¥18,900, or roughly $180. That's how much the Nintendo DSi will cost when it launches on November 1st in Japan. For North American importers, that's a $50 hike for a system with a few extra functions, but also with its GBA compatibility removed. At the same time, it's not a dramatic leap for Japanese consumers -- ¥18,900 is just ¥2,100 ($14) more than what a Lite costs there.In your view, is the DSi fairly priced? And what's the highest price you would be prepared to pay when it arrives in your region next year?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-09-2008 @ 9:10AM
njbeetle said...
$150 is my limit. It isn't enough of a tech leap to justify much more. If any stores do a trade up from the Lite - that might convince me to jump to DSi faster.
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10-09-2008 @ 9:18AM
sk8r1066 said...
As far as I am concerned the only factor that would convince me to make the switch would be the online DSshop. Once a certain online store hits a certain other portable I own I might just not bother though...I don't think I would pay any more than the current price of a DS lite
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10-09-2008 @ 9:25AM
Edge said...
Everything about me says this new DS is a mistake. It's Nintendo deviating from their core competency and giving in to the convergence fad.
I see this as the second coming of the Virtual Boy.
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10-09-2008 @ 9:29AM
Makoto99 said...
$180 for a camera so I can show my fat old mug to a bunch of pre-pubes, AND I lose my GBA compatibility and have to cart around my GBA SP to boot? No thanks.
If it kept the GBA slot and added the other perks it might be worth it, but it's not. I can definitely see this being pretty big for new users though, so I don't fault Nintendo for the move... it just isn't aimed at me, clearly.
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10-09-2008 @ 9:30AM
gavin sumner said...
I think you may just be right.
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10-09-2008 @ 9:38AM
Cyantre said...
The fact that the launch dates in Japan and America are so far spread makes the whole thing feel pretty uninspired.
The GBA slot was bound to be removed during the next upgrade, as one of the reasons for it was to act as safety net incase the DS didn't do well enough on its own.
If history can be any indication, whatever comes after the DSi will be the item to buy. It seems after the third revision of a sytem, a brand-new system gets released.
GB -> GB Pocket -> GB Color
GBA -> GBASP -> GB Micro
DS -> DS Lite -> DSi
If you don't have a DS in any form, then maybe when this comes out it could be worth it. However if you have a DS, I don't think it's worth it to upgrade.
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10-09-2008 @ 9:41AM
Cyantre said...
Also with the final revision of the GBA, the GB Micro, you lost the ability to play original GB games. Now with the third (and likely final) revision of the DS, you lose the ability to play GBA games.
10-09-2008 @ 11:38AM
Hunting_phoenix said...
IMHO, the last iterations have been by far the best. I'm hoping for an awesome DSi.
That said, I'll wait a bit before upgrading.
10-09-2008 @ 9:42AM
tamriel said...
I think that this mourning of the GBA slot is getting old, now. Backward compatibility, in my opinion, is a sort of insurance policy for a good system launch or in face of slow growth of the system's own game library. The DS has come of age now, and you can ask all these people I meet on the train that can't get enough of Brain Age how much they care about the gaping hole at the bottom of their system.
I am really excited about the DS online store. I expect great things to come out of this: I would really enjoy a Virtual Console of sorts for the DS, offering Gameboy/GBC favorites, but maybe also Game Gear and NeoGeo Pocket classics.
Also, I know that this has not been mentioned among all the DSi features, but I would think that the Nintendo engineers would take advantage of this hardware revision to implement WPA wireless encryption, as they have done on the Wii. This now is a feature that is worth a price hike to me.
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10-09-2008 @ 10:40AM
Michael said...
I think the price is reasonable for the most part, however for those of us living in lesser populated areas which do not have gamestops or McDonalds or what have you it kind of sucks knowing that you are in part paying for services not offered to you. also if there had been more price cuts for the ds lite i think it would be even more understandable. however given that the lite price has remained to the best of my knowledge any how stable for ages, one would expect that the DSi would have ~ the same price with a drop in price for the lite.
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10-09-2008 @ 10:41AM
SephFinale said...
Maybe they'll have a GBA download service... :/
Though, if they had an older Game Boy game download service, that would 100% seal the deal for me to get a DSi. You know how hard it is to find Lufia: The Legend Returns?
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10-09-2008 @ 9:09PM
Mike said...
I think that is what will happen considering we haven't seen GB/C/GBA games on the Wii's virtual console service yet.
10-09-2008 @ 11:02AM
ryan said...
If it's only 14 dollars more in Japan, why would you expect it to retail for the full $180 direct conversion? If they are selling the DSL here for $130 instead of $165 that you get converting currency, I'd expect the actual price of the DSi to be significantly closer to $150.
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10-09-2008 @ 7:04PM
iofthestorm said...
$150 would make a whole lot of sense, since that's what the DS launched at. I think you're probably right. I didn't know how much a DS Lite cost in Japan, but knowing that now I feel a lot more confident that the DSi will be fairly priced.
10-09-2008 @ 11:24AM
Nycteris said...
At first I was 100% on board and very excited about the DSi, but now you are giving me strong second thoughts. I am definitely going to wait and see what it really turns out to offer.
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10-09-2008 @ 11:28AM
Senna said...
Woah, woah, I haven't checked yen to dollar conversion rates in a while, but while 18,900 to $180 is reasonable, 2,100 to $14 seems off to me. 100 yen is usually only a bit less than $1, so it'd be closer to $20. Not a huge leap, but still.
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10-09-2008 @ 11:46AM
aliquis said...
The price is just fine but I won't pay for a replacement. If the system was new for me though.
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10-09-2008 @ 11:51AM
Haoji said...
It's not only about GBA games. What about the guitar grip and things like THAT?
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10-10-2008 @ 10:35PM
TheOverlord#2 said...
If you have Guitar Hero On Tour, then you likely have a DS/DSlite...just don't throw your old system into a fire and you should be fine.
(And, stop saying that, trolls. I bet half of the people who complain about it don't even have GHOT and are just looking for a reason to complain.)
10-09-2008 @ 12:00PM
Eric said...
I will be buying a new DS in the future, as mine from November 21 2004 is starting to act a bit odd, but I'm undecided if I'll buy the DSi or a DS Lite...
On one hand, I don't use the GBA compatibility that often - usually I have the rumble pak in... which I'm surprised isn't included with the DSi (or else I've overlooked it). I also have a barely-used Game Boy micro that I love, and it's tiny enough that it doesn't take up any extra room.
On the other hand, I just bought Guitar Hero On Tour, and I wouldn't be able to play it with a DSi.
I'm not big on downloading anything that I can't take off of the device (which is why I'll buy iTunes music, but haven't bought anything from the Wii Shop Channel), so the downloadable games aren't a big deal-maker for me.
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