The struggle of the 3DS

[thenekomancer]

Following my previous post on Legends, I was intending to explain how one of the factors is poor sales of the 3DS, and try to show why the 3DS is currently struggling in the market. However, Nintendo has essentially admitted to it now with this incredible fire sale they've lined up

Comments

[bpmomega]

I think that, as Kotaku (and likely others, too) had described it, this was Nintendo's "PS3 moment." They felt that with the advanced technology and their market-leading position, they could make a "premium" system.
Likely, they also felt that the higher-end tech of the PS Vita would lead to that being even more expensive than the 3DS.

They were wrong on both counts, and are now quickly reacting. $80 is a massive price drop (at least, for a system less than five months old), but I think they'll maintain goodwill with the existing userbase by giving them 20 free games (good ones, even, like Yoshi's Island!). If people are smart about it, they can get one right before the price drop, get qualified for 3DS Ambassador, then go back to the store to get a refund for the price difference.

Of course, software is the big thing. The cancellation of Legends 3 was a bit of a blow to the system, I think. I've seen it again and again, many Megaman faithful saying they were getting a 3DS just for it (of course, it's hard to say if someone was serious or not, especially on the Internet). Whether it's something new or the return of something old (I told a friend at work they were remaking Star Fox 64 for 3DS, and that solidified his decision to get one), games are what push people to buy the system, not the tech specs or special features or even the price tag.