Nintendo is officially dropping the Nintendo 3DS price tomorrow, but many retailers across the UK have gone early with mass price reductions.

Having sold just 700,000 units in the three months ending June 30. Nintendo was left with little choice but to take action and duly announced plans to slash the 3DS price by a third.

If you've always wanted a 3DS but have been holding out, now's your time to strike. But before you sprint to the nearest electronics store, you might fancy a look at who's selling it the cheapest.

Play's current cheapest offer is still a whopping £196.99, placing it marginally behind Zavvi's £196.85.

GameGears is offering a price of 194.99, followed closely by HMV, which currently has the 3DS at £189.99, the next cheapest being Dixons at £169.99.

GameStop started offering 3DS at under £135 earlier this week, and from tomorrow you're going to see some similarly competitive deals.

Game is offering bundles with Zelda: Ocarina of Time strapped to the console for £159.99 in store and £154.99 online with free delivery. The console alone is priced at 149.99.

Also coming down from the £190 region tomorrow is Gamestation. It brings the same deals to the table as Game with Zelda bundles at £159.99 in store and £154.99 online.

3DS consoles are listed on Amazon UK at £155.00. However, a source at the giant web retailer claimed that this figure may soon see a 25-30 percent reduction.

If you're really serious about finding the best bargain, you might want to check in-store at the following retailers. Seen advertised in papers today, Morrison's has cut the price to £120.00. You'd be forgiven for imagining it was an unbeatable price but, coming in at £115.00, Tesco currently has the lowest priced systems anywhere.

But wait, there's more. Curry's and PC World will price-match any of the above stores located within a 30 mile radius with a further 10 percent discount on top! That means that if there's a Tesco near your local Curry's - and let's face it, there probably is - you'll be able to pick up a 3DS console for just over £100.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...eres-cheapest/ ...

Nintendo's US downloads update list is in, and it's one for retro gamers this week.

Classic Super Nintendo platformer Super Adventure Island II has arrived on the Wii Virtual Console, while the 3DS Game Boy VC sees the arrival of Avenging Spirit, which tells the story of a ghost who can take control of other characters in an effort to save his kidnapped girlfriend.

Here's the full list:

Nintendo eShop and Nintendo DSiWare
Go! Go! Kokopolo - Take control of hyperactive wildcat Kokopolo in a fast, frantic, action-packed caper set across 80 stages of pure arcade mayhem. Hunt down those responsible for disturbing your afternoon slumber. (For Nintendo 3DS / Nintendo DSi)

Nintendo eShop
Avenging Spirit - This classic action game introduced a unique system for possessing and controlling other characters. Help a heroic ghost rescue his girlfriend from her kidnappers so he can finally rest in peace. (For Nintendo 3DS)

Nintendo Video
Next Level: Hugs! - Everyday activities are boring. Let us show you how to take it to the next level. This latest offering for the Nintendo Video service becomes available today at 3 p.m. Pacific time. (For Nintendo 3DS)

Glee 3D Trailer - A new offering from the Nintendo Video service invites viewers to experience the multi-generational musical fun of Glee in a whole new way. Check it out and embrace your inner Gleek. (For Nintendo 3DS)

Also new this week:

My Asian Farm (Nintendo eShop / Nintendo DSiWare)

Kyotokei (WiiWare)

Super Adventure Island II (Virtual Console for Wii)

Crazy Hamster (Nintendo eShop / Nintendo DSiWare)
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ndo-downloads/ ...

A friendly reminder to 3DS owners interested in the 20 free games included in the Ambassador programme, Nintendo's compensation to early adopters for the global price drop: you need to connect your 3DS to the eShop before 11.59pm CET tonight - 10.59pm UK time - to be eligible. There are ten NES games on offer, though the only ones confirmed so far are Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Jr, Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend Of Zelda. We know seven of the ten GBA games: Yoshi's Island, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Mario Vs Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros 3 and Kirby & The Amazing Mirror.

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/3ds-amb...xpires-tonight ...

In an industry obsessed with polygon counts and frame rates, Nintendo's Wii console and DS handheld were the proverbial knives at a gunfight. They were grossly underpowered compared to the competition, meaning Nintendo could sell them at a profit from day one. Their innovative control methods ensured they still sold like hotcakes. An animated GIF of Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata holding a DS that printed money became the go to picture to run alongside quarterly announcements of Nintendo's gargantuan profits. If a disheveled man emerged from a time-traveling Delorian with tales of a near-future Nintendo struggling to sell its latest handheld, I'd have been more surprised about the Nintendo thing. Sowhat on earth happened?

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/0...t-Its-Own-Game

...

UK retailers, lead by supermarkets, are to mirror the forthcoming official 3DS price cuts by slashing the price of the hardware, undercutting the predicted RRP of £140 which will come into force tomorrow.
Beginning tomorrow, Tesco will be retailing 3DS units at £115, with Morrison's selling at £120 and £25 for all games (via Eurogamer. GameStop are offering free delivery with a £135 3DS.
Nintendo announced the price cut last month, alongside disappointing financial results and low sales figures for the machine.
At the time of the cuts, Nintendo of Europe made clear that prices to UK retailers would be dropping, although it would be up to individual companies to decide how much of that saving was passed on to consumer.
"Nintendo of Europe will be reducing the European trade price of Nintendo 3DS to retailers by around a third from 12th August 2011, as part of a global trade price reduction initiative. "The ultimate price to consumers is, of course, determined by retailers, however we look forward to consumers benefiting from much lower retail prices very soon."
Early adopters of the hardware were 'compensated' by Nintendo with 20 free download games, old NES and GBA titles available from Nintendo's e-shop.
Following the announcement, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata issued a letter of apology to consumers via the Nintendo of Japan blog, having already accepted responsibility for the hardware's poor start and volunteering for a 50 per cent pay cut.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...3ds-price-cuts
...

Nintendo of America has reportedly confirmed US release dates for 3DS titles Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7.
The games will launch on November 13 and December 4 respectively, according to MTV Multiplayer, while Pokemon Rumble Blast will hit the portable on October 24.

We've sent Nintendo a mail to see if we can get some UK release dates.

If you haven't already, check out CVG's latestSuper Mario 3D Land preview, and our most recent Mario Kart 7 preview.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/314947/super-mario-3d-land-mario-kart-7-release-dates-revealed/ ...

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has admitted that 3DS needed better first-party games at launch, and that the delayed release of the eShop was also a mistake.

"We needed to have key franchises and stronger first-party titles," he told USA Today. He reiterated the firm's high expectations for Pokémon Rumble Blast, Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land, but admitted: "Certainly, we needed to have stronger support at the launch from a first-party perspective and maybe have some of these key first-party titles earlier in the launch window in order to get the system selling stronger at the start and, ongoing, drive momentum."

He said the delayed release of the online eShop also contributed to the 3DS' early-life stumble. "We've seen very positive reaction to the digital offerings but it needed to be much sooner in the launch window. As a result that created a situation where the momentum wasn't sustained. And that's why we have now had to go back and reduce the price and reduce the price by a large amount in order to make sure we have stronger momentum beginning on Friday and powering through," said Fils-Aime.

"It's a situation where we weren't able to sustain those first few strong positive weeks. This is a momentum business and when you don't have the momentum it creates a tough situation whether it's with retailers or with third-party publishers who become a bit more reluctant to support a platform."

In response to disappointing sales, 3DS' RRP will officially drop from $249 to $169.99 in the US on August 12. A cut to the European trade price will come on the same day, but GameStop UK is already offering Nintendo's portable for just £134.97 with free shipping.

Nintendo today confirmed US release dates for its two big-hitters: Super Mario 3D Land will arrive first on November 13, followed by Mario Kart 7 on December 4.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...mits-nintendo/ ...

Target has dropped the price of the Nintendo 3DS to $170, a response likely initiated by yesterday's opening shot from Walmart. A Target employee tells Joystiq, "There is a message board out to every store that the price changes are active today. Price changes must be activated by corporate."

Officially, the Nintendo 3DS drop is to occur on August 12, reducing the current $250 asking price by thirty percent. Nintendo still has its early adopter bonus going until August 11, meaning if you grab one of these reduced 3DS units, you're still good to get the 20 free downloadable games once you register.

Now, we wait and see if every other retailer jumps into the price cut pool before Walmart and Target siphon all the sales.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/10/ta...those-20-free/

...

The European 3DS price cut doesn't come into effect until Friday, but Gamestop.co.uk has already cut the price of the handheld to £134.97. This is a significant discount, and our first indication of the likely price of a UK 3DS after the price drop - there's no official RRP for the system, with Nintendo instead fixing a trade price, with the cost at tills up to retailers. Those thinking this might be a low-cost route to both a 3DS and the 20 classic games on offer through the Ambassador programme, however, should bear in mind that they have to connect to the eShop before 11pm tomorrow to qualify for the offer

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/gamesto...t-uk-3ds-price ...