Nintendo just pulled off an uncharacteristically brilliant – or last-ditch – move.  The price cut and so-called Ambassador Program are a move borne of desperation – or bold foresight.  Nintendo’s now in a stronger position from which to dominate Sony and be competitive against Apple – or it’s on the ropes for good, with the writing on the wall.  Just which way is it?

To find out, we’ve culled a nice selection from the online Nintendo diaspora.  Hell, we even invited those weird folks from TotalPlayStation.com to throw in their two cents, too.  When they weren’t too busy parading about in Street Pass mode, this is what the group managed to come up with – the answer to all of Nintendo’s mysterious mysteries.

Or something.

Marc N. Kleinhenz, gaming ronin:

I certainly expected Nintendo to drop the price of the system before the launch of the PS Vita, but I (a) didn't expect it to happen this early and (b) didn't foresee a $80 cut (I thought $50 far more likely, especially given how loathe it and the other two manufacturers have been in slashing the price of their consoles this generation).  While this is good for gamers – this is the price the handheld should've released at, no questions asked – I can't help but think it doesn't portend good things for the big N...

Derrick Bitner, GameXplain editor:

Ever since the Game Boy Advance, I’ve taken a certain stance with Nintendo handhelds:  wait until the redesign.  I’ll admit, with the news of the reduced price, my first instinct was to run out and grab a 3DS... before I realized that my other two requirements – good games and a reasonable price – haven’t yet been fulfilled.  Beyond Ocarina of Time, there’s no AAA content on the 3DS.  Granted, that’ll change this holiday with Nintendo’s first-party titles, but almost every instance of compelling third-party software has either been delayed or canceled (I’m still heartbroken about Mega Man Legends 3).

But I think there’s a bigger picture to this price drop.  Is it in response to the 3DS’s horrendous sales?  Competition from iPhone/iPad games?  The PS Vita’s surprisingly competitive price?  I think it’s all three.  And as someone who is considering getting the Vita before the 3DS, I can’t help but wonder what Sony’s reaction to this price reduction will be.

The problem for both Sony and Nintendo is that the handheld market has fundamentally changed thanks to Apple.  Cheap, entertaining games are available at the touch of a button.  Meanwhile, Nintendo and Sony charge almost as much as a console game for their handheld software, and they have the additional task of convincing the consumer that the extra money is worth it.  Personally, I’ll take a traditional handheld game over most iPhone games any day, due to the iPhone's lack of tactile controls (virtual thumbsticks suck and it’s annoying when my fingers obscure the action) and lack of depth.  I want a game with some meat to it, a world I can escape to, pushed forward by a compelling story.  The only games I find remotely worthwhile on the iPhone are Chaos Rings, Infinity Blade, and console remakes like Chu Chu Rocket.  But I’m not the one Sony and Nintendo have to convince; it’s the average consumer.

Last week, Kotaku compared the 3DS to the early life of the PS3.  It’s an apt comparison, and I truly do hope that Nintendo can pull themselves out of the hole they dug, like Sony has.  It will take time and a lot of effort on Nintendo’s part, but the 3DS is not dead.  Not by a long shot.  Even though the price drop will help, they still need great games for long-term success.  Some are on the way, but I think Nintendo truly needs to focus on regaining the goodwill of the Nintendo hardcore.  The denial of Operation Rainfall and the rush to get the 3DS to market has only damaged gamers’ opinion of the company.  In other words, it’s time for Nintendo to start kissing some ass.  Bring out the games that gamers want, even if it’s in limited quantities.  And I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the single biggest thing Nintendo could do to regain the hardcore audience:  release Mother 3 in the US.  Hell, that’s a big enough killer app that I’d be willing to get the handheld now rather than waiting for the 3DS’s inevitable redesign.

Do I think this price drop signals the end of Nintendo?  No.  They’ve made some missteps, but they’re not beyond recovery.  The price drop will help, the holiday games will even more so, and, eventually, they’ll have the killer app that everyone needs to have.  They may not keep their dominant lead, but Nintendo will always be competitive.

Andre Segers, GameXplain editor-in-chief:

A price drop this steep, this soon, is unprecedented.  Derrick brought up a great point in regards to Sony’s reaction: t he Vita’s price, which seemed competitive at $249 just days ago, now seems like it too might be priced too high.  Sure, the hardware you’re getting is top-of-the-line, for now, but, historically, that hasn’t mattered as the victor has always been the cheapest and least powerful option.

And now I’m left to wonder if that isn’t also the case this time.  Except now the attributes which made Nintendo’s handhelds so strong – lesser hardware at affordable prices – are perhaps being applied to the medium itself:  shallow, but inexpensive mobile games.  And not only are the games cheap (if not free), but they’ve never been more accessible:  you can grab the latest iPhone game in seconds without ever leaving the house... or your car... or your work place... or a public bathroom – you get the point.  Although these games neither offer the depth nor versatility of games as most gamers have known them, it seems they may have reached a level of “good enough” to appease most gamers when they’re looking to just kill some time.

And that’s what worries me.  Whereas I kill time with iPhone games, I make time for my Nintendo games.  It’s the difference between fast food and fine dining – both leave you feeling full, but rarely do both satisfy.  Ultimately, time and the market will decide, but I will be extremely saddened if the necessity of this price drop is at all prologue of what’s to come.

Fortunately, this is all speculation – Apple’s impact on the gaming world may be responsible for only a fraction of the 3DS’s troubles.  Though I suspect it won’t be long for us to find out.  Between Nintendo correcting their mistakes, and the upcoming launch of the Sony Vita, the current state of gaming is about to become a lot clearer.

Sir Gordon Wheelmeier, TotalPlayStation guru:

Everyone is talking 3DS vs. Vita vs. iPhone, but I think one major system with a big role in this has been ignored:  the Wii.

Nintendo launched the Wii with cool and generally as-yet-unseen technology in a relatively cheap package.  Lots of people said that it was going to help redefine what gaming could be and that the system would offer unique experiences that you couldn't find anywhere else.

Sounds pretty similar to the 3DS in a lot of ways, yes?
Skip ahead a few years and you'll find lots of folks saying that their Wii has been collecting dust for a good number of months now.  So, by proxy, without some AAA games being touted as coming sooner than later, early adopters have decided to play it safe this time out and the 3DS’s sales numbers have certainly reflected that.

It also doesn't help that lots of gamers are turned off by 3D movies (see:  overkill) and that the thought of already being prodded to upgrade the still-great flat-panel display they bought just a couple years back has been leaving them with a generally bad taste in their mouths.  That is, 3D in general is not nearly as hot as it was during Avatar's initial run at the box office, and Nintendo is seeing that now.

The bottom line, though, as pretty much everyone has said, is that there isn't that compelling library to bring people on board yet.  The new price is certainly more inviting given said lack of must-have games, but playing a bunch of ports or "that again" games (that cost 30 or 40 times many great iPhone titles) hasn't helped warrant the purchase.

I do wonder, though, why there haven't been more exceptional games created for it yet.  A new Nintendo handheld, with cool tech to boot, certainly seems ripe for the picking, and yet the void remains...

Andrew Hsieh, Nintendojo co-editor-in-chief:

I've no qualms with the idea of a price cut, because when it comes down to it, I'm a consumer first.  But when 3DS systems apparently don’t profit Nintendo anymore, that's worrying for me, too.  Now, I don't want to talk about how this is indicative of the Future of Gaming in any way, mostly because everyone's already talked about it.  I do, however, want to point out that the Ambassador program, besides seeming hilariously desperate, panders only to either a) veteran enthusiasts who played NES/GBA games in the past and apparently feel like this is something they want to repeat on the 3DS, or b) teens who want to play them for the first time, if only so they can join the hordes of Kotaku commenters who constantly brag about their old-hattery.

This sounds obvious, but as Derrick and Andre have pointed out, the landscape of portable gaming has shifted way in Apple's favor.  Previously, I thought Nintendo realized this with Wii and its famous onslaught of minigame collections, but now I think the company is simply being stubbornly blind again.  Yes, we all knew that Nintendo would have to lower the 3DS price point eventually, especially with retail screaming its door down, but it took Nintendo a $324 million loss in its most recent quarter to wake up and smell the pitchforks.  (Meanwhile, Sony posted a $200 million loss.)  Meanwhile, Nintendo still hasn't realized that despite its obvious pandering to “hardcore gamers,” none of those consumers are going to care that they can finally play Urban Champions in 3D.  They might, though, care about what the tech-heavy Vita can give them, in a world exponentially more connected and web-based than the one the DS and PSP debuted in.

Meanwhile, in Casual Consumer Land, an $80 cut definitely helps, but it still doesn't throw 3DS into impulse buy territory – especially when the average Nintendo-aware consumer probably already has access to a Wii (i.e.,Wii Sports or Just Dance and doesn't see why a 3DS is necessary.  In fact, considering that Nintendo's 3DS strategy so far arguably inverses its casual-centric DS strategy (excepting Nintendogs+Cats and the inevitable Brain Age 3D), the Vita seems a better buy for even the non-gamer.  That is, if they don't have an iPad already.

(Incidentally, the Economist had an interesting article three weeks ago that might explain why Nintendo, as well as Sony, doesn't seem so impressed with things like the App Store – namely, because of its software. Here's the article if anyone's interested.  Not sure if there's a paywall for non-subscribers, though.)

Andrea Campton, NintendoGal editor:

One aspect I think that has been missed here is the complaining.  We all know the internet generally tends to be home of the vocal minority.  In the case of the Nintendo 3DS and price drop here, I've been noticing a trend with many owners who are feeling quite bitter towards the price reduction.  They feel cheated out of their money and don't think the 20 games for free is compensation enough for the "injustice" Nintendo has done onto them.  First of all, the 3DS falls in the technology category, which traditionally tends to drop in price quickly in comparison to other industries.  I will concede that this price drop was unexpected and sudden, however. 

Still, those who did purchase the system at the $250 price point must have seen some value in it to fork over the cash.  I don't believe for one second those that did this decided to just put their system in a drawer after such an investment.  Lastly, for those who don't think 20 games is enough compensation, I seem to recall that Nintendo is a company and didn't have to offer anything for early adopters.  Yes, it looks good on the PR side, but Nintendo as a company did not have to do squat for those who put down the money early on.

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Nintendo in the Third Dimension… and Beyond! Our first (official) week with the 3DS, headaches and all.

The Day the Music Died Rock-n-roll legends never die – they just fade away. Or something like that.

3DS Announcement Edition The gang's all here – in threeeee deeeeeees!

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BioShock: Infinite To walk among the giants in the clouds…

Marc N. Kleinhenz is a roaming gaming ronin as well as a freelance videographer. He has a bi-weekly column for Nintendojo that may or may not revolve around mittens.