Iwata explains the reasons of 3DS's price cut; gives it 4 months to resurrect

BurntPork said:
It needs to happen now. Chances are that publishers will not want to charge less than $40 for Vita games, but Nintendo might be able to convince them to lower 3DS prices. Nintendo obviously cut the price this much as a response to Vita, and having big games at $30 is the real way to cement 3DS being a better deal.

Vita + $40 game + 4GB mem card = $300 (est.)
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4GB memory card from Sony costs $10? In what world?
 
BurntPork said:
It needs to happen now. Chances are that publishers will not want to charge less than $40 for Vita games, but Nintendo might be able to convince them to lower 3DS prices. Nintendo obviously cut the price this much as a response to Vita, and having big games at $30 is the real way to cement 3DS being a better deal.

Vita + $40 game + 4GB mem card = $300 (est.)

3DS + 4x$30 games = $290

Throw in a decent selection of games and 3DS it suddenly an awesome value. Ninten needs to consider slashing prices by this holiday.
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lol @ proprietary sony 4GB MS for 10$.

EDIT: beaten like Iwatas paycheck
 
Ninjagorilla said:
She wanted to play Ocarina of Time for the first time and honestly asked me "Can I play it on my DS, without 3D?".
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"No, but I'll happily lend you my 3DS so you can play it"
 
AceBandage said:
That is why they're starting a new ad campaign that specifically says that it isn't a DS.
The entire system is being relaunched, basically.
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That's only in Europe. Reggie's still going "HERP DERP Y AINT 3DASS SELLIN'???????"
 
BurntPork said:
That's only in Europe. Reggie's still going "HERP DERP Y AINT 3DASS SELLIN'???????"
Click to expand...

Uh... no.
NCL still has the final say over how NoA markets things.
They're redoing the marketing here as well, and it'll appear with the price drop.
 
JackFrost said:
lol @ proprietary sony 4GB MS for 10$.

EDIT: beaten like Iwatas paycheck
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I'm guessing. I'd like to think they'd be cheaper, but looking at Pro Duo prices, I'll wait and see.

Or are you saying they'll be even more than that? Surely Sony wouldn't be that stupid?

AceBandage said:
Uh... no.
NCL still has the final say over how NoA markets things.
They're redoing the marketing here as well, and it'll appear with the price drop.
Click to expand...
Oh. :/ Okay, maybe it'll work out.

Also, hit submit by accident.
 
Oh wow, this thread... the insane Nintendo-is-doomed hyperbole is pretty amusing stuff. Mostly absurd, but amusing...

I mean, sure, Nintendo is in worse shape than they have been for a few years, but they aren't doomed and the 3DS isn't going to be discontinued in six months or something. That's just silly. Also, I absolutely believe that there will always be a place for a dedicated system with actual buttons and full-price games, $1 touchscreen-only apps are not for everyone or all kinds of games! It does perhaps make the casual market (Brain Training, etc) harder to reach, but Nintendo seems to have abandoned that market anyway... might be a bad idea, those games still might sell, you never know, but either way they sure seem to have cut back on it.

But anyway, yeah, what the 3DS needs most is games, and some US ads like that great British one that's been linked. And a lot less like that really stupid Best Buy photo.

Stumpokapow said:
That's possible; PSP prices eroded over time, thankfully. On the other hand, DS releases tended to rise in price over time with more and more $34 and $39 titles coming out over the years.

Any predictions on when you expect 3DS software prices to begin to erode to the point that $30 or $35 will be the standard pricepoint?
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Third parties tried that on the GBA, almost all third party GBA games were $35-40 at launch I think, but then they had to give up on it after a while and drop them down to the usual $30...

It is interesting that handheld games have been $30 (or, for a wider range, $20-35) in the US since, well, 1989 pretty much, though. Apart from that little early failed experiment with the GBA, apart from the PSP, the Squeenix tax on DS, and now the 3DS handheld prices had never hit $40... and yeah, I also hope that 3DS prices go back down to $30-35, where they should be. I want the system to succeed, at least like the GBA, but those game prices are a bit high.

twingloxx2 said:
The Game Boy brand has one thing going against it - girls & women might feel excluded by it (females made up a large part of the new DS audience).
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I agree, and I believe that that's quite likely part of why the DS dropped that name from its title, it is exclusionary.
 
BurntPork said:
I'm guessing. I'd like to think they'd be cheaper, but looking at Pro Duo prices, I'll wait and see.

Or are you saying they'll be even more than that? Surely Sony wouldn't be that stupid?
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They're using the equivalent of 3DS cards for their memory cards...
They are not going to be cheaper than Pro Duo by any stretch of the imagination.
 
Stumpokapow said:
Grand Turismo 3 was 6 months into the PS2's US lifespan. Silent Hill 2, Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid 2, Final Fantasy X, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, and SSX Tricky all came in the six months following that.
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That is only looking at the delayed US launch that happened 7 months after the real launch. Gran turismo 3 came out a year after the PS2 had first been on store shelves. Since the 3DS launched worldwide at the same time, it is not far to compare it to a system with a delayed launch in other regions.
 
BurntPork said:
That's only in Europe. Reggie's still going "HERP DERP Y AINT 3DASS SELLIN'???????"
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Nintendo is going to increase their marketing efforts a ton in both Europe and the US. That new ad is just the start... they just have so little content to work with.
 
AceBandage said:
They should, only because it's a horrible name.
As far as brand confusion goes, it's not in the same boat as the 3DS.
There were no revisions for the Wii, and the Wii U clearly looks very different from the Wii.
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I have to disagree here.

The Wii U looks very very similar to a Wii.

The controller is obviously very different, but how many people will be confused and think the controller will work on their Wii?
 
AceBandage said:
They're using the equivalent of 3DS cards for their memory cards...
They are not going to be cheaper than Pro Duo by any stretch of the imagination.
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But they look like microSD cards. Are they really that much different from them? And I'm sure that Sony realizes making them too expensive changes Vita's $250 pricetag from a great value into a marketing ploy.
 
There no frigging 4 month deadline. It's not let's get this shit out of the warehouses and dump it at A LOSS and close shop.

It is pretty clear they are taking a hit on profit to increase market share before PSVita ships. The 4 month period is also there to appease stock holders and tell them, wait and see after xmas, we'll give you better numbers.

The 3DS hardware in and of itself is a perfectly capable next gen handheld in spite what some of you make it out to be. A botched launch does not mean the system is deficient. It is worrisome to Nintendo that it has not achieved the intended penetration during the intended period, hence the drastic price reduction.
 
BurntPork said:
But they look like microSD cards. Are they really that much different from them? And I'm sure that Sony realizes making them too expensive changes Vita's $250 pricetag from a great value into a marketing ploy.
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Sony thought increasing the PSP's price to $250 was a good idea...

SeanR1221 said:
I have to disagree here.

The Wii U looks very very similar to a Wii.

The controller is obviously very different, but how many people will be confused and think the controller will work on their Wii?
Click to expand...

0

Zero people, since it won't be sold separately from the system for a good while.
 
Ninjagorilla said:
There are of course a number of reason why the 3DS has not been the smash hit that the Wii or the DS was - But I think the biggest reason is the lack of a real killer app, early in the life cycle. Wii Sports was THE killer app. The DS had several, early, killer apps - Brain Training and Nintendogs were the biggest one, obviously.
Click to expand...

Nintendo DS release date - November 2004
Nintendogs - April 2005
Brain Training - April 2005

It's now been 4 months since the 3DS released. I am sure it was a conscious decision by Nintendo to not release any strong 1st party titles in the launch window to prove to 3rd parties that they are committed to them. Otherwise, you have 3rd parties whining "Nintendo am took all them customers and game sales".

I also have a sneaky suspicion that Nintendo planned the launch price to be $250 letting early adopters pay the extra money and let the price drop around Black Friday / Christmas. The sales must have been abysmal from their perspective for them to drop the price early.
 
Lee N said:
"No, but I'll happily lend you my 3DS so you can play it"
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... Which is what happened. She likes the 3D but tends to turn it off. :)
3D games in general is hard for the "non gamers", and now I'm not even talking about stereoscopic 3D. She's played the Minish Cap three times now, the DS Zeldas two times each, but there's something about moving around in 3D space with an analog pad that's offputting for a lot of the expanded audiance.

I'm curious if Mario Kart 7 will sell hardware. I don't know what it is about this series (except for being absolutely brilliant) that attracts everyone, from all ages and genders. It's very inviting.
 
lunchwithyuzo said:
It's not the name they need to rethink. It's the approach and marketing.
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The fact that they didn't even want to acknowledge that it was a new system altogether based on the E3 commercials and interviews was really stupid.
 
Ninjagorilla said:
... Which is what happened. She likes the 3D but tends to turn it off. :)
3D games in general is hard for the "non gamers", and now I'm not even talking about stereoscopic 3D. She's played the Minish Cap three times now, the DS Zeldas two times each, but there's something about moving around in 3D space with an analog pad that's offputting for a lot of the expanded audiance.

I'm curious if Mario Kart 7 will sell hardware. I don't know what it is about this series (except for being absolutely brilliant) that attracts everyone, from all ages and genders. It's very inviting.
Click to expand...


Mario Kart is the perfect example of Miyamoto's old mantra: "Easy to learn, difficult to master."

It is accessible to the lowest common denominator, while still providing a good challenge to seasoned gamers.
 
electroplankton said:
You americans are lucky.
In Italy, standard 3DS games are $57 (€40) as some DS games.
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That's cheap, most dutch retailers ask €49 for something like Pilotwings , Rayman or Steel Diver. I've spotted the Naruto game for €54 Pure insanity.
 
AceBandage said:
Sony thought increasing the PSP's price to $250 was a good idea.
Click to expand...
But they can't possibly make such a mistake again. They've learned a lot about pricing the hard way.



Well, that's beside the point, anyway. Adopting a $25-30 pricing structure, with the lowest-tier games at $15-20 and a stronger eShop would allow 3DS to reach DS numbers. I hope they learn that.
 
JonCha said:
By Christmas, when all the big releases come out, especially Mario, everything will be fine.
Click to expand...

Basically my thoughts as well. I think that will get things going if this change in price doesn't already get them going.
 
Brain-Age 3D needs to be a $10 eShop release. Nintendo definitely needs to push harder with the eShop to "light the way". Relying on later, more expensive iOS ports isn't gonna do it...
 
Really, the worst thing about the sales of the 3DS is that I have no one to StreetPass with!
 
Krev said:
Not to mention adults.
Not to mention non-gamers.

Really, resurrecting the Gameboy brand is not the solution. The only thing it has going for it is nostalgia.
Click to expand...

Nintendo seems to make plenty of money off of nostalgia.
 
lunchwithyuzo said:
Brain-Age 3D needs to be a $10 eShop release. Nintendo definitely needs to push harder with the eShop to "light the way". Relying on later, more expensive iOS ports isn't gonna do it...
Click to expand...
The problem is that Nintendo doesn't advertise digital releases and it won't be shown in stores, so it can't sell systems on the eShop.

Also, I fear this month's NPD. I'm thinking 70-90k.
 
BocoDragon said:
Really, the worst thing about the sales of the 3DS is that I have no one to StreetPass with!
Click to expand...

Haha same here. I took it to a few places but I still have yet to see another Mii in the plaza.
 
BurntPork said:
The problem is that Nintendo doesn't advertise digital releases and it won't be shown in stores, so it can't sell systems on the eShop.
Click to expand...
That's another problem. What Nintendo should start doing is massmarket advertising (tv, online, print) eShop games and apps as well as their pricepoints. Shift the view from "$40 games" to "$40 games and iPhone-like games". Advertise Brain-Age 3D, advertise Netflix, advertise 3D Classics, etc.
 
BocoDragon said:
Really, the worst thing about the sales of the 3DS is that I have no one to StreetPass with!
Click to expand...

What is worse is your housemate having a 3DS as well. Every time I see the blinking light I get excited thinking it was a StreetPass, turns out to be my damn housemate again. Kind of pathetic actually, now that I come to think of it.
 
Nintendo really needs the next generation of casual software. Games like Nintendogs, Brain Training, WarioWare, Layton, Elektroplankton (maybe), Trauma Centre were very key in reaching the expanded audience. These games defined the DS to the expanded audiance. I'm just not seeing that with the 3DS. Once it happens, it'll take off.
 
Rocket Punch said:
There no frigging 4 month deadline. It's not let's get this shit out of the warehouses and dump it at A LOSS and close shop.

It is pretty clear they are taking a hit on profit to increase market share before PSVita ships. The 4 month period is also there to appease stock holders and tell them, wait and see after xmas, we'll give you better numbers.

The 3DS hardware in and of itself is a perfectly capable next gen handheld in spite what some of you make it out to be. A botched launch does not mean the system is deficient. It is worrisome to Nintendo that it has not achieved the intended penetration during the intended period, hence the drastic price reduction.
Click to expand...
Mario 3d and Luigi's mansion are quite underwhelming imo. You'd expect more gamecube quality at the very least but instead they look a notch above Saturn and ps2 games. Maybe it's the 3d that sucks up all the horsepower but whatever the cause it needs to be addressed.
 
AceBandage said:
They aren't even using Pro Duos for the Vita, are they?
Those things are going to be expensive as fuck.
Click to expand...

I'm sure you thought the Vita would cost more than $250.

Though, it's pretty common to take a hit on hardware and price gouge on accesories.
 
thirty said:
Mario 3d and Luigi's mansion are quite underwhelming imo. You'd expect more gamecube quality at the very least but instead they look a notch above Saturn and ps2 games. Maybe it's the 3d that sucks up all the horsepower but whatever the cause it needs to be addressed.
Click to expand...


...
Get new eyes. Seriously...

velvet_nitemare said:
I'm sure you thought the Vita would cost more than $250.

Though, it's pretty common to take a hit on hardware and price gouge on accesories.
Click to expand...

Pretty much EVERYONE thought it would be above $250.
 
lunchwithyuzo said:
I'm still averaging just under a streetpass a day here in NYC. So far I have 137 passes from 122 Miis in Mii Plaza.
Click to expand...

I don't have quite that many, but I do get hits fairly often when I go out. Doesn't change my opinion that StreetPass is still a hollow gimmick.
 
thirty said:
Mario 3d and Luigi's mansion are quite underwhelming imo. You'd expect more gamecube quality at the very least but instead they look a notch above Saturn and ps2 games. Maybe it's the 3d that sucks up all the horsepower but whatever the cause it needs to be addressed.
Click to expand...
Are you saying that both the PS2 and the 3DS are comparable to Saturn?
 
BurntPork said:
Are you saying that both the PS2 and the 3DS are comparable to Saturn?
Click to expand...
Saturn had a ton of power. But I think he was talking about Dreamcast, which is true as far as geometry goes the 3DS mostly reminds me of the Dreamcast.
 
thirty said:
Mario 3d and Luigi's mansion are quite underwhelming imo. You'd expect more gamecube quality at the very least but instead they look a notch above Saturn and ps2 games. Maybe it's the 3d that sucks up all the horsepower but whatever the cause it needs to be addressed.
Click to expand...

I think you need to re-fire up that Saturn and take a look at how those games actually looked.
 
AceBandage said:
Sony thought increasing the PSP's price to $250 was a good idea...



0

Zero people, since it won't be sold separately from the system for a good while.
Click to expand...

I don't believe that for a second.

When a third of iPhone users think they already have a 4G device, you underestimate how confused people get over tech products.

Calling it Wii 2 avoids all that.

Calling it Wii U, people will see it on display and think, "Oh that's like the balance board or motion plus, another accessory. And it looks like maybe they re-designed the Wii too."
 
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