80% of Japanese gamers perceive 3DS as pricey

Japanese gamers broadly consider Nintendo's 3DS to be on the expensive side, according to a new survey by GetNews.jp.

19.2 per cent of the one thousand gamers surveyed deemed the ¥25,000 / $305 / £192 handheld too expensive, 28.3 expensive and 32.2 'slightly' expensive.

By contrast, 16.4 elected for reasonably-priced, 2 per cent for slightly inexpensive and 0.9 inexpensive.

The RRP was last week defended by Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata, who argued that it was unreasonable to expect handhelds to be cheaper than home consoles, as they do not require peripherals such as screens.

"You do not need any other hardware devices to be connected in order for you to play with it," he told investors recently.

"We do not think, 'the price relationship between portable devices and home consoles must stay intact simply because it used to be that way.'"

Iwata also claimed the device's rapturous reception at EA vindicated a higher retail price than that of the Wii.

The Nintendo 3DS will be launched February 26 in Japan, and March in Europe and the US.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-3ds-as-pricey

I think the 3DS is pricey, but in a year or two the price will drop. It's just like the GameBoy for Nintendo with the DS, with the constant updates and differences between each model to gain interest from those who have yet to own one.

Personally, I feel the handheld market has become gimmicky over the years.

Well it's official, Iwata has flipped his lid.
"We do not think, 'the price relationship between portable devices and home consoles must stay intact simply because it used to be that way."?
Handhelds have always been cheaper because they have always been considerably less powerful than home consoles. $305 for the 3DS is like paying $50,000 for a bicycle from wal-mart.
Is it really worth paying two times the cost of a DSi(The Little Mutant) or a DS Lite(The Last Gamer Focussed Handheld)?
Now I will admit that 3D is a neat trick for a handheld. But it seems like a gimmick. I just can't see it providing $150 worth of improved player experience and it's certainly no substitute for quality games and if the price of the console is any clue the quality games will probably cost $59.99 a piece.

I reserve the right to change my opinion upon the acquisition of more detailed data. ;)