Those are most certainly to be the words on everyone's lips come this time next year. Heck, I think we're halfway there as is. All anyone can talk about is the 3DS, and who can blame them? It really seems to be an all-round amazing handheld. Where does this leave the recently-released Nintendo DSi line of products, though?
In the dust, to put it bluntly. The 3DS is pretty much a 3D-enabled Gamecube in the palm of your hand, while the DSi is basically the same DS we played in 2004 but with cameras (Which the 3DS also has, one of which being equipped with two lenses for taking 3D pictures). In short, the 3DS is everything the DSi is, and more. The DSi's outlook isn't looking too bright.
I can think of one scenario in which the DSi will continue to succeed alongside the 3DS, but it isn't exactly a happy one. This scenario involves a wallet-strangling prospect: A cripplingly-expensive 3DS. A distressing possibility, the most distressing part being that it's even a possibility at all. The 3DS packs some serious firepower, and it can't be coming cheap. Unless Nintendo wants to sell this handheld at a loss (Something they have never done before), the 3DS is slated to be quite the expensive product. This could very well save the DSi. If they continue selling the DSi at the current price, or perhaps even lower it, it could stick around. The 3DS would be marketed as a "luxury" alternative and the two would live in harmony for a couple years or so.
...or they could sell the 3DS at a loss, make the ad campaign "3DS does was Nintendo(DSi)n't" and obliterate the older product's sales. It's up to Nintendo, I guess.
6 comments:
Oh gosh. I don't even want to think about how expensive it's going to be...
I wouldn't freak out. Nintendo has always kept their prices lower than competitors. According to GoNintendo, it's priced at $350 AU, which is about $300 USD. (Source: http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=127141), but that's an estimated price, and considering the Wii launched at $400 AU there, we can assume the 3DS will probably be in between $180 - $250 USD!
~Digital
Well said, Digital. Perhaps my wallet won't cry too much!
...the DSi might weep a little, though.
The Duck Has Spoken.
I've been reading a lot of reports on sites like IGN and Gamestop that this is expected to come in around $199 at this point. A few people have said that Nintendo doesn't want this thing costing more than their home console system. Nintendo has had some pretty smart pricing for awhile now, continually coming in lower than the competition. I don't think we'll be seeing it at much more than a PSP or as much as a PSP Go.
The odd thing is that Nintendo may be planning on the two coexisting for a while as several big DS games are set to be released near the beginning of next year. Since the 3DS is supposed to be out sometime before April 2011, I have to assume coexistence is the plan.
As far as price goes, I think they can't go low enough. Considering a DSi XL costs about $180, the 3DS could cost more, especially if it is offered as a luxury. If the 3DS is under $200, the DS line will have to receive a price cut to make things work.
lol, I agree. Years ago, it a game system would have been around for a long time. Now we have a a NEW hand held when most of the people I know still want a DSI! Weird.
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