When pre-orders kicked off for the 3DS last month, gamers lined up early in the morning to ensure that they could get the portable. At one store in Osaka alone, over 600 hundred people lined up! And this was during a weekday. And for a pre-order. And it was cold.
Yet, Toshiba’s glasses-free television is getting the icy shoulder from the Japanese public, which seems so keen on the 3DS. Toshiba sold half of what it intended during the first month that its glasses-free sets were on store shelves, reports Bloomberg.
Toshiba is offering a 20-inch glasses-free 3D set for ¥240,000 ($2900) and a cheaper 12-inch model. That right there is the problem: small sets at high prices. But Toshiba isn’t alone with its struggles with 3D. Sony, a company bullish on 3D, is also experiencing lower sales than expected for its 3D sets, which do require glasses. Ditto for Samsung, who called the demand “relatively weak”.
Demand for the 3DS, on the other hand, seems to be anything but. So it doesn’t seem to the 3D that’s turning them off. Then again, if you stamped “Nintendo” on a bag of moldy tangerines, people would buy it.
Still, the 3DS is going to be the first mass market glasses-free 3D product. If it succeeds and if everyone doesn’t get headachey, 3D will succeed in the short term. Everyone’s counting on you, Nintendo 3DS, don’t make us barf!
Toshiba’s glasses-free 3-D TVs flop [The Japan Times]
Aliasalpha
Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 11:00 AMAside from it just being nintendo, its also the only device capable of playing the compatible games so the 3d may well play no part at all in the purchase decision
weresmurf
Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 11:50 AMWho the hell would want a 12 or 20 inch tv at that price 3d or not??? Make it 37 – 42″ and they’d move.
Julzz
Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 11:56 AMI have a 3d tv. And to be honest ive only used the 3d once. It did not have much of an effect and i felt like a bit of a tool wearing massive black glasses around my family. If it wernt for the millions of $$$ that companys are putting behind the marketing and trying to force 3d into the mainstream i doubt many if any people would buy the tvs. It is just a very stubborn and well funded fad!!
Travis
Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 11:59 AMWait, wait – Nintendo is releasing bags of moldy tangerines?! Where can I pre-order?!
James
Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 5:04 PMIs it possible that 3D isn’t the only reason that people want to buy the 3DS?
Random
Monday, February 7, 2011 at 1:00 AMin other words, no-one gives a flying f**k about 3D, people just want a remake of Ocarina…