14 DAY TRIAL // The president of gaming company Nintendo has suggested that prices for Nintendo 3DS video games, which will arrive alongside the handheld in February 22, 2011 in Japan and in about one month in the rest of the world, will not be higher than those currently seen on titles for the DS family of hardware.
Talking to investors during a Question and Answers session Satoru Iwata, who is the president of Nintendo, said, “We don't believe that the world is in a state where high priced software will sell well, so we don't believe it will be in a price range too far off from current DS software.”
High profile Nintendo made DS video games are selling for 34.99 dollars but are sometimes heavily discounted by retailers.
Other titles are selling for prices that range from 20 to 30 dollars in North America.
On the stronger Japanese handheld market the same titles can sell for about 5,000 or 6,000 Yen, which is roughly equivalent to between 60 and 70 dollars.
Satoru Iwata acknowledged the fact that developers might need to spend more money initially to create video games for the Nintendo 3DS but he believes that those costs cannot be passed on to consumers.
Iwata has also recently commented on the issue of piracy on the Nintendo 3DS, saying that his company might allow the device to download and apply updates without the notification of the user, when the device is in sleep mode but close to a Wi Fi connection.
A drop in piracy rates for the Nintendo handhelds might mean that developers and publishers get more money from sales and can absorb the increased costs associated with 3D game development.
The Nintendo 3DS could be a revolution in gaming when it arrives in early 2011, allowing players to experience full three dimensional experiences without the need to use any glasses.
A new Zelda, Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil are planned for the new platform.