PixlBit

Amen to that. Eff the eco boxes, they are only benefitting the publishers.

You'd be surprised how often the codes aren't redeemed in used games. Not saying it's a definite, but based on the quality of the box and the inserts you can usually make an educated guess on when a code hasn't been touched.

I don't have time right now to reply to all of this. I will quickly state that I never felt I was owed anything for the price drop. I understand why Nintendo dropped the price of the system, but the crux of the problem is that Nintendo publicly stated their intentions of scalping the consumer.

In any event, it's not just one thing individually. Essentially the entire culmination of the situation from the rushed release of the system, to the crappy launch line up, to the knowingly overpriced hardware, to the poor release schedule (up until recently), all paint a picture of a really mismanaged product. I understand the intention of the Ambassador program, and while I think it's easy to praise Nintendo for doing it, I don't think that it makes up for the disaster the 3DS has been up until now. Nintendo gave us an unfinished product and then cut the price when they actually had the thing fully implemented. You can give me whatever you want, but it doesn't make up for what I consider gross mistreatment of your customers. I think it stings that much worse because this is not the way Nintendo has operated in any recent memory. Maybe back in the NES days, but not in the modern landscape.

As for Twisted Metal - while I may have missed the limited run stuff, I can almost promise you'll be able to find games in that run on store shelves after price drops happen. But all of that is irrelevant - it's something that's known up front, so you as a consumer can make an informed decision on whether or not that bonus is worth adopting early. If I were to get the game anyway, I think it's a neat bonus. My excitement is mostly derived from the fact that when I invariably find the game on the used game rack or in the bargain bin, there's a good chance I'll be getting an extra free game without needing to adopt early. That's the Cheap Ass Gamer in me.

If anyone is interested, a wrote up a quick blog on the bills and the blackout in particular.

I don't know if it was originally, but it is on the iPhone/iPad. As you mention, it's better suited for that platform and for that audience.

To an extent, I think I see your point, but at the same time I feel like buying a system is like signing an invisible contract. Historically, it's a couple years (or more) before a price drop happens. So part of that investment is an assumption that you're willing to pay more if your alternative is waiting years before you can get it at a cheaper price.

Typically, most hardware manufacturers have lived by this contract, but Nintendo threw it out the window. While I totally agree that the consumer made a conscious decision to purchase at full retail price, they may have done it on the pretense that they were adopting early to avoid waiting years to play new games. 

I understand your point, but I actually bought a 3DS for the site. I didn't feel the price was fair, just that it was a necessary expense. Had I not been running this site, I would not have bought the 3DS at launch. I probably still wouldn't have one at this point. I'm a very frugal gamer and though my game collection is enormous, I rarely pay much (less than 5-10 dollars) for anything I buy.

Under any other circumstances, I'd agree with your viewpoint, but I think this is a special case.

Also, I don't think Nintendo had to do anything and quite frankly, I don't care that they did. It changes absolutely nothing for me as a consumer and I would've harbored the same frustration no matter their actions with such a drastic price cut.

Yeah, I don't understand this limit either. It's such a short demo (though a good one), there's no reason to impose any limitation. While no one will likely exceed the limit found here, at face value, it's just a negative thing to see.

Hearing about the 3 use limit is insane - that's a bad idea no matter how you slice it. If you ask me they are defeating the whole purpose behind a demo.

Just to put a final note on this whole 3DS Ambassador thing - it's just bad business. Nintendo tried to scalp their customers on price and did. Then shortly thereafter when people didn't adopt the system they cut the price to avoid digging themselves a hole. My whole point is that the Ambassador games come at no cost to Nintendo and it's a weasel way to "show they're sorry."

I just want it to be known that just because you dropped 20 games on me, it doesn't make up for the price drop. Rather than encourage this behavior, I want it to be known that they should put some serious thought into what they price their system and not be greedy. I also want Nintendo to know that they've hurt my consumer confidence and I won't be as quick to adopt new systems in the future.

I think that too many people are giving Nintendo a pass on the 3DS price drop because of the Ambassador program and that's crap. Sure, games drop in price - and any smart consumers know that if you are patient and wait a month, you'll get a price drop. This was an unprecedented move in hardward, especially for a company like Nintendo, and I feel as if I was swindled. I felt similarly when Dead Rising came out (my first $60 game purchase) and it so quickly dropped in price.

This industry is bad enough about pricing products to meet consumer demand and I refuse to give Nintendo any credit for their actions. In the case of Twisted Metal, I was unaware that it was only in first run copies. My plan was predicated on the fact that I would be picking the game up at a later date with the bonus. If that's not the case, then I agree, the bonus is a bit lame and is more of a bait to spend more money on the game up front. Chances are you'll be able to buy Black on PSN at a later date for around $10, which means you could wait for a price drop, but Black on PSN, and still get everything for much cheaper than adopting on day one.

Part of what makes the whole Twisted Metal thing better is that you know the full scope of the situation up front. If I choose to adopt, I know the risk I take. If Nintendo told me on day one that a price drop was imminent and their way of making it up to me was 20 free games, I would've waited for the price drop (assuming I wasn't running a game site and had no obligation to buy the system). It's all about awareness in this case.

I'm excited to see what comes of this. Guess we'll know in about 7 hours...