[Bumhead]

Sickening. Nintendo have nothing but contempt for their customers.

This is not a Nintendo exclusive issue.

The price of new retail games on PSN has been a laughing stock for a while. Haven't games such as Mass Effect and FIFA been launched at upwards of £55 for a while now? Microsofts Games on Demand service is no better, either.

In my opinion, people who clamour for an all digital future on consoles, with these platform holders, are fucking nuts.

[Margalis]

Nitnendo made it clear ages ago that their digital strategy was to sell eShop games at standard price and allow retailers to sell codes for digital games at whatever price they want.

This is not news at all.

[Mrbob]

Steam isn't a closed market. Steam is, really, just another retail outlet. How often is it that there is a game listed on Steam that you can't buy anywhere else? I've actually bought more games outside of Steam this year, despite them being readily available there. You instead need to compare Nintendo's solution to the App Store or PSN (although, to be fair, PSN doesn't exactly fit with your "digital-only future" criteria, since they also sell b&m gift cards which are, again, almost always cheaper than just buying from the service). Edit: apologies for sloppy typing, alcohol + 5AM = bad combination

I know what you are saying but honestly I dont think the closed ecosystem is a valid excuse. This will only lead to the big 3 losing bigger market share as things progress more and more digitally.

[M.I.S.]

I so realise this removes the advantage of not having to leave the house to get the game instantly.

You can still buy online. As an aside, do online retailers ever send download codes via email?

[snap0212]

There's this thing called iTunes, you may want to look in to it.

Could you please make an argument instead?

Again: The price of a product has very little to do with the costs of production. That's a fact. And if you feel like you're getting a better product then you should be willing to pay more for it. If you said that various things (not being able to re-sell, stuff like that) would bother you then I'd agree that it's an inferior product and should cost less. You, however, make the argument that you want to have the premium product, the better one, but that you're also not willing to pay any more for that, and it just doesn't work like that.

[DavidDayton]

There's this thing called iTunes, you may want to look in to it.

I may be horribly wrong (and I can't wait to be shown that I am), but a cursory examination of iTunes never seemed to show me a drastic difference in pricing between iTunes films/albums and retail films/albums. The prices always seemed about the same, with some things being cheaper on iTunes, others in stores as physical media. I might be really, REALLY wrong about this, but that's what I got when I did a cursory scan of the new releases...

Edit: Unless things are really different in Europe than the USA, of course. I'm just speaking as an interested NA commentator.

[BGBW]

You can still buy online. As an aside, do online retailers even send download codes via email?

Well I'm guessing it would be the same as buying a Nintendo points card online and they will simply send you the physical card in the post.

[Zen_Arcade]

You're not wrong, you're just not a convert yet. Eventually everybody will go digital only and they'll love it. There's this thing called iTunes, you may want to look in to it.

Not true. I have the option to buy my music digitally. I have for years. I still buy cds and records. You need to learn what an opinion is.

[MrKaepora]

Were people really expecting Nintendo to do different from other companies? I never understood why would someone pay more for a digital copy but I guess the game industry is full of crazy.

[Grampasso]

Portable consoles having cartridges is literally about as prehistoric as you can get at this point. It benefits absolutely nobody. It's almost embarrassing.

I suppose being you must be embarassing as well :P

Woops sorry, I hadn't read your post about the most popular portable gaming device. I feel ashamed to have even talked to you at this point. =)

[Yoshi]

Portable consoles having cartridges is literally about as prehistoric as you can get at this point. It benefits absolutely nobody. It's almost embarrassing.

It benefits me, I abhore download games, I want to own the games and I also don't want to lose all games if my console breaks years after it was discontinued (and therefore of course when there is no option to re-download the games on a "new" handheld).

[BGBW]

Also iTunes doesn't sell FLAC files so you are paying for an inferior product.

[Pikma]

You're not wrong, you're just not a convert yet. Eventually everybody will go digital only and they'll love it.

Looking forward to it, will it be like a new religion or something?

[zerokoolpsx]

There's no real reason to charge it higher than RRP besides the $$. That eShop.

[Chû Totoro]

That's what have been discussed with retail representatives guys. Nintendo can't make these decisions by themselves only. If you don't want to piss Amazon or classic retailers you have to make a soft transition from retail to digital.

[radioheadrule83]

The UK's retail sector is dying and they lose shit loads in the Yen translation, this honestly doesn't surprise me that much --

perhaps they're exploitative, perhaps they're throwing UK retail a bone and not wishing to fully kill them off?

[disco]

What the fuck Nintendo?! I can comprehend that you want to protect the gaming retail cartel but ABOVE the RRP?! I'd accept the same price but more?!? As a huge Nintendo fan this really really disappoints me. Sometimes you really do deserve to fail.

[BGBW]

What the fuck Nintendo?! I can comprehend that you want to protect the gaming retail cartel but ABOVE the RRP?! I'd accept the same price but more?!? As a huge Nintendo fan this really really disappoints me. Sometimes you really do deserve to fail.

It's been pointed out that this is RRP. Amazon and online co is certainly not RRP.

[Ken Masters]

Never planned on buying digital retail Nintendo titles, this confirms it

[Conor 419]

Hopefully this wont last long.

[BGBW]

Hopefully before Animal Crossing at least.

[Nevasleep]

Digital distribution dude, have to pay for that expensive new website and infastructure somehow..........lol.

[disco]

It's been pointed out that this is RRP. Amazon and online co is certainly not RRP.

Well £29.99 is what handheld games have cost since the dawn of time... :-/

[richisawesome]

Another benefit if the 3DS is hacked - buy retail, install to SD card. And region free, too!

Maybe then Nintendo might reduce digital prices. If they don't then who cares.

Hurry up, hackers!

[Sinthetic]

Think I'm going to stick to my physical copy for £24.79, that I can sell after finishing.

Cheers.

[Delusibeta]

Well £29.99 is what handheld games have cost since the dawn of time... :-/

New consoles mean a £10 surcharge on top of last gen's RRP. Expect PS4 and Xbox 3 games to try to charge £50 and fail miserably.

[mxgt]

Full game prices are an utter joke on most consoles/handhelds.

Couldn't believe my eyes when looking at some games on demand prices on xbox.

[EvilRedEye]

Many need to realise that online retailers can afford to charge the prices they do because they don't pay VAT by basing themselves in the Channel Islands.

IIRC most games aren't covered by that tax loophole because they're over a certain price.

[Shiggy]

How could a company store sell a product for LESS than they are suggesting it be sold at? Wouldn't that necessarily mean the RPP wasn't actually the RPP, but rather the price they are selling it at? (...and, again, I also think digital releases should be cheaper due to the savings in production AND reduction in user functionality, but I can't understand why anyone would expect a manufacturer to sell their own product for LESS than they officially recommend it be sold for.)

Well, there is no RRP with NoE, I think.

[BGBW]

New consoles mean a £10 surcharge on top of last gen's RRP. Expect PS4 and Xbox 3 games to try to charge £50 and fail miserably.

An thus we come full circle back to 1996.

[mrklaw]

Because I still have all my Steam games easily accessible, where as I couldn't tell you where the majority of my games before 2010 are. They're somewhere, I don't know know where, and realistically I'll never play them again. As soon as consoles stop supporting old systems, the games are basically dead to me. My PS2 collection is completely worthless because my PS3 doesn't play PS2 games and I'm never going to hook up a Playstation 2 again. Yes, Steam is great.

Steam != digital distribution, its merely one avenue. I'd be happy for you to say you think anything other than Steam's practices in digital distribution is prehistoric, but using such a broad brush for digital in general is unfair - there are plenty of digital distribution options on the market that are clearly bad for the consumer

[mrklaw]

That's what have been discussed with retail representatives guys. Nintendo can't make these decisions by themselves only. If you don't want to piss Amazon or classic retailers you have to make a soft transition from retail to digital.

but who are you pissing off? You're not pissing off amazon as they're still way cheaper than you, as are pretty much all online stores.

Perhaps some policy of being within a certain price range of the top 5 online stores would work. I'd be relatively happy to pay a small amount extra compared to Amazon or Zavvi, or price parity (considering its costing Nintendo a lot less to sell it to me with no expensive carts to produce)

protecting retail is a crazy shortsighted view if you apply this level of blunt interpretation to it. You're basically saying 'we don't want you to buy this digitally'. And its not just Nintendo that is guilty of this - many 3rd parties do the same on PSN/XBLA

[Ken Masters]

Hopefully this wont last long.

tell Sony that

[AzaK]

This is NOT news. Iwata mentioned a long time ago that it is up to retailers to set their own prices and they can discount however they want. Even for DD codes so retailers might discount these games anyway. I always expected that Nintendo's DD offerings in the store would be more expensive than retail. Sucks for us but you pay for that convenience I guess.

Me, I'll stay with retail anyway. That way I own the games as well.

Nintendo continues the trend of having the most unappealing digital distribution service of any major company. There goes any chance of me ever using my 3DS as a digital platform. Well done Nintendo.

Third parties may very well be different. It's all about not pissing off retailers too much.

[Pizarro]

I find the concept of wanting a cartridge because you trade in portable video games to be so incredibly strange that I didn't even consider the possibility when I made my post.

Okay. What about owning the actual tangible thing? I like that and I'm sure many other people do as well.

[Bluemercury]

Is this news??steam games have been more expensive than retail prices here in Portugal...and it's Portugal, not the cheapest place to buy games...

[dose]

I can't wait for the digital only future.

Me too. I can't wait to pay over the odds for all my games and still not actually own them.

[SmokyDave]

tell Sony that

Vita DD prices have been dropping more often than the knickers of a camp-follower.

[DaSorcerer7]

Vita DD prices have been dropping more often than the knickers of a camp-follower.

Well considering Vita's state, are you surprised?

[SmokyDave]

Well considering Vita's state, are you surprised?

Yes, I am. I'd expect a price-cut on the hardware and memory cards, not the software.

[lowrider007]

Well I prefer carts as long as they can store you game saves, I have this thing where I like to 'beat the cart', the I like are idea of having a physical object that I'm working towards completing, with Vita carts though I prefer digital, it feels pointless having a cart with no game saves stored on it as it then feels more like a 'key' to allow to play the game.

[Shiggy]

Yes, I am. I'd expect a price-cut on the hardware and memory cards, not the software.

Well, the Wifi-only version has already seen a €50 cut and the 3G version a €60-100 cut (and both include FIFA 13). Didn't help too much.

[lowrider007]

Well, the Wifi-only version has already seen a €50 cut and the 3G version a €60-100 cut (and both include FIFA 13). Didn't help too much.

There's been an official price drop already?, is that just retailers cutting their loses?

[catfish]

well shit. I wanted the download. will buy the cheapest.

[whalleywhat]

Jesus Christ.

Also iTunes doesn't sell FLAC files so you are paying for an inferior product.

iTunes is also a terrible service.

[Ambitious]

Huh, just yesterday I semi-jokingly told a buddy that if Nintendo hypothetically would become third-party iOS developers (I know it won't happen), they would stubbornly price their games at the full retail price.

[Shiggy]

There's been an official price drop already?, is that just retailers cutting their loses?

Nobody cares about official price cuts. Otherwise the 320GB PS3 would still be at 299.99€ instead of the 199.99€ it actually costs.

[lowrider007]

Nobody cares about official price cuts. Otherwise the 320GB PS3 would still be at 299.99€ instead of the 199.99€ it actually costs.

I care because an official price drop usually helps bring the price down even further, and it also gives an indication of Sony's strategy.

[tsab]

Was bored at the office. Here's a quick ms-paint Satoru Shibata of NOE

[Shiggy]

I care because an official price drop usually helps bring the price down even further, and it also gives an indication of Sony's strategy.

That's true. But price drops at retail are already indicative of how successful an official price drop would be. Looking at the Vita, it's almost safe to say that there wouldn't be a huge effect.