Different pricing doesn’t make sense, according to the Japanese company

May 3, 2012 19:51 GMT  ·  By

Nintendo has talked a bit more about its new digital distribution strategy that sees retail 3DS games get downloadable versions in the platform’s eShop, saying that prices for both downloadable and retail games would be the same.

Nintendo, as opposed to rivals like Microsoft or Sony, hasn’t embraced the practice of offering digital versions of full-fledged retail games, instead opting to release just smaller, downloadable experience through services like the WiiWare on the Wii, DSiWare, on the DSi, or the eShop, on the 3DS.

Starting in August, however, with the launch of New Super Mario Bros. 2, the company will start selling retail games digitally via the eShop.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has talked about the pricing structure and said that digital games would cost the same as their retail counterparts.

"We do not hold such a premise that digitally distributed software has less value [than packaged versions]," said Iwata, who believes that consumers will “find the value in being able to store a number of software titles in a hardware system and being able to bring them” wherever they go.

This decision also serves to satisfy some of its partners, who believe that digital games shouldn’t be priced lower than retail copies.

“As we have discussed this with a number of software publishers around the world, we have found that their opinions are completely divided on the topic of the price points of the digital distribution of packaged software. Some publishers believe that the digital versions should be cheaper while others insist that both versions must be set at exactly the same price," he added, via CVG.

Nintendo’s policy is different than Sony's, who’s now offering downloadable games for its PlayStation Vita handheld platform at a lower price than the retail versions.

Do you believe Nintendo should borrow Sony’s strategy or are you happy with paying the same amount of money?