3DS Gets its First New Color: Flame Red, 10th August 2011 (1up.com)
It'll be available in the United States in less than a month.
The 3DS is already available at its new $169.99 price at some stores now, ahead of the official price cut on August 12. That means you can get the free 3DS Ambassador games without having to pay $249.99 for the system, which is a hell of a good deal if you're in the market for a 3DS. If those games don't interest you much, it might be in your best interest to wait a month, as Nintendo has announced plans to launch a new 3DS color in North America next month.
The new color, "Flame Red," will become available on September 9, the same day Star Fox 64 3D comes out in the United States. The existing Cosmo Black and Aqua Blue colors will continue to be sold alongside the red system.
Besides the obligatory comment from Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime talking about how great the system is, today's announcement is littered with comments from people outside the company talking it up, including reps from Ubisoft, GameStop, and Target.
"GameStop customers were excited about the Nintendo 3DS launch, and this lower price point should spark additional demand," said GameStop President Tony Bartel. "With a solid back-half game lineup, the Nintendo 3DS price drop is well timed to drive consumer interest and purchases through the holiday season."
Target's Nik Nayar agreed with the sentiment, and Ubisoft's Laurent Detoc reiterated the publisher's support for 3DS, having already released eight games for it so far with another eight expected to be out by the end of the year.
It's also noted that the 3DS has sold over 830,000 systems in the U.S. since launch, which is obviously nowhere near as many as Nintendo had hoped for. The combination of the price cut and the upcoming holiday shopping season could very well turn that around.