Nintendo: 3DS launch faltered due to lack of software strength

by Steven Mostyn - Aug 11 2011, 16:35

As Nintendo continues to push the profile of its 3DS handheld console, the boss of its American division has conceded that the platform may have faired better with consumers had it been supported by stronger launch software.

“We needed to have key franchises and stronger first-party titles,” Reggie Fils-Aime admitted during an interview with USA Today.

He also added that sales of 3DS hardware would probably have gathered more traction had Nintendo’s online eShop not suffered launch delays.

“As a result, that created a situation where the momentum wasn’t sustained,” he said. “And that’s why we have now had to go back and reduce the price and reduce the price by a large amount.”

Fils-Aime’s comments come the day before Nintendo officially rolls out a significant price cut in the UK (down as low as 115GBP from 185GBP), and two days before it similarly slashes pricing in the United States.

Some of the ‘better late than never’ first-party games currently looming large on the horizon for 3DS owners include the likes of Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land and Pokemon Rumble Blast.

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