As reported late last week, Walmart planned to get out ahead of the official 3DS price drop by knocking the price down today, August 9. Sure enough, a number of reports have confirmed that many Walmart stores are selling the handheld for the new price (or, even better, for $169.96).
This is significant not just because you can get a cheaper 3DS sooner than intended, but because it allows new buyers time to register to become a 3DS Ambassador. The Ambassador program is intended for people who purchased a 3DS at the original $249.99 price and entitles them to 20 free game downloads (10 NES games and 10 GBA games) as an apology of sorts. The only requirement to get the games is that you must have connected to the 3DS eShop by the end of August 11; buying a 3DS at Walmart now gives you an opportunity to upgrade the system’s firmware (the eShop doesn’t ship with the device) and get online to register.
Looking through the Cheap Ass Gamer forums, the majority of people who have tried to get the new price have succeeded. (The receipt picture above comes from CAG user africansk8er.) There are some who encountered the system still ringing up at the old price, so it might be best to call ahead before making the trip to your local store.
