Mid-Week Poll: Is $250 Too Much for the 3DS?

Nintendo’s 3DS handheld gaming console will display glasses-free 3D, take 3D pictures, and may even be updated to record 3D video. Oh, and it plays games too! Still, the $250 price tag is more than Nintendo has ever charged for a handheld system. Is it too expensive?

Commenters across the internet are balking at the price of the 3DS. “$250 for a handheld system that does everything we’ve wanted from a 3D handheld? Surely not!” To put it in another perspective, the 3DS is the exact same price as the PSP was when it first launched. It’s far cheaper than an iPhone purchased without a service contract, and comparing the price of a 3DS to a 3D television is ludicrous.

The system will launch in the U.S. on March 27th at $250. 23 different games will be available by the end of June, including a new ‘Dead or Alive’ game, ‘Pilotwings Resort’, ‘Street Fighter IV’, and even ‘Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked’. That’s an impressive set of launch games – much more promising than those available for the launch of the DS, PS3, Xbox 360, or even the Wii.

So what do you think? Is the 3DS worth the $250, or are you holding out for a lower price point?

Is $250 too much for the 3DS?

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4 comments

  1. I don’t think its a bad price, and, if the camera is halfway decent, i will go as far as to say its a good price. But I agree with TJ – last (and only) handheld system I ever bought was the Game Gear. Had two games for it. Maybe I am just bitter because I bought a superior game system that Sega just seemed unable to generate intrest and developers for, but I am really just not that interested. I have played the PSP and the DS, not interested.

    Quite frankly, I probably won’t buy another video game system for a while. I got an XBox360, a PS3, a Wii, and a PC. What am I playing on these?

    XBox360 – Fable (Xbox game), Fable 2 (360), Tales of Vesparia (360) and Eternal Sonatra (360), Katamari

    PS3 – Final Fantasy 7 (psx), Final Fantasy 9 (PSX), Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 (PS2), Chrono Trigger (SNES / PSX), Chrono Cross (PSX), Guitar Hero (PS3), Flower (PS3), Katamar (PS2 / PS3)

    Wii – Zelda 1 & 2 (NES), Zelda 3( Snes), Zelda 4 & 5 (N64), Zelda Windwaker (Gamecube), Zelda Twilight Princess (Wii), SMB 1-3 (Nes), Super Mario World (Snes), Sonic 2 (Genesis).

    PC – Kings Quest Remakes, Alice (came out in 2000), Sim Societies, Tropico, Unreal 1 & 2 and Tournament 2003, Star Trek Elite Forces and Duke Nukem 3D

    Point is, I tend to play older games, and my shame pile is probably larger than Dick’s. While the technology of the 3DS intrests me, I probably will not be playing games on it. At least, not enough to justify purchasing it.

    I’m a casual gamer, one who may play a couple of hours a week at the most. I play a little Game Dev Story and Bejewled on my phone when trying to waste time, but handheld devices just do not interest me.

  2. Dick Ward
    Author

    Oooh, I couldn’t survive without a handheld. I know there are plenty of games I could play on my netbook, but during plane trips and such, you just can’t beat a DS.

    • True, but as I only fly a few times a year, I use that as a chance to catch up on a few books. Its me and Harry fighting Voldermort, me and Lyra out to help save Dust, me and Authur Dent exploring the Universe, or me and Laura Ingles fighting droughts and hard winters.

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