I know. Big surprise. Nintendo focusing one of their consoles toward kids? Before Captain Obvious swoops down out of the sky to punch me in the eye, know that Nintendo saw a barrier at the previous price point of $249, and now they’re hoping this end-of-year shopping season will show a change in the current age ratio of system users.
In Nintendo’s financial results briefing, president Satoru Iwata admits that the price was a barrier for households with children. Now it’s not, so get two!
“But in reality, for a family with two or more children which tend to think of purchasing some Nintendo 3DS systems, it is clearly shown in our research after the launch that the price was one barrier for them. Therefore, by changing the price, we would like to change the age range and gender ratio by the end of this year, and I think that the situation will be very different four months later.”
Add that lower price in with a couple of new Mario games and a holiday ad blitz and Nintendo will be printing money again. But wait: What about all that drama earlier this year stemming from warnings about how 3DS would affect kids’ eyes? Iwata explains that they were not trying to say that those under age 6 shouldn’t play. Maybe they worded it wrong?
“But we feel sorry that our message was not delivered appropriately or that it is taking time to be widely comprehended. In Japan, our research shows that this misunderstanding is starting to be corrected, but I think that it will take some more time.”
