Nintendo Reveals US 3DS Pricing and Release Date

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
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Nintendo Reveals US 3DS Pricing and Release Date

The 3DS really is coming in March, but thankfully won't cost you three hundred bucks.

After much anticipation, Nintendo has announced the price of its latest handheld gaming device, as well as when it will hit shelves in the US. Nintendo revealed how much the 3DS would cost in Japan back in September, but had said nothing about Western pricing until now.

The 3DS costs ¥25,000 in Japan, or $298, leading to concerns that the price might be rather steep. Fortunately, any fears that that the 3DS might cost nearly $300 can be set aside, as Nintendo says that the device will only set you back $250, which is the same as the Wii when it launched. The 3DS will launch in the US a month after its Japanese release, on March 27th.

Besides the price and release date, Nintendo also revealed lots of other details about the handheld. The happiest news is that Nintendo has vastly simplified the friend code system for the 3DS. Rather than have a different code for every game, as it was on the DS, each 3DS unit would have a single friend code for use across all games. What's more, if you and a friend connect your devices via local wireless, the systems automatically share friend codes, without you having to do a thing. Other features include an enhanced internet browser, cameras, and a pedometer.

The handheld will arrive in the UK a couple of days ahead of the US release on March 25th, but the official price is yet to be revealed. Retailers are setting placeholder prices, but these vary wildly from £170 all the way up to £230.

Source: Twitter [http://twitter.com/#!/NintendoAmerica]



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The Cheezy One

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Dec 13, 2008
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Thats less than I'd thought it would be! Might actually consider getting it! I'd still have to see it in action, because if the 3D isn't very good, I would just end up having a Nintendo 64 (Best console ever!) crossed with a DS.
 

lumenadducere

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May 19, 2008
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Well, that's fairly good news, I guess. $250 still seems a bit steep though. But I'm going to wait until the next version comes out anyways, as subsequent versions of Nintendo handhelds are usually superior in almost every way.
 

Eri

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Feb 21, 2009
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I swear this thread wasn't here when I posted mine, but it says 21 minutes ago? o_O;

OT:personally I'm not all that amused paying console price for a handheld, though I'm sure that won't stop many people.
 

Wakefield

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That's a relief, but that's still a little bit more then I can afford for a while. So I'll guess I'll just admire it from afar and be sad I'm poor.
 

JoJo

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Seems like a reasonable price, although I'll probably be waiting a few months until my birthday anyway so it might drop by then.
 

ultimasupersaiyan

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That sounds good but, is it region free? I must know! As an Australian I miss out on 50% of games released and not being able to import JRPGs for it will piss me off and I'll have to import the damn 3DS if that's the case and buy one of those plug coverters on top of it.
 

Worgen

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Whatever, just wash your hands.
still a bit pricey but at least its not stupid pricey
Im still curious about how much games will cost, Ive heard everything from them being only 10 bucks more then ds games to being 50 bucks a pop
 

GonzoGamer

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lumenadducere said:
Well, that's fairly good news, I guess. $250 still seems a bit steep though. But I'm going to wait until the next version comes out anyways, as subsequent versions of Nintendo handhelds are usually superior in almost every way.
Exactly what I was going to say.

At that price, I'm surprised that they're not making these handhelds double as phones. I dig nintendo hardware but I know that they're going to make a new & improved on in another year or two and I would regret buying the original. I'll wait for that.
 

KEM10

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I wonder how fast this will drop in price. The key to Nintendo's success was their affordability, $250 for a handheld is not in their classic business model.
 

TheGuy(wantstobe)

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Worgen said:
still a bit pricey but at least its not stupid pricey
Im still curious about how much games will cost, Ive heard everything from them being only 10 bucks more then ds games to being 50 bucks a pop
Amazon.com has them listed at $39.99 each
 

GeorgW

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Aug 27, 2010
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Finally, about damn time!
I'm still gonna wait for better games and a good bundle.
 

Worgen

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Whatever, just wash your hands.
TheGuy(wantstobe) said:
Worgen said:
still a bit pricey but at least its not stupid pricey
Im still curious about how much games will cost, Ive heard everything from them being only 10 bucks more then ds games to being 50 bucks a pop
Amazon.com has them listed at $39.99 each
well thats not so bad I guess, kind of on par with the psp, chances are the games will range from 30-40 at launch, assuming that is a real price and not just a guess
 

TheGuy(wantstobe)

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Worgen said:
TheGuy(wantstobe) said:
Worgen said:
still a bit pricey but at least its not stupid pricey
Im still curious about how much games will cost, Ive heard everything from them being only 10 bucks more then ds games to being 50 bucks a pop
Amazon.com has them listed at $39.99 each
well thats not so bad I guess, kind of on par with the psp, chances are the games will range from 30-40 at launch, assuming that is a real price and not just a guess
UK prices are the same (£40) so we're paying around $64. It's so unfair haha
 

Alexander Pierre

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Apr 2, 2010
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Good they care about the American market tho I bet they'll just scam the Europeans out of money again and change that magical dollar sign into an Euro sign.
 

Gigaguy64

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Apr 22, 2009
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Sweet.
The simplified friend system is wonderful news.

Now here is to hoping that Starfox 64 and the new Metroid are launch titles.
 

OtherSideofSky

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That's better than I expected. I might actually pick one up at launch depending on what I hear from the Japanese release about its performance (although depending on how quickly people manage to find a way around the region lock, I may have to buy two of them and not have any money over the summer). I hope we don't get vastly worse colors than Japan for once. That blue they were showing off looks really nice.


Edit: Never mind. We're getting the nice blue but the launch titles all suck. With any luck I'll be in Japan for a year by the time anything I like comes out for it in this country. Might as well not bother and pick up whatever their first big revision will be instead.
 

mjc0961

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Nov 30, 2009
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Some good news in here. $250 is still better than $300, even if $250 is kinda high. And while friend codes are still a bad idea, having a universal 3DS friend code that works for all games is a step closer to just giving us all an account with an actual name on it.

I hope we get some news about the battery life though.