Nintendo 3DS Discussion Thread

[Firestorm]

Did you buy a 3DS at launch? You got screwed. You're being offered 10 free GBA and 10 free NES games to hopefully feel less screwed. But let's be honest. We got screwed.

Anyway, the price of the 3DS is dropping to $169.99 (15,000 Yen, 250 AUD, ~£130, 169 EUR) on August 11th. If you register your 3DS before this date, you will get the following games on Virtual Console free:

10 NES games (otherwise around $3 each I think?) including:

1. Super Mario Bros.
2. Donkey Kong Jr.
3. Balloon Fight
4. Ice Climbers
5. The Legend of Zelda

10 GBA games (exclusive to this promotion) including:

1. Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island
2. Mario Kart Advance
3. Metroid Fusion
4. WarioWare
5. Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Best Time to Buy a 3DS? Now:

1. Purchase a 3DS over the next week.
2. Connect to the eShop at least once on your system before August 11th for the free games.
3. Go back to the store with your receipt to get a price protection after the 11th and before return period is up (check store policy first).

Full Press Release:
http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=30048

Oh and Release Schedule:

1. Star Fox 3D - September 9th, 2011
2. Super Mario 3D Land - November 2011
3. Mario Kart 7 - December 2011
4. Kid Icarus Uprising - Holiday

 

[Xaqwais]

Oh, didn't think of the price protection thing when I saw this. I will have to look into it!

That would actually give me stuff to play while waiting for some of the other games coming.

 

[Firestorm]

You don't get the NES VC games until September and you don't get the GBA games until nobody knows when. It looks like this was very last minute because they knew they'd get backlash. This isn't a "one year later" price drop. This is about 4 months later with only one worthwhile title launched in between which was a remake from over a decade ago.

 

[MrIndigo]

Not sure that the price protection thing after getting the special offer is strictly legal; think it constitutes fraud.

 

[Dan Dan]

I feel like such a fucking tool now. I bought half those VC games as well.

 

[Firestorm]

What? Why would it? The price is between you and the store. The offer is a manufacturer promotion. There's no fraud here.

Edit: To clarify, you aren't returning the system. You're getting your money back.

 

[Luxpluff91]

Got my 3DS last week, lol. I guess to register you just gotta connect to the e-Shop? I'm from Brazil so I don't know if there's anything else you gotta do

 

[Firestorm]

Yeah, that seems to be about it to qualify. I'm not sure if Brazil has this same promotion.

 

[Luxpluff91]

Yeah, that seems to be about it to qualify. I'm not sure if Brazil has this same promotion.

OH NOES

 

[Zystral]

I am so glad I haven't bought anything from the eShop yet.

In any case, for those of you who are wondering; all you need to do is update your software and connect to the eShop before August the 11th. It immediately registers your 3DS (not your Club Nintendo details), and there you go; free games.


EDIT:

Further clarification, we're still getting screwed because these games aren't instant download.

1.Beginning Sept. 1st, Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors will be able to download 10 NES™ Virtual Console™ games at no charge and before they are available in Nintendo eShop for the general public. These games, including Super Mario Bros.™, Donkey Kong Jr.™, Balloon Fight™, Ice Climber™ and The Legend of Zelda™, will be released as paid downloadable games, but Ambassadors can download them in advance of launch for free. Once the paid versions of the games are released in Nintendo eShop later in the year, the updated versions will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost.

2. By the end of 2011, Nintendo will provide Ambassadors with 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games. These include games like Yoshi’s Island™: Super Mario™ Advance 3, Mario Kart™: Super Circuit, Metroid™ Fusion, WarioWare™, Inc.: Minigame Mania and Mario vs. Donkey Kong™. These games will be available exclusively to Ambassadors, and Nintendo currently has no plans to make these 10 games available to the general public on Nintendo 3DS in the future.

 

[Colonel M]

Aside from being the sucker that bought this early (fuck you LoZ 3DS), at least this SORT OF justifies the shit ass 4 hour battery life.

 

[Luxpluff91]

I am so glad I haven't bought anything from the eShop yet.

In any case, for those of you who are wondering; all you need to do is update your software and connect to the eShop before August the 11th. It immediately registers your 3DS (not your Club Nintendo details), and there you go; free games.

Oh ok I did that. Hope it works

 

[bearsfan092]

Hm, I gotta decide relatively quickly if I'm going to jump at this. I thought I was, but perhaps it would be better to wait for the second iteration of the 3ds...

 

[Nastyjungle]

eh whatever the 80 bucks was worth loz and having a ds with more than 15 minutes of battery life

(20 free games is nice I think, at these nintendo is trying to acknowledge that they fucked you)

 

[Stellar]

I bought my 3DS on launch day and did not receive the PIN number necessary to register my 3DS. This seems to be a common problem with early buyers. I can enter the serial number found on the back of my box/back of the 3DS but it still consistently prompts me for the PIN number. :/

 

[Solace]

this is actually pretty cool and i'm looking forward to being able to download these games!

edit: stellar, thats only if yo want to take a survey to earn coins to get club nintendo rewards i think. the same thing happened when i registered, but my 3ds is listed as registered so i didn't continue on with the rest.

 

[Nastyjungle]

I bought my 3DS on launch day and did not receive the PIN number necessary to register my 3DS. This seems to be a common problem with early buyers. I can enter the serial number found on the back of my box/back of the 3DS but it still consistently prompts me for the PIN number. :/

according to this article,

These free games are available to anyone who owns a Nintendo 3DS system and uses a wireless broadband Internet signal to connect to the Nintendo eShop at least once before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 11. These users will automatically be registered in the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program.

so i don't think you need your serial number/pin unless I'm mistaken?

 

[Firestorm]

Yep, seems I was wrong on Club Nintendo.

 

[Stellar]

Nice. Cheers then.

 

[jumpluff]

I usually don't mind when shit drops in price after I bought it, but the 3DS was ridiculously expensive and I bought it early for the privilege of playing OoT early. That's about it. It's a good thing they're dropping the price but I really did not expect them to do it before the year was out. So now I feel kind of stupid, even though I don't think any of us anticipated such a sudden price drop. Of course, I'm not even sure they're dropping it where I live (Australia), where it's already $100 AUD ($110 USD!!!!*) more expensive than the release NA price for no reason (most likely other than Australians always pay more for gaming shit so Nintendo are like whatever, they won't bat an eyelid), and stuck with a shitty PAL region-lock. Can't wait for a region-lock workaround at least...

However, at least they're acknowledging a lot of people are gonna feel shafted, and offering some form of recompense. They didn't have to do anything, though this will probably soften the backlash.

Poor Dan. ): And wow @ Zy...

Hm, I gotta decide relatively quickly if I'm going to jump at this. I thought I was, but perhaps it would be better to wait for the second iteration of the 3ds...

It's not a very good deal, to be honest, though if you want to buy one soon Firestorm's proposed steps are cool. If you really want to play any games that come out before 3DS pt. II, get a 3DS, other than that, this is not a reason to buy it, unless you're happy to pay $170 but not $250.

* Obviously currency fluctuates, but the AUD has been higher than the USD for awhile, and right now, $350 AUD is actually $385 USD.../bitter

 

[Firestorm]

Yeah, I knew there'd be a lower price and probably a new model in a year. I didn't expect it to happen in 4 months with the only game worth playing released in the time being a remake of a decade old title I've finished multiple times. I actually haven't even had time to play a single 3DS title yet so I feel especially stupid for having faith in Nintendo -.-; I expected Mario Kart to be out by the price drop which is why I purchased it.

Next time, I'm definitely waiting for a game worth playing being buying it. Nintendo's years of being like Apple are over.

 

[Layell]

Now might be a good time for me to upgrade, all things considered my DSi shoulder buttons have just about stopped working. I'll have to look if it's worth trading it in, although I hear Future Shop has already put a price drop in Canada.

 

[Zeromus EG]

Bought mine on the week of release, traded it in for just over £100 about 3 weeks ago :s Tbh even if they reduced the price I still would have traded it in, it just wasn't doing anything for me... The prospect of new games is all well and good but it just seemed like a massive waste of time and money for me.

 

[DM]

I think I'm totally going to do this

and then Fish and I can battle pokemon on trains in Europe

 

[Fishin]

Smart move on Nintendo's part imo, $250 was too high compared to the DS lite though it is kind of a kick in the balls to the people who bought them already, even with the free games.

Still going to wait on getting one myself though since the game selection isn't all that hot atm, and a model with better battery life or w/e will probably come out.