I won’t deny that I was a bit cool on the Nintendo 3DS when it launched in March of this year. The handheld gaming console with a “no glasses required” 3-D display gave me a headache and left me feeling dizzy. I had a hard time saying anything good about it, but I felt the 3DS would still sell well because there were many people who weren’t bothered by the 3-D effect the way I was. Despite my concerns, I had to admit, the technology was impressive: The 3-D display worked as described, and the graphics looked great. The one thing I still couldn’t get over, though, was the price.
At an MSRP of $249.99, there was no way I could afford a 3DS in the foreseeable future, and even if I could, the sorry lineup of games at launch weren’t getting me to part with my money, either. I was doubtful, but remained hopeful for the future of the device. I even wondered if I was wrong about the price when it began to sell relatively well. I wouldn’t say it was flying off the shelves, but it was certainly moving. At the GameStop in Hazleton, I spoke with a man who bought two of them, and he wasn’t the only one. Clearly, the price was right with a good number of people. In the months since the 3DS launched, however, sales nearly screeched to a halt.
Between the high price of the 3DS and the lack of exciting, new titles for it, there was little wonder why consumers stopped buying them. As a result, poor hardware sales lead to poor software sales, which lead to new titles being canceled, which meant less reasons to buy a 3DS. It was a vicious cycle that outraged fans while potential new consumers began having less and less confidence that Nintendo was the gaming giant it once was. With public opinion hitting an all time low, Nintendo had to act quickly. So, only a few short months after the launch of the 3DS, Nintendo did what it had to do: It lowered the price of the 3DS to $169.99.
As you might expect, sales went through the roof. However, despite a renewed interest in the system, the Nintendo 3DS still wound up in last place on a list of hardware sales, according to the NPD Group, which keeps track of sales in the video-game sector. It’s telling you something when Nintendo’s last-generation handheld console, the DS, is at the top of the list while their next-generation handheld, the 3DS, is at the bottom. But that’s not the worst part.
The most disturbing bit of news is that video game hardware and software sales in July 2011 were the worst they’ve been since October 2006. There’s a bigger problem that is going on, and it proves that the assumption made by analysts several years ago — that the video games industry would survive and dominate through the “economic downturn” — were simply untrue. Most companies found themselves in just as much hot water as every other one out there, and it’s because consumers simply don’t have as much money as they used to.
The good news is, if you’re in the market to replace your aging DS, the 3DS offers you a doorway to next-generation graphics and 3-D display wizardry while allowing you to play your existing library of DS games at a much more attractive price. It might be a while before there are new games available, but at least you’ll be able to play them when they are.
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