Rumor: 3DS price to drop to $140
posted on 11.26.12 at 11:15 AM EST by (@salromano)
Blue 3DS XL bundle with Mario Kart 7 out next week.

Nintendo will officially drop the price of 3DS from $169.99 to $139.99 in “about two weeks,” according to a CAG source.

Target, however, will have the handheld for $129.99 next week, most likely as part of a sale. A NeoGAF source backs this claim.

And for larger screen fans, Nintendo will release a blue 3DS XL bundle with Mario Kart 7 next week for $199.99. The CAG source provided a photo of the package art, which is attached right.

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  • This! THIS IS WHAT I NEED. I wanted to go grab the 3DS XL as soon as possible.

  • Good news

  • DarthBrian

    Coooool.

    Now if only I had money. :(

  • MrKappa

    This price drop is another hatchet buried in Sony, Nintendo has taken the lead and will run with it forever. Sony could really take some notes and apply them to the Vita.

    I just wish Nintendo would come out with some more damn colors for this thing. Only two colors for the XL and not one of them is black? The hell Nintendo?

    • Dean Winchester

      Really? People still running off at the mouth with the “Sony is doomed” BS?

      So Sony should take notes from Nintendo huh?

      Sony should release technology that doesnt lead the industry but instead lags a minimum of 1 full generation behind and instead sell on the idea of a gimmick that is borderline useless….especially for their target audience.
      i.e. “3D play recommended for ages 7 and up”.
      So my 6 yr old has had a 3DS since last xmas and it is recommended she not use 3D.
      No bother….she doesnt like the 3D anyway.

      Next, Sony should have used the cheapest components possible and went with 1 stick instead of two in order to maximize profit and inundate us with more add ons that would finally give us features that should be included in the first place. Ya know, b/c we gamers love add ons.

      Let me ask all you internet business management geniuses this…….if Sony were to say, 1 year from now, drop the price of the Vita by over 50% would’nt that be technically taking a page from Nintendo’s book and following their example?
      I mean the 3DS has been on the market 1 year and 8 months versus the Vita being on the market almost a year in Japan but worldwide, only 8 months.
      So do we pretend like all the X-bretheren do that the 1 year headstart doesnt exist?
      Am I to understand that the first 6 months the 3DS was OVERpriced at $250 didnt happen?
      Am I also to understand that the first 9 months before the 3DS had a game that wasn’t a port of an N64 “classic” priced at $40 also didnt happen?
      Nahhhhhh. Street Fighter 4 and Ocarina of Time ports were great reasons to drop $250 on a handheld who’s visuals rival that of a PS2 with 1 analog stick but Uncharted Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, Rayman Origins, Mortal Kombat, ps1 classics priced BELOW $10 are all reasons to piss and moan and call for Sony’s doom.

      Lets not get it twisted folks. I like a good number of 3DS titles. I am completely sick of the rose tinted glasses wearing, card toting Nintendo kids that see no wrong in Nintendo’s doings.

      Oh by the way….my launch day Wii U freezes up navigating menu’s multiple times per hour.
      This is after the 2 hour system update on launch day. Luckily Nintendo didnt include the ability to hold the power button down for a reboot/restart and instead has us get up to unplug the damn thing for a hard reset.
      This I am sure is great for electronic devices.

      Lets all call me a troll and pretend this problem doesnt exist though. I’ve been around the block. I know how the internet treats people who speak with facts instead of blind fandom.

      Btw: I love the Wii-U….when it isn’t frozen.

      • MrKappa

        Chill out fella, I never said Sony is doomed but we all know it is a fact that Vita is flopping right now. And I don’t know why you took my comment to assume I meant to take notes on the worst parts of something, that’s never what the phrase “take notes” is meant to mean anyways.

        I don’t even know where you get this fanboy business from. You go on this spiel about how crappy Nintendo’s products are and for the most part what you say is true but they have to be doing something right if they can sell water to a fish.

        The thing is Nintendo started out like crap with the 3DS and look where they are now. Sony however looks to repeating the PSP which means the Vita will only come to life at the end of its life.

        • Dean Winchester

          In what world is repeating the PSP a bad thing?
          Some of the best handheld games in history. Fantastic JRPG’s and over 72 million units sold.

          Whats the next closest successful handheld in history up against Nintendo?
          The GameGear with about 11 million units sold if I recall correctly.

          If you think the PSP was a failure its b/c the biased ass joke that is the gaming media told you it was a failure.

          You even point out that the 3DS started out crap but almost two years later is doing much better. 3 key factors are at play here:

          TIME
          Price drops
          More software

          None of which can happen without the passing of time and none of which people on the web or in the gaming media seem willing to give the Vita. Yourself included.

          What positives has Nintendo actually done for the 3DS?

          They remodeled it in a years time and still left out the oft requested 2nd analog stick.
          They dropped the price by $80 in 6months b/c it had no games and was far overpriced. When Sony announced the price of the Vita at $250 Nintendo ran scared and for the first time in the company’s history they not only took losses as a whole but took a loss on every 3DS sold for a full year which goes against their corporate policy.
          Lets not forget how outdated the visuals are in comparison to the competition.
          Lets not forget the lack of emphasis Nintendo has made on 3D in the last few quarters.
          The only things Nintendo has done right are drop the price and finally release a handful of first party games that are good.
          Both Of which were inevitable but impossible without the passing of time.

          If we allow the same amount of time to pass for Sony we will see the same results. Will it equal the same number of sales in units?
          Probably not. But the Vita, like the PSP before will have a fantastic library of games and whether anyone chooses to admit it or not it doesnt negate the fact that the Vita is a Ferarri while the 3DS is a Ford Focus with an Aux port for iPod integration at best.

          • MrKappa

            You know I won’t call you a troll because you obviously aren’t but you sure are acting like a fanboy and treating me like I’m in turn some Nintendo fanboy. I don’t even own a 3DS because there is nothing on it I want to play that warrant’s me buying the system.

            The PSP started as a failure and took forever to be worth anything and now it is stepping on the toes of the Vita. When the 3DS came out the DS promptly stepped down.

            Your 3 factors also have nothing to do with me or anyone else except the game makers so how the hell are we suppose to do anything about that?

            You don’t think Nintendo has done anything right? Then why are they saying the green and laughing it up? On the other hand Sony is drowning in the red.
            And no, we will not see the same results if we allow the same amount of time to pass because that is what people said about the PSP and DS and it wasn’t true. The PSP took 3 times as long to see the same results.

            I know what you’re getting at but I’m not defending anything here and I’m not on any side. You think Nintendo is releasing half ass products and conducting business in a scummy way just to make a buck? Well it doesn’t matter, that is how companies like Activision sell overpriced DLC and stay in the green.

            • Dean Winchester

              Just so you know…..Nintendo was also in the Red last year. They have taken losses for the first time in their 25+ yr history. You can thank the rushed price drop brought on by Sony’s aggressive pricing of the Vita.

              And I never said system sales would be equal but given the same amount of time the library will be just as good if not better depending on whether or not you are a Mario fan.

        • Dean Winchester

          Oh and if you never said the Vita is doomed….what do you call: “another hatchet buried in Sony”?

          Also….the misleading pic on the article leads you to believe there’s a price drop coming on the $200 3DSXL. There isnt. Its a price drop
          on the outdated original 3DS model which obviously means they are clearing out stock on the “beta model” and moving forward will make the XL the standard model just in time to slap everyone in the face with yet another revised model with better lighting and a second analog stick!

          • MrKappa

            Is the phrase that hard to understand? It simply means Nintendo has one more thing over Sony.
             

            • Dean Winchester

              Not sure how pricing an inferior model on a fire sale to clear out stock can be considered having a “thing” over Sony but hey….to each their own.

  • Bloodios

    Well, there goes the Vita…
    Seriously, Sony better considers that price drop now, because given its sales thus far, that price simply isn’t coping well with the Vita… That and the lack of unique new IPs…

    • Dean Winchester

      Lack of unique new IP’s???

      O_o

      Gravity Rush, Ragnarok Odyssee, Escape Plan, Fuel Tiracas, Sound Shapes, Dokuro, etc ring a bell?

      What “Unique New IP’s” did the 3DS bless us all with in its first 8 frakken months on the market praytell?

      Pushmo? What else?

      No you see…the 3DS, like most systems in their first year was covered in ports and or sequels to established franchises. The most original and fresh IP still hasnt got here yet on 3DS. I’m referring to Bravely Default.

      That said….the best 3DS games are Zelda OoT, Mario 3D land, mario kart, NSMB2, Paper Mario SS, Tales of the Abyss, and…..well…..hmmmmm……let me see….oh a kid icarus that requires another add on to be playable.

      You got MGS3D but this is UNPLAYABLE without the CPP and one can get it and MGS2 for the same price on Vita.
      Next up is Zero Escape. Multi Plat.
      Next?

      Hmmm, SF4? Wait a minute, a far superior fully featured SFvsTekken, MVC3, and BlazBlue exist on Vita you say?

      Dead or Alive Dimensions. To that I submit the most content filled version of Mortal Kombat.

      Well we got us teh Mario’s.
      Great games. No doubt. A little case of oversaturation but still great games.
      Of course Vita has some fun platformers as well as a console perfect rendition of Rayman Origins. Easily the best 2D platformer this gen.

      Long story short….the Vita could certainly use more games. But so could the 3DS. Especially at the same fecking point in its life cycle.

      • Haku_Luvs_You

        1st off you clearly never played Kid Icarus as it requires no add ons to be playable.

        2nd As great as new IPs are it’s hard to sell them on a system where you push the FPS crowd. When your big reveal is the fact you have 2 sticks and you push the fact you have CoD as one of your big games you’ve sold a handheld to a specific crowd, and it’s not one to interested in Gravity Rush (which is a damn shame). At 250 bucks unless you’re looking for some shooters on the go you might look elsewhere like….

        3rd you also named a lot of games for another system called the PS3. Most people who buy Sony’s handhelds probably own a PS3. And Most people who won’t buy Sony’s handheld probably own a PS3. Why buy a new system when I get the exact same game released the exact same day that is the exact same on a system I already own?

        • Dean Winchester

          1. Please explain why every copy of Kid Icarus comes with the 3DS stand?
          Or did I just get a lucky copy?

          2. That makes sense. Yep. Two sticks equals “marketed to shooter fans” thus negating the last 17 yrs of twin stick gaming revolving around all the genres that arent shooters. How quaint.

          3. One word. Portability.
          Also, we have never had a handheld capable of console parity sans the Turbo Express which no one back then could afford and the Sega Nomad. See also the Turbo Express. As I own both of those even still to this day I can tell you there are no exclusives or unique experiences to be had on either of those handhelds except for the fact you can play the hucards or Genesis carts on the go.
          Now, alongside of the console ports, (which your 3DS is littered with, although most of them are not current gen ports but old ones instead) the Vita offers lots of unique exclusives and fresh IP.
          To deny it is to show your bias.

          Now that said, the highest rated handheld exclusive this gen is a port. Persona 4 Golden. But I know I know….the Vita is a gameless mismarketed handheld meant for CoD drones.

          • Haku_Luvs_You

            Aww damn I forgot about how my 3ds doesn’t turn on unless you plug in the stand first… SHIT!

            • Dean Winchester

              Big difference between turning the power on and a game being playable with or without the stand.

              I give that attempt at a response a 2/10.

              Thanks for playing and not responding in any significant way to my VALID points with any semblance of a valid point yourself.

              Cheers.

              • Haku_Luvs_You

                1. Haha Okay the game is playable without the stand. You hold it in your hand you idiot. There it’s playable. Turn the damn game on, hold it with one hand hold the stylus in the other. Or do you not have that kind of ability? Are you really that big of a idiot to realize that it isn’t needed! For the love of god you lost all credibility by saying the STAND was needed to play Kid Icarus! That’s actually pretty funny.

                2. I dare you to tell me the vita isn’t geared towards shooting fans. I saw zero on Gravity Rush. It got reviewed and some people were excited. How much do you see on CoD? You see tons. It’s everywhere. What about Uncharted. It was the only thing you saw people talk about on the damn vita. It’s clear they know who they want to reach out too. Wasn’t the whole point of the vita to reach out the the people the PSP failed to reach? It’s terrific that there is tons of games that use 2 analog sticks. But that doesn’t mean they sell systems.

                3.  I understand some people can’t stand being away from their precious Sony products for more than a minute. But lots of people can especially when it cost 250 to do so. Why would I buy Mortal Kombat on PSV when I can get the same thing on PS3. Portability? Yeah that sounds great. Or I could save myself some cash, and say “whatever I can play it when I get home.”  Besides with how poor battery life is on both they aren’t even much of Handhelds.

                There better for you. And no you lost all Validity when you thought the stand was needed to play Kid Icarus. Not my fault you have no dexterity with you hands.

                • Dean Winchester

                  Nintendo packages the stand with every copy of Kid Icarus. Can I force myself to trudge through the carpel tunnel and kung fu grip my 3DS? Sure.
                  Is it optimal?
                  Negative. The OPTIMAL way that Kid Icarus is to be played according to NINTENDO themselves…..is indeed with the INCLUDED with every copy of the game, 3. D. S. STAND.
                  So sure, while I myself and many others can do jumping jacks while holding a 3DS, its truly not the recommended way of playing games on the thing. Hence the included kickstand for Kid Icarus. Did I mention Nintendo includes the stand with every copy of the game?
                  Oh I did? Well just in case you missed it; Nintendo includes a kickstand with every copy of kid icarus. ;)

                  So b/c the varied genres provided on the Vita now and the upcoming ones do not sell lots of systems they dont exist?
                  Are you saying Niche games and Unique IP’s sell home consoles but not handhelds and that is why the Vita is ashokter system?
                  If having 2 sticks and CoD make the Vita a shooter only system….isnt every system a shooter only system?
                  As for saving yourself some cash….thats great but there are those of us that can afford this hobby and everything GOOD it throws at us.
                  Hence why I personally own every system on the Market. If $250 is make or break then you sir are in the wrong hobby.
                  Pine wood derby cars are pretty cost conscious FYI.
                  Oh and news flash, the mentality that you need more than a 4 or 5 hour battery life for a handheld proves youre still very young. Im not usually tucked in a car seat for hours at a time with nothing but a smile, a snot rope and a handheld system for hours on end. When I play a handheld I am almost always near an outlet if I need a charge. On Vacation when the family is asleep and Im restless. On a business trip for work cooped up in my hotel.
                  On the toilet.
                  Your idea that “I can save money and wait to get home” is narrow minded at best and just tells me that you cant afford to indulge in the handheld side of gaming.
                  Its nothing to be ashamed of so Im not sure why you hide behind grandiose excuses and weak attempts at hiding your anger about it.

                  Let it also be known that I never once called you a name but the mods will never say anything to you.
                  Btw: you calling me an idiot multiple times made me smile. Thanks for caring.

                • Look, I get it. You and Dean don’t agree on this etc. No need to drop insults or anything like that.

                  If you both want to continue, can we please not turn it into some kind of flame war bs thing? Thanks, I appreciate it.

  • I can’t see this happening… the 3DS is selling too well. Next year makes more sense, since they’ll probably releasing an upgraded version by xmas 13

  • Heistt

    If this does happen then I guess I’ll have to get one myself then, too tempting.

  • KurisuMakise

    So no XL price drop? Maybe next year, Fire Emblem isn’t out anyway.

    • Dean Winchester

      XL price drop, 2nd analog stick and a non ridiculously ugly color scheme and I will snag myself a 2nd 3DS!

      • KurisuMakise

        Sounds like what the first XL should have been. Built in CCP for gamers and we could have all went home happy. 

  • I’ve been reading the comments in here. Look, I understand people wanting to defend the Vita, I also understand that people like to compare the portables, and how some think the Vita needs a price drop, etc.

    Please, continue the discussion in a civil manner. I’m really not in the mood to come in here and start editing comments, posting harsh warnings and stuff, please don’t make me.

    Thanks.

    • Rezar

      I agree. It is stupid to say ‘the 3DS sucks’ ‘the Vita is doomed!’ and start a posting war over it. Personally I like both handhelds the same. Both the 3DS and Vita are both great in their own ways. 

  • KingOptimusOrigins111

    OMG!!!! 
    Its just a rumor why are Nintendo fans so desperate to put down the PS Vita. Like come on now Sony knows what it is doing. They realize they do need to cut the price but the thing is how can they cut the price with the PS Vita if it doesn’t have a strong line up of games backing it up. They did this with PS3 back in 2009. They let everyone get a chance to see the potential of the PS3 by releasing Killzone 2, inFAMOUS, Demon Soul’s, Ratchet & Clank A Crack In Time, & Uncharted 2 all in 2009 and showing future games like God Of War III, Gran Turismo 5, Heavy Rain, and more. Then they cut the price in September 2009 to $299. Guess what? it was selling like crazy. 

    Sony knows what they are doing. They know the hardcore fans will jump to the PS Vita as soon as they do a price cut. They know casual gamers are going to be looking at the 3DS but instead choose a tablet or a smartphone. They even came out and said they have a lot games being prepared for the PS Vita in development, so don’t be surprised by next E3 the tide wave changes from Nintendo to PlayStation when Sony announces all those games for PS Vita, a hardware revision for PS Vita, a price cut for it around September, and the Next Gen PlayStation getting announced.

    I know a lot of people are going to be like you can’t assume that but that is my prediction. I look at the gaming news, the android & ios news, and other tech news. I seriously think most of the 3DS consumers bought the 3DS for the casual games. Yeah they had Kingdom Hearts, Kid Icarus, Star Fox, & Resident Evil but those games are gone now and it looks like third party developers are gearing up for Next Gen and the PS Vita.

    So again Sony will announce a price cut when they are good and ready around time they get a strong line up of games next year for the PS Vita. Not out of the clear blue with no games backing it up.

  • PrinceHeir

    would rather have the 3DS XL :P

  • Wait… Didn’t Nintendo say they won’t have another price drop after the last price drop? But then again, it’s a rumor…

  • almostautumn

    And this makes my slowly building fund for a Japanese model even more regrettable. So cheap, so affordable, and right down the road— but alas, I simply must play Yokai Watch.