Posted on Thursday, May 01 2008 @ 0:56 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Nintendo's president
says customers shouldn't expect price cuts on the Wii console or DS handheld console anytime soon.
While the price of hardware is usually reduced over time, that could leave gamers who bought early feeling ripped off, Satoru Iwata said a day after the company reported record annual profits.
"I don't think that model is correct," Iwata said, despite signs that sales of the DS may be tapering off.
The Wii retails for about $250 in the U.S. and 25,000 yen in Japan, unchanged since its launch in November 2006. In contrast, Sony has slashed the price of its 20-gigabyte PlayStation 3 twice so far to boost demand.
Nintendo Co. expects to sell 28.0 million DS units this year through March 2009, down from 30.3 million last year.
Iwata said that while sales in Japan have slowed, the DS maintains strong momentum in the United States and Europe, with considerable room for growth. The DS Lite sells for 16,800 yen in Japan and $129.99 in the U.S.
Nintendo's main focus is to keep gamers playing by continually offering new software, services and accessories. He hinted that there were new projects in the pipeline, but did not elaborate.
"Our biggest fear is for people who have bought the DS to shut it away in a closet," Iwata said. "We want people to use it in their everyday lives."
