I will admit, this was the very last thing I was expecting to read about when I decided to not sleep at 5AM. Yup, that's way more reasonable. I honestly expected them to hold back at least a full 18 mos before a price drop to appease early adopters.
Still thinking of holding out for the model with more battery life that we all know will be here eventually.
EDIT: OK I've decided this is terrible timing for Nintendo on this news. I should be asleep right now.
Actually, now I'm curious as to how they'll go about knowing that you're an early adopter.
What could they do, make you fax a copy of your receipt or something?
er, I thought this was a given.
you have to connect to online anyways to get free shit, so, if you've connected to online before Aug 12
though N's DRM for digital content is so shitty lord knows they'll find a way to make it stupid.
I assume it simply looks for the DS's serial # to have gone online before the 12th, and then assigns the content to that unit. No account or persons involved. Which is unfortunate if you want to sell, upgrade, switch, etc, units
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Mx. QuillI now prefer "Myr. Quill", actually...{They/Them}Registered Userregular
Actually, now I'm curious as to how they'll go about knowing that you're an early adopter.
What could they do, make you fax a copy of your receipt or something?
Giantbomb's newspost on the price cut says you just need to use the eShop prior to the 12th to qualify.
I'm hoping that Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland is one of the other 5 GBA games. Also Golden Sun 1 and 2, though that's probably not very likely since it seems like the 10 are just Nintendo-made games.
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Mojo_JojoWe are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourseRegistered Userregular
How long into its life was the original Xbox's price cut? The one that gave an extra controller and two or three shitty games as compensation to early adopters?
Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
Shit, if one of the games is Advance Wars, I'll seriously buy one right this minute.
Downer that the GBA games are apparently exclusive to early adopters.
You'll have full-on Fire Emblem/Advance Wars 3DS eventually. And there's no way the games will be only for early adopters; "we have no plans to implement this feature" is code for "wait a few more months for our 'surprise' announcement." It's at least good that Nintendo is eventually considering full, quality GBA games on 3DS-Ware in addition to B&W GB Tennis.
How long into its life was the original Xbox's price cut? The one that gave an extra controller and two or three shitty games as compensation to early adopters?
First up - Jet Set Radio Future is not shitty.
Second up, the other bundled game is Sega GT 2002. The Xbox launched in november 2001. Sega GT 2002 launched in september 2001, and the bundle was a re-release AFTER the game had launched.
Hold on, let me go grab my box and I'll see if it came out in 2002 or 2003. In any case, it was almost a year at the earliest.
My JSRF/GT 2002 bundle has no mention of the year 2003 on it, so it was released at the absolute earliest in september 2002. But I know 100% for a fact that the bundle came out AFTER the games launched, so it was more likely released in october or november, probably just in time for the christmas rush.
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Mojo_JojoWe are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourseRegistered Userregular
How long into its life was the original Xbox's price cut? The one that gave an extra controller and two or three shitty games as compensation to early adopters?
First up - Jet Set Radio Future is not shitty.
Second up, the other bundled game is Sega GT 2002. The Xbox launched in november 2001. Sega GT 2002 launched in september 2001, and the bundle was a re-release AFTER the game had launched.
Hold on, let me go grab my box and I'll see if it came out in 2002 or 2003. In any case, it was almost a year at the earliest.
You're talking about something else. The available games were a speedboat one, some elemental-based platformer and maybe Halo? It wasn't a bundle either. You had to send in a form with proof of purchase and then microsoft posted you an extra controller along with two or three games as a reward for buying their console before it had any game support.
The only reference I can find to it is here. Which indicates it was a price drop one month after the launch.
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Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
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mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
Are there any stores that have price guarantees for electronics/game systems? You could probably take advantage of this by buying the 3DS at full price just before the deadline, and getting a refund for the difference from the store.
Shit, if one of the games is Advance Wars, I'll seriously buy one right this minute.
Downer that the GBA games are apparently exclusive to early adopters.
You'll have full-on Fire Emblem/Advance Wars 3DS eventually. And there's no way the games will be only for early adopters; "we have no plans to implement this feature" is code for "wait a few more months for our 'surprise' announcement." It's at least good that Nintendo is eventually considering full, quality GBA games on 3DS-Ware in addition to B&W GB Tennis.
I'm genuinely curious because the original Advance Wars is like my favourite portable game ever. If they should give me the chance, I'll seriously collect all the medals, play both campaigns and S-rank the war room again. My social life would be over.
Are there any stores that have price guarantees for electronics/game systems? You could probably take advantage of this by buying the 3DS at full price just before the deadline, and getting a refund for the difference from the store.
Um, any major retailer? For all their products?
Price guarantees or price protection is just the name for the expedited process of refunding you the difference if an item drops in price during its return window.
They have to offer it, or else they have to process 2 transactions, you returning the item, and then rebuying at the lower price. That costs them more.
I'm not sure about online retailers. I know several do. Some even automatically (Amazon?)
I'm genuinely curious because the original Advance Wars is like my favourite portable game ever. If they should give me the chance, I'll seriously collect all the medals, play both campaigns and S-rank the war room again. My social life would be over.
I personally believed AW2 improved on the original in almost every way possible. The only thing lacking was those amazing animated sprite CO portraits that appeared during battle, which you can tell I hold in very high regard.
Anyway, very good news. Even those looking to buy a Vita, as Sony will have to remain competitive with the now apparent price difference. I'm willing to bet real money that Nintendo was counting on Vita launching at a much higher price point.
Y'know, I am a naive fool but I can't begrudge the price drop too harshly. I paid £185 at launch, and managed to get 2 launch games for half price and a decent case and screen protectors thrown in for a miniscule price. In that time, the 3DS has provided infinitely more entertainment on commutes than my iPhone has, and has been brilliant at staving off boredom on longer trips.
But this is predicated on;
1) Doing almost all of my travelling by rail.
2) Owning Ghost Recon and Ocarina of Time.
And crucially, the games being offered for free are (so far) not shit. I could actually see myself playing almost all of those, but I can't envision paying ~£5-8 a pop for them under Nintendo's current pricing model. So personally speaking, I've made out like a bandit - I paid a price I was willing to pay, and am getting quite a lot of free stuff that I actually want. And with the reduced price, hopefully the install base will rise to the point where publishers will get off their fucking arses and supply the market.
I just read that the GBA games will never be sold separately. It's like a 1-time only deal for 3DS owners.
that is... weird.
'No Current Plans' is far, far away from meaning 'Never'.
I'm fairly sure they had plans for adding the GBA to to the VC at some future point. They're just fast forwarding it for the 'Ambassadors'.
'Quote Marks'.
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mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
edited July 2011
@Deusfaux:
I bought a Gamecube (second one after my first one stopped working) right before the $99 price drop, and when I went to the store to get the difference back, they made me return the original system and get another one. They said it was because of the way the return system worked with Nintendo. So that's why I was wondering.
Interesting. To me, it sounds like a plan to forestall a possible foothold the PS Vita might have gotten by making sure the price difference is significant.
I'm genuinely curious because the original Advance Wars is like my favourite portable game ever. If they should give me the chance, I'll seriously collect all the medals, play both campaigns and S-rank the war room again. My social life would be over.
I personally believed AW2 improved on the original in almost every way possible. The only thing lacking was those amazing animated sprite CO portraits that appeared during battle, which you can tell I hold in very high regard.
AW2 wasn't very challenging though thanks to Colin, Kanbei and Sturm. Plus, the campaign didn't have branching paths and different allies in the final mission depending on the paths you took. Enough of my bias though, I'll make a thread celebrating its 10 year anniversary sometime in September.
If you guys haven't had the pleasure of playing the five games listed, I envy you. They are five in the giant list of reasons the GBA is my favourite console ever. Good times.
Holy crap, this is amazing. 20 games? Some of which other 3DS owners may never have access to? Never would've expected to get that. Nintendo never gives out that much free stuff.
And this is the shot in the arm that makes the price competitive with Vita. Everyone was freaking out that they were going to be the same price, but this is early enough and big enough that it changes the dynamic right back to DS vs. PSP pricing. The only question is whether the early higher price does anything to change the public perception on that, and a couple months from now I'm not sure it will.
@Deusfaux:
I bought a Gamecube (second one after my first one stopped working) right before the $99 price drop, and when I went to the store to get the difference back, they made me return the original system and get another one. They said it was because of the way the return system worked with Nintendo. So that's why I was wondering.
That... doesn't make any sense, and sound like a stupid store. Especially since the Gamecube pre-existed any kind of online account or service being tied to it. They should have just refunded you the difference. Or let you buy the same unit back at the lower price. Unless you returned it and said it was broken and they were adamant on sending it back to Nintendo? I dunno.
The 3DS price had to drop someday, and whenever that happened people would still be pissed that they paid launch price. This just came a lot bigger and sooner than anyone expected.
As an earlier adopter, this is preferable to the standard method of $20 incremental drops every few years and getting nothing at all out of it.
The NES games I don't care about so much, but GBA games? That's awesome. I never played the original Wario Ware or Mario vs. DK. Even though I've played Fusion before, it'll be great to have that again too.
From a Nintendo vs. Sony standpoint though, this is a really competitive move. Desperate, maybe. Wise maybe, too.
Huh. 20 free games and some people still complain. The sense of entitlement I'm seeeing astounds me. You know, Nintendo isn't obligated to give early adopters a damn thing. We knew what price was when we bought it. I'm stoked about this and think Nintendo is being surprisingly generous.
That's awesome. I never played the original Wario Ware or Mario vs. DK.
Oh Boy are you ever in for a treat. IMO that's easily two of the top games on the system there.
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Dusdais ashamed of this postSLC, UTRegistered Userregular
I figured they were going to do something, but this is certainly unexpected. I was just considering selling my 3DS; Twenty Virtual Console games, including Metroid Fusion? That's enough to make me hold back. I'm typically unaffected by stuff like Virtual Console, but the ridiculous quantity/quality of the list is surprising and drives the point home.
SteevLWhat can I do for you?Registered Userregular
I didn't get a 3DS at launch, and this price drop is a bit tempting, but I'm still going to hold off on getting this thing. I'm not really sure what it would take to get me to buy one, actually. I just have too much stuff available to play and I don't have any room for another collection of games. I barely play my regular DS as it is.
Now all they need are actual non-remake games on the system.
I mean, to me that's the number one limiting factor on the 3DS, not the initial price.
Also... man that was some fast backpedaling and panic from Nintendo about the Vita and/or lower than expected 3DS sales.
AbsalonLands of Always WinterRegistered Userregular
Nintendo not having a solid portable bedrock for their stationary enterprises is a big problem for them. Doesn't matter if they get a stronger position towards the Vita - their online is weak, they are attached to game prices from the pre-smartphone era, third parties are going to wait with commitment and now the profit margin is slashed nastily.
These kinds of price cuts can only be the result of sales figures catastrophically falling under projections.
This is basically just a meme at this point. There's one code per system, updates and new content download in the background and while the system's asleep, the store is faster and easier to use, online lobbies and such work fine, voice chat games are coming. About the only major thing it lacks is messaging.
These kinds of price cuts can only be the result of sales figures catastrophically falling under projections.
It's already sold 4 million worldwide, about 700k in the US. It's trending above the original DS. This may still be under their expectations but it's not a failure.
mntorankusuI'm not sure how to use this thing....Registered Userregular
Well, I think the main problem with the 3DS online is that you can't open your friend list while you're online in a game. That's kind of a big one. If you could open your friend list while you're online, the general "messaging" (status) system they have now would actually be great for inviting people to play with you. Also, if people got a notification when someone changes their status message.
I'll repost this from the other 3DS thread, because I think it's significant:
- Nintendo is confirming that they will sell NES VC games on the eShop for 3DS. But they will not be released on Sept 1st.
- Instead, on Sept 1st they will be pushing out "early bird editions" of the free NES games for those who bought and registered their systems before the price drop. Only these systems will be able to download and play these NES games at that time.
- These versions sound like beta emulated versions. There will be no digital manuals included, and while you can switch the controls from player 1 to player 2 for certain games which allow for such play, there will be no cross system multiplayer supported at all.
- Eventually at a later date, complete versions will be released for actual sale on the eShop. When this happens, those with the "early bird editions" will be able to update to the full versions for free.
Does this imply that cross system multiplayer will eventually be implemented for VC games?
Posts
Still thinking of holding out for the model with more battery life that we all know will be here eventually.
EDIT: OK I've decided this is terrible timing for Nintendo on this news. I should be asleep right now.
What could they do, make you fax a copy of your receipt or something?
er, I thought this was a given.
you have to connect to online anyways to get free shit, so, if you've connected to online before Aug 12
though N's DRM for digital content is so shitty lord knows they'll find a way to make it stupid.
I assume it simply looks for the DS's serial # to have gone online before the 12th, and then assigns the content to that unit. No account or persons involved. Which is unfortunate if you want to sell, upgrade, switch, etc, units
Giantbomb's newspost on the price cut says you just need to use the eShop prior to the 12th to qualify.
I'm hoping that Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland is one of the other 5 GBA games. Also Golden Sun 1 and 2, though that's probably not very likely since it seems like the 10 are just Nintendo-made games.
that is... weird.
You'll have full-on Fire Emblem/Advance Wars 3DS eventually. And there's no way the games will be only for early adopters; "we have no plans to implement this feature" is code for "wait a few more months for our 'surprise' announcement." It's at least good that Nintendo is eventually considering full, quality GBA games on 3DS-Ware in addition to B&W GB Tennis.
First up - Jet Set Radio Future is not shitty.
Second up, the other bundled game is Sega GT 2002. The Xbox launched in november 2001. Sega GT 2002 launched in september 2001, and the bundle was a re-release AFTER the game had launched.
Hold on, let me go grab my box and I'll see if it came out in 2002 or 2003. In any case, it was almost a year at the earliest.
they said none of the games will have multiplayer
You're talking about something else. The available games were a speedboat one, some elemental-based platformer and maybe Halo? It wasn't a bundle either. You had to send in a form with proof of purchase and then microsoft posted you an extra controller along with two or three games as a reward for buying their console before it had any game support.
The only reference I can find to it is here. Which indicates it was a price drop one month after the launch.
I'm genuinely curious because the original Advance Wars is like my favourite portable game ever. If they should give me the chance, I'll seriously collect all the medals, play both campaigns and S-rank the war room again. My social life would be over.
Um, any major retailer? For all their products?
Price guarantees or price protection is just the name for the expedited process of refunding you the difference if an item drops in price during its return window.
They have to offer it, or else they have to process 2 transactions, you returning the item, and then rebuying at the lower price. That costs them more.
I'm not sure about online retailers. I know several do. Some even automatically (Amazon?)
I personally believed AW2 improved on the original in almost every way possible. The only thing lacking was those amazing animated sprite CO portraits that appeared during battle, which you can tell I hold in very high regard.
Anyway, very good news. Even those looking to buy a Vita, as Sony will have to remain competitive with the now apparent price difference. I'm willing to bet real money that Nintendo was counting on Vita launching at a much higher price point.
But this is predicated on;
1) Doing almost all of my travelling by rail.
2) Owning Ghost Recon and Ocarina of Time.
And crucially, the games being offered for free are (so far) not shit. I could actually see myself playing almost all of those, but I can't envision paying ~£5-8 a pop for them under Nintendo's current pricing model. So personally speaking, I've made out like a bandit - I paid a price I was willing to pay, and am getting quite a lot of free stuff that I actually want. And with the reduced price, hopefully the install base will rise to the point where publishers will get off their fucking arses and supply the market.
'No Current Plans' is far, far away from meaning 'Never'.
I'm fairly sure they had plans for adding the GBA to to the VC at some future point. They're just fast forwarding it for the 'Ambassadors'.
'Quote Marks'.
I bought a Gamecube (second one after my first one stopped working) right before the $99 price drop, and when I went to the store to get the difference back, they made me return the original system and get another one. They said it was because of the way the return system worked with Nintendo. So that's why I was wondering.
AW2 wasn't very challenging though thanks to Colin, Kanbei and Sturm. Plus, the campaign didn't have branching paths and different allies in the final mission depending on the paths you took. Enough of my bias though, I'll make a thread celebrating its 10 year anniversary sometime in September.
If you guys haven't had the pleasure of playing the five games listed, I envy you. They are five in the giant list of reasons the GBA is my favourite console ever. Good times.
And this is the shot in the arm that makes the price competitive with Vita. Everyone was freaking out that they were going to be the same price, but this is early enough and big enough that it changes the dynamic right back to DS vs. PSP pricing. The only question is whether the early higher price does anything to change the public perception on that, and a couple months from now I'm not sure it will.
That... doesn't make any sense, and sound like a stupid store. Especially since the Gamecube pre-existed any kind of online account or service being tied to it. They should have just refunded you the difference. Or let you buy the same unit back at the lower price. Unless you returned it and said it was broken and they were adamant on sending it back to Nintendo? I dunno.
everyone who actually wants old nintendo games already has them! They probably have several copies!
on top of that some are remakes of old games, and the other half is all old games, so yeah
of course if I get a free copy of fire emblem I'll be totally okay with this, the save on my old one is dead. Fingers crossed
As an earlier adopter, this is preferable to the standard method of $20 incremental drops every few years and getting nothing at all out of it.
The NES games I don't care about so much, but GBA games? That's awesome. I never played the original Wario Ware or Mario vs. DK. Even though I've played Fusion before, it'll be great to have that again too.
From a Nintendo vs. Sony standpoint though, this is a really competitive move. Desperate, maybe. Wise maybe, too.
Oh Boy are you ever in for a treat. IMO that's easily two of the top games on the system there.
Also, in a weird way I hope they just ressurect the DS Lite.
I mean, to me that's the number one limiting factor on the 3DS, not the initial price.
Also... man that was some fast backpedaling and panic from Nintendo about the Vita and/or lower than expected 3DS sales.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
These kinds of price cuts can only be the result of sales figures catastrophically falling under projections.
This is basically just a meme at this point. There's one code per system, updates and new content download in the background and while the system's asleep, the store is faster and easier to use, online lobbies and such work fine, voice chat games are coming. About the only major thing it lacks is messaging.
It's already sold 4 million worldwide, about 700k in the US. It's trending above the original DS. This may still be under their expectations but it's not a failure.
I'll repost this from the other 3DS thread, because I think it's significant:
Does this imply that cross system multiplayer will eventually be implemented for VC games?