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Rumor: Walmart dropping 3DS price early

by Griffin McElroy on Aug 5th 2011 10:45AM

Though entirely unintentional, Nintendo offered 3DS comparison shoppers a pretty striking choice for their pending handheld purchase: Either pay the full $250 and get 20 free downloadable games, or grab the 3DS on August 12, after the price plummets to $170. Or, if Cheap Ass Gamer's unnamed source is on the level, you could just grab the free games and the discounted price by shopping at Walmart, which will purportedly drop the MSRP on the device on August 9, two days before the free game offer expires.

If Nintendo's offering free games as an act of contrition to early adopters, we wonder what it'll have to dish out if the full-price bonus is given to the partial-price crowd. We also wonder when this hypothetical chain of freebies will be broken! Probably when all Nintendo consoles are free, and come with twenty free games and, oh, here's some pie.

Source: Cheap Ass Gamer

Tags: 3ds, ds, nintendo, price-cut, walmart

Reader Comments (72)

It's good to be a smart consumer.

@ijustw1n

if you could have predicted this... then I say hello to you Dionne Warwick!

Theres a real scramble to the bottom at the moment. I can imagine this rumor to be... TRUE.

Good opportunity for getting free games then

@Reggie FilsAime

oh snap

@Reggie FilsAime You can do nothing.. walmart is entitled to any sales or promotions for any products it wants.

Actually, the 3DS is only 200 at Wal-Mart stores in Canada. Right now.

@Gibbeynator
yeah i actually took pictures of the price tags last week and sent it to joystiq through their tips email and they completely ignored it. $198 in canada right now

@Gibbeynator - And Best Buy & Future Shop as well.

@RobT

Joystiq doesnt care about canadians.

@Mcmax3000

and when the price drops hits you can get the extra $30 with their 14 day price guarantee.

@Gibbeynator

Derp.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/27/canada-3ds-50-off-at-future-shop-through-july/

Costco here in Canada has already dropped the price to $169.99. I saw it when I was there last weekend.

Not sure if that will be applicable in other regions as well.

@Mcmax3000 Went to Costco it's marked 179.99 but they still charging 249.99 saying that 179.99 price doesn't take effect till the 12th

I went to Best Buy to get a 3DS thinking I could just get the price match and get the difference back when the price drops so I could get the free games. I changed my mind because I wanted to pick up so other games to go along with it but the game selection was just too horrible. I know every console release has a horrible launch lineup but it was really horrible. I only wanted Zelda which I could just get for $10 on my Wii. I changed my mind and figured on waiting for the Vita.

Its a fairly narrow window, only a few days, but if you can make it work, go for it.

I picked my 3DS up at launch for $150 at Gamestop by trading in my DSi XL that I won as part of a Golden Sun: Dark Dawn contest. Can't wait for my games, hopefully it includes the original Golden Suns because, while I do still have their carts, my friend has my original launch DS now.

At risk of being "that guy," please don't shop at Walmart. They are seriously the worst.

@baby sea tuna

agreed.

@baby sea tuna
At the risk of being "that guy", why?

You want to throw some hate around? Throw it at banks and credit card companies.

@(Unverified) hey lets not leave out gas companies dammit.

@baby sea tuna

No, it is ok to shop there as long as they lose money.

Case in point, TRU was running a sale a few weeks ago on the Guitar Hero: WoR guitar bundle for $15. I price matched that Wal-Mart. I am damn sure they lost tons of cash on that deal.

@MrSmiley1 I'd rather just give someone else my money.

@Fire Walk With Me

Okay, except this article wasn't about Exxon or Bank of America dropping their 3DS prices, was it?

@baby sea tuna

Wait, what?

What did walmart do?

@Faenix

Aside from the deplorable way they treat their workers (especially women,) their suppliers, the environment, our government, and the towns they inhabit...nothing, I guess.

@baby sea tuna

No thanks. I like low prices.

Heading to Wal-Mart later to pick up some groceries.

Mmm, groceries.

@baby sea tuna There are no Walmarts within 30 miles of where I live

@MrSmiley1 lol Walmart just billbacks the vendor. They dont lose money on a sale. Ever.

I wish nintendo was in charge of price drops for the xbox.

@eat it if you havent bought it by this point why bother?

@Fire Walk With Me

because video games aren't perishable, and there are still a few that I would like to play. I just find it absurd that it's still $299 for the xbox with a hard drive.

wasn't that how much it cost when it was released 6 years ago?

@eat it
No HD was 300, the 20gig unit was 400. I got mine for 400 with a free $100 gift card shortly after gears came out.

Meanwhile you can get a used 20gig system from gamestop for 99

@SuperWoody64

yeah, I bought a used xbox when gears came out ...

I think it took Nintendo some hard lessons to fix a big mistake with the 3DS.

As a life-long fan (minus the Virtual Boy), I don't feel comfortable taking advantage of this situation.

@CaptainProtonX

"Taking advantage of this situation" is still supporting Nintendo. Unless of course you plan to wait and then pay full retail for the free games that you want.

you can get an x360 for like 100 dollars.

@psnshe69mee

how strong are the dollars in your country?

@eat it My first instinct was to flag him as a spammer, but he didn't include a link.

@Reggie FilsAime

Ughh.

Nah, I'm still going to continue my ongoing Walmart boycott.

@Faceless Troll

What'd walmart do?!

@Faenix Try reading the news sometime.

@Faceless Troll

Walmart's practices are the same as every corporation. It is the target for anti-corporate sentiment because it is the biggest but they all do it. If you look at how the 3DS and all game systems are created you really can't contribute to some kind of evil. if you want to stay "in the good", you should try growing a 3DS organically in your backyard.

@FriedConsole In other words you don't have the slightest idea how other businesses run themselves.

@Faceless Troll
LOL wah wah wah

I boycott loads of companies but if there's a steal to be had then steal it. If I'm guaranteed a working product then I don't care.

@Tihn I'd rather have my cake and eat it too. I can shop around for deals without giving money to companies I don't like.

@FriedConsole
I tired that but all i can seem to grow are virtual boys.

@(Unverified)

Or a chocolate bar for a dollar. Wait, what are we talking about?

Also, what the hell, Joystiq? I may just be oblivious but I think this is the first time I've seen those Deal and Rumor images. How do the new systems not have their own yet? :P

@Shockwave

When I was your age you could get a chocolate bar, a coke and a pack of smokes for a dollar!

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Breaking News

Rumor: Walmart dropping 3DS price early

Reader Comments (72)

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 10:47AM ijustw1n said

Posted: Aug 7th 2011 7:55PM tchuks said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 10:48AM Tihn said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 10:48AM butthurt fanboy said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 6:41PM scy1192 said

Posted: Aug 7th 2011 12:50PM Jaav said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 10:48AM Gibbeynator said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 10:52AM RobT said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 10:52AM Mcmax3000 said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:41AM Faenix said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:41AM Draco said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 12:29PM KyGuyTC7 said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 10:52AM Mcmax3000 said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 4:42PM Twiztdclwn4life said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 10:53AM FriedConsole said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 10:57AM Suichimo said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:03AM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:08AM eat it said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:25AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:29AM Fire Walk With Me said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:32AM MrSmiley1 said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:36AM Faceless Troll said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:36AM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:44AM Faenix said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 12:01PM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 12:15PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 12:23PM Vuvuzelas said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 2:41PM Fire Walk With Me said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:10AM eat it said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:30AM Fire Walk With Me said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 12:16PM eat it said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 1:09PM SuperWoody64 said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 1:57PM eat it said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:11AM CaptainProtonX said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:26AM aaronharmon said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:12AM psnshe69mee said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:22AM eat it said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:37AM Faceless Troll said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:20AM Shockwave said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:21AM Faceless Troll said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:50AM Faenix said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 12:03PM Faceless Troll said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 12:30PM FriedConsole said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 12:38PM Faceless Troll said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 2:00PM Tihn said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 2:24PM Faceless Troll said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 7:49PM Special Agent Bob said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:23AM Shockwave said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:31AM Suichimo said

Posted: Aug 5th 2011 11:40AM Draco said

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