Nintendo 3DS Release Date and Priced

[Texar]

Nintendo just Announced the release dates for the New 3DS for Europe and the US.

US- Release Date 27th March 2011, Price $249.99
EU- Release Date 25th March 2011, Price 249€
UK- Release Date 25th March 2011, Price £220
JP- Release Date 26th February 2011, Price costs ¥25,000 (~£190)
AU- Release Date 28th March 2011, Price $349

What i want to know is what you guys think of the Pricing schemes. Im from the UK and find paying over £220 for a handheld is ridiculous considering US gamers get it for $250 which in todays exchange rates converts to roughly £160. Yet were paying over £60 more here. I'd like to hear from US buyers and EU buyers about Nintendo's blatant ripping off of European Gamers.

[koodledrum]

Good old exchange rates eh - this is where it's monumentally shit that Nintendo started region-locking the DS series, if they hadn't started with that i'd have one in a heartbeat, but i'm not willing to pay £220 for a handheld, 3D or not!

besides, i'm sceptical with 3D - its hit and miss to me

[reverendball]

Nintendo just Announced the release dates for the New 3DS for Europe and the US.

US- Release Date 27th March 2011, Price $249.99
EU- Release Date 25th March 2011, Price 249€
UK- Release Date 25th March 2011, Price £220
JP- Release Date 26th February 2011, Price costs ¥25,000 (~£190)
AU- Release Date 28th March 2011, Price $349

What i want to know is what you guys think of the Pricing schemes. Im from the UK and find paying over £220 for a handheld is ridiculous considering US gamers get it for $250 which in todays exchange rates converts to roughly £160. Yet were paying over £60 more here. I'd like to hear from US buyers and EU buyers about Nintendo's blatant ripping off of European Gamers.

am in the UK and i totally agree with you, but i think the poor aussies got screwed the worst
for a while this year the AU dollar was worth MORE than the US dollar
yet $100 more? REALLY?
(EDIT: more maths shows this is equal to the UK GBP imbalance XD)

now i know my maths isnt incredible, but im pretty sure on this
given the AUD = USD (almost dead even at present) yet prices are set at $349 AUD > $249 USD
O_o?
*scratches head*
...........
??????
PROFIT

[moaradin]

Not sure if its worth spending that much when a console is cheaper than that, plus if you needed a hand held, the psp 2 is coming out and sony is claiming that its just as powerful as the ps3. We'll have to wait and see

[koodledrum]

Not sure if its worth spending that much when a console is cheaper than that, plus if you needed a hand held, the psp 2 is coming out and sony is claiming that its just as powerful as the ps3. We'll have to wait and see

now see the problem i have with that is this, the PSP in itself was a bloody good machine, i could be wrong but it was as powerful if not more so than the DS - however it suffered massively due to lack of software (well, in the UK atleast). Sony didn't get the migration to handheld gaming right - everything that machine could do they managed to botch, we're talking a machine which could play movies, music & games at a time when iPod were still in infancy, that could and should have been the biggest thing since Ron Jeremy! I don't know why it didn't take off, the machine in itself was solid if not a little rough around the edges, lets not forget that the DS is a continuation of a series - albeit of a different name - which was fifteen years of continuous development by the time it was launched.

Who knows maybe Sony will get it right with PSP 2, but i don't see it happening, Nintendo are damn good at handheld gaming and know how to co-exist with the developers in order to maximise potential - i know it's as patronising as it gets but the Imagine *modifier* series, Nintendogs drew massive sales which shows they saw the market & drove for it. Now if anyone knows how to exploit markets it's Sony - they just need to learn how to translate their biggest fish in the pond skills to playin catchup!

[Marraphy]

I can't wait for the 3DS! Sooo many nostalgic games are coming out for it close to launch! Although I might wait until Paper Mario to be released before I buy the system - my budget only allows me the system and 1 game, and that's the game I want most. :]

[Deleted]

250$ is about 185,73€. We are all getting screwed.

[phuzi0n]

All 3D tech is just an excuse to charge 2x what the products are worth.

[Yizren]

to much. i still have the ORIGINAL DS and my left+right bumpers are broken. i haven't used it in years and is just a waste. all handhelds bring nothing to the table imo. Developers like Nintendo need to put there time where it can actually make them like they used to be.

[Imnick]

I will definitely get one eventually, but if we in the UK really are getting shafted by the price to this extent I may have to wait until it comes down.

[Agallochh]

My laptop is a much better handheld.

[Deleted]

So it's all 1$ = 1€ again, eh ?
Screw you Nintendo.

[jtgizmo]

Word of caution, dont buy it for your kids if you want their eye sight to be ruined.

[Imnick]

Word of caution, dont buy it for your kids if you want their eye sight to be ruined.

If I wanted to ruin my kids' eyesight I'd just have at their sockets with a rusted spoon, but it's good to know that I can buy this for my one remaining eye-having child without having their eyesight similarly stolen from them.

...
Or did you mean "Word of caution, dont buy it for your kids unless you want their eye sight to be ruined."?
In which case that only applies to very young children, according to the last article I read on this.

[Aurabolt]

I'm getting it but I'll wait until the holidays. Nintendo will have cut it to $200 or $150 by then. In selling it at the same price as the Wii when it first launched, they're expecting way too much from people at this point in the year. I bought the Wii at launch but that was because it was a console. I didn't buy the PSP when it was that price and won't buy the 3DS at that price either.

The DSi/XL isn't old enough to worry about them discontinuing it at least for the next two years. I can wait.

[jibbyjackjoe]

Any type of strain on the eyes for prolonged periods of time is bad. That should be common sense by now. It's a disclaimer: a CYA, if you will just in case lawsuit happy parents want to blame a company for a genetic defect their kids have.
I for one will not be getting this if it uses friend codes. Those are the worst. Mario kart 3d, pokémon 3d, starfox 3d, super smash on the 3ds: yes please!

[Vioarr]

Yep. Still incredibly expensive.

[Daladiesman]

A
I for one will not be getting this if it uses friend codes. Those are the worst. Mario kart 3d, pokémon 3d, starfox 3d, super smash on the 3ds: yes please!

heard you only have one friend code per 3ds now,instead of one per each game

[Aurabolt]

heard you only have one friend code per 3ds now,instead of one per each game

The Wii has both: A Friend Code for the Console in addition to Codes for the Games. If Nintendo does indeed do this, they're obliged to release patches for the Wii and DSi Systems to allow this as well. It's just common sense >.>;

[m4xc4v413r4]

Nintendo just Announced the release dates for the New 3DS for Europe and the US.

US- Release Date 27th March 2011, Price $249.99
EU- Release Date 25th March 2011, Price 249€
UK- Release Date 25th March 2011, Price £220
JP- Release Date 26th February 2011, Price costs ¥25,000 (~£190)
AU- Release Date 28th March 2011, Price $349

What i want to know is what you guys think of the Pricing schemes. Im from the UK and find paying over £220 for a handheld is ridiculous considering US gamers get it for $250 which in todays exchange rates converts to roughly £160. Yet were paying over £60 more here. I'd like to hear from US buyers and EU buyers about Nintendo's blatant ripping off of European Gamers.

These type of products always have $=€ prices.... what's the news there???

Is it right? Obviously not, but if we want to see things this way, it's not right every country in the Euro zone has the same prices, they all have totaly diferent incomes.
People in Germany earn more than twice what people in Portugal earn for example.... in Luxembourg is triple, and this is just talking about minimum wage, in average it's gets even higher.
So, is that right? Again, obviously not, but we don't live in a perfect world....

Not sure if its worth spending that much when a console is cheaper than that, plus if you needed a hand held, the psp 2 is coming out and sony is claiming that its just as powerful as the ps3. We'll have to wait and see

No, Sony never said the PSP2 was as powerful as the PS3... you're confusing Sony with fan sites and rumours.