This isn't a post meant to bash the Nintendo or 3DS, it is merely a question aimed at people who closely follow the numbers and Nintendo's history of successful and failed platforms. Given all the struggles Nintendo has gone through just since this past March is slightly more than they are used to. Coming straight out of the DS, and having the Wii as an unabated success (in strict numbers, not consistent sales), do you think Nintendo's confidence was too high with the 3DS' launch? Seeming that they started trying to tell the public that the 3D can be turned off when sales were tepid, seems to me that they either marketed it wrong, or too hastily pushed the device out with little hype to mom folk.

Maybe they thought a 3d nintendo handheld could market itself, and turned out we weren't as impressed with the launch itself to jump on such a product. Or more acurately, the mom's were afraid of 3D health concerns, or plain didn't see a reason why their kid needed an upgrade of the barely old DSi XL. Whatever the reason, do you think Nintendo can recover well enough to shake it off and start strong next year?

So here we are, 2 months away from the end of the year, almost the Black Friday, 'buy everything that is holy season'. Do you think with the 3DS' new price Nintendo will see a successful Q4? Or do you honestly think that Mariokart 7 and Super Mario 3d land is not enough to convince the general public that this is the thing to get this Christmas? Nintendo dug themselves into this situation, it's pretty much the launch's fault, the price and maybe the marketing that all colided and made this system we all knew was going to be bigger than the DS something of a wait and see product.

Yea, very easily, Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 (excellent looking online features), as well as new Ice White and Pink models (smaller more compact versions costing £130 / $170 ) will have a major role to play in that happening.

edit:

"Launch of the 3DS was very interesting: the portable earned great impressions at E3 2010, had excellent pre-order sales, and sold more than any portable system in its first week. So, we had many successes with the 3DS.

But in terms of lessons learned, we need to ensure that we have a strong lineup of games when we release hardware – especially titles from Nintendo. And, looking back, we may not have offered the best lineup of games that we could have brought to the 3DS. It is also important that the digital resources of the hardware are available right away. With 3DS, this came later.

And that’s why sales weren’t so great, which forced us to make some drastic decisions and reduce the price. Since we did this, and with the release of ‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D’ and the digital resources, our sales have been very good. And we have very high expectations for the 3DS this Christmas.”

- Reggie Fils-Aime

edit 2:

As predicted by some, Nintendo's 3DS is seeing significant sales surges in both North America and Japan.

The following is taken from Cubed3.com:

"In its eighth month on the market, the Nintendo 3DS system crossed 1.65 million units sold in the US along, according to the NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. This milestone puts the platform on track to surpass the first-year total of Nintendo DS, the best-selling game platform in US history.

The Nintendo DS system sold 2.37 million units in its first 12 months (November 2004-October 2005), with approximately 50 percent of those sales occurring in the holiday time frame. With its first holiday season and the launches of the Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 on the horizon, Nintendo 3DS is poised to eclipse that number and establish a new benchmark for hand-held gaming launches in the United States.

With a massive line-up of software on the way and the first-year sales record of Nintendo DS in its sights, Nintendo 3DS enters its first holiday season with a full head of steam. - Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

On top of this, Nintendo sold more than 675,000 combined hardware units in October. This includes more than 250,000 units of Nintendo 3DS, nearly 250,000 Wii systems and nearly 180,000 units of the Nintendo DS family.

For the year, Nintendo has sold a combined 7 million hardware units and more than 55 million units of software have been sold for Nintendo platforms. Both of these numbers should increase with the 20th November launch of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii.

Both Wii, up 8 percent year-on-year, and Nintendo DS, up 23 percent over the previous month, demonstrated strong momentum heading into their respective sixth and eighth holiday seasons. In total, the two platforms have sold more than 87 million combined hardware units and more than 540 million combined units of software in the United States."

Japan has seen a sales surge also, on the back of the release of Super Mario 3D Land:

"Mario's first 3DS outing sold an impressive 343,492 units in Japan in its first week, putting it on top of Media Create's software charts. This figure was amazingly almost triple the total amount of 3DS software sold in the whole of October. The system itself was outselling its games by a two to one ratio."

Will the doubters ever learn?, I think not :)

Source:

http://www.cubed3.com/news/16236http://www.cubed3.com/news/16232

If Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land can't make the 3DS sell, nothing will. 

I'm sceptical and if I had to take a guess I'd say no. The thing people seem to be forgetting is that the DS wasn't actually selling fantastically by this point in its lifespan either, but the market was very different then. While I'm not going to say that the casual market has abandoned the DS entirely, they do seem much more interested in what platforms like the iPad and iPhone are offering in terms of games, as opposed to the kind of experience the 3DS is trying to put across. It must be remembered that this explosion of iOS handheld gaming hadn't even started when the original DS first hit. As for the more traditional video game market there is that loyal group of people who are always going to buy up the new Nintendo console to experience the new Mario and Zelda, but I'm not sure they're going to be enough to propel this forward. Ocarina of Time 3D is likely to be one of the most notable games released within the lifetime of the console, but the fact that game didn't help this thing shift units as well as it should have done makes me wonder how much good games like Mario Kart and Mario 3D Land can really do for the system.
 
Those who aren't casual gamers or Nintendo loyalists still seem to remain sceptical about the system's central mechanic, it's offering them little in the way of downloadable titles, the biggest games seem to be falling into the old PSP trap of being largely cut-down full console games and the games are largely what gamers have already seen on other Nintendo consoles. As Vegsen said if Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land can't move this thing, nothing will. While there are a lot of consoles fanboys out there who will take any opportunity to bash the company, I think there's legitimate reason to be worried about Nintendo right now, I certainly am. At their best, even in recent years, they have been fantastic, but the market has moved so quickly and I'm worried Nintendo are going to be stuck in the past and falling behind if they can't come up with something real good real soon.

Nope. I think Nintendo will abandon the consolemaking business and start making Mario, Link and Captain Falcon models for Gears 3 multiplayerpacks next year.

@Gamer_152 said:

but the market has moved so quickly and I'm worried Nintendo are going to be stuck in the past and falling behind if they can't come up with something real good real soon.

That sentence right there, eerie stuff. I didn't think of it that way, I guess I have always assumed Nintendo was on top of the market, knowing where it was going to go, and it has been in the past, to a masterful degree, Touchscreen gaming, motion controls and the such, but recently, I'd say 2009 to present it certainly seems as though Nintendo can't change the formula and predict where gaming is headed. Scary stuff for Nintendo to think about.

@Gamer_152 said:

but the market has moved so quickly and I'm worried Nintendo are going to be stuck in the past and falling behind if they can't come up with something real good real soon.

That sentence right there, eerie stuff. I didn't think of it that way, I guess I have always assumed Nintendo was on top of the market, knowing where it was going to go, and it has been in the past, to a masterful degree, Touchscreen gaming, motion controls and the such, but recently, I'd say 2009 to present it certainly seems as though Nintendo can't change the formula and predict where gaming is headed. Scary stuff for Nintendo to think about.

*Looks at the release calendar as well as what's been announced so far*

Nope!

I really hope the 3DS succeeds. I got it because of it being the successor to the DS, not because of the 3D. I can't see 3D!
 
A worldwide release of Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney will make the 3DS wholly worth it for me. For now, I'll keep playing DSiWare Solitaire. Yep, sad, I know. I'll just keep hoping for a brighter 3DS future and it being as awesome as the DS turned out.

It'll definitely start doing a lot better. The new price point is much more appealing and we're actually seeing games released for it now.. Mario Land and Kart alone should help save it. As for weather or not Nintendo will fully recover? I don't know.

They seem to have lost a lot of the pulling puller from casual gamers, who now have smart phones and Facebook and although I think the Wii U looks good.. it doesn't provide anything the PS3 and 360 don't and seems like it's going to become obsolete very fast.

@Gamer_152: Exactly right, the iPhone does compete with the 3DS, and a lot of people I talk to disagree. Just because one is a phone and the other is not does not mean they aren't head to head when people compare them. Truth is, people will either choose to buy the iPhone for it's phone and cheap/pretty good quality games, or a whole different expense for JUST games with the 3DS. Turns out, for a great deal of the market, having a device just as expensive as an iPhone that does a fraction of what they want other than games doesn't jive well with them. Only gaming enthusiasts like us buy into gaming only portable devices, and even then we aren't totally swayed by the 3DS lineup.

The whole thing can be fixed right here right now for Nintendo, all they need to do is actually release good/cheap games on their already established eShop. Also, less console-y stuff for the system, kid icarus and Zelda are nice, but it's actually nicer to have really good pick up and play games, because after all, people use this device on the go with little attention span. The last thing, which I think will never happen, is a streamlined online experience, this system has to have something stand out for people even to care, and if that something is really cool small, online games anyone can figure out how to hop into, it could be big. But of course, this is Nintendo we are talking about, they invent things we never knew we wanted, and on other fronts take 5 years too much to figure out the obvious answers.

They have to release a 3DS lite close to or before the PS Vita launch. I'm sure there are many people like me that want one but will wait. I'll wait for the revision with the second analog and hopefully better battery life. I'm just too spoiled by my ds lite, I can't deal with short battery life.

@Contro: That is one ugly 3DS. The color versions are alright, but man, white, mixed with the gray nub and the black lid, ugh.

@Sogeman said:

They have to release a 3DS lite close to or before the PS Vita launch. I'm sure there are many people like me that want one but will wait. I'll wait for the revision with the second analog and hopefully better battery life. I'm just too spoiled by my ds lite, I can't deal with short battery life.

That is something I think will happen just as you say. The color versions of DS lite debuted in February, so I think Feb. is an accurate month to pin a 3DS redesign competing with the vita's Feb. 22 launch. Seeing the redesign, if it only improves the nub quandry and battery life issues, I am going to have to get a Vita, there's just too many good games announced for the Vita for me even to think twice, unless Nintendo announces something amazing before then, my money is on Sony.

@BestUsernameEver said:

@Contro: That is one ugly 3DS. The color versions are alright, but man, white, mixed with the gray nub and the black lid, ugh.

Wow, really, I think think it's the best looking model yet, it's got that whole Yin and Yang thing, Also, the white bottom against the black frame on the top screen would be great for playing in the dark.

@Contro said:

@BestUsernameEver said:

@Contro: That is one ugly 3DS. The color versions are alright, but man, white, mixed with the gray nub and the black lid, ugh.

Wow, really, I think think it's the best looking model yet, it's got that whole Yin and Yang thing, Also, the white bottom against the black frame on the top screen would be great for playing in the dark.

Ehh, I don't know, I think I have always been a critic of that style since the iPod, it just makes everything look like a marshmellow, and it loses it's defining edge and probably will look dirtier as time goes on. I think the 3DS in the begining looks pretty bad, and hastily designed, pair that with the white color, and it is just not my thing at all. The 3DS as it looks now looks like what the original DS looked like after the lite came out, just seems old from day one, design wise. GRIPE OVER, I know it's just strictly taste, but yeaah.

Nintendo is bound to have a boost in sales from the holidays and release of the AAA titles. I just don't see the 3DS getting to an install base as big as previous DSs. I'm really curious how well the WiiU will sell in its 2nd year. I can see Nintendo leaving the hardware market in 10 years if they don't get out of this slump

Super Mario 3D Land

Mario Kart

Professor Layton and the Last Specter

With these games, And new Ice White and Pink 3DS, Nintendo going to sell thousands of 3DS this holiday.

@awadnin: Let's hope.

@James_ex_machina said:

Nintendo is bound to have a boost in sales from the holidays and release of the AAA titles. I just don't see the 3DS getting to an install base as big as previous DSs. I'm really curious how well the WiiU will sell in its 2nd year. I can see Nintendo leaving the hardware market in 10 years if they don't get out of this slump

Do you mean in the long term or short term?. It will eventually with the likes of Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, Super Mario and Zelda from Nintendo, those "ever-green" titles sell well consistently for them. It will however need more mature content like Resident Evil Revelations from others though. The platform needs to satisfy all users with an array of varied content, and great online features for a change. What we do know now is It's going to get a shit load of JRPG's, you can say that with certainty. Level-5 have already invested heavily with some great looking titles, like the new Layton, and Fantasy Life, the latter of which looks great (below) and sounds fantasic in concept. As have Squere Enix with Bravely Default which looks like a high quality product. The significant reduction in hardware costs, within a festive season where there'll be a Mario Kart game on the shelves, and bundles all over the place, will have a very positive impact on sales. I think Mario Kart will be the biggest pusher this holiday for them, the online mode looks fantastic, and so un-Nintendo-like, word of mouth will flow out and gamers will buy in droves, set up there own server thing and enjoy the shit out of it. Bundled with a Icy White Xmassy 3DS, it's going to sell like honey crust pistachios in the snow.

I have had mine since near launch and I still only have one game - Zelda. I still play my DSiXL most of the time. Only Mario Kart has any interest for me in the short term, so I am still looking at a lean time ahead. Until Advance Wars is finally made, or some decent JRPG, my 3DS is going to see very little action. However, with over 6 million units sold and very decent weekly sales, I can't see the 3DS being a flop at all, now or in the future.

It's hard to believe that it came out in March, I still have really played about 5 hours with all my 3DS games combined.

I'd be surprised if it didn't receive some sort of boost. Nintendo's starting to roll out their big guns as far as new (non-remake) software goes, and the software line-up overall is much stronger than it was at launch.

@Contro said:

new Ice White and Pink models will have a big role to play in that happening.

Yeah cause if there's one thing that convinces me to spend hundreds of dollars on a handheld, it's the fucking color of it.

@Stingraymond said:

@Contro said:

new Ice White and Pink models will have a big role to play in that happening.

Yeah cause if there's one thing that convinces me to spend hundreds of dollars on a handheld, it's the fucking color of it.

There are people that are willing to hold out for white iPhones, dude.

@Stingraymond said:

@Contro said:

new Ice White and Pink models will have a big role to play in that happening.

Yeah cause if there's one thing that convinces me to spend hundreds of dollars on a handheld, it's the fucking color of it.

True, when they released the hot pink DS their sales went through the roof among young women and fashionistas.

K@BestUsernameEver

"Do you think with the 3DS' new price Nintendo will see a successful Q4?"

No. I think if someone wants portable gaming the ipad is the best choice. You'll pay less in the long run considering the cost games and you have the internet to add to your c

If they advertise properly, yes. It kinda seems like people either don't know that something called the 3DS exist, and if they do they probably think it's a variation of the DS.

@imsh_pl said:

If they advertise properly, yes. It kinda seems like people either don't know that something called the 3DS exist, and if they do they probably think it's a variation of the DS.

The new ads have obviously been designed to fix this, literally by saying "This isn't just a DS, it's Nintendo 3DS."

But it was always going to be an issue, and it's one everyone pointed out from day one. I'm really amazed that Nintendo's advertising guys didn't see it.

@WinterSnowblind: It's weird, maybe kids dont really care about it that much, no real games have come out yet, and I am guessing the parents aren't getting nagged to buy a 3DS, so out of sight, out of mind. There is no word of mouth because no worthwhile games are out, and the games that do exist are 400% more expensive than a comparable app for an iPad. Nintendo is screwed if they don't release a bunch of good and cheap games on the eShop and push that as their 'app store'.

I'm really trying to hold of buying one until they change the hardware to include that 2nd stick (or if they put out a special green one when Luigi's Mansion comes out, I may get that.

@Hizang said:

It's hard to believe that it came out in March, I still have really played about 5 hours with all my 3DS games combined.

How many 3DS games have you got, what are they?.

The 3DS is $250 right? I still feel that is too expensive. The DS was $100 cheaper when it first came out, right? I think the 3DS needs to get down below $200 or it isnt going to sell well, no matter how many Mario games Nintendo throws at that system.

I just have a feeling that portable gaming is done. I dont really know why because I know there are tons of kids who love portable gaming, but it just feels like people have moved on from that. I dont think either the Vita or the 3DS are going to sell well at all.

@Gamer_152: Is that how you spell sceptical? because I spell it with a k

@Gamer_152: Is that how you spell sceptical? because I spell it with a k

They'll pull out. The price was reduced and now they're gonna have 2 games on the shelves with Mario on their cover.

I don't think it will, but I sure hope so.

Well, I just bought one (for my son).

@redbliss:

No, the 3DS is only $170 now.

@Contro said:

@redbliss:

No, the 3DS is only $170 now.

Ok, then I take back what I said. The 3DS will probably do all right this season. I still think the Vita wont do too well, though.

@Contro said:

@Hizang said:

It's hard to believe that it came out in March, I still have really played about 5 hours with all my 3DS games combined.

How many 3DS games have you got, what are they?.

1. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time - Played till I became Adult Link then got bored, not really a fan of Ocarina of Time.
2. Pilotwings Resort - Played twice, kinda boring.
3. Nintendogs - Played once, not sure why i got this.
4. Super Street Fighter IV - Played it for a while, but then realised that I have the PS3 version of that and never played it again.

Mario Kart 7 is going to help a lot.

I think if they set their expectations reasonably then they can turn the 3DS into a good selling handheld. They shouldn't expect a complete turnaround by the end of 2011. I would expect the system to mimic the DS, in terms of its ability to move product, by the end of it's second or third year.

Things are looking very rosy.

Did you not watch the Super Mario 3D Land Quicklook? That's all you need to know that the 3DS will do just fine.

it has already offficailly out sold the ds in the same time period so what downslope again? may i ask , i think all this was a scare tactic the whole darn time,

3ds is already out selling every other handheld including dsi /lite i combos which aint far behind at least for now but still 3ds has tooken it to the skys ,

the price is what was holding it back , who can pay 250 for a handheld--- i think psvita will face even more problems its asking price may be 250 but when you add a memory stick alone its already near 300 , and you need a memory stick to play most of the launch games, to begin with cause without one game wont start , i think that alone is gonna help 3ds in the future as well because hmm besides ridge racer asphalt and uncharted i really dont see what people see in the entire line up, just looks like a ps3 just in your pocket, cod proves this , why would i wanna play cod on the road , its multiplayer focused so thats out of question,

also i doubt nintendo is in danger of leaving the console market, for many reasons, with 3ds already picking up steam ,

ds still selling farily good , nintendo has time , and we dont know much about wii u to even put a judgment yet, e3 2012 everyone wait,

until then , the focus is 3ds and so far its been nothing but good since the price drop, ,

just look at the sales in japan every week , its like 6 x the psps, sold,

and every where else beside home consoles, the 3ds is in front, of ds which is also in front of psp -2 nintendo branded handhelds out selling the psp in every region except japan=good news, because well its a 2 to 1 knock out