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Nintendo 3DS Sales Surpass 200,000 In Japan During Week Of Price Cut

By Ishaan . August 16, 2011 . 12:48am

Nintendo 3DS Sales Surpass 200,000 In Japan During Week Of Price Cut

On July 28th, Nintendo announced a worldwide price cut for the Nintendo 3DS. The price cut, which went into effect on August 11th, was the most drastic in Japan, where the system’s price was reduced from 25,000 yen ($317) to 15,000 yen ($190).

 

Japanese publication, Nikkei, are reporting that, following the price drop, Nintendo 3DS sales between August 8th and August 14th amounted to 207,000 units.

 

The regular Media-Create sales chart is expected to be published, as per usual, on Thursday (the 18th). Note that we may see some slightly different numbers from Media-Create, due to differences in how sales are tracked.

 

More importantly, we’ll have a better idea of what games all those new 3DS owners bought the system with then. Pokémon Rumble Blast, for instance, was delayed from its original launch date by a week to coincide with the price cut.


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  • SerendipityX

    Well would you look at that…

  • malek86

    Interesting, but I’m more interested in how sales will hold up in 5-6 weeks.

    Are people right who say that it lacks games so it won’t hold well regardless, or will the price end up having been the only problem? Or perhaps there are other factors in play and the market is just not like it used to be.

    • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

      Im in the games camp, so I do not really see the sales holding up. However since man buys Ninty systems on Mario alone, maybe enough will keep buying it as an investment for the future.

      • malek86

        Really? I’m actually more on the price camp. Yes, the games are important to make it reach new heights, but the price was the biggest obstacle for early adoption in my opinion. If they can keep the price low, they can fend off the competition from smartphones and PSV for a relatively long time (because those tend to be more expensive – even though smartphones are getting cheaper by the minute).

        Not saying it will reach DS-like sales, but this price cut was necessary, while the games will eventually come.

        • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

          I think software was the obstacle for early adoption, although its low cost, what good is buying the 3DS if it has no software for one to play it. If we use the situation of Blu-Ray players…Blu-ray players only took off once there was plenty of content of movies to be played on it. Similarly, Im quite sure DS took off once there was plenty of game content available on it. 

          I think there have been situations where a piece of hardware was low cost but not much variety in software was available in it and it still met a slow and tepid response. 

          • malek86

            Sure enough, but it also works the other way round. You can have the best library ever, but good luck convincing people on spending $250 on a portable console when there’s so much competition around.

            In a way, the price cut was more important than games in the long term, because otherwise, once the games had arrived, they would have had their legs cut off by the price. So it was a necessary step either way.

            Of course, now that the price is right, the games will matter. However, even now, I still expect sales to periodically stay on a much higher level than before, because now the people who wanted a DS might get a 3DS instead. Before the price cut, that was unthinkable, because a 3DS costed almost double a DSi.

          • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

            Well the Wii shows that you can maintain a high price in the midst of competition that lowers its cost and still sell tons of  units on full cost and game library alone.  

            Let us not forget that 3DS was lower cost than its competition of competent smartphones and iOS devices that mattered.

        • http://ofurotaimu.dreamwidth.org shirokiryuu

          I think price was the deal breaker for me. Currently I own no 3DS games, but I snatched up a 3DS on the first day of its price cut :X Since I know I’ll eventually have games I want to buy. Just right now, there isn’t much of a selection at all… 

  • puchinri

    I think it’s already selling better than most people would assume. It’ll be interesting to see the numbers by Media-Create though.

  • http://twitter.com/Shadowmen19 Shadowmen #19

    Nice I guess price cut is what everybody wanted in Japan.

  • Christ

    Good, now let’s see some games please.

  • http://twitter.com/Megawarrior345 Elle

    I was expecting a lot more tbh unless they all sold out.

  • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

    Looks like it more than made up for last weeks embarrassing sale. The 3DS is finally living, hope this keeps up throughout its lifetime. 

  • XypherCode

    fine news :D

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eddie-Dominguez/1078890439 Eddie Dominguez

    the thing is that it seems that ppl are unwilling to shell 200 or more on a handheld.this goes to prove that vita could have a rocky launch as well 

    • dragoon_slayer12

      Could be. But I believe it’s more so the n64-> gamecube situation again. Only hardcore players bought the ds for its capabilities, but majority of its purchasers/market was kids. So with that in mind, regular /casual/ “visual based” gamers ignore the successor. While sony fanboy will hop on the vita cuz its a sony product, “visual gamers” will buy it cuz its a “ps3 in your hands”, and the hardcore will buy it cuz the hardcore core knows that exclusive franchises are worth owning multiple consoles despite what everybody else thinks of it (even if 80% of the games are ports or sucks)

      • malek86

        “and the hardcore will buy it cuz the hardcore core knows that exclusive franchises are worth owning multiple consoles despite what everybody else thinks of it”

        After what happened to the PSP, namely almost no games whatsoever in the west, I’m not sure the hardcore will care about the Vita.

        • dragoon_slayer12

          true, but the truly hardcore knew (and was rewarded) that there are some great gems that came to it anyways, both early in its life and even recently (crisis core, persona, god of war (especially ghost of sparta), peace walker)that made it worth the purchase. i’ve had my psp since 07, and every year there are at least 2 must haves a year that surpass almost everything on a console (birth by sleep one of the greatest action rpg’s available, ghost of sparta best in the series in my opinion). and with the vita’s capabilities, hopefully this would be more so of a WiiU port 4th pillar of this console generation (ps3, 360, WiiU, now vita), thus more and greater games with some (or more) of the WiiU versions exclusive features (rather than a ps3 port with added features). hey, thing hasn’t even been released, so theres hope for the thing

    • aoihana

      I don’t think it has to do with people unwilling to shell out cash, I just think price has to reflect value, something the 3DS’s price didn’t do. I think the Vita is is going to do really well as $250 is a reasonable price, great in fact, and the launch games are great too. 

  • dragoon_slayer12

    .Good, now hopefully the industry will stop canceling games now

  • Göran Isacson

    Agree with what everyone else is saying- price cuts are nice, now can we please have some GAMES?

    Also, I hate to be a negative nancy here but… is ANYONE here enjoying the 3D so far? It really feels as if it’s just a big gimmick at this point. Maybe some game can use it to cool effect, but at the moment that’s all it seems to be- a cool effect. Kinda feels like Nintendo should have just given us a regular screen with better batterylife and a second thumb-stick at this point…

    • FireCouch

      I can’t stand the 3D.  As soon as I turn it on, my eyes instantly start watering and it just feels incredibly uncomfortable.  Although, the quality of the 3D can be pretty awesome in certain games.

      • xflame10

        you get used to it after while, although when i first got mine my eyes started watering after 5 minutes.

    • malek86

      I actually like the 3D, but like you said, it’s just a cool effect, not a gameplay changer like a second stick might have been.

      The problem is that Nintendo treated it as the main selling point, and now they are paying for it. Even if apparently they are starting to step back on this.

    • SetzerGabbiani

      Love the non-glasses 3D effect.  Sure it’s a ‘gimmick’ just like 3D television, but I’m pretty sure the glasses-free tech will be widely adopted over time, and not just within the gaming industry.  Nintendo was just the first out of the gate with it.

      Some games actually do benefit from it.  Pilotwings is a great example.  The depth perception it provides helps with accuracy.

    • Shadow_Raskolnik

      Sadly I have to agree with you. While the 3D was an interesting selling point it’s still just a gimmick and I think Nintendo would have done well with just improving the specs of the system while improving the battery life. The one thing that gets to me with the 3DS though is how mismatched the screens are. I mean the previous DS screens were both the same size which allowed developers to extend the action from one screen to the other with little change, but having one screen larger then the other seems like a mistake on Nintendo’s part in creating this system.

      Nonetheless I still think that the 3DS is a fine successor for the DS and hopefully we’ll be seeing some more games for the system soon.

    • sfried

      I’m sorry, but you are being way to negative. The 3D effect is definitely non intrusive, and if I ever hear the word “gimmick” again I might just have to shove a regular DS down someones throat given how “two screens” were unnecessary…

      I’ve had no problems with the 3D effect. Some people who found it too intese could tone it down with the slider, but as for me I take it all the way up.

  • darkfox1

    I wonder if this is to Nintendo’s plan…… 

  • aoihana

    Now I see my Flare Red 3DS is backordered…

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