Mess with Nintendo

In case you haven't heard by now, the Big N has been bleeding money this year and in a desperate attempt to increase sales has decided on an early price-drop on the 3DS. The price drops from $250 to $170 on August 12, 2011. However, to appease the faithful, if you had your 3DS before that date (ie: your e-shop login has been active on or before the 11th), then Nintendo is offering you 20 free game downloads...

Here's the deal though. Some retailers have jumped the gun. I got my own 3DS this weekend at Costo (in Canada) for only $170. Or you could also try taking advantage of price protection policies at Best Buy or Futureshop (assuming gaming hardware is covered; best you ask first). In fact, the last I checked, they were offering a "free" accessory bundle with purchase of a 3DS).

So anyway, now we'll see when the e-shop updates on Thursday about whether those free downloads are worth the fuss.