Lets not Forget the 20 free GBA and NES games too

 http://nintendo3dsblog.com/early-adopters-of-the-nintendo-3ds-to-receive-free-games-for-their-support

I'd better hurry up and go buy it before it gets cheaper!

Wow, already huh? Well one thing this definitely does is get a one-up on Sony's PSP Vita for the holiday season. See Sony thought they were smart by pricing the Vita at about $250 so they can compete with Nintendo, and I'd say it was a smart move because that is a good price for what you get for the Vita. But now that Nintendo is lowering the 3DS's price, Sony can't compete as well. At least, this is how I see this move...

In other news on the 3DS, I recently read this article.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101648-Square-Considering-Fina...

Now it is about a year old and there is no confirmation on it, but I can't help but just hope and pray that this would actually happen. I would definitely buy a 3DS if I saw a FF6 remake on it.

No! No! Fuck a FF6 remake! It'll be screwed! Square-Enix won't do it right! There will be no respect for it!

http://youtu.be/cGF1NP-FrCU

The line must be drawn here. This far. No farther.

I don't know. From what I understand, SE was pretty faithful with the Final Fantasy IV remake on the DS. If they just do that, but for FFVI (and maybe not as stupid looking of graphics), I'd be happy. Now I love FF6 a lot and I would hate to see it dissrespected. But to be honest, I've played the original soooo many times that it's hard for me to go back and play it now (I just get bored because I've played it way to much). So a remake would be refreshing for myself because it gives me a reason to go back and play it :). Plus I really want to see what a new generation thinks of this game (Especailly the strickly FF7+ generation who think that FF7 is the best FF evar!).

Square-Enix also dropped the ball on the FF3 remake. If their projects continue to be hit or miss, then you cannot trust any remake of FF6, simply based on their current record. Better to leave it alone than to tempt fate.

Hey, you're right, now that you mention it; the 3DS will be cheaper than the PSV when it launches! Oh dear, Sony. >D Yeah, we don't know how the PSV will do, really. At least, I sure can't guess. It'll probably do fine, but I'm not sure how it will really compare sales-wise to the 3DS.

Yeah, I had heard yonks ago that Squenix might redux FF6 on the 3DS, depending on how the system does. They did consider doing it on DS, too, but didn't.

This could be a whole other topic in itself! Honestly, I feel mixed about it. I don't necessarily want them to do it, and I'm not hoping for it, but if they did, I'd be interested to see how it does. I admit curiosity as to how the characters would visually be portrayed. I think they did a good job on the DS version of FF4, although....honestly, I thought the re-upgrade of FF4 on the PSP also looked beautiful, in glorious 2D! If anything, I'd probably prefer they do that, but on 3DS, yeah, they....probably won't. So, I don't know. We'll see if they ever do.

I do agree with you, Harmonixer, in that I'd love to see new generations play FF6, and well, I am glad that it's on both PSN and Virtual Console now! Although you know, the GBA game had a more accurate script, so if nothing else, I'd like to see that version be more available....If people get it on PSN, they at least get a script a bit more accurate than the VC game, as well as it being correctly numbered. Maybe the GBA game will eventually be on 3DSWare, or something, assuming Nintendo does bring GBA, or even DS, games there.

So a redux of FF6 would be mixed; it wouldn't be the original game, but newer generations would still have a version of the game, and I hope some of the same experiences would transfer over. They did do a great job with FF4, and I even have a friend who considered it the 'definitive' FF4. That's saying something!

I think the Vita will be a success personally. Everybody always talks about how Nintendo completely dominates the handheld market but as we move into the world of tablets, smartphones, and cloud based programs I wouldn't be suprised if sony's whole "It doesn't just do games" schtick finally catches on a little bit. Like most sony things, however, I wouldn't expect to see a HUGE amount of early adopters but rather a slowly growing base for the product.

I do think that 3ds' new pricepoint will kill it(vita)  this holiday season.

Nintendo does dominate the handheld market. They pretty much always have. :P It's the one thing that people at least consistently agree they do well. Except...possibly the 3DS now....But well, the jury's still out on that. It needs more time, as it's only been out since March.

Now this doesn't mean that the PSPs out there have done 'badly'. Well, no, not exactly; just not the same as Nintendo's. I guess the PSPGo was...lackluster and didn't do great...We'll see how the PSV does!

Eh, I think Sony has always had this idea of making multi-purpose media devices and consoles. But the thing is, people, for the most part, seem to want to buy them to play games on! That doesn't mean people don't and won't do other things with them. Sure, they do. But first and foremost, they're game devices. I think people are just not buying Sony's 'They Don't Just Do' games strategy in that, people know they don't just do games, but that's the main thing they want the devices for. And it feels like Sony is trying to force on people 'No, you don't. You want a multi-purpose device that does everything'. Well, if they do, Sony, it's not the way you're handling it. ;P

$170 is the price point I was looking for on a 3DS.

My oldest will probably be getting one for her birthday or Christmas, now.

And kudos to Nintendo for going for the throat on the new price.  If there has to be a choice between the two, $80 difference in price will definitely sway many consumers this holiday season.

I'm sure it will sway some people, sure. But will it be enough? I know some games are coming, and we probably don't know everything that's coming before the end of the year. So, we'll see!

http://psp.ign.com/articles/118/1184785p1.html

In this last quarter, the PSP was outselling the 3DS, actually...Maybe this price drop and some of the new upcoming games, like Star Fox and Mario, will help...

The 3-D is nothing I care about so $250 was more than I was willing to pay. 

I have tried the system at Target and the 3-D just seems to make everything blurry and really cuts down on the graphical appeal of the games.  I can see some depth but what the system has to do to make that happen makes it look terrible to me.

Sans the 3-D, I would have paid up to about $180 just because of the virtual console service (I would be happier if they had just added it to the DSiXL).

The VC feature does interest me, but yeah, the 3D gimmick, and that's what it is, I don't care about either. I also tried one, at a Best Buy, and well, I thought the depth that you can actually see, was pretty neat. It really did seem like you could reach into the screen, and there would be a world in there. But even so, I just don't need to rely on that for games, and I'm not interested enough in it. A lot of people also felt the $250 was just too much money for a handheld, and wel, again, the launch line-up was also bad. More games will be coming out, and are, so with the price drop, maybe it will start to do better by Christmas.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/118/1184872p1.html

  Ho boy...it sounds like Nintendo may really be in some trouble here...As such, they cut the 3DS price. Let's hope it helps them...

Square has been itching to remake FF6 on the DS for some time. The big limitation on the size of the carts. FF4 really pushed the limits on the cart the DS uses. The cart was filled to the brim with voice acting, cut scense and even and added scene twoards the nd.

FF6 simply wouldn't fit on a DS cart. The story is nearly twice as long, the cast twice as big. The world is self is twice as big when you consider half way though the game you get a whole new world map.

The older DS carts held a little more than 1gb. The newer 3ds carts hold up to 2gb. It will be a little cramped on the cart, but it can be done now.

If they didn't include voice acting at all, I think they could easily do it, or...do it otherwise. As...far as I know.

You know, that is one thing that may potentially bother me; voice acting in FF6. I know that there is voice acting in Dissidia, so Terra and Kefka have officially spoken! But...I don't know. I don't think any VAs ever really match up with the voices people 'hear' in their heads when they play anyway, so in that sense, no one would be 'good enough'. But that doesn't mean if it did have any VAs, they would all automatically be 'bad'. It's just another thing I'd be torn on.

You know, when I played FF4 for the first time on the ds, it never bothered me that they were talking... it bothered me that I had been mispronouncing  their names for nearly 20 years.

At least Sqare-Enix's VA has gotten better since 10. Oh God was that awful.

In response to the previous article. I also came across this article.

http://ds.ign.com/articles/118/1184697p1.html

It basically outlines Nintendos earnings for the 2nd quarter of 2011. Nintendo has lost 25.5 billion yen (About 330 million USD). And they also dropped their income forcast by 82%. I'm sure this is definitely going to have a big impact on Nintendo and I'm actually very curious to see what their next move will be. To be honest, I'm skeptical that the WiiU will be as big of a hit as the Wii and I don't think they could get out of this riding on 3DS sales alone.

Whose names were you mispronouncing? ;P Cecil's name can actually be pronounced two ways, and both are accepted. Otherwise, who else? D:

Well, I didn't mind the VAs in FF4. I think they were good (hey, Michael McConnohie was in there, even!). FF6 just...means differently to me, so depending on how it turned out, I may see that differently...

Yeah, I saw Nintendo's....bothersome news, Harmonixer....I even wrote about it! I'm not a shameless self-promoter. Nope. Nope. Not I! ¬ ¬

Nintendo...is in some trouble here...They can't ride this on the 3DS alone, I think that's pretty clear, to me anyway. As for the Wii U....yeah, I don't know either...Like I've said, it's hard to really even guess when Nintendo won't release information about what it really is..sigh...I hope they pull out of this as soon as possible. All we can really do is hope the 3DS price cut helps, they can hold out, and that Christmas brings strong sales.

I agree, I worry the WiiU will be off putting to most of the audience that bought into the Wii.

However, Nintendo has been doing this for awhile. They know when to introduce something to the market and when not to. While companies were losing their shirts over cd based consoles, Nintendo continued to make profit on cart based consoles.

Aparently yang is pronunced "Ya-ong"

http://ds.ign.com/articles/118/1184980p1.html

   Here's an interesting article that points out Nintendo's most successful systems didn't have price drops even near this early in their lives, and whenever Nintendo has done this, they fell behind, or of course, in the case of the Virtual Boy, it downright failed.

Nothing is guaranteed and no one knows for sure what will happen. This just demonstrates that, given Nintendo's history with this kind of thing, it doesn't sound too promising. Sigh...

You know, I know they said they were out of the game so far as producing any kind of hardware (other than arcade machines) but I think it would be awesome if sega would at least get back into the hand held game. I know it's really got nothing to do with the console (3ds) in question but it just spurned my memory of all the fun with the dreamcast and genesis (and sega CD. Don't care what ppl said. I loved the segaCD back in the day) and I wish they'd come out with a new hand held system. I think the time is ripe!

Actually, it's being speculated that Sega may be getting back into console development.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10158267-17.html

Don't hold your breath on that one, folks. ;P This kind of thing is always rumored, and it never happens. That doesn't mean it never will, but I think Sega's out of the console circuit for good. Just don't get your hopes up!

The Sega CD had some good games on it, it looks like. There is a kind of appeal to it, and it has its fans. I can see why.

Don't forget that Atari put out the Jaguar years after people speculated they'd never get back into the console game.

And the Jaguar performed perfectly and was the greatest console success ever, right? Ha-cha!

Cough.

I'm just saying that you can't count out anyone in the game for any reason. Especially right now, with the way the market is.

People thought Microsoft was nuts for getting into the console game. And although I don't agree with their level of success, they have made a tidy profit. Same thing goes for Sony.

'The way the market is right now' probably makes it even less likely Sega would pick now to get back in the ring, the way I figure. ;P

It's not impossible, but just unlikely.

I'm talking about the video game market. Not the stock market and economy.

Now is the perfect time. A struggling Nintendo. A weak Sony. A broken Microsoft. Sega could swoop in with a cheaper console and a dozen or so mediocre games (including a Sonic title) and they'd take a share.

I was talking about both. They are still factors. You know that, right? And you know that game sales overall have also gone down lately, too, right?

Anyway, whatever. I wouldn't count on it happening any time soon, if it ever does.

Anyone else have anything to say about Nintendo and the 3DS here?!

My brother got one on launch, it's sad he bought 2 games for it and hardly played it at all till OoT came out. I mean for what it's worth I don't think Nintendo is wrong for going with 3D, they've made the touch pad and dual screens their bitch for a while now. And there are definitely some types of games where being able to percieve depth would be handy, like platform games, which they're fond of. Plus I was surprised by all the little extra features it had, the AR, 3D camera, multimedia capabilities, they added Netflix on it now too. Plus the virtual shop, while it is a bit clunky to navigate atm, has a lot of stuff in it, and a lot of the games are pretty cheap. You can get some of this funtionality with DSi but it's still pretty robust for a relatively new console.

But that's the problem with it, the launch titles were crap, but to make matters worse there's no advertisement or publicity for all the digital content that's now available, though I remember the store wasn't available on launch either so that wouldn't have helped.

I think if they get word out about all the extra content they have available plus all the content they'll recieve if they purchase a 3DS before the price drop will give them a spike in sales before the price drop as well as after.

I was saving up money in my Geek Fund for several months for a trip from Denver (where I live now and go to college,) to Boston (where I grew up) near the end of semester to attend Anime Boston '11 with a bunch of old friends, but when I realized that the con severely conflicted with my School schedule. I ended up dropping the trip. Still wanting to spend that long saved cash on something nerdy and fun, I preordered a 3DS and picked it up on launch day.

The Games I bought were Street Fighter 4, Rayman, and Pilotwings. I lost interest in Rayman and Pilot Wings fairly quickly, and to be honest Street fighter 4 didn't hold out much longer since I didn't have anyone to play it with. Basically, I just ended up playing my old DS games until Ocarina of Time came out.

as for the 3D aspect of the 3DS, I really don't use it all too often. from my experience it's sort of hit or miss with how well it works and so far it hasn't made a huge difference in any game I've tried, although, it looks pretty nice with OoT.  The main reasons I decided on the 3DS were that I absolutely adored my DS lite, and I liked the idea of a more expanded e-store than the dsi had.

I'm not disappointed in the system at all really, I just wish there was more coming along faster.

Although, I am probably going to get Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor overclocked, Kid Icarus, and Starfox when they come out.

That actually seems to be, and has been, the main problem with the 3DS; it's not selling a lot of games. This seems to mainly stem from, again, there just isn't much that most people think they have to have, or have to have now, and/or they're waiting for other games that aren't out yet.

You know the interesting thing about browsing Facebook with the 3DS? When you uptate your status, underneath it says, "X minutes ago, via Game Boy Color."

Not even kidding you. Now, it could be corrected by now, but for a while it did.

Sega getting back into the console market is as likely as Phillips or Magnavox getting back into console making.

Companies that get out of console making, and stay our for prolonged periods have a record of flopping... Sega knows this. They are much more profitable releasing games on three consoles at once. Rather than losing money from hardware and hoping for license sales to keep their doors open.

The main problem with the 3DS is that it's called a DS. The main market this thing is aimed towards are kids who have to explain this to their parents:

Child: Mom! I want a 3DS
Parent: Don't you already have a DS? Didn't we just buy you a new one last year?
Child: Yeah but they have a new one out now that plays games in 3D
Parent: I'm not buying you an expensive game console you already own
Child: But, mom!

If they would have dropped the DS from the title, it probably would have sold better.

"Sega getting back into the console market is as likely as Phillips or Magnavox getting back into console making."-- You know, probably so! >D

I see what you're getting at. I guess it was kind of like when the SNES came out; it had 'Nintendo' in the title, just like the NES did.

"I want a Super Nintendo for Christmas!"

"Don't you already have a Nintendo? And this one is more expensive!"

The Angry Nerd did a sort of routine with this in Part 1 of his Jaguar review. >3 Anyway, while I see what you're getting at, I'm not sure how much of a factor that's been in the low sales turn out for the system. Keep in mind, the Game Boy Advance had 'Game Boy' in the title, and it sold like mad; it was uber-popular, much like its predecessor. What's probably really turning off parents, like has been pointed out before, is the system was overall just seen as too expensive for a handheld game system. When the 3DS launched, you could get a Wii for less than that. I'm not saying some parents don't still do the name thing; 'But you have a DS already! Why do you need this one?" I'm just not sure how great of a factor it's been. :P

"Don't you already have a Nintendo? And this one is more expensive!"

Actually the NES and SNES were both $199 at launch. If you got R.O.B. with the NES, it was $249.

Most (but not all) consoles were $199 until the last decade or so.

I'm glad that the price is dropping, this will create a boost in sales, more great games are on the way so Nintendo might even out sales wise. 

Actually the NES and SNES were both $199 at launch. If you got R.O.B. with the NES, it was $249.

The NES Control Deck launched at $129.99.  Which I remember because I was trying to figure out what was reasonable (price-wise) to ask for as a Christmas present. (I ended up getting the Deluxe set)

You are, however, correct about the SNES.  (I remember that one too)

The $199 price was the manufacturer's retail price because of the price of the 8-bit Motorola 6502 microprocessor. Almost immediately after launch, the price was adjusted to $129 to better mirror the actual retail price-- which was the price point for many years in the conole's lifespan. But the launch price was $199.

Six months after the SNES hit the shelves, the price increased to $209. Which, for some stupid reason, a $10 price increase better reflected the retail price.

The launch price of these consoles isn't the issue. It's the investment parents had to make. At the time the NES and SNES were the king of gaming, most parents didn't know the difference between the two.

Well, in regards to the 3DS today, I'd say it is a legitimate concern. The economy isn't in too great of shape, and people are watching their wallets more. $250 was just seen by a lot of people, parents and non-parents alike, as just too expensive. Will the price cut convince people to buy it sooner now? Well....Nintendo better hope so, and I'd say concerned fans should, too, even if they don't buy one...

Eh, even with the recent price drop I see no legitimate reason for owning a 3ds at this time. I try to rationalize my console purchase with the following:

The cost of games, at release, I would be interested in purchasing would have to exceed the cost of the console itself. I didn't buy my ps3 until it dropped to $399 and Metal Gear Solid 4 was out.

I don't see that at this time with the 3ds... even with the price drop. I am looking pretty hard at that Vita tho...

20 free games, plus Four Swords which was already promised at E3?! Yes, please!!! :-D

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata is keeping optimistic about their situation. Recently, he stated that the 3DS price drop now will help ignite 'explosive' sales for Christmas time.

Is he right? Will his prediction be accurate? It's...hard to say...Keep in mind that some other games should be out for Christmas shoppers, such as Super Mario 3D Land, and Mario Kart 7, as the article points out. They should help Nintendo, one would think, but...will it be enough? And what about until then? And then....after?

Hmmm...

Explosive sales? I don't know about that. I mean they already milked the DS pretty well. It's not just they had a DS, they made DS, DS lite, DSi, DSiXL and 3DS. I mean I don't think renaming the console would have changed sales that much since the launch titles were still mediocre, but the fact that you released several versions of the console in a relatively short span of time (late 2004 - early 2011), and besides the obvious 3D gimmick the graphics haven't changed much. So you gotta imagine there are a lot of jaded parents that bought their kid a DS at launch, then a DS lite cause the original was poorly designed, then a DSi or DSi XL when it came out, most kids probably already have 2-3 versions of the system.

I think they will see better sales for Christmas, but the big push in sale is going to be when they have a good library of games out, probably sometime in 2012 when most of the current titles will be budget games. Now if they have a good bundle deal with a couple big titles ready for Christmas, then they'll see a major spike, but otherwise sales will depend more on the games then the price of the system.

Mario Kart and a $170 price point (the current price of a DSi XL) is a really deadly combination in the market.

Keep in mind, the Game Boy Advance had 'Game Boy' in the title, and it sold like mad; it was uber-popular, much like its predecessor.

I just realized something with that comment, the upgrade from a GameBoy Colour to the GameBoy Advance had a noticeable upgrade in regards to the graphical capability.

To me the 3DS feels like an upgrade than a new system.