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PSA: Nintendo 3DS available at Walmart for $170 today (get your 20 free games!)
As rumored by Cheap Ass Gamer, Walmart has indeed kicked off the massive price cut on the Nintendo 3DS a few days before the competition, bringing the price of the handheld to a cool, crisp $170. Not only is this good for the obscenely impatient among you, but it also means that early purchasers will be able to get the lower price and the 20 free downloadable games which were meant to be reserved for the console's earlier adopters. Most of the Walmart locations we called to check on the cut confirmed the lower price, though some seemed to have not gotten the memo quite yet. Make sure you call ahead to your location before you make the drive to avoid wasting all your precious time and even-more-precious gasoline. [Thanks, Rippe!]
Rumor: Walmart dropping 3DS price early
Though entirely unintentional, Nintendo offered 3DS comparison shoppers a pretty striking choice for their pending handheld purchase: Either pay the full $250 and get 20 free downloadable games, or grab the 3DS on August 12, after the price plummets to $170. Or, if Cheap Ass Gamer's unnamed source is on the level, you could just grab the free games and the discounted price by shopping at Walmart, which will purportedly drop the MSRP on the device on August 9, two days before the free game offer expires. If Nintendo's offering free games as an act of contrition to early adopters, we wonder what it'll have to dish out if the full-price bonus is given to the partial-price crowd. We also wonder when this hypothetical chain of freebies will be broken! Probably when all Nintendo consoles are free, and come with twenty free games and, oh, here's some pie.
Iwata apologizes to early Nintendo 3DS adopters
If the angrier half of the comments on our post about the Nintendo 3DS' massive, uncharacteristically early price drop was any indication, those who bought the handheld at its original $250 price point are miffed. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata understands these frustrations, which he addressed in an apologetic statement yesterday, as translated by Giant Bomb. "If the software creators and those on the retail side are not confident that the Nintendo 3DS is a worthy successor to the DS and will achieve a similarly broad (user) base," Iwata explained, "it will be impossible for the 3DS to gain popularity, acquire a wide range of software, and eventually create the product cycle necessary for everyone to be satisfied with the system." Iwata added, "Those customers who purchased the 3DS at the very beginning are extremely important to us." He further said, "We know that there is nothing we can do to completely make up for the feeling that you are being punished for buying the system early." Perhaps Iwata is right on this account, though twenty free games is certainly a step in the right direction. Almost as good as thirty free games!
iPhone price cuts hitting Radio Shack, Target tomorrow?
Let the speculation begin! It may not be a sign of an iPhone refresh, but we've received multiple tips today about an imminent price drop for Apple's flagship smartphone. According to a pair of trusty tipsters, Radio Shack is prepping to cut the cost of AT&T's 16GB iPhone 4 to $169.99, with a two-year contract, from $199.99. The 32GB version will likewise take a $30 plunge at the Shack, ringing in at $269.99, and the price of the 8GB 3GS will drop to $19.99. Phone Arena is likewise reporting on Target slicing up the old Apple price tag, but lists varying numbers based on carrier. If all this talk turns out to be true, those prices should be ripe for the picking starting tomorrow. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Logitech CEO steps down after money losing Q1, Revue price slashed to $99
This is becoming a trend. After a disappointing Q4 saw Logitech reduce the price of its Revue it revealed today that after a net loss of $29.6 million for the first quarter it is cutting the price of the Revue to $99, as well as saying goodbye to CEO Gerald P. Quindlen. Quindlen had been an outspoken supporter of the Google TV box (see the video after the break) but according to Logitech this price cut and corresponding $34 million hit to its finances are necessary to "remove price as a barrier to broad customer acceptance." In the midst of these results -- as well as lowered sales in several regions and key products like Harmony remotes -- Chairman and former CEO Guerrino De Luca will assume the role of acting CEO while a long term replacement is sought. Until then, and before the Google TV Honeycomb update arrives, does anyone think the Revue will be more appealing for one Benjamin than it was for two, or three?
WiFi Xoom sheds $100, could stand to lose a few more Benjamins
Oh Xoom, you're but a few months old -- still only a babe -- and Motorola already has you on a diet. Sure, maybe it was a mistake to jump right into the deep end where big boys play, but you had to try right? Well, now that you've shed a $100 in weight, treading water alongside the rest of the WiFi tablets should be a little bit easier and, with 32GB of storage, you're more well-endowed than your $499 brethren. Still, it might be too little too late with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 muscling in on your territory and "iPad" quickly becoming a generic word for slates. Maybe if you dropped another $100 you'd have better luck -- and talk to your 3G-packing sibling, he's looking a little plump around the price tag too, if you ask us.
Nintendo drops DS Lite to $100, makes it easier to (Mario) party
Hot on the heels of a Wii price drop from about two weeks ago, Nintendo has announced that it'll be lowering the DS Lite's price to $100 (from about $130) starting on June 5th. The big N claims that its pushed over 48.9 million DS handhelds to consumers in the U.S., adding that many of the Mario DS titles have also sold well into the millions. To highlight the achievements, six of the best selling Mario themed games for DS will be getting a red makeover to their packaging -- see above right -- for easy pickin's at your favorite retail shop (no discount apparently). It may not have 3D, but the drop in price, added with less eye strain, and a long lasting battery should be enough to make the 3DS a little jealous.
DS Lite drops to $99 on June 5
The 3DS just got more competition. Not from Sony or another competitor, but from another, now impulse-buy-priced, DS. Nintendo just announced that the DS Lite has been officially dropped in price from $129.99 to $99.99, effective June 5. Perhaps the old SKU at the old price was what GameStop was clearing out? The same month, six Mario games (New Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart DS, Super Mario 64 DS, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, and Mario Party DS) will be re-released in red boxes, to " make it easy for [consumers] to find their favorite Mario titles." Not that anyone ever had trouble finding any of these -- Nintendo announced that more than 9.25 million copies of New Super Mario Bros. have been sold in the US. No price drop was announced for the games. Just fancy new boxes.
Xbox 360 250GB Kinect bundle dropping to $299.99 ahead of E3? (update)
The image above is not a mockup. What you're looking at is a screen grab from the Video Game section of Target's online storefront proudly touting "free shipping" on a $299.99 Xbox 360 250GB console with Kinect bundle. Unfortunately, your pulse-quickened click will be met with the existing $399.99 price tag at checkout. So what's going on here? Are retailers gearing up for price drops on the 250GB Kinect bundle ahead of E3 or did Target's arts and charts department just make a mistake? E3 Expo kicks off June 7th, so it won't be long until we find out either way. Update: Target says the items was "mispriced" and has updated it with the $399.99 price tag. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Logitech Revue price drops to $199 on Amazon
While we wait for the OTA update that will bring Android 3.1 to existing Google TV devices, Logitech's Revue -- check the official blog post linked below for some of the features being added -- has apparently already received its price cut and CrunchGear points out it is currently available for $199 on Amazon. As we noted a couple of weeks ago when the company announced weak sales and a plan to drop the price to $249, getting the price under two bills was probably as important as smoothing out the software experience. Of course, after Google I/O we wonder if anyone interested in Google TV is still jonesing for a launch device (even with the promise of updated software and Android Market access in the future) when something newer and better is likely on the way. After all, you can get Honeycomb on a T-Mobile G1 now, but that doesn't mean you would want to do it.
Samsung's entire line of active shutter glasses gets a price cut, more money for your popcorn
Following its pledge to make 3D TV experience more affordable, Samsung's just announced a price drop on the rest of its active shutter glasses lineup. As you probably already know, the entry-level SSG-3100GB went from $129.99 down to just $49.99 last month; and now we have the better-looking SSG-3300CR plus SSG-3300GR reduced by $50 down to $129.99, along with the swanky SSG-3700CR (pictured above) getting a $70 discount to just $149.99. Of course, these premium spectacles are still far from affordable compared to their passive counterparts, so it'll be interesting to see if Samsung's attempt to lure more 3D viewers will work at all. Ultimately though, we'd love to see other manufacturers follow suit -- bring on the 3D price war!
'Nintendo Selects' a slightly different set of games for Europe
Nintendo's new Mario Kart Wii pack is coming to Europe on May 20, at a "reduced trade price" around £129/€150. The budget "Nintendo Selects" line will launch in Europe the same day, featuring a slightly different lineup from the American version: Wii Sports, Animal Crossing: City Folk (under the overlong European title Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City), Mario Strikers Charged, and WarioWare Smooth Moves. Mario Super Sluggers isn't part of the series because it was never released in Europe!
Nintendo drops Wii price to $150 from May 15th, throws in a free Wii Wheel and copy of Mario Kart
Turns out our snooping was spot on -- Nintendo has just made official its intention to drop the suggested retail price of the Wii down to $149.99, and will additionally include a copy of Mario Kart and the Wii Wheel peripheral with all purchases of the console. They'll replace the current bundle of Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort games. The steering wheel, along with the Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk controllers, will match the color of the console you buy, whether it be black or white, and will also be available to buy separately for a scant $9.99. See Nintendo's full press release after the break.
Logitech's 'disappointing' Q4 results not helped by poor Revue sales; will cut price to $249
There wasn't much good news for Logitech investors when the company revealed its results for the financial fourth quarter, as it fell far below targets for sales and revenue. Most of the blame went towards weak performance in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, but it also suffered from far lower than expected sales of the Google TV-powered Revue and its accessories, accounting for only $5 million in sales, down from $22 million the quarter before and short of its estimate of $18 million. Beyond fixing its issues overseas, CEO Gerald Quindlen still sees a future where internet connected TVs follow a similar path to smartphones and cited the next generation of Google TV as a major opportunity. Starting in May, the company will cut the price of the Revue to $249 (which is still at least $50 too high) and plans to "re-accelerate" its marketing at "the appropriate time" -- probably sometime after Google I/O and the addition of the Android Market. As for that current hardware, both the Revue and the Sony Google TV products received unspecified "security updates" today, although Qriocity and Music Unlimited access remained offline on our Sony Internet TV unit. So let's do the postmortem and guess what contributed to the low sales more: high prices, a half baked product or ads featuring a hairy-legged TV and Kevin Bacon?
Nintendo Wii on sale at Toys R Us, Best Buy for $169.99
May 15th is still a month away, but the Nintendo Wii's price won't wait -- both Best Buy and Toys 'R' Us already have the motion-controlled console on sale for $170 today. Mind you, this doesn't look like a permanent price cut -- note "Limited Time Offer!" above -- but we wouldn't be surprised if other retailers follow suit in very short order. With rumors swirling around deeper price cuts and perhaps, maybe, possibly even a new backwards-compatible HD machine, every Wii sold at $170 today could be a little extra gold in their pockets and less unwanted inventory to deal with.
Best Buy selling Wiis for $170 right now
Why wait to find out if there will be a Wii price drop on Monday? Best Buy is selling Wiis on its website for $169.99 right this second. Unfortunately, we can't really glean anything about the manufacturer price from this, as Best Buy has labeled its discount a "sale." Functionally, though, it works out the same either way, with you able to trade $170 for a Wii. It's available in white or black, both variants including Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort and a Wii Remote Plus. The older MotionPlus bundle is also available for the same price, if for some reason you'd prefer a bigger controller.
Rumor: Target cutting Wii price to $170 on April 18
We kind of expected to see additional evidence of an upcoming Wii price drop if it's true, but now we have conflicting evidence. While rumors currently have the system dropping to $149.99 on May 15, images posted on GenGame show what appear to be an internal Target communication about the price changing to $169.99 this Monday. The Target information refers to "Black Wii Console with Motion Plus Controller," which could either be a semi-accurate description of the most recent Wii hardware configuration (which includes a Wii Remote Plus), or a previous iteration which came with Wii Sports Resort, a Wii Remote, and a MotionPlus add-on. If it's the latter (and these images are real), then this is a clearance of outdated hardware; if it's the former, it's a likely signal of a manufacturer price drop. In either case, it means the possibility of cheaper Wii hardware.
Rumor: Nintendo dropping Wii price to $150 on May 15th [Update: Proof?]
At $200, we think everyone would agree that Nintendo's Wii could use a price drop ... but it's hard to justify when the console is parked at the top of the sales pile. But what about when the console is regularly outsold by the Xbox 360 in North America? The last $50 price cut was nearly 18 months ago, an eternity in the fast-paced world of console gaming. Engadget has a "trusted source" that says a $50 price cut is coming May 15th, just over a month from today. "But that's less than a month before E3," you protest. Yes, that's true and we're right there with you, in Skepticalville, a place where Wiis are $250 and major announcements happen under the bright lights of an E3 keynote. [Update: A reliable tipster has provided two images from Kmart's inventory system(s) listing a $149.99 price for the console. Some thoughts: This would seem to indicate the console is on sale now, which it isn't, and that Nintendo is buying systems for $190 and selling them at a loss, which we don't think they would do. What we're saying is: take the below images with the appropriately weighed and portioned grain of salt. Without further adieu, the images!]
Nintendo cutting Wii price to $150 on May 15th?
Nintendo's miniature white monolith has sold like gangbusters for long enough that we're wary it'll ever get cheap, but a trusted source tells us a price cut is indeed headed our way -- and that the Nintendo Wii will cost just $150 starting May 15th. The timing would make some sense, given how Nintendo's profits have tanked for a while due to flagging hardware sales, and just last month Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime hinted that the Wii's price might be a potential variable to change that in an interview with Gamasutra. Still, we're not fully convinced that Nintendo would announce a price cut then, rather than, say, at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in June, and it's not like the company to let this sort of announcement leak out. Still, if you find a shiny new copy of Mario Kart Wii in a $150 console bundle this time next month, don't say we didn't warn you.
Lode Runner XBLA price drops, new DLC available
For a new "Sales & Specials" spot on the XBLA dashboard, Microsoft has dug up Tozai Games' 2009 XBLA version of Lode Runner, whose price has just been permanently cut from 1,200 Microsoft Points to 800 ($10). That does sound like a sale and/or special. Coinciding with the price drop and featured position, Tozai Games is launching two new DLC packs for the cheapened puzzler. The 160-point "Skill Pack" is available now, according to Tozai, and contains 50 new puzzles (15 of which are co-op) and eight "Hang On" levels. On April 13, Tozai will release the Journey Pack, with eight stages of both the Journey mode and Co-op Journey. That's -- we're so sorry -- a lode of new content.%Gallery-118661%
