When the original Nintendo DS was launched in 2004, Nintendo made sure that its price was as low as possible and ended up forcing retailers to sell it for almost no profit beyond a couple of bucks but it seems that it doesn't intend to follow the same strategy with their upcoming 3DS.
Nintendo has announced that it won't set an RRP (Recommended Retail Price) for the 3DS in Europe and that it will leave pricing decisions to retailers. European retailers who have announced their prices are all within the £220 to £230 range.
To put those numbers in context, it's worth noting that a major UK retailer representative has revealed that they buy the 3DS from Nintendo for £173 which is consistent with Nintendo's North American RRP of $250.
It is still unclear as to why Nintendo allows European retailers to have a large profit margin of 30%, and why doesn't it give the same option to American retailers. In the meanwhile, North American Nintendo fans can enjoy their stereoscopic 3D handheld entertainment for 20% less than their European counterparts.
