Nintendo has figured out that it's main market for the DS outside Japan is children, and the best way to get them is to cut cost so they can save up or beg their parents to buy one.
There is something to be said for the slate form factor, too. It's better balanced, which makes it more comfortable to hold and improves tilt control. Unfortunately, there still isn't much point in designing a 3DS game for tilt control when most 3DS units are still ungainly clamshells. Also, the dual screens just seem kinda silly now when you could put one big portrait display in there.
"The worst part about these reviews is they are [subjective]--and their scores often depend on how drunk you got the media at a Street Fighter event." — Mona Hamilton, Capcom Senior VP of Marketing
*Image indefinitely borrowed from BrainBoxLtd without his consent.
