Nintendo to Take a Loss on Each 3DS Sold

[JMcEntegart]

Nintendo this week dropped the price of the 3DS by a massive amount. So, how is that going to affect business?

Nintendo to Take a Loss on Each 3DS Sold : Read more

 

[cmartin011]

that's interesting hmmm i got the first post yay!

 

[Guest]

Sorry, couldn't resist pissin' in yer wheaties (gave ya thumbs down) Maybe I'll pick one up for the kid. She's going crazy over the new tablet, so this may be just the thing... hahaha

 

[Haserath]

Nintendo has just found out the hard way that a phone/handheld is the only way to attack this market.

This is probably more difficult to put together than something like a PS3, so I'm not surprised the cost is right up there with it even for its size. Parts don't make much of the cost; yields are the biggest factor and the PS3 should have high yields at this point.

I believe the handheld market is just about dead; who has the time to play high quality games on a handheld? I would rather play a game on PC/console before a handheld, so the only use would be when I'm not able to do that but usually I'm doing something else that is better/wouldn't allow me to play the game.

 

[belardo]

I don't think so, Haserath. Other ds units are selling fine. There is a market for these handhelds. Playing games on cellphones sucks up battery power which reduces the functionality as a PHONE! Meanwhile, a dsi can run for 6-9 hours on a charge, that is not possible with a galaxy phone.

Touch screen gaming is not as good as joypads. Your hands / fingers are visually in the way. But by all means, there is a market for games on touch screen devices.

Also, a nintendo ds sells for $100-180, depending on model. Far cheaper than buying a phone, especially when buying something for children.

 

[eklipz330]

@haserath, yeah, see the thing is you're wrong.

maybe perhaps one day, the dedicated mobile handheld gaming market will take a hike. with the multifunction psVita coming out, it seems pretty reasonable, I don't even think we can consider it a dedicated handheld device. but the 3ds WILL sell. I think they should have entered the market at $199, they would have probably avoided this entire mess. but with so many great games that the appstore will never touch, i doubt it'll be going anytime soon

 

[Guest]

$250 for the handheld. No crap it's going to fail, even if it is Nintendo.

The initial price for the DS was $150, which is, well, a much more affordable product. Take into consideration that the kids still have their DSs (yeah, I remember when I got my DS and still saw TONS of GBAs) -- parents will least likely buy another handheld, as the one they have is "doing its job."

Nonetheless, the 3DS was an over-hyped POS. The very fact that you have to be at a specific angle to play it when utilizing the 3D is... dumb. In addition, eye strains when viewing the 3D (yea, when I tried it out at my local Best Buy, that was the next drawback I realized after playing for five minutes)? Yeah, talk about a feature you won't use all the time..

I'm still rocking my DS and PSP, so.. no need for the hate?

 

[alidan]

[citation][nom]eklipz330[/nom]@haserath, yeah, see the thing is you're wrong.maybe perhaps one day, the dedicated mobile handheld gaming market will take a hike. with the multifunction psVita coming out, it seems pretty reasonable, I don't even think we can consider it a dedicated handheld device. but the 3ds WILL sell. I think they should have entered the market at $199, they would have probably avoided this entire mess. but with so many great games that the appstore will never touch, i doubt it'll be going anytime soon[/citation]

the reason they are in this mess is because there are no games for it.

it has been what 3 or 4 months in the us launch, and there are only a handfull of games, most ported to the 3ds from the big consoles, and one from the 64.

the only must have is zelda, but i wont pay for a console without 5 games for it or one REALLY great new game, and i have oot, and played it to death on my 64.

 

[drwho1]

I don't care about nintendo, but if they want this POS to succeed they need to (1) drop the DS price (2) drop the 3DS some more and (3) have more games available.

 

[Guest]

[citation][nom]Haserath[/nom]Nintendo has just found out the hard way that a phone/handheld is the only way to attack this market.This is probably more difficult to put together than something like a PS3, so I'm not surprised the cost is right up there with it even for its size. Parts don't make much of the cost; yields are the biggest factor and the PS3 should have high yields at this point.I believe the handheld market is just about dead; who has the time to play high quality games on a handheld? I would rather play a game on PC/console before a handheld, so the only use would be when I'm not able to do that but usually I'm doing something else that is better/wouldn't allow me to play the game.[/citation]

How's the weather up there?

 

[Malachi1975]

Just to be perfectly fair before all the naysayers show up and bash Nintendo: So, Nintendo is basically doing with the 3DS what Sony and Microsoft did with EVERY 360 and PS3 for their first several years? Not. A. Shocker. Software is the money-maker. Now... NIntendo just needs to support the 3DS with some actual games.

 

[bennaye]

Most people still have their DS in a more or less functioning condition (Mine's still good after 3 years). Add to that the (formerly) expensive price, lack of good games (or games in general) touting 3D capability specifically, and the fact that there are too many DS models (phat, lite, XL, 3D) ie. the consumers have become adjusted to the DS, thus hype doesn't cut it anymore, and you basically have a product that's not going to sell very well.

But malachi is right. You need to have software, or else the 3DS just becomes a flashy paperweight. The 3DS is a handheld games console. If there are no games that bring out it's potential, then there's not much point in its existence. And the current games for the other DS models are mostly full of boring games that are fit for the bargain bin, imo.

 

[TheMaristBoy]

We have another Virtual Boy on our hands........ I hope not......

 

[zybch]

Is this the first time Nintendo has taken a loss on a device? I remember them saying a few years back that all of their consoles and handhelds have sold at profit from their release date.

 

[s997863]

Customers to Take a Profit on Each 3DS Bought?

 

[jrharbort]

I'm doubting they're taking a loss on each unit sold. I could have swon I read an article SOMEWHERE on the part cost of the unit. It's certainly close though.

 

[ikyung]

[citation][nom]zybch[/nom]Is this the first time Nintendo has taken a loss on a device? I remember them saying a few years back that all of their consoles and handhelds have sold at profit from their release date.[/citation]
Virtual Boy.

 

[bin1127]

Why didn't they just sell it at $199 like always? $250 is almost the price of a PS3 which is way too much.

 

[Thor]

Nintendo sit on his back since some years now. And it's not a surprised that the begin to lose money.
It's just a beginning because in this company idea is something very rare now.

They sell same machine year after year thinking people will buy a new one each year.

Take Nintendo 3DS.
Nothing new really. And to access to the Internet with the Browser it's again very slow.

Nintendo think just to kids.
But Microsoft and Sony think to kids too now.

What Nintendo wait to sell a machine like the iPhone?

Well they wait the End of time.

 

[Guest]

You idiots think because you "dont have time" no one has time to play on a handheld. Handheld devices are for kids, morons. Thats why no one posting on this site wants a 3DS.