We’re rapidly approaching the release of the Nintendo 3DS, and all sorts of things are being speculated right now. The latest concerns the price: what will it be? Nintendo has already said that it’ll launch on February 26, and that it will retail for JP¥25,000. That converts, at time of writing, to around $306. But will it actually be that expensive?
Pocket-lint wants to know, too. A UK retailer has slapped a £194.99 price tag on the system, but with a suggested retail price of £199.00. Given that UK folk typically have to pay much higher prices than others (the 120GB PS3 Slim can be had there for £259.99, or around $399, while the same thing can be found on the U.S. version of Amazon for $298), some have taken the £194.99 price tag to mean that the 3DS won’t be quite as expensive as once figured, if not feared.
Can Nintendo truly get away with charging, say, $300 here in the U.S. for the 3DS? Take your pick: a PS3 or a 3DS. I’d be shocked if it ends up retailing for more than $250 at launch. I think at $250 it’s pretty much an instant buy, because once you throw in the cost of a game—let’s assume for now that Ocarina of Time won’t be a pack-in—you’re looking at a $300 outlay.
The only thing I do know is that of all the fancy new toys that are expected to be released in 2011 I’m most looking forward to the 3DS. I have zero interest in any of the 8 million tablets that are coming out, and the Verizon iPhone is a big yawn—will it be so different that you’ll stop in your tracks, kicking up dust like in a Road Runner cartoon, and visit the VZW store in double-quick time? Nah.
Bring on Mario and Zelda in 3D, I say.