I still don't really understand the controversy of the AC adapter. Once again, consumers will be paying for the AC adapter one way or another. Nintendo even lowered the price of the AC adapter in Japan and they didn't have to do that so I can't see this being Nintendo pushing profit margins. They're not forcing consumers to buy something they might not need or want, even though the hardware requires it. This move is for people who might already have one. If the AC adapter was included in the box, Nintendo would just mark up the box slightly to compensate for it being there. It probably comes down to the same price, just in 2 separate boxes. I admit, it's a strange strategy especially since I personally don't really want or need the SD card and if I did, I probably wouldn't waste my time on 2GB-4GB, but that's all it is.
I felt duped and cheated with the DSi just like how Sega fans who bought the 32X and Sega CD must have felt years ago.
No disrespect but I don't see how you can rightly say this. First, it was your decision and yours alone. No one put a gun to your head. Second, you're an avid reader of videogame news sites and a long time member of a Nintendo message board. How did you get duped and/or cheated? You should have known exactly what it was and it's your fault if you didn't. Nintendo never once said or claimed that DSi was the successor to the the DS Lite or original model. I can understand buyer's remorse, but that's not Nintendo's fault. You weighed the pros and cons. The choice was ultimately yours. Being duped or cheated would be if you bought a DSi and opened the box and it was anything but a DSi inside. You bought a DSi and you got a DSi.
I avoided the scam of being overcharged $80 to be an early adopter, and unsurprisingly we now have a new and better 3DS revision.
If a marked up product is a scam, then EVERY product is a scam and you should just avoid buying things forever. Nintendo set a price. They didn't plan a price drop. They misjudged the market and paid dearly for it (as they should, that's how business works). Nintendo is still paying for that mistake. On top of that, they offered free games to early adopters and they didn't
have to. Those people already paid the price of entry. The Ambassador titles were simply an act of good will. I bought a Gamecube at launch, but I didn't get anything after Nintendo dropped the price 6-7 months later, nor did I expect to. I paid what I felt was a fair price. A scam requires an intent to deceive. "Here's the product and this is what it costs." What part of that is a deception? Marking the price up? That's not deceptive. They priced 3DS based on what they thought most people were willing to pay and they were wrong. Uh-oh, Spaghetti-O. They fucked up. It happens. That's not a scam. That's just fucking up. Every company has done that.
Also, better is a matter of perspective. A friend of mine really couldn't care less about the 3DS XL. He thinks it's too big and is worried about the larger screens will make the graphics fuzzy.