Japanese Gamers Put Off by High Price of 3DS

My reason I haven't purchased it is.... 1. Price is high/waiting for a price drop

Bullcrap! But I also realize the Japanese price is the yen equivalent of 300 USD.

The 3DS' price may be high, but the system is worth it!
Now, the only reason why I'm not currently playing it is because of the launch title, whose price is far too high for what they really are.
So, when the highly awaited games begin to arrive, the 3DS will be worth its price!

1, 5 and 6 for me. Would have one myself already if it was cheaper, there are no real good games yet, will buy when OoT etc is out (and after exams). I'm very tempted to get a 3DS for the e-Shop launch.

"12. The color I want isn't available"
Wait, what? Really Japan? Really?

I was, I still am but bought it anyway. It's a bit off putting seeing Nintendo doing what the other companies usually do: big overpriced prices for early adopters. I feat Project Cafe will go the same way. I will still buy it, but it will hurt my pocket.

A lot of these are my reasons why I don't have one.

Te launch title's sucked. I've gotten bored with pilotwings and raymond 3d. Waiting for Zelda and Pacman/Galaga dimensions. And of curse Mario 3d finally a true sequel to Mario 64.

Launch titles weren't all that great and it's pretty pricey. But it seems like it'll show it's worth in the next few years. (I have one, btw.)

I addition to being flat broke, I'd go with 1, 5 and 6 for reasons I don't own a 3DS yet. A Metroid title being announced would be all the motivation I'd need to secure the funds for one...

Among those reasons, 1, 6, 9 and 15 are big for me. I could deal with the first three being fixed, but you can tell the thing was rushed.

Nope got it on launch day. Didn't wanna wait to have it in my hands despite I wouldn't be having any games for it until eShop and OoT.

It's too expensive for starters, the launch games were absolute crap and not much content out of the box. Okay sure, you have some decent games and the in-built software is okay, but the in-built software only lasts for so long before it becomes boring.

Some of the launch games were awesome, Ridge Racer, Street Fighter IV, Rayman 3D, Ghost Recon etc., but the amount of worthless games was shocking.

Having friends is rather pointless so far since the only online games are SSF and DoA. The rubbish 16 charcter limit and not enough to keep it going for another 2 months before the console is "complete."

I just hope that the Wii 2 launch won't be this awful and uninspiring.

I haven't paid more than $27 average for 3DS games since launch. I have 11 different 3DS titles in my collection.

Standard MSRP for 3DS games in the US is $39.99, combine that with titles that aren't actually worth the high MSRP (all of them, Zelda's not out yet) and there's your problem.

Lower your prices or increase your standards.

The Price wasnt really the Problem, got mine on launchday too.
Bought it for the same reasons as Kevin (12.) just so i dont have to wait if a game gets released. But i would lie if i said that i didnt regret buying the system. The launch titles were bad (at least in my opinion, and please dont recomend SF IV...i got it TWICE on Xbox360). The late launch of the eShop was / is also a big turnoff. If it wasnt for the announced games im waiting for...what a pricy dust collector

The price is just much to high. 199 Euros or 149 Euros and i will think about a purchase.

got mine at midnight launch had about 13 games ghost recon was good just got doa at mo good with online coming soon is pacman cubic ninja oot and resident evil had a bit of drought really but its looking up get eshop soon too lot of good games on horizon aswell dont have much money but had to get it from the off because its a new console worth every penny too

The console price is expensive as are the games, I have exams at the moment and the battery life does put me off buying it straight away. If the console dropped to £150 I would buy instantly

I got one at launch, but if I didn't - I'd be straight on Amazon (UK), A black 3DS for £159.99, and Streetfighter, Pilot Wings at £19.99 each. Other launch games are also down a bit too. Those two plus 3ds - face raiders/AR etc and an eShop next week for under £200, i think thats good value.

Price is the biggest problem. For me, and for most it's just way too expensive for a handheld system. I know it's new tech and all, but it should be the same price range as the DS was at the time it launched. 150€ is maximum. I thought Nintendo was very generous and loveable in making the Gamecube and the Wii extremely cheap from launch on all the way through the years. With the 3DS Nintendo seems to have turned greedy.

Other reasons to not buy a 3DS include "no must have titles", "limited color choice (no black and white?)", and "no DSi transfer".

Yeah I agree the japenese aren't as stupid as before when it comes to price Nintendo... Wth were you thinking.

And 250$ IS NOT a lot guys. You spend that much on your smartphones wth not a 3DS?

I would have said something like 1, 5, 6 and 12 but I just bought one on ebay for $290AUD with 5 DS games. Considering the RRP is $349 in Australia I got a mega awesome deal I couldn't resist

I purchased a 3DS with SF, Pilot Wings and RR at launch I really wish I hadn't.

the fun lasted about a week..

@Goomba77, you should have got Samurai Warriors, I too found SF and Pilot Wings got a bit "meh" after playing them for a while but SW:Chronicles has definetly been worth the investment.
Ridge Racer seemed ok when I had a play of it, so you wouldnt recommend it then?

@JesusSaves, actually I would pay less for a Smartphone than I would a good console... and I have a good Smartphone. The argument would be same with home consoles otherwise nobody would buy 360's and PS3's when they could pick up a Laptop, Netbook and the like that can do more and for less money.
I personally found the 3D effect was good in the games I have and on the Camera feature and found the 3DS no worse or infact less of an eye strain than watching a 3D movie on the big screen. I find it more comfortable in fact because their is a little slider at the side which can moderate the effect and in my oppinion it isnt always best to have it at 100%... as far as compatibility issues, your damn right there, but for a fiver you can pretty much pick up a GBA SP anywhere.

1) Waiting for price drop
2) Waiting for remodel (with superior battery life, bigger screen, etc.)
3) Lack of must-have launch titles

The 3DS isn't selling as well as Nintendo hoped really is it? I thought even though they had addressed availabilty it to be a sell out and it hasn't been. Maybe the new Zelda game will help sales.... Oh and at Christmas sell a new colour but I won't get another one

@Raptor78 @JesusSaves, GBMicro, £20 on ebay. I picked one up a few weeks back for exactly that reason. plus it is there if the 3DS battery does run out - but so far that hasn't been a problem.

@Chris77 , thanks for the heads up, but I still have an SP and spare replacement battaries to play my old GB/GBA games. And as far as my 3DS battery running out, it hasnt been a problem either, I just pop it in its cradle when I come home infact It hasnt been turned off since I got it, only ever put it in Sleep Mode because I dont want to miss out on any StreetPasses / SpotPasses.

I'm in the range of -Price is high(Although if I truly loved something, price is but an obstacle).
-Not the color I want/hoping for a cool special ediiton 3DS.
-Satisfied with/still need DS games and buying a system that doesn't exclusively hold some of those games doesn't really make me want to buy it immediately.

I'll get a 3DS soon enough, but I'm really trying to get the most games I can and have the most fun possible, and there are a lot of good ones still out there.

@JesusSaves True, I forgot that. Hopefully the eShop will take care of that one. I actually originally bought a DSi hoping to be able to download original GB games on it. Took me a while to find something good on the DSiWare .The GBmicro size make it such a non-issue to transport extra.

I'm hope people don't actually worry about 3 and 4. It took me fifteen mins to get used to the 3D and I've had no problem since.

My reson is too high of a price. Also it cannot play region free games.

Yeah I can see where they are coming from, but that being said the PS Vita a.k.a. NGP isn't going to be any cheaper.

The image is right. Put Monster Hunter on it and it will sell millions. Nintendo needs to bribe Capcom. :3

Well, big N is famous by overpricing everything by far while at the same time try to build the cheapest possible way, 3DS is not any exception. Probably you already knew that by 2009 the building cost of a Wii was a bit less than 60$.

It's too expensive and I don't want to pay for the 3D effect. If they drop the price to $150 I'll buy it, or if they release a 2DS for $150, I'd buy that. I think the 3D was a big mistake. So called 3D is a fad that's going to go away before too much longer IMHO, and then thing will really tank. As if it hasn't tanked already.

1. Price is high/waiting for a price drop
Bit unfair it's $300 in Japan and $250 other places.
2. Satisfied by DS/DSi
There are very few titles OUT for the 3DS right now.
3. Worried about eye strain
4. Worried about getting sick from the screen
Once again Nintendo needs to emphasize that the 3DS "Depth Slider" is more of a "FOCUS Slider". You don't need to play with the bar all the way up for the "maximum experience".
5. Few launch titles
Same as #2.
6. Will buy once a game I want is released
Same as #2.
7. Satisfied by cell phone and smartphone games
These suck (opinion, the right opinion <(>_>)> ).
8. Satisfied by PSP
A lot more PSP games released in Japan.
9. The battery is weak
True. Nintendo needs to sell an official larger battery + cradle or a 3rd party needs to release one that's good (did this for my smartphone).
10. It's heavy and I don't feel like carrying it with me.
It's not heavy. How would you know this if you didn't purchase one?
11. Can't play Game Boy Advance games
So? I didn't throw away my DS Lite.
12. The color I want isn't available.
Possible. But there will always be a color you want more.
13. Can't play Game Boy games.
... Really?
14. I'll save my money for NGP, thank you very much.
There is still very little information for the NGP and what games it will have. Games shown were "possible" games, not games that were being worked on. Kojima even said MGS4 will NOT be ported for it.
15. Waiting for a version with a larger screen.
Okay? Same as saying "waiting for the next version".
16. Because you can't move your DSi Points over.
Who really purchases a ton of these at once I wonder.
17. The buttons layout looks hard to use.
It's not, how would you know if you didn't try it? Still needs 2nd stick for camera.
18. No Famicom/NES in the Virtual Console.
The store isn't out...
19. The zoom view for DS games is hard on the eyes.
What?
20. Waiting until my friend buys it.
See #2.

@5: Wow, I actually didn't believe you until I looked back at the list.

if nintendo was truly worried about sales, they would drop the price. they seem to want to pretend the economy isn't a factor in buying games and gaming related items, but when things get crunched, entertainment is the place people cut back first.

If some think the price of the 3DS is too high, then I can't wait to see their reaction to NGP's. It is going to be affordable, but it's most certainly is going to be expensive.

12. The color I want isn't available

I waiting for the red one to release. Isn't there a red 3DS bundled with Mario Kart 3D coming out in November?

Its Their Own Fudging Fault. I Foretold This To A Nintendo Representatives Numerous Times But They Wouldn't Listen. Also, Its #6 For Me: RE Revelations

I predict a price drop NEXT holiday, not this holiday, though that would be nice.

Battery is also my second biggest issue. I mean if i was suppose to stay at home near the cradle all the time, why didn't they just make it an XL size?

@ Hyperstar: I Disagree. The Reason Some People Might Wait For A Bigger Screen Is Because They Are Used To Looking At The Much Bigger Dsi XL Screen. Also Some People ARE Satisfied By Smartphone Games Because That Is The Kind Of Games That Suits Their Lifestyle.... Not Everybody Is A Nerd. Nor Does Everybody Have The Same Kind Of Eyes. The Truth IS That It CANT Play GBA Games; So How The Heck Is The Truth Not Believable?? YOU Are Pathetic

No Offense But Its Quite Impossible That Nintendo Will Drop The Price of Its New Handheld In The Same Year It Came Out. They Are Not Sega

@Koto

Uhm... Well, a special RED DSiXL came out last November with Mario Kart DS...

I'm expecting a Green 3DS with OoT and Link's Awakening bundled as it's Zelda's 25th Anniversary.

It currently lacks any games I want to play and it's too expensive

Nintendo is just ripping us off. Remember when we saw the salaries of Miyamoto and Iwata? The 3DS should'nt even be $200. They are greedy barstewards and it shows when the standard price of a portable game is now $40 instead of $30 (thanks a lot for that too Squeenix).

Survey Taker Responders 7-20, my clue stick wants a word with you! holds up massive beatstick =P

On one hand, the 3DS is worth $250. It has good tech and offers 3D which is ahead of its time. And that probably is a number that Nintendo had to put up to make any kind of profit due to high cost of production. But...it's too expensive. One of the main things that keeps Nintendo ahead of the competition is price. And they're losing a lot of gamers here. Casual and hardcore.

I got mine on Laucnh Day for £185. The thing is, people say the price is high, but when i got it on launch for £185, and on Launch what was the DSi XL? I think it was about £165 if you got it cheap, £180 from GAME stores. So, it's only about £20 more, i think the real reason for people not buying it is the lack of decent games, which is why my 3DS seems to only just be satisfying me till June 17th. Still, despite this, i wouldn't have missed the launch day, that just can't happen!

At 56, if you compare Miyamoto and Iwata's salary to Bill Gates' salary, it makes them look like peasants.

I've got a backlog of 25+ DS games and 6 on DSiware so I'm set for the rest of the year.

its not that expensive...

i was suuuuper poor. like wearing the same 3 shirts everyday poor. but now i have a job. the main reason i was motivated to get that job was so i could get a 3DS at launch (i will get the super wii at launch too, no matter how much it costs) i dont regret it at all. i kept the job and now i wear a different shirt every day like a rich person.

also i bought a whole mess of ds games since ive had my 3DS to keep me entertained. i bought all three layton games at once, and dragon quest 4,5,6 and 9.

i am perfectly fine waiting for the eshop, zelda and re:mercenaries to come out. layton 2 and 3 are still wrapped in plastic lol.

I use my 3DS for alot of it's features and apps more often than gaming, which is actually a trend I did with my DSi... it's just a consequence of me being too busy working and not enough game funds like old times, but I definitely think the 3DS is worth the purchase regardless of games, but eh... you buy games and systems to suit your needs, not to satisfy a company.

Waiting for Monster Hunter to be released on 3DS

I wonder how the same people will react to the NGP's price. Just sayin'.

I'd rather get a decent free mobile phone handset and a 3DS for the £189 than an iphone.

I do agree, it is over-priced, but you can get it in the uk for around £175 now, which is about right...

Some of the complaints are valid, some are just bizarre. I'd've liked to have known the actual poll figures for each category of "complaint/reason"

Honestly I was far happier with the DSi launch than the 3DS launch..
Which was odd considering I didn't want a DSi originally (was fine with my DS Lite).
I had originally gotten it for my gf (she wanted one badly)... but after playing with hers, I really wanted one for my own. The DSiWare shop, Flipnote studio, the camera, the sound software - all that was extremely fun for me.

The 3DS? ... I mean. I love my 3DS, but I think it was really "MEH" without that eShop. ... it didn't have the eShop, it didn't have Flipnote studio, and I didn't want to bring around my AR cards everywhere just to draw a 3D picture when I was bored especially considering the risk that I might've lost the cards.
After I discovered everything there was to it (and the games), I had gotten disappointed... cuz I couldn't keep going.

The DSi's camera was more interactive for me than the 3DS... seeing that all your photos would randomly show up on the DSi main menu top screen (which gave photos much more purpose as some sort of pseudo-wallpaper)... but... what use are photos for the 3DS except for just staring at 3D? ... the ability to take in-game screenshots would've been lovely. And you would think that the Sound software would have the option to continue playing music when the screen was closed (for those who want to use it as an mp3 player)...

Overall I just don't think it was as exciting for a launch. I love the games I have for it. But... it doesn't hold my attention so much.
And btw: No I don't like Dynasty-Warrior-type games, no I'm not much of a racing fan (unless it's Mario Kart), and no I didn't care too much for Ghost Recon (mostly cuz I like large parties of characters in my tactical games).

...Find Mii was a fun little thing, so is the diorama thing... but... eh...
And the biggest pre-installed software for me is the AR Games... and like I said, I don't like the idea of accidentally losing the AR Cards (and no I don't want to just print out copies. I like its card-material).

Lol at 14 I managed to save 2500 in my country to afford one. So far I find it worth BUYING... TO AN EXTENT.... I blame lackluster lineup and no seriously good games other than DOA to buy. and @68 definitely. they could've at least allowed us to transfer dsi ware form the start.

OH, and why would they put MH as the first title? Hidden Message perhaps but yeah... we need more AAA games soon. Like that one and KIU. What ever happened about that one???

I bought a 3DS when it first came out but I no longer own one. To make a long story short, I was disappointed with my purchase and I simply didn't think the 3DS was worth the price that I paid so I returned it. I liked it but not enough to keep it. I plan on picking one up again later on but only when Nintendo drops the price and there are enough games to warrant a purchase.

My Top 3 Reason why I don't have a 3DS yet:

1. Price is way too high.
2. No interesting games out now.
3. No one I know even has one.

Mine is to high, and no interesting games out now.

@WolfRamHeart I really considered doing the same thing myself, but I'm excited for eShop to launch and start playing some of the old Gameboy/Gameboy Colour titles I missed out on. Also, finding out that OoT isn't simply a graphics upgrade has me excited for next week as well.

I'm all of the above.

1,2,5,8,9,11,13,14,and 18 for me

My reasons are:
1. The extortionate price (£230 to begin with!... god damn)
2. Its launch line-up/window consists of remake, rehash and low-content games.
3. The pricing of said games.
4. Portable 3-D doesn't interest me.
5. Terrible battery life.

It's a little pricey considering most people can get similar graphics and more games on the cheaper PSP. Personally my problem with it is the current game selection and certain features of the system not being available at launch.

It's too expensive. The games themselves are too expensive at this point (3rd party games will get more reasonable, but popular Nintendo titles won't, even if they are repackaged in red boxes). I am pretty indifferent to 3D, and found myself disappointed in the 3D effect when I saw it in person. I saw it, but it didn't impress me. This is annoying when the 3D effect is the main reason the system is so expensive and has such a short battery life.

I might spring for a cheaper redesign if the games deliver. I might skip this generation of Nintendo handhelds completely. I don't play DS games as often as I used to and there are more than enough DS games out there to keep me entertained for years of occasional play.

lol it didn't even arrive here... SAD BUT TRUE... and when it does... EXPENSIVE AT THE POINT OF ME HAVING TO SELL MY SOUL TO BUY IT ):

Barstewards? Only James Newton would change a word to that, however I'm pretty sure they really are the word I used regardless of how great the games they make are.

@60 I really don't care about how much Bill Gates makes because I'm not the one giving him money. At least he gives most of his money to charity. The Walmart family never gives. I can honestly say I wouldn't feel bad about pirating 1st party games (if I did that stuff) from Nintendo and it certainly will take a lot of persuassion to get me to buy a 3DS.

I didn't buy it because of cost and lack of games I want coming out so far. When I first heard of the system I heard about Star Fox 3D, Zelda, and Mario but I don't see any of these yet so I will wait until at least one comes out.

@PSICOffee: actually, i changed it for you. if you don't approve of the change, you're more than welcome to not use the word in question at NL and save me the trouble of having to edit your posts altogether. :3

if you get sick or eye strain turn off the 3D duh

I'm not disappointed with my 3DS purchase for the most part.

The only thing that bothers me is that the 3DS feels cheaply made when compared to both the DSi and DSiXL.

63. Flameking1087 01 Jun 2011, 18:02 BST
'its not that expensive...
i was suuuuper poor. like wearing the same 3 shirts everyday poor. but now i have a job. the main reason i was motivated to get that job was so i could get a 3DS at launch (i will get the super wii at launch too, no matter how much it costs) i dont regret it at all. i kept the job and now i wear a different shirt every day like a rich person.'

well, come back when you have a family to feed, a car payment, car insurance, rent/mortgage...it is a lot different then. it is a LOT of $ then, when it is disposable income. many of us just don't have a lot of disposable income right now. (btw: wearing the same 3 shirts everyday isn't poor; not having enough to eat or a place to live makes on poor. it doesn't sound as if you need your job for living expenses, so you are fortunate. but someone does pay for them.)

Yes, the price is the main problem.
The system is too expensive.
The games are too expensive.
Just too expensive over all.

i feel it shoulda been cheaper. I paid it....but still--should be cheaper.

Bought it on launch. Worth every penny. It's such a significant leap forward that it's just so hard to regret buying it at this price tag.

If I didn't have the money at launch, I would probably be waiting for more games to rush myself, though

Yes, the launch game selection was really bad, but I've got SSF4 and Pokémon White, and I've now also got DoA: Dimensions. Combined with what I've still got to catch up on with my Wii, that's plenty to last me a while.

@Raptor78

My problem with RR is that the PSP version from a couple of years back totally kills it!! That version is miles better and a hell of a lot more fun to play. RR on 3DS doesn't feel right somehow, there's something missing from the playability and it has v poor graphics.

If you haven't played this elsewhere perhaps you will be ok with it?? I don't understand Namcos inability to deliver a decent version of this game on a Nintendo console!!

Bloody hell whats with all the moaning?

Only thing am waiting for is more games but there are few boss ones out now DOA anyone!

But you should expect at launch that takes awhile before more better games come out most systems have same problem after launch.

THE eye strain point was stupid do any of these people know that u can play in 2D?

"You do have option" turn it off some people are just stupid!

Sumtime you gotta pay high price for new technology and am sure NGP suffer with same fate "people moaning about high price and lack games.

Cant please sum people:-P

As for price it didnt bother me.

@83 Oh, toupe. Part of me did have a feeling it wasn't him.

I feel like Japan is trying to tell us something.

@Tate24

First off, your spelling is atrocious. I'm sorry, it just had to be said.

Second of all, nobody has to pay a lot for new technology. If a person thinks it's too expensive, they don't have to get it. People are moaning because it's too expensive for them. People are moaning because there aren't enough games out right now. Just because you're satified doesn't mean those that aren't shouldn't complain, and personally, I don't see how anyone could be satisfied with the current situation.

Also, if THE gimmick of a platform causes a person eye strain and headaches, and the only solution is to turn that gimmick off, why exactly should that person put down such a high price for it?

got to make the best of a lame kick off situation

I Was Sooo Wrong