First off, this is not a "Nintendo is doomed" thread. I believe the 3DS will be fine once its first pricecut hits and compelling software is released. I would bet it'll sell at least 80m units LTD. It is doing numbers below what the DS was doing, but not by a huge margin, and the DS was released during the holidays. So this is just a simple question, when will Nintendo cut the 3DS' price?

I have the impression that the 3DS' price point is too high.

Sometimes I think Nintendo released it too early and too expensive on purpose. Like, the 3DS' release window should have been fall 2011 with plenty of software and it should have been priced at $199, but they decided to release it earlier at a higher price to make some extra money and THEN have the software and pricecut ready for fall. This is just a thought that I had but of course I may be totally off.

Anyway, whatever the reason is, it seems now that the 3DS is indeed a tad too expensive. Nintendo have the option to cut its price because they are profitting quite a lot from hardware anyway, but will they do it before the end of the year or will they wait until 2012 to do it? What would be the best option?

Don't know... if sales don't pick up much going into holiday season they may go for a price drop.  They can't afford to lose too much ground to NGP.  That said, once they get some of their heavy hitter games released they should see their sales pick up. 

That's what I'd been thinking. Though sales won't be as high as they'd like, they'll be making an enormous profit per unit. The lack of software is more down to Nintendo leaving the path clear for third parties, which hasn't worked. I'd expect some form of price cut and bundling at the end of this year, especially if NGP launches.

"Sometimes I think Nintendo released it too early and too expensive on purpose. Like, the 3DS' release window should have been fall 2011 with plenty of software and it should have been priced at $199, but they decided to release it earlier at a higher price to make some extra money and THEN have the software and pricecut ready for fall."

I agree, I think they did this too. Releasing with a lead on other next-gen handhelds usually lends that console/system to at least getting  some support early on.

On-topic: In terms of WHEN the price drop will happen, it could be at these two times: March 2012 if it somehow underwhelms during the holiday, or late-September 2012, around 18 months after launch. That way, when consumers go to the store, they see a 3DS at $199, and a Wii2 at ~$350. I'm putting my money on September 2012.

I also have a question. Who is the 3DS "losing" to at the moment? Technically, it is in the 8th generation all by itself so there is no competition. Granted, the legacy handhelds are still outselling it, but once software support shifts that will gradually come to an end.

it's losing the the 3DS that we assumed to supposedly flying off the shelves.

Funny that I assumed the same possibility before, and so many refused to even consider the possibility. Now the hardware sales, but even more importantly the weaker software sales and reports many mainstream gamers think this is just another DS upgrade, a price cut this soon isn't looking so far fetched.

And the hardware sales charts keep showing it dropping in place. In EMAA this week, it's behind all the 7th gen systems.

Well, last week, the Wii and 3DS were nearly in the same position, and it all comes down to software, period.

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times... If  3DS exclusive Mario, Pokemon, and Touch Generation games fail to spur hardware sales, then there is a serious problem. Until then, there is no cause for concern.

Cut the price?.......your joking right. Can people really not understand that there are no good games yet for the 3DS? As soon as the major titles are released, the 3DS will take off again

I think Nintendo priced the 3DS like this because of the way things went with the Wii, wanting to keep supply and demand on check. Either way, it would be crazy do drop the prize just before its first holiday season.

People's expectations are high even for the NGP, with some hoping its release to be better than the 3DS (when we don't even know price point, launch games or release date).