Crazy Reggie! His prices are insane! Nintendo Slashes 3DS Price

Nintendo of America announced today that it is slashing the price of the 3DS in the United States by over 30%, from its $249.99 launch price to $169.99. This announcement comes a mere four months since the handheld was launched in the States. According to the Nintendo press release, the 3DS has sold 830,000 units. By comparison, the Nintendo DS, released in November of 2004, shipped 1.3 million units in its first month of release.

Early adopters who have already purchased a 3DS, or will do so before the August 12 price adjustment, will be enrolled in the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program and will be entitled to download 10 NES games and 10 Game Boy Advance games for the 3DS Virtual Console.

Combined with the announcement that Super Mario and Mario Kart will be coming to the 3DS in time for the holiday season, this price cut seems geared to jumpstart what have been very disappointing sales of the 3DS, but it remains to be seen if the price jump will do that, or the general public will see it as an act of desperation and continue to ignore the 3DS altogether. That said, the new price is exactly the same as the DSi XL’s current price. Those looking to upgrade their Nintendo handheld may be better served buying the 3DS with beefier hardware than the DSi XL with its larger screen.