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Home News Nintendo Fears Loss of Trust From 3DS Owners, Gives Free Games [Update]

GAMING NEWS

Nintendo Fears Loss of Trust From 3DS Owners, Gives Free Games [Update]

Posted on Thursday, July 28 @ 12:04:27 Eastern by


Nintendo just realized that they bit the hands that feed. They just bent over and porked the entire current 3DS install base by dropping the price by $80 less than 6 months after launch. So they're feeling a little... well... nervous. And rightfully so. Current 3DS owners are among the most loyal Nintendo supporters and hardcore gamers, whom are probably feeling like they got the shaft from the company they love.

For those of you feeling that way, Nintendo offers this message and a little surprise:

Never in Nintendo's history have we dropped a system's trade price so significantly less than six months after launch...

We are aware this may cause you, the loyal fans who supported Nintendo 3DS from the beginning, to lose trust in us, and this is not our intention in any way. All of you who have kindly supported Nintendo 3DS from the beginning are Nintendo's most important customers.

Current 3DS owners, or "special customers" as Nintendo calls us, won't get our $80 or dignity back, but we will get up to 20 free downloadable games from the 3DS' eShop. Nintendo announced the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program where existing 3DS owners will be able to download 10 NES titles and 10 Game Boy titles from the eShop.

So, does this make you feel any better? And is this enough?

I personally think that this is generous, considering they really don't owe early adopters anything. Being an early adopter of any consumer product means you run the risk of dealing with launch bugs, high prices, and the possibility of a cheaper or better version being released. On the flip side, you get to be cooler than everyone else. Is it worth it? It is for me!

[UPDATE] Here's the list and details direct from Nintendo:

1. Starting Sept. 1, Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors will be able to download 10 NES™ Virtual Console™ games at no charge and before they are available in the Nintendo eShop to the general public. These games, including Super Mario Bros.™, Donkey Kong Jr.™, Balloon Fight™, Ice Climber™ and The Legend of Zelda™, are slated to become paid downloadable games, but Ambassadors get them early for free. Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the 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.: Mega Microgame$ 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 the Nintendo 3DS in the future.
Tags:   Nintendo, 3ds, Nintendo 3DS


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Comments
  • UghRochester
    UghRochester
    Joined: Jun 2006
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 9:41 am
    Sounds generous, but you already know there's going to be SOMEONE who complains about it. It's free stuff, why argue about getting free games?
    0 1
  • danielrbischoff
    danielrbischoff
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 10:21 am
    Being cooler than everyone else before being an early adopter, I need the free games to make up for this price-drop. :p


    Oh God, here come the thumbs down.....
    2 2
  • tinymhg
    tinymhg
    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 11:50 am
    DO NOT STICK THAT TONGUE OUT AT ME MISTER!
    0 1
  • quiknkold
    quiknkold
    Joined: May 2011
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 11:07 am
    20 games at 5 bucks a pop....100 bucks, so 80 dollar price cut....Better Value :D Saw the list on another site too. Good Games!
    0 1
  • Guernica
    Guernica
    Joined: Mar 2009
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 11:12 am
    Wow sounds pretty good I'll have to check it out after work! Where's a list of the free games I get? =P
    0 1
  • quiknkold
    quiknkold
    Joined: May 2011
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 11:14 am
    20 games at 5 bucks a pop....100 bucks, so 80 dollar price cut....Better Value :D Saw the list on another site too. Good Games!
    0 1
  • Merlin
    Merlin
    Joined: Oct 2005
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 11:21 am
    And this is why i still support Nintendo. And yes the value of the free games defn outweighs the price drop IMO. Hell kinda wish I had bought one now sooner.
    0 1
  • Guernica
    Guernica
    Joined: Mar 2009
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
    There's still time to get the games. I think the end date is Aug 11 or something like that, then the price drops and you can't get the free games anymore.
    0 0
  • Guernica
    Guernica
    Joined: Mar 2009
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
    Those are some great games too! Many of which I used to have but don't anymore so it will be nice to have another "copy" of them :)
    0 1
  • danielrbischoff
    danielrbischoff
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
    Metroid Fusion alone is worth like... $300.
    0 0
  • tinymhg
    tinymhg
    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
    Have you been smoking happy grass? $300? Listen I have this land in Florida….
    0 1
  • Josh_Laddin
    Josh_Laddin
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
    Shit Daniel, he's onto you! Flush it quick!
    0 3
  • Ananymous
    Ananymous
    Joined: Apr 2011
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
    At least Nintendo is not just dropping the price and saying too bad so sad but I mean they didn't really have to give early adopters of the 3DS anything. It's like buying any new piece of tech and then the price dropping so soon after you payed top dollar for it. I've had it happen to me, you just suck it up and learn from your mistakes.

    But hey 20 free games for buying a 3DS at full price sounds good to me, even though I may wait for the price drop and more interesting games to drop.
    0 1
  • danielrbischoff
    danielrbischoff
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
    If anything it'll get me to play my 3DS even more. I only have two games right now but by the end of the year I'll have 20+
    I'm OK with it.
    0 1
  • OdiousLupous
    OdiousLupous
    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
    Like the abusive parent who buys their kid with the black eye an ice cream... aw hell, Nintendo I can never stay mad at you. My childhood memories, Mario, Duck Hunt, Zelda, Contra, Megama....well there go the tears now.
    0 1
  • danielrbischoff
    danielrbischoff
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
    LOL, nominated for the People Speak.
    0 1
  • Longo_2_guns
    Longo_2_guns
    Joined: Jun 2003
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
    For $250 you could've bought a Nintendo's Best Of collection and then 20 games you haven't played before. Oh wait, nostalgia makes everything okay.
    0 1
  • danielrbischoff
    danielrbischoff
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 5:15 pm
    That's the law!
    0 1
  • Merlin
    Merlin
    Joined: Oct 2005
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
    i actually don't like the idea of making some of there top classic game-boy games exclusive to these early adopters. I'm fine with them getting them sooner but to exclude some of the top titles like metroid? I kinda cry fowl especially that this sounds like a marketing scheme to buy a 250 3ds right now to get a hold of these games because you wont be able to later. To only later have them go SURPRISE you can get them because we got your money already.
    0 1
  • danielrbischoff
    danielrbischoff
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
    It's not exclusive. Those 3DS owners who buy the machine after the price drop can still pay for the Game Boy games. I think if anything it's only a timed-exclusivity for early adopters.
    0 1
  • tinymhg
    tinymhg
    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
    "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 the Nintendo 3DS in the future."

    That sounds like Melin is right to me. Either your wrong or Anthony is wrong. I myself am never wrong.
    0 1
  • KevinS
    KevinS
    Joined: Dec 2008
    Posted: Jul 28th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
    It's a surprising move to me, leaving THOSE GBA games to the early-adopters (of which I am one, a-thank you */smug*). Those are some of their notable games, why NOT sell them to everybody else?
    0 1

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