Survey: Third Of Japanese 3DS Owners 'Regret' Purchase In Light Of Price Drop

A survey of Japanese gamers has found that nearly a third of Nintendo 3DS owners regret buying the handheld console in light of the upcoming price drop. Nintendo revealed last week that it will slash the price of the handheld console from its current suggested retail price of ¥25,000 in Japan to ¥15,000 ($249.99 to $169.99 in the U.S.) on August 12. Those consumers who purchase the console before that date are classed as 'Nintendo Ambassadors', and will receive 20 free GBA and NES games for buying early. In the poll of 6,500 respondents carried out by Japanese games site 4Gamer, and as translated by journalist Daniel Feit, over 30 percent of the gamers surveyed who had already bought the console said that they felt "anger or regret" about the price drop, and that the free games did little to keep them content. Overall, 49.4 percent of 3DS owners surveyed said that the current available games for the console were not adequate, and they felt "disappointed" with the system, even with the knowledge of future titles. In fact, 45.7 percent said that they were either not planning, or on the fence about buying upcoming titles Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. Concerning those who do not own a 3DS, just 5.4 percent said they were planning to buy one after the price drop. Of those who were not planning on buying a 3DS, 42.1 percent blamed it on the games currently available, while 15.3 percent said they will never buy one. Of these people, 65.2 percent said they were "probably" planning on buying a PlayStation Vita when it is launches later this year.