Yes, it was that bad. If it wasn't, then we would read different news today.

The DS didn't start out any better, that is true. It was rushed to the market to prevent Sony from pulling off another PS1/PS2 on Nintendo (the PSP was scheduled for late 2004, so Nintendo had to act). That's why the DS launch lineup consisted of a N64 port and games like WarioWare which are really fast to make. But the vision behind the DS was correct and eventually the games that mathttp://www.gamerprint.co.uk/collections/all-productstered got released. Look at the 3DS and you see games that do not belong on a handheld, certainly not on a Nintendo handheld. Nintendo has yet to announce a game that can save the 3DS from becoming a Nintendo fanboy system.

Smartphones may be more advanced than the mobile phones that spelled doom for the DS, but they still can't make a dedicated handheld obsolete, simply because they aren't built specifically for gaming. There are always people who want to see Nintendo being gone and they will use every opportunity. The smartphones only became the new focus because Sony (who was supposed to kill Nintendo's handheld business) got crushed so hard, so nobody is really betting on the PS Vita after the PSP got a beating.

Nintendo's biggest enemy is Nintendo and the 3DS shows it once again. Nintendo has the capabilities to rise to heaven, but in the same way they can send themselves to hell. Nintendo has a long enough history to predict what will work for them and what will not. The 3DS had increasingly selfdestruction written all over it the closer it came to its launch. There's a reason why it's constantly compared to the Nintendo 64 or the Gamecube.

I am not afraid of smartphones. I am not afraid of the PS Vita. I only have to fear Nintendo.

When the sales fail to move at all past the initial boost, Nintendo will regret this.

I think it's because the 3DS is in trouble and they fail to get it's not a price issue, it's a software one. As Malstrom has been telling us since it was announced.

But Nintendo never lost in GC.

If I'm correct, it was more profitable than the PS2.

And this is their punishment, this is what happens when you handle the launch horribly, overprice the machine, have 0 good games at launch, your big profile games are remakes, don't have even the store ready at launch, have lazy marketing and just hope that it will sell biillions.

The best of Nintendo is most importantly about the games. The 3DS may be good hardware, but without games it's a worthless piece of junk.

This price cut is only the first step into a better future. Price was the easiest issue to correct and that has been done. Now it's time for the games to come out. 2011 can be written off already, so 2012 needs to be closely watched. If Nintendo doesn't make a change to their software direction, then the price cut was ultimately meaningless. Another thing that I've thought of for the inevitable revised model with better battery life is a version where the d-pad and analog slider are switched in order to cater to the people who primarily play 2D games, whether that is 3DS titles or Virtual Console stuff.

There are many things Nintendo can do to make the 3DS more appealing and it basically boils down to doing a complete U-turn on the system's direction.