Nintendo DS priced and dated for Europe

I'm fed up with this treatment. Why 130 quids? According to my knowledge of currency exchange, that's like $240, way off the US $150 mark. So, Nintendo and Sony go as low as possible to court the US and Japan market, while we (the rest of the world) will pay the difference... Probably the games will cost 30 pounds, compared to 30 dollars in US. :(

Nintendo always s**t on EU gamers. EU tax and others also have blame for it but this is by no menas the first time that this has happened in the EU.

At the moment a preorder will cost you around £114 for the DS and Mario64DS. That works out fifteen quid cheaper and a game to boot.

I dont think £130 is too bad though, they could have easily changed dollars direct to pounds and stung everyone £150. £130 though is still the same price as the Gamecube was on release if i remember properly and thats a full size console.

I think 130 quid is too much considering its a hand held system. I think Nintendo are getting a little greedy, but depsite that there are a degree of tatics involved in this surely.

That extra 30 quid could have been spent on Mario Kart, (Damn you Nintendo) but perhaps once the pre-orders open up for it most likely in january, it would be an idea to get in there in advance and pay for most of it before launch day. I'm still up for a DS anyway and at least you get something to use with it for that price.

If Sony start to get a foothold Nintendo will most likely drop the price of the DS a little to about 90-100, (the real price that it should be IMO). With DS games alos at 30 quid this would also give Nintendo an advantage.

We are still yet to hear from Sony on their PSP game prices, please Spong crew, do some snooping and find out what's going on, and why we've had no price for PSP games confirmed yet.

It's true that EU, and UK in particular get the s**t end of the deal when it comes to pricing.

However, companies aim to price as high as possible, but at the sweet spot where the market will still accept it.

If you don't like the price of the DS, vote with your wallet and don't buy the mutha.

I agree, and if not import then. Its not like you have to wait any longer than posted within the UK. Its all easy these days.

I think that in itself this price is fair for the console, however in comparison to the US price it isn't that good.

I would expect the PSP to outsell the DS by a considerable amount in Europe (especially the UK) and this price point does Nintendo no favours.

It isn't a fair price, really, at current exchange rates:

US$149.99 = GB£81.72 + VAT@17.5% = GB£96.02

15,000YEN = GB£76.72 + VAT@17.5% = GB£90.15

Now, to me, that could very easily equate to a GB£99.99 pricepoint quite comfortably. A £130 pricetag just comes across as gouging, especially with how close it's likely to be to the PSP price.

Nintendo DS priced and dated for Europe

Look! It says EUROPE. Or list the price in € as well (at least!) or change your topic title to: Nintendo DS priced and dated for the UK

I know it's hard to understand but there ARE people outside of the UK that are still a part of Europe as well. *gasp*

Or do we really have to look up a currancy exchange site every single time something is announced for 'Europe'? If it really is to much of aburden and the site is really only meant for people from the UK i'll gladly start visiting other sites.

Pipe down. According to something I read recently, the UK gaming market is bigger than that of France and Germany combined. Moreover, Spong is based in the UK - as such, a site catering for Europe's largest gaming market based in that market will likely announce the price specific to that market.

In other news, we're getting the DS 4 months after the US release, at a cost the equivalent of $90 more expensive. European Nintendo fans are the battered wives of gaming. We keep getting abused, we keep going back. Please, Nintendo, start making crap games - the only reason I put up with your lousy service is because the games are so good.

May I have your attention please.

Here is a quote from gamesindustry.biz website.

"A report this morning in a UK magazine has speculated that Nintendo plans to launch the DS handheld in late March 2005 in Europe, with a UK price point of UKP 129.99 (186 Euro), significantly higher than the equivalent US dollar pricing."

Did you hear that? The 130 quid price is all SPECULATION by MCV. The post on the site goes on to say it's NOT been confirmed by Nintendo. So if we all know the exchange rate, it would appear that this is all bull and the DS will most likely be 90-100 quid after all. 130 quid would be nice for Nintendo if they want us protesting in the streets for a price cut. With this information we can all relax a bit.

It's not like Nintendo to mug us when we have to know the exchange rate, and them hating us buying cheaper import stuff. They have to get it just right, especially with Sony pitching their PSP tent.

Speculation is dangerous MCV, be careful next time.

Peace.

Speculation, or insider info? Don't be so quick to dismiss:

http://www.mcvuk.com/html/news/story.jsp?newsId=1928920

here is a tip ... anything you find with the name "gamesindustry.biz" stuck to it ... ignore it ... its usually a rewritten press release making out like the writer know something special (better reading the original release), a story stolen from another site or paper, or just plain garbage. and remember that everything on that site is written by just one guy (rob fahey).

so when gi says that another site or paper is speculating remember that fahey is speculating that its speculation!!!

Funny thing is that if, for some reason, the exchange rate changes and the US dollar rises from the dirt it sunk couple of years ago, our prices will be adjusted "accordingly".

I reckon if this price stays, I'll order my DS from US. The shipping charges must me quite low, as it's not the size of a console, after all.

Hey, Joji! You were so quick to bash the PSP on the speculative prices that other people guessed up that weren't confirmed by Sony.

Why do you give Sony such a hard time and bite them with any rumours that come along, but you give Nintendo every chance and defend them to the hilt?

Are you that bitter about Sony opening up games to the mass market?

I would like to say that MCV the most reliable source of industry information bar non. It was MCV germany that published the PSP prices remember

GI is as guilty of wild speculation and rumor mongery as any other site. It is owned by Eurogamer - thats a site that was good at the start but has gone down hill and GI just gets second hand storys from there (and press releases as somebody mentioned)

If The DS price is 130, even if I dont like that I will still buy it because I still want it. Damn, when I first bought my PSone it cost me 275 quid, and my N64 wasn't that much far off that price. You might have missed the bit several times where I said I'm still gonna buy a PSP, not really for the PSP but for the games that are on it. If Sony get my money so be it, it doesn't change the PSP problem (I like to play my hand helds for longer periods than 6 hours you see, though this might not bother most folk until they experience what it's like to be playing a game and have to power cut on you. This used to happen when I used to play GG games like Shinobi and Castle of Illusion).


LOL, I like that. Someone who points that alledged loyalty out. Despite whatever you think I give Sony a hard time just like I do Nintendo and MS. If that info isn't speculation then I'll most likely import one.

You are quite justified to suggest my loyalty, so what I like Nintendo product, but I also like a lot of things about Sony and MS. It's a love/hate relationship with all of them for me, I love games but I hate some of the jibe these three give you to get what you want.

I know all their mistakes from the past and present. If I see something I like regardless of what system it's on I'll say so. I grew up on Nintendo and Sega games and though they amongst the humble Speccy, Commodore 64 and Amiga 500 and all recent consoles help shape my view, I still stand by that you can enjoy anything regardless of what machine it's on.

Fairplay, perhaps the fanboy horns of pre release excitement is getting to me. Any new console release is like Xmas, my faith is restored for those who try to improve things. My main gripes with Sony are just like my list for |Nintendo and MS, a list of a few problems that could be sorted but aren't.

I got love for Sony from PSone, but I feel they have to earn it again. Yes, they changed the industry for the better but that's old news now. In some areas with the PS2 they have but not all (like their stance on 2D games). Now the PSP is on the way, it's not even out of the door yet and it's got problems with the battery life, which I still think is poor. It's very bad work PSP has turned out this way from SOny, who are really a hardware company and have years of experience with portable technology.

I reserve the right to criticise or praise anyone in the industry from a game fan and consumer standing. I you feel that I criticise more than praise then so be it, because this industry still has a lot of bullshit problems that shouldn't be there.

In the past I have busted Nintendo's balls for not making enough mature games from themselves for GC, as well as them selling NES games for 15 quid, that's kind of taking the piss, and not letting us legally download old game roms. I also kinda hate Pokemon so much now, because though it's anime (and I love anime), it's piss boring now, even though it's not aimed at me. If it brings the money in then good for them, which in turn can go on new games development. DS is still looking sweet for games and battery life.

I have slated MS for their lack of rpgs to sell Xbox in japan properly, and them cancelling some games, as well as them having a go at folk for modding their Xboxs. Other gripes with them are the huge Xbox and controllers, the latter of which has now been sorted out with Controller S. It's great that they fixed that. MS even changed my mind on Xbox Live, which I wasn't sure about to the point where I'd buy an Xbox now and the next version.

My main gripes with Sony are the sometimes bad online service, which MS clearly know what they are doing with Live, and ten times better. Bad PS2 design with lack of 4 pads ports (in this day and age this is unforgivable, n64 came out ages had them ages ago and even MS and Sega got that bit right, surely a ploy to make money out of multitaps again even with PSX), over priced memory cards and accessories, the PSX and PSP problems. On the flip side I like the UMD idea, and it should curb piracy for PSP (something similar I hope they will do for PS3, and even MS with Xbox2, because it's clear the DVD player option and format unchanged has helped fuel piracy, even though they would never admit it really), like the GC discs. Sony marketing and advertising is a force to be reckoned with, and I bet they are planning something special for the PSP ad campaign. PS2 and PSP also have lot of games I want.

All three criticised and praised equally like I always try to. If you feel I do more of the former it because through criticism (and praise) things can get better for everyone.

Sometime back in a news post, I had a go at Capcom about RE4, and about the stupid survival knife in the RE games. IMO it was useless and cumbersome. I also made the point that from the makers of the Street Fighter series, that you can't punch or kick the zombie horde as a melee last resort to empty ammo. Strangely a while later such an melee attack appears in RE4. I don't know if the post was read by someone at Capcom or if I had any effect in this, but whether it did or not, it's improved the game surely. Probably deluding myself but it would be nice to know that your opinions count all the same.

Let's just wait until Nintendo confirm then :).

Personally i cant see the £130 price tag being true. I really doubt Nintendo would sell the system that close to the PSP price. Seriously, expect a price around the £100 mark. But dont quote me ;)

Yeah, £130 sounds excessive to me. I would expect about the £100 to £120 mark. If it were to launch at £130, I would expect a drop to £100 by next Christmas.