Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo Wii-U's app store is expected to arrive in the second half of 2012 Reuters

Nintendo is dropping the price of its 3DS by $80 in hopes of gaining momentum for the slow-selling handheld device.

Nintendo says the price on the 3DS will drop from $249.99 to $169.99 beginning August 12.

"For anyone who was on the fence about buying a Nintendo 3DS, this is a huge motivation to buy now," said Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime in a statement.

Nintendo says 4.32 million 3DS handheld devices have been sold globally since the first was launched initially in Japan in February of this year. More than 800,000 of those units have been purchased in the United States.

Nintendo says the 3DS got a slow sales start since launching in March in the U.S.

With the price drop, Nintendo also seeks to satisfy customers who bought the product at a higher price previously with the price drop by offering 20 free down loadable games to "anyone who owns a Nintendo 3DS system and uses a wireless broadband Internet signal to connect to the Nintendo eShop at least once before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 11."

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