14 DAY TRIAL // The president of Nintendo has defended the 25,000 Yen price point which the mobile gaming console will sell for once it launches on the Japanese market on February 26, 2011, but has not added any details related to the price for the device in North America and in Europe.
The defense comes after analysts and gamers alike questioned the wisdom of launch a mobile device, albeit one which can offer full three dimensional gaming without the use of any glasses, which, at the equivalent of 300 dollars, will be priced higher than the Nintendo Wii home console.
On the official Nintendo website Satoru Iwata, the president of the company, responded by stating, “Portable video game machines integrate both a gaming device and a screen. You do not need any other hardware devices to be connected in order for you to play with it”.
He added, “While it is always better for the price to be as accessible as possible, in terms of its cost, and in order to make a healthy and sustainable business for both the hardware and the software, and given the positive reactions since E3, which give us the indication on how the public are likely to appreciate the value of Nintendo 3DS if they can have hands-on experiences and, above all, by taking other factors into careful consideration, we have concluded that we should propose this price point to our consumers.”
Iwata also mentioned that the price point was established after Nintendo saw the very positive reception which the 3DS received when it was officially shown off in full for the first time at the E3 trade show.
The president of Nintendo has previously mentioned that video games launched for the 3DS will not cost more than those for the current generation of Nintendo handhelds, even if development costs might be higher.
The Nintendo 3DS does not yet have official dates or prices for Europe and North America.