Release month had little to do with 3DS doing poor initially and while price was a factor, it wasnt the only thing preventing people from getting one.
3DS had poor marketing initially to the point where people thought it was just a DS revision with a 3D screen, not a brand new device.
Also 3DS had a horrible post launch release schedule, the only major game to release in the 6 months following launch was Ocarina of Time 3D.
Price was a factor in the sense that 3DS seemed very underpowered for that price while Switch seems like you are getting good performance for that price.
If 3DS had better marketing, a strong software lineup and had cutting edge tech than the $250 price tag wouldnt have been nearly as big of an issue.
When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.
