Why does the New 3DS cost $200?

@MirkoS77: well like I said in a previous post, you can get a brand new New 3DS XL for like $175 from GameStop (and therefor every other major retailer that price matches), so getting it with a $5 third party charger or $10 official Nintendo charger, that's still $15-20 under MSRP, and only $20-25 more than a standard 3DS XL. Which really isn't all that much more. That's just $20-25 for c-stick, enhanced bumper buttons, Amiibo capabilities, enhanced 3D, and ability to play n3DS designed games (just Xenoblade Chronicles for now). For now though it's still much about nothing, you can get a $80 2DS, or $160 3DS XL, it's not like the games on the 3DS market are locked behind a huge price barrier.

If you look at Nintendo's balance sheet the last 5 years their cash and short term investments went from 1.17 trillion-million Yen in 2011 to 795 billion-million in 2014, that's a 1/3% falloff of their cash, to simply say they could lose 250 million for the next 40 years is a bit simplistic way of looking at their finances.

SEE THEIR BALANCE SHEET

Their actual cash-cash went from ~813bm (billion-million) Yen to ~534bm Yen, staying at about 470bm Yen for three years. Their actual assets have shrunk as well. Their total assets went from about 1.5 trillion-million yen to 1.1 trillion-million yen, nearly a 1/3 falloff as well. That's not a company that can afford to lose that kind of money and assets like that at a steady pace for 40 years.

Easy answer because the market accept it, its selling at the price..and its a business so need to make profit & as a company gotta make profit to please shareholders. There is no defending to not include power adapter with it, its a dick move. :P

Yeah, it's a bit overpriced, I'd say. Not as much as Apple products, though, so I'm not sure what exactly you're complaining about. Why is it overpriced? Because they can sell a huge amount of them at that price. The exact same reason Apple wants lots of money for crappy hardware. If you don't hate money, you will keep selling your product for the highest price people are willing to pay.

Judging from the huge amount of entertainment I've got from the 3DS, I'd say it was well worth it, though.

You don't have to tell me that, I'm fully aware. It's an incredibly simplistic and false narrative that doesn't take many business realities into account written by some dope on a site that Nintendo fans love to cling to whenever people say they may be in trouble. I don't believe it for a second. They could find themselves in very serious financial straights within only a few generations if they don't watch it.

It's actually an even lower resolution than that - 800 x 240, which obviously makes it one of the lowest resolution if not the lowest resolution gaming device still on the market, aside from the 2DS (which is 400x240).

The ones with TN displays like mine are unfortunately behind the times, as well.

That said, it's still a nice system.

What features does it lack compared to a Vita or a tablet? All the basic features that the tablet or Vita you are talking about performs? The 3DS performs them too:

• It has media capability via Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Nintendo Video (Vita no longer runs YouTube, does not have Hulu, and Netflix does not run on Vita TV)
• It has a camera that can take 2D and 3D photographs and videos (Vita camera is limited to only 2D photos, and is the same VGA resolution as a 3DS camera)
• It has a music player, and it even lets you record your own sound, and mix and match it somewhat (Vita does not have a recorder or sound mixer)
• It lets you browse the internet (So does Vita)
• It has physical controls (more inputs than the Vita, as a matter of fact)
• It has online gaming (o does Vita)
• It has geosynchronyous features (Which Vita lacks, because Near and Maps were both discontinued)

All of this, plus it also has a feature no other device on the market has via stereoscopic 3D? How does the 3DS lack features? What are these features? And what $99 tablet outdoes it in terms of features?

The New 3DS models fully justify their cost. With the older ones, maybe you had a point with them being overpriced, though even there, I'd argue the 3DS justifies itself with a good game library- but the New 3DS XL more than justifies its cost.

How else do you expect an Italian Plumber from the Bronx to retire in Japan? That place is expensive !

Why not just market your referbs for less am I right

@aigis: Cause retailers will get mad and not want to buy them for their stores when they cant make good money. Its same reason Nintendo can sell you a Refurbished Console that is basically brand new for $199 but retailers still want to sell for $299. Xbox One had to pull a bunch of strings to drop the price of their system. So did the 3DS. But when you have a console that doesnt sell as well, it can be hard. Would help if we were all Sony and had more power in dictating prices. Sony could drop the Vita price to $99 and stores wouldnt be able to do hardly anything cause Sony will threaten to lower support.

Nintendo has a self inflated ego when it comes to its software and hardware based on how it prices its products. The 3DS is certainly a good and successful system with a healthy library but it is old yet priced as still being new. Newer version or not, it is still an enhanced version of an old console. The way Nintendo prices its products should not come across as a shock to anyone. Software (years after release) still sees full price. The failure known as the Wii U is still expensive so it should be expected a better selling console would also see a price close to what we've been used to seeing for years.

Because goofy sheep will gladly pay it

You have a point that it can do those things, but outside gaming it doesn't do those things as well as a Tablet. Watching movies on a 3.5 - 4" low res screen is not really practical, nor does the 3DS make for a good web browsing experience. With the exception of serious gaming, a tablet offers a superior experience with all those other features for around the same price. This is why handhelds are losing marketshare and will continue to do so. The N3DS should be priced at $99 tops. There is just too much competition these days to justify paying $200 for handheld that is really only good at gaming.

Eww, mobile gaming...

Sure, but tablets don't game as well as a New 3DS does.

So it evens out. On a $199 tablet, you pay for a mid range multimedia experience, and a low end gaming one; on a $199 3DS, you pay for a low end multimedia experience, and a high end gaming one. If you want to play games on a portable seriously, then a 3DS purchase is a no brainer over a tablet, and more than justifies itself.

I got the 3DS Xl several years ago for $149, and it was available many times for that price. So it actually is kind of bizarre they are sticking with $199 for the "new" 3DS.

But if people are foolish enough to pay that much for such low tech, I guess I don't blame Nintendo. It probably costs like $5 to make a 3DS these days LOL.

I wouldn't say that a tablet is a "low end" gaming experience, there is obviously far more "trash" on a mobile or tablet platform. But there are some high end experiences as well, higher than the 3DS is capable of, actually.

You could argue that both the 3DS and the tablet experience are "low end" compared to PC or even console, and that the 3DS is currently the lowest. Albeit as a Nintendo machine it does have some nice exclusives that can make it worthwhile to many fans of those games, that still doesn't make it "high end". It's still pretty much low-end, low-tech - with the benefit of buttons.

This is among the most brain dead fanboy drivels i've read on these forums.

The reason N3DS comes with a stylus is because it uses a cheap-ass stone age resistive touchscreen as opposed to capacitive in tablets and Vita (which has 2 of those).

N3DSXL, being around the same size, is 50% heavier than Vita:

PCH-2000:

219 grams

New Nintendo 3DS:

253 grams (8.9 oz)

New Nintendo 3DS XL:

329 grams (11.6 oz)

Anyone owning both will tell you that 3DS feels like a cheap toy compared to Vita.

3DS family has got a shitty screen resolution, one of the screens doesn't even support touch, it has a stone age hardware, it uses pleb circle pad and a nub instead of proper analog sticks, leaving wi-fi on destroys your battery life, the d-pad is positioned awfully, it wastes a ton of space in its design.

It's like a console manifestation of fucking up and cutting corners, but somehow costs a premium.

It's overall a shit device that happens to have great games, so i'm willing to cope.

@R10nu: Two screens are better then one. And just because its old or different, doesnt mean its not better. 3DS has best touch screen aviable for gaming and can use a stylus. Its amazing. Screen size means nothing, plus N3DS has two. I didnt know Vita was lighter, im guessing cheaper plastic. Vita does feel like cheap plastic now that i think about it. But i agree Vita is very shat, not even Sony want to support that joke. But i wont diss your Vita much, its not worth my time, enjoy it.

I personally don't see it evening out because the 3DS only does one thing very well where as a Tablet does many more things even better. You are making it seem like gaming is objectively as important as a bunch of other features combined. Also, I wouldn't call gaming on a dedicated handheld a high end gaming experience. Consoles and PC offer true high end gaming experiences.

My 13 yr old Niece games on her Tablet and Laptop. She gave me her DS because she no longer has interest in a dedicated handheld that is only good at playing games. This is how a lot of other kids her age feel as well. I ask her all the time what kids want and Nintendo handhelds is never brought up. They want Phones, Tablets and XB1's/PS4's, The dedicated handheld gaming market is going to take a huge nose dive come next-gen.

If you shop around you can get a new Kindle Fire for $35. It can play Dead Trigger 2 just fine, certainly a very capable tablet for the price.

@emgesp: Thats cause tablet games are so easy, kids love easy stuff. Im sure if you asked them if they want to trade in their hard chores for easier ones theyll accept too. Mines love playing games on tablet, but they rarely play games on them, they mainly watch Youtube and stuff. The oldest only games on his 3DS XL but has a few daily staregty games he plays on tablet. Whats funny is he finds games that are like Nintendo games. He played this one game that was a cheap Mario Kart copy, another thats a Pokemon copy, another Pokemon copy where they sing music and their singing evolves.

But give him a real Pokemon or Nintendo game and hes hooked. He beat Kirby Triple Deluxe first, then beat Pokemon Omega Ruby, then beat Paper Mario Sticker Star, now hes playing Paper Jam, Mystery Dungeon and A Link Between Worlds. Hell probally finish one this month. Guess how many tablet games hes beat? 0. He still likes some tablet games, same way he still likes some free games on his 3DS. But he rarely plays them free 3DS games either.

Yes, there will still be people interested in dedicated Nintendo handhelds, but overall that market is shrinking. The 3DS at best will only get back 50% of the original DS's install base. That's a huge drop off. I highly doubt the NX will see similar numbers unless its something truly special and most importantly not too expensive at launch.

@emgesp: Theyll get there. Theyre close to 60 million already and still have Pokemon Sun/Moon coming. Tablets and Phones are great and good competition. But Nintendo has nothing to worry about when 60 million people are still buying your console even with the amazing Tablet, Phones, PC domination. When a console is not wanted, Nintendo pulls it fast. Just look at Nintendos attempt at VR, the public didnt want it and Nintendo replaced it with something else later.

When you use terms like "for the price", "Just Fine", and "If you shop around", that immediately undercuts your argument.

Agreed.

Just bought my kid a 3DS XL. Was outraged when I read beforehand that a charger is not included. There is no reason a charger should not be included aside from the obvious money grab. Even Microsoft isn't that bad (they've actually gotten a lot better recently IMO).

Lost a ton of respect for Nintendo. I only got my kid a 3DS because it's the one thing he has been asking for for a long time now, and he totally deserves it. However, as a consumer and gamer I feel I could never support such a company going forward.

@shellcase86: Yeah, reading the box does help though. The same place you buy the Console sells the adapter for super cheap. The console would have cost over $199 with the charger and youd be paying a lot extra for just a cheap adapter that you can buy almost anywhere and that most already have. I would just email Nintendo and let them know you didnt like it not having a charger. Thats what some are doing.

@iandizion713: The real thing here is that when you buy an electronic device you expect to be able to power it, not having one is as professional as ebay resellers

@aigis: Its true, ive already emailed Nintendo about my complaint of a missing adapter. But it still wont stop me from buying a N3DS XL and using my adapter i already have. Matter of fact, i had 3 3DS adapters before i ever even had a 3DS. Then i bought a 3DS and got another. My N3DS didnt have an adapter, but since i already had 4 and they are so cheap at the store, i didnt care. I knew it didnt have one before i bought it. And even when i went to buy it in big words all over the box it warns of needing an adapter.

@iandizion713: I wouldnt be bothered by having extras though, maybe backups if one breaks or goes missing and others for when you are out somewhere. What I would be most concerned about is for a first time buyer who wouldnt have the charger. Its just not a smart move on Nintendo's part, it makes them look cheap

@aigis: I think its kinda a smart move to get to that magic price number. $199 sounds a whole lot better then $219. And i rather them drop the cheap adapter then drop an important feature like the extra processor, the extended battery life, the C-Stick, NFC rader, extra triggers, etc.

The 3DS needs to sell 77 million units to reach 50% of the DS's install base. I highly doubt the 3DS will sell another 17 million units by the end of its lifetime.

@emgesp: I think theyll get close which will be amazing. Then NX i think will break 77 million.

But 3DS XLs still come with an AC adapter.

Even if they get close to 50% that's still a huge drop off, not as bad as the Wii U, but still pretty big.

As far as the NX goes, like I said before it needs to be something truly special to even reach 3DS numbers, let alone break them.

There will be less people interested in dedicated handhelds come next gen, so the NX better be something more akin to a Tablet with physical buttons and perhaps some interesting gimmick.

@emgesp: I think there will be more due to more countries getting into gaming. Hopefully China will like NX.

I dont think the lack of charger goes into those features though, they could bundle if they wanted to

I have no idea what the gaming landscape is like in China, so its always a possibility. We'll just have to wait and see.

You can get them refurbed for $170 on Nintendo Store if price is an issue. Otherwise my work friend got the system it seemed pretty neat for $200.

@aigis: Those features cost money, they also are key upgrade points for people who already have a 3DS. Its all just business.

@iandizion713: I'd argue most people who own a 3ds already were content with their model (there will always be a few upgrading), but more people who are coming in fresh will want the newest model

@aigis: The N3DS is not the only model avaible. You can buy many models. But yeah, new comers should use their DS adapter. Those who dont have adapter, just buy one, there cheap and are sold right beside it.

The hardware is overpriced. The software is what saves it. I'm more than ready for a new Handheld from Nintendo that actually has HD resolutions. Hell even the PS Vita resolution is too low for my tastes.

Good point. I'll levee my grievance with Nintendo.

So you didn't hold it in your hands to know that it's lighter, but it "feels" like cheap plastic. Uh-huh.

We're not discussing your feels or fantasies here, sheep.

I dare you to find a single portable device out there with screen resolution as low as N3DS that costs as much as $200, which isn't some rare vintage laptop.

Only Ninty fans are stupid enough not only to not call Ninty out on thier preposterous bullshit, but to defend it as well, like it's their firstborn's buttcheeks.

It's MS' fault.

I held it in my hands, just didnt know the Vita Slim was lighter. I cant find nothing like N3DS, she is one of a kind beauty. If i could find something better, trust me, id playing it. But until then, i be ballin on my N3DS. Nintendo fans arent stupid though, they are some of the best fans in the world.

True. But how absurd is that? How many other companies sell you an electronic piece of mobile equipment with no darn way to charge/power the thing included? Why the hassle? Inexcusable.

@shellcase86: How many companies makes their cables backward compatible to reduce their carbon footprint on the environment. Nintendo is not every company, they are unique. They can make decisions that may not make the most sense, but they always have good intent.

Cell phone companies do it, charge you up the ass for the phone, then charge you for every accessory (screen protector, case, car charger). And that stuff is way more expensive by comparison. This is a $10 charger with a $5 third party charger option. If I had to guess the real reason behind the decision has more to do with they wanted it to release at a nice round number like $200 without it eating into their profit margins, nothing too sinister as people expect. This is going to be a handheld that'll cost more. Has better specs, better batteries, better 3D features. Like I said above too, if that $5 bugs you, wait for one of their numerous sales. They have the New 3DS on sale now for $175 at GameStop, $5 more for a third party charger, that's $180 all together and $20 under MSRP.

Now, I don't want to pretend Nintendo isn't cheap in their own way, they are, cheap as hell. Refuse to be flexible on pricing. Really picky about their publishing decisions and limited production of everything. If anything grinds my gears more its that.