So I won a little award at work that came with a $250 gift card.  I usually don't have that much money to spend at once on anything.  (2 kids, and my wife is a stay at home mom..."extra" money is a rarity!)  One thing I'm considering is a 3DS.  The only recent handheld I currently own is a PSP that NEVER gets played.  I only spent real time on it playing Final Fantasy Tactics and Hot Shots Golf, that was about it.  It's been gathering dust for quite some time.   
 
Now, given that I've never had any version of the DS, is the 3DS a worthy investment at this price?  There are a LOT of top-tier DS games that I never got the opportunity to play, and I will admit that I'm one of those people that does enjoy 3D tech.  (I have a 3D TV already.)  So what are your thoughts on the system at the new price?  If I want to buy it, what's the best place to do so?

Does this gift card expire? If not I say wait for your 3DS purchase. New colors are coming out, like the recently announced Red one, and the holiday lineup is looking good, like Star Fox 64 3D and Mario Kart. I would hate for you to buy a 3DS now and be disappointed because there are hardly any games to play on it. If you do end up buying one now get Ocarina of Time 3D, only must buy for any 3DS owner, and check out some classic DS titles like the Professor Layton series or Super Scribblenauts.

If you do actually intend to play a bunch of DS games, then sure it's worth it. Good 3DS games are coming eventually, and you have all the sweet DS games to hold you until then. That's how I feel anyway. 

I think it is great, it just doesn't have many games. If you count the entire DS library then you'll have plenty to play, but you could buy a DSi for that. Make a list of games that you would actually play before you make your decision.

If you plan on playing DS games - then, sure. Even if it's supposedly worse at it. If not; then no.

If you like FFT then there are a few slightly inferior but still enjoyable tactical RPGs for the DS.

I'd suggest picking up Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Advance Wars: Dual Strike, and Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. I've probably invested close to 1000 hours between those four games. Also Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars for 3DS is pretty fun (QL on the site) and I saw it the other day at Toys"R"Us for $19.99 plus you get a $5 giftcard with your purchase.

Also the sooner you get a 3DS the sooner you can start earning coins through the pedometer and raiding all of your friends' faces.

I remember trying FFT Advance on the Gameboy Advance and hating it.  I'm not sure what turned me off exactly, but it just didn't "feel" like the FFT I knew and loved.   
 
This gift card does not expire, but it is burning a hole in my pocket if you know what I mean.  I don't know if I see myself with another opportunity any time soon to pick one up.  I'm still torn.

@Irishdoom: Funny, I felt the same way about FFT Advance as well. I thought I'd love it but I couldn't get into it.

I've heard that the 3DS isn't very good for playing standard DS games, but I don't know the reason why. Can any 3DS owners confirm and explain if that is true?

@Irishdoom: You know what looking at your story a little more, family man who rarely spends money on himself, I say get it. I think you will enjoy it. I suggest Ocarina of Time 3D, if you have played the N64 version before it will be a trip down memory lane and if you haven't it is still one of the best games ever made. Look for some older DS games for cheap as well, you can probably find tons of good games $10 or less. Have fun dude, would love to see a blog post with your impressions on the thing.

Yeah, I may just see if I can trade in my dusty PSP for a few bucks off a 3DS at gamestop.  Maybe I'll hold off long enough to get the new red model.   
 
Can anyone speak to the performance of regular DS games on the 3DS?  I thought it would emulate them perfectly, but maybe I assume too much!

Regular DS games look fine on the 3DS, the only way you will notice a difference is if you hold a regular DS up next to it and compare the games. Since you dont have one you wont know the difference and to be fair, i have a DS and 3DS and ive put my DS into storage as the games look fine. The people who complain about this are the same people who complain that the arcade games coming out on new consoles dont have scanlines to make it look "better" etc

Thanks Kagato, that's good enough for me.   
 
And RE_Player, you'll certainly see a blog post about it from me should I pick one up.  Likely more than one over time.  

If you guys think they're going to be doing another price drop anytime soon, you're crazy. If that's what you're waiting for, be prepared to wait until long after the Vita...still hate that name...is out

Don't buy a 3DS cause honestly from the sounds of how your PSP is collecting dust you don't have any interest in gaming on it (if you only own those 2 games). Buy more games for your current PSP like Tactics Ogre considering your love for Tactics Advanced. There are tons of great games on PSP that you can get for $15 or less.

Of course if you do own more games than those 2 then I'd say wait on buying a 3DS(for either more incentives or games). The giftcard isn't going anywhere and its not like Nintendo is going to raise the price. Worst Case Scenario you get a 3DS for $169 and Best Case scenario you get a 3DS bundled with a game or giftcard(depending on if the 3DS sells better or not).

Edit: Oh and I should say your reason for wanting a 3DS was the reason why I bought one launch day. I thought that well "Hey I can play DS games until good 3DS games come out" cause I never owned a DS or a PSP. But the thing is a lot of the great DS games are overpriced(mainly first party stuff) or hard to find in the current market. I had to get Tactics A2 used at gamestop because every other vendor was charging 50+ for new(I hate having to buy used at gamestop cause they don't include cases)

I'll definitely be on the look out for your blog posts.
 
I haven't had a handheld since the original Gameboy Color.  I've been checking out the 3DS now that it has the price drop, but not sure if I really see myself using it a ton.  Although, some of the DS games look like a lot of fun as well.

Ok, I believe I've come to a conclusion.  I placed an order for one of those $99 TouchPads, but I'm not sure if I'll actually get it or not, I kinda expect it to be cancelled.  I see that Gamestop (who I normally avoid like the plague) is giving a $20 trade-in bonus for the PSP for next couple of weeks.  If the TouchPad doesn't work out, I'll go trade in my PSP, the few games I have, and maybe a few dusty Wii or PS3 titles and pick up a 3DS and, hopefully, Zelda.  Then I can use some of my saved up Goozex points to trade for some other 3DS or DS titles I'd like to play.  I'll have to start a "Must play DS games" thread perhaps.  :)