The rift highlights the dilemma President Satoru Iwata faces as consumers shun Nintendo devices to play games on iPhones, iPads and Facebook Inc.’s website. The flop of the 3DS debut prompted the company to slash prices 40 percent in Japan starting today, the first time the games developer has resorted to such a move within six months of a product’s debut.
Mobile gaming on non-traditional devices such as the iPhone and iPad has seen tremendous growth in recent years, displacing traditional portable game systems such as the Nintendo 3DS and Playstation PSP.