260% JUMP IN NINTENDO 3DS SALES AFTER PRICE CUT

Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata said sales of the company’s Nintendo 3DS device in Europe and the United States were weaker than expected after the portable gaming console made its debut in April for $250. However, Nintendo dropped the price of the 3Ds to $179 after the company reported its first quarterly operating loss. The move quickly boosted sales in Japan and has reportedly resulted in a huge boost of sales in the United States, too. Nintendo sold 50,000 units between August 1st and August 12th before slashing the price of the console. The company then sold 185,000 more units during the rest of August after it reduced the price, a figure that’s up 260% from the same 19-day time period in July according to figures Nintendo quoted from the NPD Group. “Consumers are responding very positively to the new suggested retail price of $169.99 for the Nintendo 3DS,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With Star Fox 64 3D and the new Flame Red color launching [on September 9th], and Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 arriving later this year, Nintendo 3DS will offer consumers cutting-edge entertainment and tremendous value this holiday season.”

HP TOUCHPAD PRICES DROP SIGNIFICANTLY

In a memo sent to HP affiliates, the company issued the declaration to begin liquidating TouchPad inventories, with a price cut of $300 or more:

HP will be lowering the price of the TouchPad beginning Saturday 8/20/11. This is the lowest price ever for the TouchPad so please post it as soon as it goes live.

16GB TouchPad- $99; 32GB TouchPad - $149

The pricing may be set to go live tomorrow, but that hasn’t stopped some retailers. Best Buy Canada and Future Shop have already implemented the new pricing, and we expect others will follow through shortly.

RUMOR: NINTENDO CUTTING WII TO $150 ON MAY 15TH

Sources are stating that Nintendo is readying a price cut, to $150, to their popular Wii game console on May 15th. The timing would make some sense, given how Nintendo's profits have tanked for a while due to flagging hardware sales, and just last month Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime hinted that the Wii's price might be a potential variable to change that in an interview with Gamasutra.

LEAKED: T-MOBILE TAKES ANOTHER $50 OFF SAMSUNG'S GALAXY TABLET

With a slew of new tablets launching within the next few months T-Mobile has dropped the price of the soon to be outdated Samsung Galaxy tab another $50 to $250 according to TmoNews. This new price requires a 2-year commitment with the no contract price staying at $500.

Over 100 new tablets were introduced at CES this year and this is likely a move to help clear the existing stock to make room for new devices like the LG Slate. With the new devices most likely having high specs and most running Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the not even six month old Galaxy tab will look outdated and outclassed.

SPRINT LOWERS SAMSUNG GALAXY TABLET PRICE TO $299

Sprint on Wednesday lowered the price of the popular Samsung Galaxy Tab Android tablet to $299.99 with a new two-year contract or $499.99 with no contract. The new pricing represents a $100 reduction for both on-contract and contract-free purchases. It also lines up with Best Buy’s adjusted pricing for Sprint’s Galaxy Tab.

The Galaxy Tab was a big success for Samsung in 2010, having sold over 1 million units in less than two months of availability. The tablet features a 7-inch touchscreen display, dual cameras, video chat support and the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system. Sprint’s version of the Galaxy Tab is capable of connecting to its 3G network or any Wi-Fi network for data connectivity. 3G service for Sprint’s tablet costs either $29.99 per month for 2 GB of data, or $59.99 for 5 GB. [BGR]

AT&T SLASHES PRICE OF iPHONE 3GS

AT&T has slashed the price of the Apple iPhone 3GS to just $49, with a 2-year contract of course. This price is for NEW phones, not refurbished ones and starts tomorrow, Friday January 7th.

Is AT&T trying to lock as many people into a 2-year contract with low prices before Verizon gets its own iPhone?

AT&T CUTS iPHONE 4 PRICING

Didn’t get that iPhone 4 you were so hoping to receive for Christmas? AT&T Wireless is offering up some new pricing on refurbished iPhone 4 units, and it is pretty spectacular. AT&T has cut $50 off the price of the iPhone 4, making the total price with new two year activation just $99 for a 16GB unit. If you’re alright with taking one with a “cosmetic blemish,” you’ll be able to snag one for just $79. Again, these are refurbished units (usually returned or exchanged items that have been quality tested and then reboxed), but if you have been waiting for the right time to hop on the iPhone train, this is one of the best offers we have seen. Here is all the new pricing from AT&T:

• iPhone 4 16GB — $99
• iPhone 4 32GB — $199
• iPhone 4 16GB with cosmetic blemish — $79
• iPhone 4 32GB with cosmetic blemish — $179

Could this be a last ditch effort to get people to sign a two year agreement before Verizon launches their iPhone? [BGR]

NO Wii PRICE DECREASE

Nintendo CEO and president Satoru Iwata has dismissed any price cut for the Wii console.  He stated "we cannot say [a Wii price cut] will never happen, but we are not thinking of it for the near future."  For the same price as a Wii, gamers can also choose the Xbox 360.  While the new Crimson Bundle should help in the very short term, a price cut is what is really needed.

Of course the last time Iwata mentioned there would be no price decrease, we only had to wait 5 months for it. [Engadget]

RUMOR: HULU PLUS CUTTING PRICE

Hulu Plus was announced back in June with much promise and a $9.95/month price tag.  Now it is rumored that Hulu will be cutting that price almost in half to $4.95/month.  With the service still in private beta a price drop isn't that unusual, but it may signal an impeding launch.

Hulu Plus promises users the ability to stream full episodes all season long in addition to full series runs.  Content will be accessible from the computer, iPhone, iPad, some internet connected televisions, Blu-Ray players, PS3 and the Xbox 360. [Geek]