3DS doing a lot better, but marketing still clumsy.

[Alby_da_Wolf]

RolStoppable said:

Alby_da_Wolf said:

Everyone has his threshold, I suppose. People also tend to be cheap, and let's not forget GB got many portable gamers used to far lower prices. Not to mention that a portable can break, be lost or stolen easier than a home device, many people don't wan't to risk losing more than a given amount of money (unless the object is a smartphone, a jewel or a watch, in those cases many people go totally batshit). I guess also screen size must be quite important for some buyers if it allows XL to be, at least in Japan (do we know how DS sales are distributed amongst teh various models elsewhere?), the best seller DS model. And heaven knows how many other reasons there could be. Also, don't think so many people are cheap, that 20-30€ cut just saved DS from losing sales and instead made it gain a puny 2% during this ad campaign that basically suggested potential DSi XL buyers to buy a 3DS instead. Anyway, both 3DS and DS grew, so, just like the ads worked for the former, the cut must have worked for the latter. In the longer term, though, all depends on Nintendo intentions about DS, but I still think killing the XL could be a mistake, its main feature gives it a market of its own.

I still don't see how Nintendo's moves could be interpreted as killing the DSi XL. Killing it would mean to discontinue it.

Also, as you correctly noted, the DSi XL has its very own distinct selling feature and that are the bigger screens, so it really isn't in direct competition with the 3DS. But even if, why would it hurt Nintendo if they sold a 3DS that can play DS and 3DS games instead of a DSi XL that can only play DS games?

Because not every missed DSi XL sale could automagically become a 3DS sale: there are people that actually want a DSi XL and wait for it to drop enough in price because they are just interested in a DS with bigger screen, but cheaper than what it was before the unofficial drop (for example I'm not into portable gaming, but I was interested in a XL for non gaming applications, like interactive cookbooks, particularly those that help you to decide what to prepare given the list of ingredients you have available, but now it's too late, I almost decided to switch from my old dumbphone to a cheap Android smartphone and I'll get such apps on it). Consumer electronics prices are expected to drop, but Ninty always kept XL price high, everything else dropped except it, this worked as long as it was Ninty's top end portable, but now, with 3DS drop, that pricing couldn't work as well anymore, and it also risked confusing buyers: it didn't actually happen, but what if retailers stuck to Ninty official pricing and potential buyers found on the shelves 3DS and next to it DSi XL a few euros more expensive? Some of them could have even delayed any purchase, thinking the older model was about to drop price. Having actually dropped, people can mentally position and evaluate each model better.