One of the interesting announcements in the 3DS XL reveal today was a price-point of $199 in the U.S., a fairly good price considering that the original model cost $250 in March 2011. Nintendo did have to learn a cruel lesson that the original launch price wouldn't sell enough units, prompting a major reduction just months after launch.
It's been confirmed, meanwhile, that prices in the UK will be set by retailers: Nintendo provided the following statement to Eurogamer.net.
As always, the final price to consumers is determined by the retailers, but we have aimed at making the price as reasonable as we can to the consumer.
It's the standard line, with the big N also saying that retailers should be listing their prices as soon as possible. At current rates $199 comes to around £128, but that's roughly the current price of the original model and there is a precedent of UK prices being above the simple conversion rate; we expect the actual price to be higher. We'll keep an eye on which retailers will break cover first.
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 50
That'll put them in competition. Before the 3DS came out the prices kept dropping from store to store. I changed my mind 3 times about where I was going to buy mine. So that'll be good news for us. We can just keep watching to see how it goes.
I think 3DS XL is a niche product just as DSi XL, so even if the price would be exactly the same it wouldn't put both systems on competition. Still - I expect it to be more expensive than regular model. Guess that means choosing - getting a 3DS upgrade or saving for WiiU... sigh
will be at least £160, maybe £90 if you trade in a 3ds small. I will be getting one, but its very expensive if you don't get a charger!! how can they get away with this, i'm sure anything sold in UK needs to be fit for purpose ! with out a charger its not fit for purpose.....I'm going to email trading standards to see what they have to say
This just proves to me that $250 for the 3DS was a rip-off.
Well there's a surprise eh. That doesn't bode well for the Wii U price. Will it be a debacle like the 3DS?
@legend_marioid i'm not bothered about wii u price, but this scares me, will the wii u have power and hdmi cables in box? prob not!! just usr your old wii ones......this is awful
That thing is butt-ugly. Nintendo must be desperate.
In Australia it's the same price as a regular 3DS but in the U.S I think it's $30 more. Weird!
@luminalace Beat me too it! 3DS is the same price as 3DS XL here in Australia. ($250) I expect that the original will drop about $50, maybe not officially, but retailers will likely do so.
@turtlelink - You got it for several months more than you would have if you'd waited for the price drop, and you got games that are more than worth the price drop. The 10 NES games cost (or will do for those unreleased) $5 each. Thats $50 in NES games, and that doesnt even take into account the fact that we got these games much earlier as well as 10 GBA games (which in all honesty would cost at least $8 if they ever got onto the eShop ($80 more).
Looks like a cheap Fisher Price toy for children so I hope they price it appropriately.
I'm really happy with that $250 AUD & launching on August 27th, 5 days before my b'day I paid ~$300 AUD for my DSi XL (with accessories & a game I think) so $250 is an amazingly good deal, especially considering it's only $50 more (ignoring conversion rates) than the US one. Thank you for not ripping me off too much Ninty Australia
Edit: I just saw kmart are selling 3DS consoles for $169. So that's more of a discount than the $50 @Mario_Party_Fan_999 (& myself too) was expecting.
Wow. I was expecting it to at least retail at a higher price point than the original 3DS model in Australia; particularly when one considers Nintendo Australia's history of over-pricing barely improved models of previously released hardware.
Both the DSi and DSi XL launched at $300 in Australia, which is outrageously expensive considering how little they improved upon the $200 DS Lite.
At least at a RRP of $250, it is very likely that the 3DS XL will be available at around the $200-$220 mark at retail, BUT... I might just hold out for other colours to be released first as the initial range sucks.
I don't mind waiting a bit longer in the United States if we have to pay less. Plus we get an AC Adapter included! NOA finally knows what they are doing.
If you trade in your old 3DS, will they wait for you to complete a system transfer first? I guess I always keep my consoles because even if I don't use them I can still give them to my little brothers.
On the subject of what this could mean for WiiU, I don't think they'll include HDMI since it's pretty standard for companies not to. They'll have to include at least a new power cable though since the machine is going to require a different adapter. When I saw the 3DSXL I thought it would be over $200; I think this proves that WiiU won't be over $300.
Not bothered what it looks like, but it should've been available at launch. Then again, it would've been over-priced at that point anyway as the 3DS little was!
but why no ac adapter for UK
@Baloo Because Nintendo are greedy and just wants to make a living.
Seriously,this gets my goat,having to pay the most for everything in the UK.
@turtlelink $350 in Australia. Sometimes gamers from the US get spoiled too...
I think a 3DSXL + NSMB2 bundle might be worth $200, but I don't think that the console alone is worth $200.
play.com £179.99
@BudrSbastig Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Good one
Oh wait...
Your not joking..................
I was thinking about trading in my current 3DS but then I will still have to go and buy a new AC adapter. Is this Nintendo trying to make me buy an extra one instead?
Also I still can't envision a new 3DS without a power cable! What are new buyers going to think?
I'm guessing the XL will be more durable. I will get it if ALL account info can be transferred over to an XL, then deleted permanently from current 3DS. Trade in old one, get new warranty and more club coins.
Latest on twitter is 180 quid. No. F-ing. Way.
@luminalace
Retailers will sell adaptors seperately, y'know.
$200 = €200 = £180
Sounds about right for a Nintendo conversion, to me.
(fun fact: if Nikkei was right about the Wii U, it'll be $300/€300/£270)
@luminalace That's only in EU and JP, America is getting a power cord with it. But I'm sure the AC adaptors will be sold separately. It's just like the Wii Motion Plus. You needed it for some games, but it was sold separately.
@luminace Charging cradle will be included with the 3DS XL in Europe/Japan.
@turtlelink Ah, but they won't be getting the Ambassador titles with their $200 3DSXL!
@tealovertoma If Nikkei was right about the Wii U price, then "HOT DAMN!!" I can't wait to grab Wii U for that cheap! I've already got $179 saved up!
@turtlelink I KNOW RIGHT. Well, I'm staying with the original still.
Again, 3DS XL will not come with a charging cradle or AC adaptor in Europe — both accessories will be sold separately.
Play.com have it listed as £179.99. What a rip off! No AC adaptor and no charging cradle, price should be less than £150.
I like it though. My girly is after her own 3ds and colors3d so this will be perfect. Waiting for amazon to list. It better be a better price or this will flop in UK worse than vita.
Since when is 200 dollars equivalent to 180 pounds? in what paralell Universe is this? Isn't it equivalent128 pounds?!
@turtlelink yeah but its sick so its worth it, and the ambassador club we get because we got it when it pretty much came out
3ds XL 200$ when the 3ds was 250$ is this a joke i might wait for a price drop like last time but i missed out on minish cap when i did that
@turtlelink
I partly blame investors, telling Nintendo to price it at $350, $300 and $250.
@tealovertoma sorry, but both your posts are very inaccurate!
Three points about converting the US price to UK currency...
First - One could argue that we should be using Purchasing Power Parities rather than exchange rates. This would push the UK equivalent price closer to £135.
Second - I don't believe the $199 includes any sales tax, does it? (Perhaps the US readers can correct me if I'm wrong). UK Sales Tax is 20%
Third - Nintendo is obliged to let UK retailers set their own profit margins. Unless an aggressive retailer makes an early move, these margins will tend to start high and move lower over time, after the retailers have mopped up the early adopters.
There's just no hope for PSVita when 3DS just keeps coming out with the best for portable gaming. Let's just call it, 3DS will probably kill off the Vita within it's first year -_-
North Americans get a ac adapter with there XL, everyone else is screwed over for some reason. Kinda a dumb decision from Nintendo
I think the Nintendo 3ds looks like more of a masterpiece than the 3ds XL so I'm happy.
@ChristopherM £135 is logical, but the current 3DS is around £15 more than in US already, so I would have expected the XL to be £20-25 more max. But this is Nintendo ,so naturally it is £50 more than the US price - £180- so we are getting more screwed over than we usually do by Nintendo.
I like the 3DS the way it is. I don't even get the point, its the same thing only the screen is bigger. not much of a difference. And I think it looks ugly too so im 100% im not getting this.
You know I have been after NINTENDO for over a year to make a 3DXL I'm glad they actually got the message !!!! I am an older user and love my DsiXL and told them if they did not come out with a 3D XL i would not be buying the 3Ds at all!
I might get this one !!! I have to save up the $$ but heck its worth the effort now!
@C-Olimar Nintendo aren't screwing anybody - they are providing us wiht great consoles for a fair price!
NINTENDO 3DS XL - £179 on AMAZON UK
Charger and Cradle is £19.99
Just for the record, Nintendo didn't learn the lesson, the AMbassadors did. They were the ones who got shafted for the additional money. And don't tell me about the 'free' games (which I already owned in other forms) which were forced on us to shut us up and were given free to those who bought after the announcement and before the official price drop, because N allowed stores to drop prices early). Fool me once shame on YOU Nintendo, fool me twice shame on ME. That move will surely cost them some sales down the road. Bank on it.
@NintendoMaster Are we gonna get a charging cradle? I hope we do, it'll be cool to have one
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