Metroid Database.com

Nintendo announced today that they will be globally cutting the price of the 3DS on August 11th in Japan, and August the 12th in Australia, Europe, & the US. It will be reduced to $169.99 in North America, AU$249.95 in Australia, and 15,000 yen in Japan. The official European pricing hasn't been released yet, but expect a similarly large reduction in price.

This aggressive price drop comes with the confirmation of holiday release time frames for 3DS titles such as Super Mario 3D Land arriving in Nov., and Mario Kart 7 in Dec. Furthermore, in a supportive and consolatory attempt to reach out to fans who may have already purchased a 3DS system, Nintendo announced an "Ambassador program," whereby any user who connects to the 3DS eShop before their region's price change date will be eligible to download 10 free NES Virtual Console titles. Beginning Sept. 1st, Ambassadors will apparently be able to download these titles in an early form before the full versions are released on the eShop, but they will also be able to freely update to the final version once they are released to the wider public.

Lastly, Nintendo is currently planning an exclusive offer for these Ambassadors, who will also be allowed to freely download 10 GBA games to their 3DS by the end of the year. Metroid Fusion is among the titles confirmed. While these titles could be offered to the public in the future, Nintendo isn't guaranteeing it, so this could be a limited time offer. We will continue to update you as we learn more details.

--Aurora Unit