What if 3DS is the start of the massive success and future for Glasses 3D?
You're talking about mainstream people right? The ones who really dont check out video game sites like us.
Here's what i think of this.
If the 3DS was announced and it was NOT glassless 3D and instead was the traditional 3D with Glasses, I personally think it would never reach the success of the DS as in reaching over 100 MIl Lifetime. Not saying that not selling 100Mil is a failure, but Nintendo would like to exceed DS sales and print money as usual. That is when I would consider the 3DS dropping the price quickly because the mainstream just got tired of 3D and if it was Glasses 3D, it would hardly bring anything new to 3D regardless of it being a portable device.
But the catch here is that the 3DS is Glassless 3D. So far there hasn't been a product in the hands of consumers that can produce Glassless 3D. From personal obversations, I've explained to a few of my friends who are gamers but dont check internet sites, etc (They just buy when they see the game on shelves so they dont exactly have prior knowledge) about the 3DS and they've heard of it before and they think it's really cool to finally see Glassless 3D as it's the first of it's kind. So I asked them then if they would be willing to fork over $350 AU (Esitmated but close to final AU$ price) for the handheld and out of the 4 friends, all of them said yes. Obviously it's a very small sample and not enough to base anything, but from that I have a bit of an idea of how some mainstream people think of the 3DS and it's price.
And once Nintendo really pushes the 3DS marketing and people see that the 3DS is capable of producing Glassless 3D effects, I think people would go and buy it regardless if it's $250 at launch or something. The one thing I've learned from Kinect's success so far is that mainstream consumers will buy the product if it's something new and reasonable regardless of price. I like many people suspected that Kinect wouldn't be a booming success due to it's hefty $150 price tag and without even a price cut or anything, it's reached 7 Mil with ease within 2 Months. Why? Most probably because it was something new in the eyes of mainstream consumers and with the help of MS's big marketing, it got the word around that Kinect was coming and it is a controller free gaming experience.
What Im saying is that Nintendo definitely will have a big marketing for the 3DS and even if the 3DS is priced $250 at launch, as long as the consumers see that the 3DS is a handheld made for 3D Glassless gaming AND movies, I reckon many would find the price justified. Plus Nintendo has Mario and whole lot of other major world reknown franchises and characters coming to the 3DS not only at launch but in future as well so the games are there to back up the reasoning for 3D Glassless Gaming.
And I think you know as well that Nintendo is ridiculously good at making effective ads on TV and elsewhere.
The 3DS in my eyes is THE next big thing and will be the start of the future for Glassless 3D for all entertainment. People wouldn't justify a $250 price if it was Glass enabled 3D gaming but Glassless is completelying different and it won't die out so easily.
So far the only thing I can see that could potentially affect the 3DS sales is the Health issues invovled.
What if parents find out that their children have some kind of eye problem due to playing too much 3DS with 3D on? What if there are multiple cases of this and continues to grow? If word gets out that the 3DS will cause these problems, then maybe the mainstream will have to think twice before buying it. Not that it will happen but you cant deny that eye problems could occur, more so that any other console.
