Topic: No Standard New Nintendo 3DS for NA, why?

Besides the bundles, which both come with a white system, nintendo still doesn't even have plans to release the standard size n3ds in north america. They don't even offer a variety of bundles. Animal Crossing for the kids and Pokemon Red/Blue for the nostalgic. For people that want neither of those games, we're forced to buy them if we want the new system. It makes no sense. Why are you treating your north american customers with such contempt Nintendo?

Why not release a better variety of bundles? Ones with the black or other color system? Why not release the standard with a handful of face plates? Why not release the standard with a useful accessories pack (like a case and memory card)? All of these options would allow the price point of $200 to be maintained.

But no. For reasons completely beyond my and other fans' understanding, nintendo just does not. I can't imagine it's much else than contempt. Perhaps some sore feelings over nobody buying the Wii U.

Who knows? Just why, Nintendo? Why not?

Looks like you and I are of the same mind. I would be all over the cover plates.

The only reason that makes at least some sense (not that I'm agreeing with the logic) is because the XL/LL models have traditionally done better in other territories. It could be that NoA thought that they'd be a financial loss, so decided to not bother. Also, this is corporate America we're talking about.

Personally, I prefer the smaller models, as they're easier for me to carry around in my pockets. Some have complained about the smaller size bothering their hands after a while, but I've never had this problem.

Nobody's forcing you to play Animal Crossing or Pokemon Red and Blue with those bundles as you can just delete them from the SD card or ignore them entirely, and I doubt that NoA are charging anything more to include these games in their respective bundles. Don't like the faceplates? Swap them. The fact is that these models are going to sell poorly regardless, and I think that the currently available SKUs are more than adequate to cater to those that prefer the smaller N3DS model.

For example, the 2DS in Australia retails for AU$150. Now, when Nintendo issued bundles with X/Y/OR/AS, they retailed those bundles for $179.95, a $30 premium for including a bonus $60 game, however, the Red/Blue/Yellow variants of the 2DS retailed for the standard $150, which included one $13 game, plus stickers and a home menu theme. Hypothetically, even if I hated Pokemon but had to choose between a plain 2DS with no game and a bundled 2DS with a VC Pokemon game + extras for the same price, I would still buy the Pokemon bundle, just as I would have bought the Skylanders Wii U Basic model had I not already had a launch model, simply due to how ridiculously cheap it was for a while (around $180). And I have no interest in the Skylanders games whatsoever.

No business in their right mind would withhold a product In a display of mere "contempt". NoA is a significant market for Nintendo, and also a very large market that would be difficult to fully cater for. While Australia is a large territory, the market is small enough that Nintendo could feasibly sell every N3DS model and limited edition game that they ship here. If anything, the major retail chains are more likely to be the sources of "contempt" here, as they may not want to stock the smaller N3DS as they will be stuck with a niche SKU, and on top of that, they will need to allocate significant shelf space to display the many cover plates that will sell in even poorer quantities. This is in all likelihood a retail issue, and not necessarily one that Nintendo would have willingly made.

Tops, yes I know it might not be contempt but I have no idea what it could be if not.

Trinexx, I get that the XL was more popular in the US in particular and that was for two, maybe three reasons.

A) Given what Nintendo did with the DS, many people were willing to wait on the 3DS, especially since the DS had a ton of good games.

B) The original 3DS was pretty small and extremely ugly. I know that second point seems irrelevant, but please observe the obsession over limited editions and such as supporting evidence. The original 3DS was so incomprehensibly ugly, especially after the hideous original DS, that I personally refused to buy it on principle.

Now, the standard N3DS is larger than the original, and is a pretty good size for people with medium sized hands. I'm not going to list the pros and the cons of the standard vs. XL because it basically comes down to two things, face-plates and principle.

1) Face-plates are easy money for Nintendo. For practically no materials costs they can make an easy $10~30 each on the plates. It's a way better profit margin than games, and like other continuously useful accessories, they never have to drop the price. Anybody that buys the standard is more likely than not going to buy a few addition plates, getting Nintendo $160~$200 in sales per unit.

2) In principle, there's no reason to just completely ignore North America when sales for the original DS, DSL, and DSi were all very good. Many many people double and triple down on Nintendo, buying the new version of a handheld every time it comes out. I know it's anecdotal, but among my group of friends (all late 20s men and women), not a single one of them has any interest in the N3DS XL. Why? Because people want to be able to change face plates.

I think you missed the point of the OP. It's not that the games come with the system that's the problem, it's that you have to buy them and that they are ONLY available with a white system. I don't know where you get the thing about the face plates. Obviously we want to be able to swap face plates. I wouldn't care if they came with face plates with a print of Maury Povich's naked chest, I'd still be looking to buy some new ones. It's that they ONLY COME WITH A WHITE SYSTEM. How did you miss that part?

What's going to sell better?

a) A system alone in a variety of colors?

b) A system that comes with a game you may or not want in a color you may or may not want?

If you think a bundle or two is going to draw better sales than a system alone in a variety of colors, then you should phone up Konami because I know they like people who think way outside the box.

What you have to say about retail is so mind-boggling. You think the reg n3ds is too niche to release a system alone, but not too niche to release it with an even more niche bundle or two? And to also release the larger version, stand alone and with a few bundles? You think they don't want to make wall space for products that are new and more likely to sell than say, old version accessories?

I think you have to think on it a little more. This situation is totally bogus and Nintendo needs to quit screwing around and just release the standard n3ds.

I also mentioned retail space (there are dozens of faceplates that will also need to be displayed alongside the under-performing N3DS models), which you conveniently glossed over to "substantiate" your argument emotively, rather than rationally. I'm no businessman, but I understand the reasoning behind withholding a wide NA release of the regular N3DS, just as I understand that there are many games/products that never see the light of day in Australia due to the high costs of actually bringing them here given our small market of 23 million people spread across one of the largest land masses on Earth.

You have the option to buy a N3DS, so I fail to see what the problem is here. Frankly, your indignation concerning what is such a non-issue in the grand scheme of things (or in fact, ANY scheme of things) is what's mind-boggling. I didn't respond to tell you what you want to hear (which is probably more along the lines of "OMG! YES! Ur so rite! They should totes release the N3DS!"). You posed the question of "why" the Standard N3DS wasn't released in NA, and I answered you to the best of my knowledge.

Allow customers to buy specifically what they want?! How obscene! Doesn't matter that NA is more than 1/3 of Nintendo's business.

Let me give you an analogy to make it reasonably clear what the issue is:

You are a patron at a local pizza restaurant. You go there frequently, and are a reliable customer. Just like any customer, you can buy anything on the menu. One day, the owner tells you that you can only buy either thin crust pizza and it must come with pineapple and ham on it or you must buy a white pizza that must be topped with ricotta and also be accompanied by cream soda.

But you don't want a hawaiian or white pizza, nor cream soda (you hate cream soda), you just want a regular pizza. Or maybe one with sausage. Buy this stubborn owner is determined to make you buy pizza that way. Then you find out that he sells pizza to some other guy without limits. But you you are a loyal customer too? Why is the owner treating you this way? Or are you just indignant because you want specifically what you want for the money you lay down?

Does that make sense? It's not about demanding special treatment. Europe has the standard models as does Asia. Europe's market is much more like NA than it is Asia (ie, still sells home consoles while Japan is totally dominated by handhelds). So that leaves the question: Why Nintendo? Why?

Dark backgrounds make the image stand out more. Just consider how often you see a white tv or monitor (very rare). They're most commonly black, sometimes silver. (Even apple has a black frame on their otherwise aluminum casings).

Black is the new black.

I assume there's some kind of economic reason behind this decision. Regardless of the client's opinion, I assume that Nintendo's market analysis show that somehow, the New 3DS isn't expected to be a big seller in the US without a bundle.
But I don't think there is an emotional component here when taking the decision, it is just some analysis that Nintendo made that must make sense to them.

@tomberry666: Like I said, it wasn't logic that I agreed with, but was possibly some of what lead to NoA's puzzling decision to not release the standard model.

This story seems familiar somehow...Wait, I considered the same thing! XD

I just don't get it. If it figures to sell well in a bundle (neither of which offer any particular value) then it would certainly sell at least as well individually. You could sell the system without Animal Crossing, and guess what? People that want Animal Crossing could buy that too.

Or if it just HAS to be a bundle, at least have one bundle that's not white. It's just so unbelievable that they would think, "Yeah, nobody ever wants black electronics. That's why we don't sell black N3DS XLs, 3DS XLs, 3DSs, DS XLs, DSis, DS Lites, Wii Us, Wiis, Gamecubes, N64s, or any of the gameboys. That's also why no laptops, phones, tvs, microwaves, cars, or remote controlled helicopters come in black. Why would anybody want black electronics?"

Maybe NoA are some kind of closet white supremacists.

Wow, what a surprise, you can't find the standard size in bundles hardly anywhere. And definitely not the Pokemon one. I wonder if it's because the standard size is really popular.......

No, it can't be that. People must really want Animal Crossing for the 100th time, and a 20 year old Pokemon game that every phone emulator can run.

You're killing me Nintendo. This late in a system's life, you're usually releasing all kinds of special editions, colors, and such. But for us in NA? N/A.

I so want a standard N3DS, and when the Animal Crossing bundle was on sale at Walmart.com, I bought it. However, I did not like the faceplates that came with it. I looked at buying replacement plates, but the only plates I liked would have looked crappy with the white body (but would have looked great with a black body). I then tried to find some plain white faceplates online, but the only ones I could find would have been ridiculously expensive. I finally just gave up and returned it.

I hope, hope, hope someday they make a non-bundle standard N3DS available in NA, or make a black bundle available. I'd import from Europe, but then I would have to rebuy my games and I would not be able to rebuy Tetris, which I'll admit is my second most played game...

So I'll keep hoping.

Haha I know it's so ridiculous. I wish Sony was doing a better job in the handheld arena. This is what happens when Nintendo has no competition. They start to be terrible and there's nothing we can do about it. The funny thing too is that sales for the 3DS are down so badly. People buy new iterations of old devices, usually because they come in a huge variety. Not the case here on either counts.