The Nintendo 3DS Price: Fanboy Trap or Weak US Dollar?

... Let's hope it's not $300

Nintendo fanboys and fangirls, like me, are salivating over the anticipated release of the new 3DS system. Equipped with a 3D camera and new 3D games like Kid Icarus: Uprising , Mario Kart 3DS, and Pokemon: Black/White any gamer with a pulse would get excited about this. And apparently it's this hype over the 3DS that has some Nintendo reps blaming the ¥25,000 (roughly $300) price tag on YOU when the device was revealed at this year's 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

This sounds like the Fanboy Trap to me - a phenomenon usually prevalent with Geek hobbies and tech gadgets. Examples:

• When a 20 GB and a 60 GB PlayStation 3 models are first released at $499 and $599, but now the price is $300 for 160 GB........... it's a trap.
• And how many re-releases and bundle packs are there gonna be for the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime?...... It's a trap.

Will fans just wait 6 months for the price to drop and then buy the 3DS? Probably not. Will casual gamers wait? Probably, however the casual gamer will already have an older generation DS and not really care about upgrading. While it'll be really, really hard to not run to the store the night the system comes out, it will save you some money and prevent you from falling into the Fanboy money trap. That $50-$100 extra dollars you may save can be used for taking that girl you like out on date - and that's worth it, right? Right?

However, this supposed $300 price tag could all just be talk. Wired.com's explanation on the weak US dollar to the Yen makes sense, and we could end up seeing a smaller price tag state-side. It happened with the previous DS generations and the Wii, so why not with this? It would be smart of Nintendo to lower the price to around $250 or less. Hard gamer geeks will probably pay $300 regardless, but I don't think the vast majority of Americans will. Even with me, as much as I really want the 3DS, I am completely content with my DSi. If it's $250 or more, I will wait until the price drops (and grumble while I wait).

We have plenty of time to wait and see what the US price will be. Will it be influenced by fanboy hype or the current exchange rate? I'll just sit and replay Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days while I wait...