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Nintendo has not been in such a delicate position regarding the future of a platform since the launch of the Nintendo 64 back in 1997, analyst Piers Harding-Rolls has told Eurogamer.
The Nintendo 64 launched in the UK on March 1 1997, priced £250, but had £100 slashed from the price only two months later on May 1.
“A cut of this magnitude and so shortly after launch is unheard of from Nintendo in recent times,” said Harding-Rolls. “The last time Nintendo was prompted to cut its price quickly after launch was with the N64 in 1997, and I think this indicates that senior management are acutely aware of some of the challenges that lay ahead for the company as it tries to drive adoption of its newest platforms in a changing world of games content consumption.”
The N64 went on to sell a respectable 20.6 million units in the Americas, but only 5.5 million in Japan and 6.75 million in Europe and other territories. In contrast the Nintendo DS has sold over 100 million units worldwide.
Regarding what the new UK price will actually be come the August 12 cut, Harding-Rolls is predicting a recommended retail price of between £150 and £155, but stores will come in even lower.
“Actual retail selling price is likely to be lower,” Harding-Rolls predicted.
“The 3DS was expected to see the company through the [home] console transition from Wii to Wii U, but the platform has been partly let down by a lack of content. If there is no momentum in the platform, third parties are more likely to delay or even shelve game releases, which will only exacerbate the situation.”
Can the aggressive price cut save the Nintendo 3DS from the same fate as the Nintendo 64?
