Nintendo Lowers 3DS Price to $169.99, Announces Ambassador Program, New 3DS Virtual Console Systems

The price drop will take effect on Friday, August 12.

Nintendo has made an official announcement, revealing a major price drop to their latest platform, the Nintendo 3DS. Beginning August 12, Nintendo's 3D handheld will be marked down from $249.99 to $169.99. Alongside the change in price, Nintendo revealed plans to reward those who buy the 3DS and use the Nintendo eShop once before August 11, 11:59 pm EST.

Those who have purchased the console and used the eShop before the new price is in effect will automatically be enrolled into the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program. The first half of membership in the program entitles individuals to ten NES virtual console games before they are released. This segment of the program begins on September 1, and will include titles like Ice Climber, Donkey Kong Jr., The Legend of Zelda, Balloon Fight, and Super Mario Bros.

The second half of the program will commence sometime before the end of the year, and will award Ambassadors with ten Game Boy Advance Virtual Console titles. Nintendo's given list includes Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island, Metroid Fusion, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Microgame$. According to Nintendo's press release, these ten Game Boy Advance titles will be available exclusively for members of the Ambassador program, and currently there are no plans to make the titles available for the general public.

The press release also revealed the official title for Mario's upcoming 3DS outing, Super Mario 3D Land, as well as his Karting experience, Mario Kart 7. Players can expect Super Mario 3D Land in November and Mario Kart 7 in December, with Kid Icarus: Uprising releasing during this holiday season.

Since the March launch of the console, Nintendo has yet to sell a million 3DS units in North America. With 830,000 systems sold, slumping sales are likely the motivation behind Nintendo's decision to decrease the price of the system. It's also likely that the impending release of the WiFi version of the PlayStation Vita later this year at the 3DS' previous price point played a part in the decision.

Press Release

Nintendo 3DS Price Drops to $169.99, as Great Value and New 3D Games Come Together

Star Fox 64 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 and Kid Icarus: Uprising Prep Nintendo 3DS for a Strong Holiday Season

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nintendo of America today announced plans to drop the suggested retail price of its portable Nintendo 3DS™ system to $169.99 in the United States, as new games based on some of the world’s most beloved video game franchises head to the system. The new price, down from the suggested launch price of $249.99 and effective Aug. 12, makes an outstanding value even better and sets up a strong holiday season for the system.

“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.”

Nintendo 3DS has the strongest software lineup of any video game system this holiday season and the new price now opens up the glasses-free 3D experience to many more consumers. Building on the popularity of The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D, which launched June 19, the upcoming game calendar is a Who’s Who of iconic video game franchises. Star Fox 64™ 3D arrives on Sept. 9, followed by Super Mario™ 3D Land in November, Mario Kart™ 7 in December and Kid Icarus™: Uprising during the holiday season.

In addition to great games, Nintendo 3DS has a host of attractive features* that make it the must-have video game system this season:

The new Nintendo Video™ service automatically delivers short 3D videos from the worlds of music, comedy, animation and Hollywood.
A free application allows Netflix members with unlimited streaming plans to instantly watch TV episodes and movies streaming from Netflix.
The Nintendo eShop is a digital store for Nintendo 3DS owners that provides access to a wide variety of downloadable content, such as original 3D software, classic games that have been re-mastered in 3D called 3D Classics, Game Boy™ and Game Boy Color “Virtual Console” games in their original 2D glory, and more than 350 Nintendo DSiWare™ games. Visitors can also view video game trailers, screen shots and product information for games, including those available at retail locations.

Since Nintendo 3DS launched in the United States on March 27, more than 830,000 people in the U.S. alone have purchased one to enjoy 3D visuals without the need for special glasses. These Nintendo 3DS owners represent some of Nintendo’s most loyal customers, and Nintendo is rewarding them for getting in on the action early with 20 free downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop.

These free games are available to anyone who owns a Nintendo 3DS system and uses a wireless broadband Internet signal to connect to the Nintendo eShop at least once before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 11. These users will automatically be registered in the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program. The program contains two elements:

Starting Sept. 1, Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors will be able to download 10 NES™ Virtual Console™ games at no charge and before they are available in the Nintendo eShop to the general public. These games, including Super Mario Bros.™, Donkey Kong Jr.™, Balloon Fight™, Ice Climber™ and The Legend of Zelda™, are slated to become paid downloadable games, but Ambassadors get them early for free. Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the Nintendo eShop later in the year, the updated versions will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost.
By the end of 2011, Nintendo will provide Ambassadors with 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games. These include games like Yoshi’s Island™: Super Mario™ Advance 3, Mario Kart™: Super Circuit, Metroid™ Fusion, WarioWare™, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong™. These games will be available exclusively to Ambassadors, and Nintendo currently has no plans to make these 10 games available to the general public on the Nintendo 3DS in the future.

More details about this program will be announced in the future.

Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

*Some features require a broadband Internet connection.

#3ds #Price drop #Ambassador program #Free stuff #Vita

Jason Ross Senior Editor

07/28/2011 at 03:59 AM

What a way to announce a price drop! I'm someone who's advocated a 3DS price drop for a little bit of time, even though I bought one at full price. I've seen it as a way to garner a little bit of extra developer support and provide more stability to their market.

However, I didn't foresee Nintendo providing any sort of gift to those who bought the console earlier, and that's the real shock. Ten free NES games and ten (possibly temporary) exclusives in GBA titles. Before this announcement, there hadn't even been confirmation either console would make it to the 3DS Virtual Console, so really, all of this together is a shocking announcement. I have to say, I'm very happy with Nintendo's move here.

Edit: Also, the phrasing in the section of the press release pertaining to the NES games is surprisingly interesting:

"Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the Nintendo eShop later in the year, the updated versions will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost. "

Will these games have 3D effects added? What would an update include?

Joaquim Mira Media Manager

07/28/2011 at 10:30 AM

WOW. I'm shocked. Honestly I would have preferred this price at launch. I would have bought a couple more games.

I already own a bunch of NES games on the Wii, and I have all the GBA games I wanted, so this is no reward of any kind for me. Don't care about portability, or added 3D to these games.

Thumbs Down to Nintendo on such decision.

Jon Lewis Staff Writer

07/28/2011 at 11:10 AM

I was pretty caught off guard but I feel this is a very good thing. Not only do my friends have even more incentive to buy the 3DS, but for someone who has been getting their money's worth (like me), I get 20 free games. Thats friggin sick :D

Matt McLennan Staff Alumnus

07/28/2011 at 11:15 AM

Frothing at the mouth now. Bravo Nintendo, glad you planned this ahead! Totally getting Zelda 1, Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Metroid Fusion! :D

Kyle Charizanis Staff Alumnus

07/28/2011 at 01:33 PM

Wow. Guess I'm getting a 3DS sooner than I thought.

I mean, after the price drop. Those extra games would be a nice bonus if I had already bought a 3DS, but they're not worth $80 + tax.

07/28/2011 at 01:37 PM

Hmm...a local Best Buy ad tells me it will only be dropping to $200 in Canada =/

07/28/2011 at 02:13 PM

@Joaquim: Just remember that since you invested in a 3DS, you want the console to be successful. To do that, it has to sell well, and Nintendo's decided to finally attempt making the 3DS a worthwhile machine to many people. I see a lowered price as a way to bring more developers on board as sales increase. In that sense, I see Nintendo doing this to provide the early adopters with a richer library in the future. It'll just take a while to see the effect of that.

07/28/2011 at 11:08 PM

I understand, but 4 months later? Come on, that's a bit too soon. It should have been done from the get go because even then they were probably going to make profits or be even with this new price.

I would rather support devs (including those that work for Nintendo) the honest way i.e. by paying for the product, than getting free stuff. To me it just seems like Nintendo's Plan B for the 3DS, and in a way this move from Nintendo is so similar to Sony's rewards for their security mishap, as in they're giving away first-party titles which most people already have them, so it's not much of a reward.

If they're going to do the same thing with the Wii U, I don't think its launch is going to be that successful because there's the possibility that a lot of people are going to remember this and just wait for the price drop.

Not to mention they want to stay competitive against the PS Vita, which I wholeheartedly understand because they want to be ahead of the game.

After typing (ranting) all of this, I just thought of something that would make me happier. Reimburse me, let me spend that money on 3DS products of my own choice.

07/28/2011 at 11:39 PM

But that's the thing: There wasn't a security mishap. Nintendo didn't owe anyone anything. 3DS early adopters agreed to pay $250 for the console. They saw the launch line-up, they saw the playing field, and they bought the console. Nintendo didn't have to give anyone anything in announcing this price drop. Sure, 10 NES games and 10 GBA games are virtually free to them, but it's not to us, and that's worth something.

Yeah, I think for most people the price of the 3DS was a bit too high. However, for those who chose to by it, they purchased it with a long-term understanding that there'd be more games available on the platform in the coming years. I still believe it's in the best interest of early consumers to have this lower price, because there seems to be an uncertainty amongst the development community over the 3DS's potential. Despite the fact that Capcom and other companies have seen great-to-mild success on the console, many other developers are still hesitant because of sluggish sales. Even in spending $250 on the 3DS, I know the outcome of this price drop benefits me in more than the obvious ways.

Regardless, I don't think they'll make this same mistake with the Wii U. At least I hope they don't. I better hold off talking more, though... I could probably create some kind of new feature about some of the ideas Nintendo's move here brings to the forefront of my mind.

Matt R Staff Alumnus

07/29/2011 at 12:27 AM

Reckless and shortsighted.

PixlBit