Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has written a letter to all Nintendo 3DS owners apologizing for the recently announced price cut. The letter was originally in Japanese but the guys over at Giant Bomb have managed to translate the original letter into English. I highly suggest taking the time out to read it.
To Those Customers Who Bought A Nintendo 3DS Before The Price Change
Greetings, everyone. This is Satoru Iwata from Nintendo.
Thank you very much for purchasing a Nintendo 3DS.
We have just announced a price drop for the Nintendo 3DS system effective on August 11 [August 12 in North America].
In the past, there have been price drops for video game systems some time after their release in order to broaden the user base further. However, never before has Nintendo chosen to issue such a dramatic price drop less than 6 months after a system release.
We are all too keenly aware that those of you who supported us by purchasing the 3DS in the beginning may feel betrayed and criticize this decision.
This unprecedented timing for a price cut is because the situation has changed greatly since we originally launched the 3DS. We decided it was necessary to take this drastic step in order to ensure that large numbers of users will continue to enjoy the 3DS in the future.
If the software creators and those on the retail side are not confident that the Nintendo 3DS is a worthy successor to the DS and will achieve a similarly broad (user) base, it will be impossible for the 3DS to gain popularity, acquire a wide range of software, and eventually create the product cycle necessary for everyone to be satisfied with the system.
Those customers who purchased the 3DS at the very beginning are extremely important to us. We know that there is nothing we can do to completely make up for the feeling that you are being punished for buying the system early. Still, we would like to offer the following as a sign of our appreciation to you.
[3DS Ambassador program details]
We feel a strong responsibility to develop the 3DS as a platform — to ensure that, in the end, everyone is satisfied; we will make every effort to do so.
Additionally, we know everyone is waiting for Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. They are scheduled for release in November and December, respectively, so we ask for your patience until then.
Thank you again, and we look forward to your continued support.
Wow. All those letters. Must have been writing for ages. I accept his apology.
Erm.. it was one letter published on the companies WEBSITE, he didn’t hand write hundreds of thousands of letters and send them out to everyone…
That was sarcasm dude. But I also accept his apology.
Wouldn’t expect Sony to do something like this haha
Nintendo does care!
lol sony doesnt care nintendo does, nintendo>sony
*points at Sony’s open apology in the wake of PSN outage*
No no no, they are exactly the same because Sony and Nintendo didn’t need to send any apologies or gifts at all, just go along with the flow and continue what they do best. So yes, Sony’s been through this before.
That’s cool, this is the exact same letter as the one hanging on the wall in the office in the Toy Store i work.
Well its kind to apologize like that .. i dont feel so bad about been an ambassador.. but i hope they launch another zelda for us..
Apology accepted
absolutely no apology needed. it has happened with every system and game since gaming time began. everything goes down in price. this is a strategy that is commonly known as “making it wasier to buy the razor ’cause it’s the blades we make out money on”. i paid full price for it. would i rather have paid less? sure. does it bother me? ne’er one bit. i love my 3ds and have told a ton of people about it – anyone who will listen, actually. apology accepted, but not necessary…
Mr. Satoru
You didn’t need to apologize, we undestand.
Thank You and keep the good work
And thank you fro the 20 free games. Apology accepted!
And that!
This.
That man is a GOD
retard there is only one God, don’t compare a normal person to God
And that god’s name is Ray Stanz (If you’ve never seen Ghostbusters, then well… that’s just sad).
Don’t bring religion in to a gaming forum.
cab you should just keep your mouth shut. he could do what he wants
politics and religion cause nothing but arguments and fighting. Its best to leave them alone. Any why bring religion in to a discussion about a gaming company?
@Caboose.. exactly. It is times like this when I wish Sickr could completely remove comments like these if they are causing nothing but commotion. Seriously though, how does religion find its way into a Nintendo news site?
Nick, you should just keep your mouth shut. He can do whatever he wants.
there is no such thing as god. God isn’t a fact. God is fiction. I believe that Satoru Iwata is more likely to be a god then some made up god.
God does not exist. Religion is a lie. And most people know that they are just afraid to admit it for fear of alienating themselves from their friends and family, who may not agree.
No. You’re wrong. You obviously don’t know about religion.
I know a lot about religion. It is the major excuse people use to oppress others, justify their evil deeds and control the superstitious masses. All under the guise of love.
But this isn’t the place for this kind of discussion. I full support what Mr. Iwata is doing here.
You’re doing this on purpose just to get into an argument aren’t you? You know, most people on the Internet don’t comment on what they believe in because they know no one cares. You’re obviously not smart enough to realize; no one cares.
What did they get as compensation?
10 free NES games and 10 free & exclusive (for now) GBA games.
From what I read, the VC GBA games are never going to be released to non-early purchasers
I accept his apology. Even though it’s severely lacking in good games, the 3DS hasn’t disappointed me yet. As a replacement for 6-7 year old DS, I couldn’t be happier; and with the future games releasing, I couldn’t be more excited. I was fine with my $250 investment, and the 20 downloadable games are an awesome perk
At least they didn’t pull a Sony and apologize at a press confrence.
He should’ve sent it to the Notifications thing in the 3DS so all 3DS owners would see it.
Anyways, apology accepted. :)
I regret nothing! And I get free NES and GBA Games!
wow… this is pretty impressive. I’ll be getting my 3ds after the price cut and I hope that many other people do as well… I want the 3ds to do as well as the ds so we can get some awesome games. :)
Apology accepted! Though I wasn’t particulary mad about it. All these months with my 3DS have been great!
I got mine at the end of July, and have been glued to Ocarina of Time 3D. I had to charge my battery 3x yesterday alone!
this is a great man
How does Nintendo not get this? People aren’t buying the 3DS because the core games suck, not the price! Sure, $250 was worth it just for Ocarina of Time for ME, but I have the damn Master Sword tattooed on my arm. People wanted GOOD franchises at launch Reggie, not Steel Diver. I guess you learned that the hard way.
You should post the picture of your tattoo!
Agreed. I had no problem with the price (although I did get mine as a surprise birthday gift). I was planning on buying one anyway. But yes, as we’ve all heard/said before, it’s the software the sells the hardware. I’ve been having a BLAST with my 3DS since I got it in May and the e-shop and downloadables have added a lot of value to it for me personal (I had a DS Lite before, not a DSi so no DSiWare)
IMO, the price drop will help, but as soon as Starfox, Mario Kart, and Mario dropped, the 3DS would have still sold like Ramen at a college university. Now it’s just going to be RIDICULOUS. I couldn’t be happier! Nintendo sees us as their friggin pride and joy, is giving us 20 free 1st and 2nd party games, AND I’ll Finally be able to make use of that StreetPass feature as more people get onboard. Win-Win. Apology accepted but in no way necessary Mr. Iwata. Between this and the 50% pay cut, You, sir, have my respect 8)
mine is the seal you see on the master shield haha
Haha I clicked on this while listening to “Apologize” by OneRepublic – “It’s too late to apologize”… but I forgive you Nintendo. I bought a 3DS using GameStop credit so it only cost 70 dollars anyways :P
Obviously Nintendo is not happy about cutting the price either! People complain as if Nintendo is trying to hurt them. Do you think Nintendo actually WANTS to cut the price and lose money?!
That was very big of Mr. Iwata. A lot of public figures could learn from his example.
Yes, Nintendo, I am waiting for those games. Thanks for noticing :D
Anyway, it really depresses me to see Nintendo selling far below expectations. I hope they learned from their mistakes and plan to come out stronger than ever before
I love the price cut actually, cuz now all my friends want/will get a 3DS, there only barrier was the price, (hard times) so now we can all play Starfox and Mario Kart together, thats all I really need anyways.
Better than trying to deny the problem for a month….. SONY I’m looking at you!
^This.
What a respectable businessman. :)
I’m not currently a 3DS owner, but at least the current owners didn’t get all that much of a shafting. Well done, Mr. President. Drop another $30 and I’ll consider it :3
Why not wait and see what GameStop or another gaming store does in terms of trade in. They had a $60 off deal when you traded in a previous gen DS for a 3DS.
You guys are retarded, I got my 3DS for the same price that they are going to lower it to. I traded in my DSi and obtained a 90$ price cut to the 250, if you guys think you made the right choice waiting this long to buy it then you’re all retarded…
Maybe it’s honorable to take a pay cut and issue an apology but do people that bought a 3ds at full price get some kind of incentive / bonus
I mean what does this ambassador thing actually mean
You get 22 free games on Sep. 1st if you’ve accessed the eShop before Aug. 11th.
Yeah I justchecked on the website thanks
22? I thought it was 20.
Yea it’s 20 although we already got excite bike for free and sometime in the near future we are getting 4 swords for free but I think you only got excitebike for free if you had bought one before June
Ah that explains it. I’d love for more NES and classic games to have a 3D element to them. I’m loving Ocarina of Time 3D
The price was ok. It was free glasses 3D technology & more. I understand. The problem was, no good games & not even games AT ALL! Also the 3DS came too early. 2010 was the release of the Nintendo DSi XL & in 2011 they released another one, there was no time to even make games made especially for the Nintendo DSi XL. We want games Nintendo, & not just only Mario, Mario & Mario, or even Zelda, I want new IPs & awesome games that need sequels. Also, why not write an apology for the lack of attention & importance Nintendo has given to Operation Rainfall? The Wii U will come too soon, everyone has a Nintendo Wii, no one wants to buy a new console so soon, there are out there some Wii gems & I personally want NEW AWESOME games for my CORRENT WII, not an new console. I also think that the idea of the Wii was not used 100% or to its full potential. Which is lame & Nintendo thinks they are Apple, they need to release a new model every year & they even name thinks like Wii & even Wii U, which Apple has the iTunes U. WTF!? LOL! Anyway, Nintendo, I love you, but give me good games, & a new home console at least every 6 years, even 8. Handhelds the same, with a new model every 3 years or something. Idk why people lose faith in a console so fast. Oh, & release all the Operation Rainfall games & more for the Wii, release the Wii U until the end of 2012, even 2013 would be great. People can’t spend money all the time.
Mr Iwata doesn’t really needs to ‘apologize’ with us, but the fact he do it it’s something make us all feel this company it’s really looking to their customers as PEOPLE who has feeling, not just as buying machines!! That (and the originality of their hardware) makes them the very best videogames company of the industry.
NOW just don’t cut the price!! There’s still work to do to make the 3DS even greater!!! I consider 3 APPS that really MUST BE DONE:
1) Youtube 3D Channel
2) Chat system to interact with friends (if not using hotmail, yahoo, etc just a chat to interact with other 3DS users)
3) And finally more support to the social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc)
Those 3 apps will enhance, maximize, shoot to the sky and beyond, etc the 3DS making a MUST HAVE for EVEYONE. Or what do you think people? =)
I agree with the apps. I would love to be able to use IM and social networks on my 3DS better than having to go through the wonky browser. A chat system for 3DS users would be EXCELLENT. I actually expected one at release.
Youtube/Justin.TV ability would be the holy grail of apps for it. Youtube would really help keep me interested in my 3DS while waiting on potent games to come out for it. Right now I’m on a diet of action RPGs and pseudo-simulation games off the eShop.
…think of it as a liquids only diet after you get teeth pulled or when you’re in the hospital.
If Netflix videostreaming it’s possible, why not Youtube?? If seeing your online and offline 3DS friends and the can see a little message, then why not a simple chat system? I hope they manage to develop these apps and then the 3DS alongside the price drop, will sell as bread =P
And I think they could add Skype to that list and use the camera with iPhones etc
those apps r gr8 i wish nintendo used these apps to make the 3ds sale more
It really makes Nintendo feel like a company of real people when they issue a statement like this.
As opposed to, say, a company with fake people.
I don’t mind Saturo, you have given me many hours of entertainment already, and I know there are more to come. Besides, the high price gave me a chance to clear out a bunch of games I had completed or barely ever played. Sure, the lauch wasn’t spectacular, but you have promised me Super Mario Land 3D, Mario Kart 7, Kid Icarus Uprising, Paper Mario and Star Fox 3D. To be perfectly honest, I love my 3DS and I am glad I got it at the time I did. I love being a Nintendo fan, and no matter what the Xbox and Playstation fanboys say, you are the best.
Nintendo has always been a great company and a respectable business. They are always straight up and on the phone they have been generous with any technical issues. They will not falter now.
The economy is a mess. I think Nintendo didn’t realize how much of a mess the U.S is and for that reason they had to do this.. Ontop of that, Sony is trying to compete by evening the price with the 3DS. Well now Nintendo is throwing a curve ball into the works.
Mmmm… well, even with its price cut a lot of people from Perú and other latin america countries won’t buy the system because here, the price is always doubled so.. for us this price only changes from “extremely expensive” to “very expensive”. DX
So all of you who live in Europe, Japan, or U.S. consider yourself fortunate ;)
Mmmmm yeah you’re half-right, I’m from Mexico and I understand you as well
Price doubled? you are still lucky, in Brazil the price is 780 dollars.
780 dollars! :-O
Wow, you can see how sincere and genuinely sorry he is, giving us 20 free games, a 30% price drop, a personal apology and cutting his own salary in half…
Awesome apology. The price wasn’t that much of a problem just the launch titles like really nintendogs+cats (i bought it). I loved the 3DS for the first week playing face raders, AR, streetpass but i finished them and now its like boring no games to play…i just wait for Mario Kart7
I would love if they put in a Chat/IM cuz the new status thingy suck you can only type like 10 words and the friend-codes are hard to add online i usually have to do it in person.
Yeah, the price wasn’t a huge bother…they should’ve apologized for the salty launch. Launches are usually ho-hum and pick up in the middle of the following year, but this was a very salty launch considering the abilities of the hardware released.
How about punching Capcom in the balls until they decide to green-light Megaman Legends 3 again?
Let 2011 and early 2012 be the time of re-releases in 3D and other familiar games, and in late 2012 we’ll probably see some more fantastic games. RE Revelations is already a pretty good preview of what awesome new games we’d expect in 2012 and beyond. For the president of Nintendo to go out of his way to offer this kind of gesture among the other gestures like the ambassador program, cutting salaries, etc, must indicate that they expect quality stuff, be it software or otherwise, to appear in the future for the 3DS, and it would be a shame if none of that future quality stuff wasn’t shared with the public just because the public felt shafted.
I’m guessing if they released the console later or more games earlier they wouldn’t have that problem since the only big reason to buy a 3DS right now is Ocarina of time, and for other good games we will have to wait some time
Sony addressed the PSN outage at E3 and now Nintendo is addressing their price cut. Does anyone remember if Microsoft did something like this regarding the RRoD?
Ya, Sony addressed the PSN fiasco at E3, and how long did it take for them to acknowledge that there was an issue when it was going on? Far too long. Not to mention only covering US customers instead of those world wide with identity theft protection….
But it wasn’t sony’s fault. Microsoft released bad hardware and Nintendo isn’t getting sales because people think the 3DS sucks (except you guys) Sony was hacked and had to patch holes n’ shit. Sony also apologized numerous times before E3.
Pretty much “GAH, STOP YOUR BITCHING, just send it to us and we’ll fix it, GOD.” That’s also what Sony did when the PS2 disc-read error problem popped up. They didn’t HAVE to do shit (and didn’t WANT to,) but they had legal threats up the ass.
Nintendo’s becoming a bigger ray of sunshine every single day.
Izumi Konata!? You, sir or madam, are pure win.
You can make me feel even better by giving me a browser that allows basic flash support. I want to be able to enjoy youtube on a handheld device while on my bed, and don’t have the money to buy an iPhone. Make this happen, Nintendo.
Um, iPod Touch? It’s even cheaper than the 3DS at the moment (until the price drop, of course).
Cheers dude. I moan about the lack of games out and how poor the eShop is, but I still love the 3DS and think it’s a great console.
I am proud to be a Nintendo ambassador, and this made me feel special. lol
I love my 3DS, and I love you Nintendo; nothing is going to change that.
Actually, i think they cut the price too low. $200 would’ve been fine. The reason many people are holding back on buying it is the lack of new games. I know how good ocarina of time 3d is, but many people already beat that game many years ago and probably don’t want to buy it again. This holiday season, I bet it will be sold out like the Wii.
when is the pirce cut gona hapen in eruope
August 11th.
he didn’t talk about Kid Icarus Uprising? Is that still launching for 2011?
I forgive you Nintendo and President Satoru Iwata. You guys did an amazing job on the Nintendo 3DS and right now this is just a temporary road block but you guys will get through this. Thanks for all the hard work you guys have done, and I’m sure all the loyal fans out there truly understand that this is not you’re guys’ fault. Keep up the good work guys.
I couldn’t wait to buy the 3DS, got it 24th of march. And it delivered me hours of fun. And I now really appreciate that Nintendo concerns about their customers, although I don’t really care that I paid €250 insted of €170
I got it the 24th too! :)
I honestly don’t care at ALL for paying $250, it was well worth it… I loved how the new features came out slowly instead of having it all and using it in just a few hours or so and getting used to it so quickly.. I also hope it does get apps such as: Facebook, Youtube, and a bunch of other everyday things we do! And I can’t wait till the new games come out! I’m mostly a Mario girl so i’ll be getting any mario game that’ll be coming out! And to be honest I do have a playstation 2 *GASP* I know, but I ended up tripping on the wire and breaking it *CHEERS* but some of the games were fun but nothing compares to Nintendo :)
I feel like the media blew many of the 3DS faults way out of proportion, like they made it seem like whatever misstep the 3DS had was like the absolute sin when they’re not that big of a deal unless you’re a spoiled gamer who lives life where everything must exist according to your convenience. Too much convenience = too much spoiled = too much greedy = too much arrogance. Sometimes it’s good to not have everything go our way, cuz without challenges, we always arrogantly stay the way we are, believing we’re perfect. Without challenges to force our perspectives to re-see things, we’d always be stuck in a naive perspective regarding ourselves, so we’d end up seeing everything we do as completely righteous and infallible. How delusional. With that kind of closed mindset, how do you expect, or even mandate, anyone to take you seriously.
They call me important :D
Nintendo’s Ambassador program, definitely better than Sony’s Welcome Back program.
Apology accepted!!!
Bravo, Mr. Iwata. You are a very respectable businessman. American businessmen and politicians should take note.
its a free market so i dont care but it would be nice to have free dowloadable content and maybe x number of money for the nintendo eshop. :)