Nintendo Bundles Top Titles With 3DS In Time For Holidays

Nintendo is hoping to boost its 3DS console sales during the all-important holiday shopping season by bundling its most popular games with the console. Starting on Thanksgiving day, November 24, the company will begin offering two new packages for the unit: one "Flame Red" system packaged with the recently-released Super Mario 3D Land, and another packaged with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. The latter package ties into the 25th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda franchise this year, and the unit will have special markings and embellishments reminiscent of the series. Both bundles carry an MSRP of $199.99, $30 more than the current price of the standalone unit. This holiday season may be one of the most important in company history, as Nintendo is projecting its first annual loss in 30 years of reporting its financials, due in part to the 3DS' slow start at the beginning of the year. Sales have begun to pick up, however, and the company currently projects that the 3DS is on track to beat first-year sales of its predecessor, the DS, which has sold 149 million units worldwide as of September 30.