3DS

3DS owners not totally out of luck, thanks to Nintendo 'Ambassador program'

A bumpy start out of the gate has forced Nintendo to drop the price of the 3DS 32 percent, down to $170 from $250 beginning on August 12. A weak launch lineup, failure to deliver a robust online marketplace on time, a finicky 3D experience, and an overall dearth of compelling software are to blame for disappointing sales.

And what if you were one of the early adopters who paid full price for a 3DS? Fortunately, all is not lost. In an attempt to make good for those loyal few, Nintendo has introduced what the company is calling the "Ambassador program."

Any 3DS unit that connects to the Nintendo eShop before 11:59 p.m. ET on August 11 is automatically registered to receive 20 free titles from the online store. Ten free NES titles, including Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber, and The Legend of Zelda will be released on September 1, and 10 Game Boy Advance games, including Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong will be released before the end of the year. … Read more

The 404 870: Where we've gone to ludicrous speed (podcast)

Nintendo just announced disappointing sales of its 3DS hand-held gaming device, and a discounted sticker price to go along with it. Is an $80 drop and 20 free games enough to build momentum for the tepid gaming device?

Check out today's show to find out, and to also hear about an AirBnB user's home getting completely thrashed, the hubris of Domino's 7x7x7 deal, and our tips for Colin Farrell in the remake of the movie "Total Recall."

The 404 Digest for Episode 870

Airbnb.com user's home gets completely trashed. Nintendo slashes 3DS price to $169.99.

Episode 870 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

3DS price drop

RIM releases the "more social" BlackBerry Messenger 6 service to share apps, the BBC launches a paid version of its iPlayer service for the iPad, and Nintendo dramatically drops the price of its 3DS handheld game device after lackluster sales.

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Nintendo loses money, drops 3DS price RIM releases BlackBerry Messenger 6.0 Verizon and AmEx partner on mobile payments Google Page Speed Service Sprint and LightSquared sign pact BBC iPlayer goes global Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS HD

Nintendo posts loss as revenue slides

Nintendo endured an exceedingly difficult fiscal first quarter, the company announced today.

According to the gaming firm, it generated revenue of 93.9 billion yen ($1.2 billion) during the three-month period ended June 30, down more than 50 percent compared to the same period last year. During the company's first fiscal quarter, Nintendo lost 25.5 billion yen ($328.3 million), which is nearly in-line with the 25.2 billion yen it lost during the same quarter in 2010.

Nintendo was hit hard by slumping demand for its hardware. On the DS side, Nintendo's unit sales hit … Read more

Nintendo slashes 3DS price to $169.99

Nintendo is cutting the price of the 3DS after disappointing worldwide sales.

According to the company, U.S. customers will find the handheld game device on store shelves for $169.99 as of August 12. That's down 32 percent from its initial selling price of $249.99.

In Japan, customers will be able to buy the 3DS for 15,000 yen ($190), discounted from its initial price of 25,000 yen ($317).

Nintendo described the decision as a way to "create momentum for Nintendo 3DS and accelerate its market penetration toward the year-end sales season, when the lineup … Read more

CNET's summer gaming guide

It's no secret that the summer months are markedly scarce in terms of worthy, must-play video game titles. But just because the weather is a bit nicer doesn't necessarily mean that gaming must take a back seat. Regardless of consoles owned, there's likely something for everyone this summer.

Xbox 360: Xbox 360 owners have been lucky enough to be rewarded with what Microsoft now calls its Summer of Arcade. It's a group of download-only titles (averaging around $15) that get heavy promotion on the Xbox 360's dashboard, but have also proved themselves worthy of MS Points in the past. For instance, last year's Limbo not only won the hearts of gamers and critics alike, but took the 9 spot in our annual top 10 games of the year list.

This year's Summer of Arcade has already hit the ground running, starting off with last week's addictive action-RPG, Bastion. We demoed the game live on CNET TV's preGame show.… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1510: Google + is Bieber-free! (Podcast)

On today's show, we talk to Ken Parks, director of content at Spotify, who lays down the one rule of music licensing negotiations: you don't talk about music licensing negotiations! Plus, Amazon's tablet is incoming, 41 percent of Netflix users plan to take their ball and go home, and girl power at the Google science fair!

Hands-on with Netflix on the Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS has been desperate for new ways to dangle extra features that differentiate it from the long-standing and more affordable Nintendo DS. Netflix, which launched today as a downloadable app on the Nintendo 3DS eShop, is one of the biggest. Despite any gripes we may or may not have about Netflix as a service, it's still one of the best libraries of streaming content around, especially for kid entertainment.

While Nintendo often has a reputation for being a bit behind the curve on cutting-edge tech, Netflix on the 3DS marks the first time that a gaming handheld has gotten outfitted with Netflix streaming.

The app is free, but requires a Netflix streaming subscription to connect to. There's no log-in page when the application is launched; instead, you're given a code to activate on Netflix's Web site. For a kid-driven device like the 3DS, that type of clean connection method makes sense.

Even though Netflix doesn't support 3D content, the interface has a little gloss of 3D added to it: movie titles and text windows seem to float at slightly different depth layers on the top screen. Otherwise, the interface mirrors what you'd find the PS3/Wii versions of Netflix, but spread across two screens. Your instant queue and other recommendation lists show up in browsable rows of movie thumbnails on the 3DS' lower screen. Considering the screen resolution, the whole affair looks surprisingly crisp. … Read more

Netflix arrives on Nintendo 3DS

Netflix streaming has made its way to the Nintendo 3DS.

Owners of the portable game player can now head over to the Nintendo eShop and download the streaming application for free. According to Nintendo, Netflix content can be viewed only on the 3DS' upper screen.

Netflix's launch on the 3DS comes at a difficult time for Nintendo's portable. The device, which allows users to play 3D games without the need for special glasses, hasn't been selling as well as Nintendo had hoped. During a financial results briefing in April, Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata acknowledged his company's … Read more

Nintendo: We won't develop for smartphones

Nintendo says that it has no plans to develop for mobile platforms, including Apple's iOS or Android, the company told Bloomberg in a phone conversation today.

Nintendo's Yasuhiro Minagawa told Bloomberg that its long-standing strategy of developing games only for its own hardware "hasn't changed and won't change."

Prior to Minagawa's comments, Nintendo's shares were on the rise due to speculation that the company might follow Pokemon and develop games for smartphones, since it's a minority stakeholder in that company. However, Nintendo told Bloomberg that Pokemon is an independent company, and … Read more