During the Nintendo 3DS Conference in Japan on Tuesday, Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata discussed the company’s plans to boost interest in its 3D portable gaming console. Nintendo will add the ability to record 3D video on the device, which is currently only capable of snapping 3D photos, and will sell a new joystick add-on. Nintendo will also launch a pink 3DS in October in an effort to attract female gamers. But those new options as well as 43 new games, including Super Mario 3D Land, will not be enough to help the company meet its sales expectations according to analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The analysts collectively estimated that Nintendo may miss its goal 16 million 3DS units sold goal by about 16%. Read on for more.
Reportedly, Nintendo may sell 2.5 million units by March 31st, which marks the halfway point for the company’s fiscal year. Those sales may have been spurred by Nintendo’s decision to drop the price of the console to $179, which consequently resulted in a 260% increase in sales. “[Nintendo] can’t compete with free or $0.99 downloads,” Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said, comparing the system to the iPhone, iPad and iPod. Pachter estimates Nintendo will sell 10 million units for the fiscal year. “Nintendo should consider embracing social networks, even though it’s going to be a latecomer,” Daiwa SB Investments portfolio manager Koichi Ogawa told Bloomberg. “Even with the price cut, it’s hard to lure consumers as various platforms including the iPhone and iPad are available now. Those people wont use 3DS to play cards or mah-jongg.”
