Nintendo 3DS price drops below £180 amid sales woes

[Posted by Luke Johnson, T3]

Sub £180 3DS price cut hoped to boost sales

Following a launch late last month that was rocked by reports of a series of health scares, the Nintendo 3DS has seen its price slashed in the UK as the glasses-free 3D console drops below the £180 mark.

Cutting more than £50 from the device’s original £230 price tag, retailer GAME has revealed it is to now offer both colour varieties of the Nintendo 3DS for just £179.99, sparking fears that the pocket-friendly device has seen poor launch period sales.

With 113,000 3DS consoles reportedly sold across the UK in its opening two days, the latest incarnation of the Nintendo portable was soon hit by multiple reports of early adopters suffering a series of health scares following use of the device, with headaches, nausea, eyestrain and vomiting all reportedly widespread.

These health concerns were quickly followed by news that hundreds of 3DS owners were being refused full refunds for their devices just days after purchase as retailers failed to acknowledge the well publicised worries.

See the original post here: http://www.t3.com/news/nintendo-3ds-price-drops-below-£180-amid-sales-woes?=55703

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3DS IS BEST SELLING SYSTEM IN JAPAN AGAIN

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Interview: Nintendo sold 400,000 3DS systems in first week

[By Mike Snider, USA TODAY]

Nintendo launched its new handheld 3DS game system in the last week of March in a quiet fashion compared to that of its last system, the Wii.

Consumers bought just fewer than 400,000 Nintendo 3DS systems in the week after it was launched March 27, said Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. “We are very satisfied with this start and we look forward to the momentum that we will build on Nintendo 3DS with the launch of the E-Shop, the launch of the 3-D trailers for Hollywood movies andthe launch of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in mid-June, as well as the launch of Netflix later on in the summer.”

In addition to the 3DS sales, Nintendo sold more than 460,000 DS systems, sparked by the March 6 release of two new Pokémon games, which combined sold 2.5 million copies.

Also in March, consumers bought more than 290,000 Wiis, he says, resulting in a total of 1.1 million units of Nintendo hardware sold for the month. “A very strong March for the Nintendo business,” he says.

Is it fair to compare the launch of the Nintendo 3DS and the Nintendo DS?
It really is apples and oranges. When we launched DS we launched going right into the Thanksgiving week (in 2004). From a pure timing seasonality, you are not going to be able to compare the two launches. We are going to be continuing to sell DS and that platform is going to continue to build on its legacy of the best-selling hardware system ever in the US. I would love to have the Nintendo 3DS eclipse that, but this is a new platform that we have just given birth to. I would love to have ongoing comparisons to the DS business because that would certainly mean we are doing a good job growing the Nintendo 3DS business.

There haven’t been sellouts of 3DS? Are you purposefully underpromoting it?
I would characterize it as a launch where we learned significant lessons from the launch of Wii and we made sure to have not only ample supply in the marketplace, but we staged supply so it would not sell out. We had product going direct to store and we also had product in retailers (distribution centers), so they could easily replenish when they had stores running low on inventory. That strategy is why you didn’t see massive sellouts on Nintendo 3DS. Obviously, a sell-through of 400,000 units in one week is exceptional. And the fact that we achieved that without people being worried about massive stockouts and shortages just underscored how we properly executed our supply chain.

Are there any foreseeable concerns about impacts on 3DS manufacturing with the catastrophes that have hit Japan?
At this point, we can say that there are no negative repercussions to our supply chain from the tragedies in Japan. But as you know it’s an evolving situation and it is something we continue to review very closely and attempt to manage as small an impact on our business as possible.

See the original post here: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2011/04/q38a-nintendo-of-americas-reggie-fils-aime/1?loc=interstitialskip

[by KoreaTimes]

In Palatial French Surroundings, LG Rolls Out Next Generation 3D TV

LG Electronics (LG) hosted a large-scale extravaganza on April 21 in France to mark the global launch of its CINEMA 3D TV, featuring LG’s next generation 3D TV technology.

At the majestic Le Grand Palais in Paris, 1,500 guests enjoyed the debut of LG’s CIN-EMA 3D TV, which combines the first officially certified “Flicker-Free” picture in the industry with comfortable, battery-free, lightweight glasses, a brighter picture, more flexible viewing positions and a wide viewing angle. Together, the new features make CINEMA 3D perfect for watching 3D in groups with family or friends. 

“When it comes to watching 3D entertainment for longer periods in greater comfort, CINEMA 3D is the perfect choice,” said Kyung-hoon Byun, Executive Vice President and Head of Overseas Sales and Marketing, LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company. “We’re eager to show everyone just how exciting our new 3D TVs are and why we’re confident this will become the industry standard for 3D TV technology.” 

Approximately 1,500 guests from across Europe and other regions came together in Paris to watch a screening of the new 3D movie ‘Rio’ on a massive 27m x 11m screen. Two records were established last night — the biggest audience ever to view a 3D movie and the largest 3D screen in the world– both confirmed by Guinness World Records immediately after the event. The event also included its share of celebrities with actors Sophie Marceau and Isabelle Giordano and film director Claude Lelouch among those in attendance. 

“The connection between CINEMA 3D and entertainment is a very natural one,” said Mr. Byun. “That’s why CINEMA 3D will also have a presence at the Cannes Film Festival next month, as part of a wider campaign to speak directly to the public about how much progress 3D technology has made.” 

CINEMA 3D arrives in a marketplace that was slow to accept 3D in the first year but looks set to take off in 2011. Whereas almost all the major 3D TV models last year were of the shutter glasses (SG) variety, LG’s CINEMA 3D range employs Film Patterned Retarder (FPR) technology, which addresses the problems that hampered the enjoyment of earlier 3D TVs. CINEMA 3D uses a polarized film on the screen to deliver different images for the left and right eyes. These images are then matched up with CINEMA 3D glasses and the result is a 3D picture that is Flicker-Free – as certified by European quality assurance agencies TÜV and Intertek – with less crosstalk, meaning no more dizziness and eye fatigue that sometimes occurs with wearing shutter glasses. 

And because they’re completely free of electrical and moving parts, LG’s CINEMA 3D glasses weigh no more than 16 grams, making them comfortable to wear even for ex-tended periods of time. At only USD 10 per pair, it is now possible for entire families and groups of friends to enjoy 3D at home together. This key benefit was underscored at the recent National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas when Ava-tar director James Cameron predicted that cheaper, lightweight polarized glasses would need to become the industry standard for 3D TVs to become truly embraced by consumers. And with millions of people already wearing corrective lenses, LG’s convenient 3D clipons are a great solution which SG 3D TVs simply cannot offer due to their bulk and complexity. 

Further contributing to higher picture quality is LG’s Light Boost, a thin film that ensures 3D images are shown at their full brightness. What’s more, a wide viewing angle and flexible viewing positions make CINEMA 3D ideal for watching in groups or while sitting or lying down in any spot in front of the screen. 

CINEMA 3D also addresses another problem that affected previous 3D sets – the lack of content. With a new, highly advanced 2D to 3D conversion feature, CINEMA 3D TVs deliver top quality 3D on the fly, meaning viewers will never be short of good 3D content to watch. 

In Paris, LG demonstrated that 3D technology has come of age with CINEMA 3D. By introducing the next generation technology, LG is poised to take 3D to new heights and into living rooms all over the world.

See the original post here: http://www.koreaittimes.com/story/14318/lg-cinema-3d-tv-gets-record-breaking-launch-paris-le-grand-palais