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 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.
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.
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.
"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.
05 November 2004 By Matt Martin Nintendo DS will launch in the UK next spring at £129.99, MCV can reveal.
The handheld looks set to hit retail at the end of March 2005, according to sources close to the Japanese games giant. And the unit will be supported by 20-25 titles from day one, a figure expected to double within weeks of its arrival.
DS will ship across Europe with an embedded version of PictoChat, the multi-user text and picture message application, and a further playable demo, which sources state will be different from that included in the Japanese and US launch package - Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt - since that game will be ready for release by next spring.
"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."
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.
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)
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