Nintendo Vows to Keep Revolution Game Prices Low

Posted on April 3, 2006

CNN reports that Nintendo has vowed to keep prices low on the next generation of their gaming system, Nintendo Revolution. CNN quotes Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, as says he "cannot imagine any first party title could be priced for more than $50." This would be lower than games for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 which can run as high as $60.

"In the US, we're going to see the next generation cost an awful lot," said Iwata. "I really don't think that there's going to be a lot of acceptance by current customers of the $60 price tag. They may allow that for a limited number of premium titles, but not all."
Microsoft (Research) and Sony (Research) hope to supplement their income with digital distribution, selling games and more via their online services. Xbox 360 owners are able to download new, small games onto their hard drive for a small fee (typically no more than $10). The model will likely be the same with the PS3.

Some game prices have been dropping lately anyway. Bundling games together may be another way to offer games to consumers at lower prices. For a console company it is crucial to get players hooked on some games and that may not happen if the games are too expensive. The more games people buy and like the better chance there is they will become devoted to the console.

NINTENDO