Mr. GOH! Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 So it looks like the 3DS is gonna be $169 after August 12 and that Ninty lost a bunch of money this past quarter: http://www.dailytech.com/Nintendo+Announces+Poor+Q1+Earnings+Offers+3DS+Price+Cut+After+Weak+Sales/article22282.htm Makes sense to me. The 3DS is riddled with problems. First of all, most adults have smartphones that suffice as mobile entertainment platforms. That market is likely lost to Ninty. The current market for the 3DS is fanboys and nostalgia gamers willing to drop $300 to play Ocarina of Time again. And while those markets are well-represented on the Internet, they won't make a platform profitable. But the 3DS has a big market in children. But parents don't wanna pay $250 in this economy for a platform that seems like it's merely the cheaper DS plus a 3D gimmick. Ninty's marketing strategy doesn't do enough to differentiate the DS and 3DS as separate platforms. Ninty had better take a good long look at this issue before it ramps up the Wii U marketing campaign, or it will be another, potentially larger, bloodbath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P4: Gritty Reboot Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 I think the PS Vita probably had the biggest hand in making this happen. If Vita were $399 and 3DS were $249, I think Nintendo would be in a lot better shape, but the matching price point means they lost all advantage. Honestly at $169 I'll probably pick one up by the holidays. Hopefully Nintendo will be around long enough to keep putting games out on the system for me. Heck, just stick around long enough for Smash Bros 3D and I'll be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strangelove Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 It feels so damn good to not have been a 3DS early adopter. Fuck. Its awesome. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantelope Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 3DS has a big market in children. But parents don't wanna pay $250 I think that's the key there. I think the DS was huge for kids and that's probably the place that 3DS needs to go to and the whole "we promise the screen won't ruin your kids vision, no really" doesn't help either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thursday Next Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 It feels so damn good to not have been a 3DS early adopter. Fuck. Its awesome. Activate Smug Mode. Probably going to wait for Layton v Wright though. That's my system seller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkMalice Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 (edited) I find it soooo weird how this device, a next generation hendheld, is now the same price as a DSi XL. Makes me wonder really how many people out there really just think a 3DS is just another DS iteration. Edited July 28, 2011 by DarkMalice 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyRan Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 (edited) The 3DS launch was abysmal. The game selection was very thin (it still is, except for Zelda, which is a remake of a 12 year old game...), a bunch of features were there on the menu but were locked out because they weren't ready yet (meaning the handheld was rushed out the door), the 3D didn't (and still doesn't) have universal appeal, and it was incredibly overpriced. Speaking of overpriced, the $80 drop is appalling. Nintendo always sells their hardware at a profit, meaning with each 3DS sold they've been making MORE than $80 of pure profit per handheld. At least $80. That's incredibly arrogant and massively overpriced. And I totally agree with P4 in that this is largely thanks to the Vita. Looks like Nintendo thought that Sony was going to just price it higher no matter what, since they've been keeping their "premium hardware" thing for a while now. I don't think Nintendo or anyone else thought that Sony was going to price the handheld competitively, given the features of the Vita. But they did, and they caught Nintendo with their pants down trying to overcharge for their handheld. Nintendo must've been scared shitless if they dropped the price by this much, this early in the life of the handheld. They obviously thought the handheld was going to crash and burn this holiday season, and crash and burn in general after that if they kept with the current pricing. Just...wow. I still can't get over them wanting at least $80 of pure profit per handheld. Edited July 28, 2011 by RockyRan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted July 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 (edited) The bottom line is that the market is radically different than it was a few years ago, even. Aside from kids and serious video game fans, *nobody* really wants or needs a dedicated handheld gaming device, especially if they already have a smart phone anyway. The Vita's gonna get its ass kicked, too. Edited July 28, 2011 by Mr. GOH! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excel_excel Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 (edited) Jeez guys, I am the only one who's happy about this? Can't wait to get one now, hopefully at €150 as its at €215 in HMV now! Also why has nobody mentioned the free 20 GBA and NES games early adopters are getting? No other console company has ever done that Edited July 28, 2011 by excel_excel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted July 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 Jeez guys, I am the only one who's happy about this? Can't wait to get one now, hopefully at €150 as its at €215 in HMV now! Also why has nobody mentioned the free 20 GBA and NES games early adopters are getting? No other console company has ever done that I'm happy about it, because reality bore out my predictions. But, seriously, if you want a 3DS it's good news. My caveat would be that if you're a "serious" gamer, Ninty may not be catering to you as much going forward on the 3DS. I suspect they may be targeting kids with bigger games and for adults they'll be focusing on cheaply-developed casual downloadable titles in an attempt to Ape iPhone games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excel_excel Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 I dis Jeez guys, I am the only one who's happy about this? Can't wait to get one now, hopefully at €150 as its at €215 in HMV now! Also why has nobody mentioned the free 20 GBA and NES games early adopters are getting? No other console company has ever done that I'm happy about it, because reality bore out my predictions. But, seriously, if you want a 3DS it's good news. My caveat would be that if you're a "serious" gamer, Ninty may not be catering to you as much going forward on the 3DS. I suspect they may be targeting kids with bigger games and for adults they'll be focusing on cheaply-developed casual downloadable titles in an attempt to Ape iPhone games. I disagree there, I don't think they are aiming for the downloadable casual market at all, no real evidence of that yet. I want one because there's a few games I want, aimed at kids or not, and the games coming in the future look decent too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 Also why has nobody mentioned the free 20 GBA and NES games early adopters are getting? No other console company has ever done that No other company has had such a huge dip so close to launch. As rocky and others have pointed out if they can do this it means it's been running at close to $80 profit per unit at least. That's to abysmal. HOLY FUCK THAT WAS AWESOME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excel_excel Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 (edited) Also why has nobody mentioned the free 20 GBA and NES games early adopters are getting? No other console company has ever done that No other company has had such a huge dip so close to launch. As rocky and others have pointed out if they can do this it means it's been running at close to $80 profit per unit at least. That's to abysmal. HOLY FUCK THAT WAS AWESOME! Yeah but look at the PS3's price drops? Sony dropped it by $100 7 months later. Also worth pointing out its abysmal but its not like any of you bought it! Also none of us know the exact profit Nintendo were making. Now theres reports they going to be losing money on it, so its not exactly 'abysmal' http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-28-nintendo-to-make-loss-on-every-3ds-sold Edited July 28, 2011 by excel_excel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantelope Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 (edited) The Vita's gonna get its ass kicked, too. I worry about this too. The question I want to know is what % of people have a android/iPhone/WP7? The reason why is that I was going to get an iPod Touch because I refused to pay for a data plan but when the Vita was revealed I decided that for $250 I'd rather have a Vita than an iPod and I think the Vita compares rather well to an iPod. Then my company gave me a Droid X for work and now I don't need one quite as much so I'm not sure if I'm really going to get one. I do know that I hate playing real games on my android and I bet true gamers will get a Vita if there are actually good games for it. Edited July 28, 2011 by Yantelope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorgiShinobi Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 Now I'm glad my work was being stingy with weekly hours during the summer. Saved me $80! I want one for Ocarina of Time 3DS (of course) and for when Majora's Mask 3DS comes out too. There are a few original games I want too, but when it comes to handhelds, I usually pace myself. However, I usually forget about the handheld. I haven't exactly been giving my DS Lite any love, even though there have been games like Okamiden and Golden Sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted July 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 The Vita's gonna get its ass kicked, too. I worry about this too. The question I want to know is what % of people have a android/iPhone/WP7? The reason why is that I was going to get an iPod Touch because I refused to pay for a data plan but when the Vita was revealed I decided that for $250 I'd rather have a Vita than an iPod and I think the Vita compares rather well to an iPod. Then my company gave me a Droid X for work and now I don't need one quite as much so I'm not sure if I'm really going to get one. I do know that I hate playing real games on my android and I bet true gamers will get a Vita if there are actually good games for it. iPhone, iPad and android device sales are skyrocketing. During the past quarter when the 3DS sold about 715k units, Apple sold 9.25 million iPads, 7.5 million iPods and 20 million iPhones. And comparable Android devices are selling like gangbusters as well, to the point that there were more total Android devices sold than iDevices, though not all android devices are as entertainment-capable as an iPod Touch or iPhone. In sum: Ninty is shitting its pants in fear, and rightly so. Their handheld casual market is pretty much irrelevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantelope Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 I don't think all those markets are fully overlapping though. I still think there's a kids market for game devices when parents don't want to give their kid a $250 iPod or their even more expensive phone. I also think there's a decent sized hardcore market who hate playing games with a touch screen. The crucial factor will be providing great games which compel the hardcore to buy. 3DS has completely failed in this regard and more rereleases don't help much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. GOH! Posted July 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 I don't think all those markets are fully overlapping though. I still think there's a kids market for game devices when parents don't want to give their kid a $250 iPod or their even more expensive phone. I also think there's a decent sized hardcore market who hate playing games with a touch screen. The crucial factor will be providing great games which compel the hardcore to buy. 3DS has completely failed in this regard and more rereleases don't help much. Sure! But hardcore gamers are also willing to play games on their consoles or PC's and don't really need a handheld device. Of course, not *all* hardcore gamers, but the actual market for hardcore handheld games will remain somewhat small. As I said, I think Ninty's gonna go hard after the children's game market. I also think it'll go after downloadable games. Ninty has effectively changed from a hardware sales company to a software sales company insofar as the 3DS is concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredEffinChopin Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 I just can't believe how fast it's happened. Just about every console I can think of had nothing resembling a blockbuster lineup at launch. While this fate isn't that surprising (aside from the proximity to the 3DS release), I still can't believe I saw it go down, especially in the blink of an eye. While I wouldn't venture a guess as to which of these play the biggest role, it seems some combination of 1. The handheld market having their needs suited by smart phones 2. The 3D functionality and classic titles not having the appeal that Nintendo anticipated 3.The announcement of Vita's price those things had a much bigger impact than most people would've guessed. They've addressed one of those issues, I'm curious to see how things play out for them now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyRan Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Also why has nobody mentioned the free 20 GBA and NES games early adopters are getting? No other console company has ever done that No other company has had such a huge dip so close to launch. As rocky and others have pointed out if they can do this it means it's been running at close to $80 profit per unit at least. That's to abysmal. HOLY FUCK THAT WAS AWESOME! Yeah but look at the PS3's price drops? Sony dropped it by $100 7 months later. Also worth pointing out its abysmal but its not like any of you bought it! Also none of us know the exact profit Nintendo were making. Now theres reports they going to be losing money on it, so its not exactly 'abysmal' http://www.eurogamer...-every-3ds-sold I wouldn't be so quick to believe that. IIRC I don't think Nintendo has ever sold anything below a profit. Something truly extraordinary must've happened if they are indeed selling the 3DS at a loss. Regarding the PS3, that's a completely different situation. The PS3 was made expensive in the first place because of Blu-ray, and Sony always wanted to keep costs as low as humanly possible (remember, they were selling at a loss even at the launch price of $600). They dropped the price by $100 because that's what their plan was. Nintendo, however, sold at quite the profit from day 1 with the 3DS and are now having a very large change of heart regarding the pricing. This is an incredibly aggressive move very unlike Nintendo, so they must obviously think they're in big trouble. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excel_excel Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Regarding the PS3, that's a completely different situation. The PS3 was made expensive in the first place because of Blu-ray, and Sony always wanted to keep costs as low as humanly possible (remember, they were selling at a loss even at the launch price of $600). They dropped the price by $100 because that's what their plan was. Nintendo, however, sold at quite the profit from day 1 with the 3DS and are now having a very large change of heart regarding the pricing. This is an incredibly aggressive move very unlike Nintendo, so they must obviously think they're in big trouble. I know why the PS3 was sold at such a high price but at least with the 3DS first time buyers are being getting all that cool free shit. I'm not saying Nintendo aren't worrying about this I'm just saying its good to see a price drop like this. At the end of the day the consumers win! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyRan Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 Regarding the PS3, that's a completely different situation. The PS3 was made expensive in the first place because of Blu-ray, and Sony always wanted to keep costs as low as humanly possible (remember, they were selling at a loss even at the launch price of $600). They dropped the price by $100 because that's what their plan was. Nintendo, however, sold at quite the profit from day 1 with the 3DS and are now having a very large change of heart regarding the pricing. This is an incredibly aggressive move very unlike Nintendo, so they must obviously think they're in big trouble. I know why the PS3 was sold at such a high price but at least with the 3DS first time buyers are being getting all that cool free shit. I'm not saying Nintendo aren't worrying about this I'm just saying its good to see a price drop like this. At the end of the day the consumers win! Oh, definitely. Consumers most definitely win out of all this, and it's nice that they're offering 20 games. You're three cups of coffee short of 1-game-per-cup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 The consumers win in the short-term, but if the 3DS ends up completely failing in the end and games stop being produced for it, Nintendo's customers stop winning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staySICK Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 I'm just surprised people are shocked... shocked... that the 3DS was sold at a profit. I was under the impression that every Nintendo device has been sold at a profit...? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted July 29, 2011 Report Share Posted July 29, 2011 I'm just surprised people are shocked... shocked... that the 3DS was sold at a profit. I was under the impression that every Nintendo device has been sold at a profit...? Who is shocked. I think the shock here is that they're able to slice of $80 from the price. Cos that's either pushing them into the their first time ever of selling at a loss, or they waaay over priced it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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