPod Touch is close to outselling both the DS and the PSP. The iPod Touch is surprisingly good with games, but almost all of the games on the Touch are aimed at very casual games. 

     The iPod Touch is not only a gaming deice, and also allows you to install other apps to do things like read books, book airline tickets, and manage your calander. 

     See my review of the entire line of iPods for more details on the Touch here.

     Overall, the iPod Touch is great for the very casual gamer who also wants to listen to music, watch movies, and even be productive on their gaming device. For the gamer who wants a device mostly devoted to gaming, but still focusing on more casual games, the DS is a great device. The more extreme gamer should go with the PSP. While he PSP has the ability to play movies and other content, it's much better at gaming, and you'll probably find that that's all you're doing with it.

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A Revolution in 3D gaming: The Nintendo 3DS

     In 2004, Nintendo brought us the first portable gaming device with a touchscreen with the Nintendo DS. The DS was a dual screen gaming device that opens like a clamshell laptop. The upper screen was an ordinary LCD. The bottom screen, on the other hand, had a resistive touchscreen, which brought a more personal gaming experience. throughout the years the DS evolved to include the DS Lite, DSi, DSi, and finally, the Nintendo 3DS.
    The 3DS is avalable for preorder at the nintendo website, and will be available on the 27th of March. At $249.99, the 3DS is about $100 more than any of it's predecessors. At that price, Nintendo had better be giving us something high quality.
    The 3DS had the regular resistive touchscreen of its predecessors, but the top screen uses a special stereoscopic display to deliver 3d quality images without any bulky glasses. The idea of 3D media is extremely popular currently, and Nintendo getting 3D mobile gaming out to the public as soon as possible is a very smart business move.
    The  device is 5.3 inches wide, and 2.9 inches in length, and with a weight of 8 ounces, the device is okay for bringing with you on the go.
     Besides for the ability to flay 3D games, the 3DS gives you two cameras on the back for 3D photos, and also introduces StreetPass, which connects you wirelessly to other 3DS owners and swaps information.
     Another cool feature of the 3DS is the newly added gyroscope and motion sensor, which adds a whole new way to play. Normally you would have to control the device solely with the physical buttons, now you can just move the device and, viola, the image on the screen changes. (Okay, it's not as cool as I make it sound. But still, that's awesome.)
     The hardware isn't the only thing that has changed. With it's 3DS, Nintendo introduces it's new preloaded system. The 3DS now comes with a web browser, an activity log that tracks what games you've been playing and for how long, as well as physical movements, and some games will even reward you for how much you walk. The device will also allow you to play music and even 3D video, but Nintendo has yet to announce the exact specifications of 3D video playback.
    Nintendo also brings it's Mii system from the Wii to the 3DS, allowing you to create an avatar for use in games, and will also be used with the StreetPass system mentioned above.
    The 3DS will also integrate some interesting augmented reality games, letting you smash monsters on your kitchen table.
    For $249.99, the 3DS is pretty pricey, but it introduces many more features, and is pretty much a completely different and improved device. With added 3D, a web browser, and a lot more, the 3DS might just be worth the almost $100 difference between earlier DS models. Is this device worth the $250? Maybe. Is it a very cool and compelling looking device? Definitely.

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