Topic: For the same title, are iphone apps less expensive than DSiWare games??

i can resell a cartridge if i don't like the game or don't plan on playing it again. can't do that with a downloadable game. also, having to switch out games to/from the SD card if i'm running low on system blocks is about as annoying as having to switch out cartridges IMO.

Yeah, and you could always find games really cheap through online deals on amazon and eBay. And if you don't like driving out to stores, you could always shop online. And I rather have a physical collection then digital, IMO.

EDIT:

Another point is that to get games on a system, you usually need to buy a dev kit for that and get an ESRB which could cost thousands of dollars. On the app store all you need is a Mac and a dev kit which is about $99. And take into consideration that most content on the app store is either a free demo, an app, or some crappy game. Not to mention that the actual good games have little to no replay value.

You can still put more content on a catridge than you can in a download, even on the iphone. Compare Mario Kart DS and any of the varied clones on offer for the iPhone/iTouch. There's just more there, and it's a better quality game (even if the graphics aren't as sharp). That's why the iTouch still can't compete with the DS in that arena. DS games are tiny too, so storing them isn't much a problem (I can fit 12 in my DS case). Of course Mario Kart costs more, so it's really just up to you to decide if it's more worth $30 your money to get MK or if you should just spend $3 to get Crash Kart on iphone. Given the amount of time I've spent on both, MK won by a long shot. MK has nearly 3 times more tracks, online play, and steering with accelerometers is not as convenient on a portable as it is on the Wii; buttons work better.

honestly i think the real reason is that more people have iphones and itouches then they do nintendo Dsi's so to keep making a profit they need to charge more on the Dsi

I did say that Nintendo should have increased the memory in the DSi console so that you don't have to switch games to/from the SD card (which I find annoying too). I must also comment that I have never seen any console games on Ebay or Gamestop that I wanted to buy that were $8 or less (the cost of the most expensive DSiWare games). Maybe I am in the minority, but I really have enjoyed the DSiWare games that I have downloaded so far. Of course, I'm only a casual gamer and prefer puzzle games which (generally) are not graphic intensive.

I'm with Merilee here. If not for the DSiWare I wouldn't have accepted my DSi LL. I've got three carts in my collection, but I guarantee if I could download a good game of Puzzle Bobble I'd have one less; whether or not I hold on to the other two depends on how the reviews turn out. Of course by-and-large I prefer the Japanese DSiWare line up by far over what I've seen elsewhere. Heck, I think the DSiWare line-up is better than WiiWare on average!

Not sure if its been pointed out (can't be bothered to read past this page) but the iPhone/Touch is very popular system, and is alot more appealing to download on. Alot more people have an iPod than a DSi, and with more people, more purchases come from recommendations, and sale figures on the iTunes Store.

Thorium Wars is 1000 points, and i've found/traded for plenty of games that were $10 or less. if you prefer puzzle games that aren't too graphics-intensive, i can see why you'd maybe prefer downloads over cartridges (considering puzzlers on DSiWare are cheap and plentiful), but your experience =/= everyone else's experience, and i know i'm not the only one who can't live her gaming life on puzzlers alone, lol.

HOLD IT!!! Lz does a Phoenix Wright impression and slams his hands on the desk Ow

A lot of people have an iPod because it is a multimedia system, not a gaming system. Just because a lot of people own an iPod does not mean that they will buy games from the App Store. Besides, a majority of those apps are cheap or free.

A good reason to prefer cartridges is the fact that if me and my buddy were out one day with our DSs and we liked the look of each other games I could easily swap for a while and it's hassle-free. If I lack constant internet access as well then retail is superior.

Another reason that retail>download(and a point in advantage for Nintendo's strict price structure) is what I mentioned before or what iphone devs call the race to the bottom where all games have to be super cheap to get attention on the iphone which means not as much investment can be put into it, look how 98% of high production value iphone games are ports from other systems(often stripped down DS games). Chaos Rings is probably the key exception and there was complaints about that's price and it only did well because it had Square Enix and Media.Vision behind it.

Objection!! Aviator whips lz with von Karma's whip.

Exactly, so an app that costs $1 dollar on the App Store wouldn't survive if it cost the same price on the DSi store.

I think the iPod could easily OWN Nintendo IF it battery lasted longer than 2-3 hours!

this may have already been answered, but i feel it's need: the reason dsi games and apps are expensive is because pricing is compensated with one good reason the iphone can cost $300, $400, $500 and sell for $1 to $5 max, but the dsi is $200 at max not including warranty so there apps can cost up to $20, yet we only have $10 as the highest.

side note: the reason 3ds showed ps2 and xbox 360 games being runnable is because it's atleast $300 same price as starting iphone price.... i still will get and not to dis anybody either, but it's cool though

And you can also say, look at how many high production/quality DSiWare games are ports from the App Store (often stripped down, especially the case with online leaderboards) that are MORE expensive on DSiWare than the App Store.

Bottom line - if the game doesn't need buttons, the app store's the better bet.

Part of the problem might also be that if all of the DSiWare games were as cheap as they could be, then it would be even harder to convince people to still buy retail DS games that are so much more expensive. A retail game is automatically going to be twice the price, because retailers sell things for double the price it costs them, so it's probably hard to make retail titles competitive in price with downloadable games.