In an effort to boost sales of its new, struggling handheld, Nintendo announced early this morning that they will be cutting the price of the 3DS. But not by a little. This is a dramatic cut from $249.99 to $169.99. That’s a huge cut.

Since its launch, the 3DS has been struggling to get into the hands of gamers. The odd launch window, lack of titles and high price point made it very difficult for gammers to justify a purchase. It’s wasn’t until Ocarina of Time 3D that the handheld saw a significant sales boost. But that alone hasn’t been enough. Starting August 12th, Nintendo will be pushing the new price cut and releasing new AAA tittles in rapid succession (like StarFox 64 3D and Super Mario 3D) in order to keep the 3DS afloat.

But what about those that already bought the handheld? It’s only been a few months since the launch for such a drastic cut. Well, not to worry. Nintendo will be giving away 20 free e-Shop downloads to everyone that’s purchased a 3DS and logs into the e-Shop before August 12th. All those early adopters will receive 10 free NES Virtual Console games, including Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda before anyone else can purchase them, as well as 10 free GameBoy Advance Virtual Console games, including Yoshi’s Island, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and Metroid Fusion, that will not be offered to the general public.

Sources:

Nintendo Press Release | Official Nintendo 3DS Site