Even at this early stage in the device's life, 3DS's first Christmas is already looking like its make or break moment.

Following the handheld's drastic price-cut, which saw units sell for less than its predecessor in some stores, sales naturally received a healthy bounce.

 

Concern is mounting, however, that the drop in RRP was little more than a knee jerk measure by Nintendo, unlikely to turn the tide for 3DS in the longterm.

The price is right

In response, CEO Satoru Iwata has branded the console's former price point as a "hurdle" that needed to be floored.

Indeed, he remains confident that slashing 3DS's price – coupled with a host of big releases this November - will help broaden its userbase in the months ahead.

There will be no further price cuts in the near future, however, with Iwata dubbing the measure as the 'first and last' in the handheld's lifetime.

Iwata also refused to be moved on the possibility of Nintendo developing for smartphones, as many investors in the company are calling for.

"This is absolutely not under consideration," Iwata told the Nikkei.

"If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo. Having a hardware development team in-house is a major strength. It's the duty of management to make use of those strengths."

Smartphones not a smart move

As indicated by a recent sweep of industry analysts, many believe the price of games on traditional handhelds puts them out of step with the rush towards 99c or free releases on mobile.

Iwata acknowledged the strength of Nintendo's IP means it could gain a major share of the market if it made the leap to smartphones, but doing so would likely weaken the company in the years ahead.

"It's probably the correct decision in the sense that the moment we started to release games on smartphones we'd make profits," he concluded.

"However, I believe my responsibility is not to short term profits, but to Nintendo's mid and long term competitive strength."

[source: Andriasang]