Even before what can easily be considered the release of the year hit North American shelves, gaming critics bashed monolithic-developer Nintendo for placing a hefty price tag on their latest handheld.
At $250 each, the Nintendo 3DS costs the same as a new 4 gig Xbox 360 bundle. Last week, EuroGamer added potential insult to injury when they reported that the device itself cost less than half that to produce.
“According to a “preliminary estimate” handed to EuroGamer by David Carey, VP of technical intelligence for UBM TechInsights, the cost of the system’s raw materials comes in at $101 per unit (around £61.76). That equates to around a $15 (around £9.17) increase over the 3DS, which launched in 2009 for £149.
Compare that to the 3DS’s initial £230 asking price and you wouldn’t be blamed for smelling a rat.”
While EuroGamer do cite heavy research and development for the 3DS as a possible culprit, among others, for the high price, CHIPS retail CEO Don McCabe insisted to them that the device was in fact worth more than the asking price, and that asking for retailers to sell the 3DS for less than the suggested price would be a disservice to Nintendo itself.
“What happens is, your early adopters are going to buy the machine come hell or high water. It doesn’t matter whether it’s £200 or £230, they still would’ve bought it. But early adopters will not make the machine. It’s wave two and wave three that make the machine and the only way that’s going to happen is if people see it, feel it, touch it. 3D is very difficult to get across in a TV advert or in a newspaper. People need to experience it”.
Nintendo’s last game-play redefining hardware hopeful, the Wii, did not see a retail price break until nearly three years after release.
Guess the years of research didn’t cost Nintendo anything.
When you compare it to an Xbox 360, that does make the price seem a bit unreasonable.
I’ll admit, I think $250 is a bit expensive for the device. From the limited play time I had with one the other day, I really don’t think it should retail any higher than $200, and that’s pushing it.
Um ppl are forgetting that that’s the cost for the materials, they still need to do all kinda of more things before its complete and ready to be shipped and thn there goes another amount of money to pay, nintendo prob just making like 60$ a 3ds and then in the coming months it allows them to also lower the price, so how about thinking before you speak.
Also I forgot to mention that this is a BRAND new system so comparing it to the price of a system released 4-5 years ago is just plain stupid of course it migration be more expensive.