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[sonycowboy]

Sounds like 95% the opposite in here.

Nintendo's franchises are GOLD. Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Metroid, Star Fox, Diddy, etc.

I think it's clear to all of us that Nintendo will eventually be forced out of the hardware business. They shouldn't lose money to stop that from happening. It's inevitable. Sony's PSP agrressiveness just underlines that. R&D is getting increasingly expensive and Nintendo doesn't appear to have the resources to keep up. If they want to continue on like Apple has, they can be a pretty profitable company, but there days as #1 are far behind them in the console arena and within the next 5-10 years, at most, that will be true of portable gaming as well.

It's simply that maturation of the market and I expect Nintendo sees this. It's just which way are they going to go. Do they want to be a world class software company not bound by hardware, or do they want to continue to produce the hardware knowing that they will be the only source for thier games (much like Apple with their OS).

 

[SantaC]

Nintendo's franchises are GOLD. Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Metroid, Star Fox, Diddy, etc.

I think it's clear to all of us that Nintendo will eventually be forced out of the hardware business. They shouldn't lose money to stop that from happening. It's inevitable. Sony's PSP agrressiveness just underlines that. R&D is getting increasingly expensive and Nintendo doesn't appear to have the resources to keep up. If they want to continue on like Apple has, they can be a pretty profitable company, but there days as #1 are far behind them in the console arena and within the next 5-10 years, at most, that will be true of portable gaming as well.

It's simply that maturation of the market and I expect Nintendo sees this. It's just which way are they going to go. Do they want to be a world class software company not bound by hardware, or do they want to continue to produce the hardware knowing that they will be the only source for thier games (much like Apple with their OS).

Well I can accept the fact that Nintendo goes 3rd party, but I can't accept something that has happend to SEGA.

SEGA in the old days had so many great games, but they have not been themselves ever since the failure with dreamcast.

A similar fate for Nintendo would be so sad, especially since I have been a long time fan of their games. Also less competition in the industri is obviously not a good thing for the consumers.

 

[FriScho]

For 100$ I would get the NDS. Not a cent more.

 

[Dracos]

Just release Pokemon Diamond/Pearl on the day the PSP launches in the US.

 

[jarrod]

i don't think nintendo can afford the kind of price drop it would take to make the ds look appealing alongside psp. both machines were the results of years of planning, and nintendo were outflanked. last minute maneuvering won't address the hardware disparity.

Honestly, I'd say last second manuvering was exactly how PSP became a suddenly overwhelming contender. Nintendo needs to play by the same rules, it's their market to lose. And I agree with ge-man, Nintendo has much more room to manuver at this point.

really i think they should recommit to gba development. they've still got a good thing going there, and they shouldn't sabotage it.

Too late for that, it'd make a larger blunder than anything. Not everyone shares you view on the appeal of DS as a game machine, in fact I'd say the majority within the industry and media strongly disagree.

I think this generation shows us that price is not an effective "weapon" anymore. Software is the key and if they try to compete on price, they'll only be hurting themselves in the long run. They've already got better 3rd party support than they've had for a looong time. What they need are the third party exclusives to complement their own, and to help developers with using the strengths and innovations of their system, namely the touch screen and the dual screen.

Lowering the price = Stupid & desperate

Problem being, this pricing move of Sony's is suddenly spurring more PSP insterest among developers than anything they've done previously in regards to PSP. This isn't about wooing consumers right now, it's about wooing forecasters/publishers and building hype. Dropping to $99 will show they mean business and are really going for the mainstream handheld base.

Horrible idea. You don't drop the price four months after release once competition is out.

It makes your product look weak plus pisses off all the people who bought one. Either drop it before release or stay firm for awhile.

100% correct. If Nintendo drops now they're agressive. If they drop later they're rectionary and playing catch up.

Hmmmm, i don't see them dropping the price, if anything they'll argue the price is justified due to the "innovative" features compared to the PSP.

Unfortunately... that's probably what they'll do. :/

sonycowboy is right for once. If price advantages (within reason) really made a significant difference, GameCube wouldn't be where it is today. GameCube has had a $50-or-greater price advantage ever since it was released, yet it's selling consistently less than the competition on a monthly basis.

GameCube's problems have little relevance here.

LOL. You're sounding extremely desperate yourself there, Jar.

I'm exploring Nintendo's options. They clearly need to do something besides sticking their heads in the sand.

Litigation for price dumping? I think that's the saddest thing I've ever heard come. Clearly, you feel that Sony has just pulled the rug out from under Nintendo and you.

Sony pulled the rug out from everyone. This move's shifted a lot of thoughts concerning PSP's potential imo.

I brought up the price dump litigation because Sega and Atari considered doing against Sony in the 32bit days. Why would it be desperate exactly, I'm not entirely sure how it works even?

Nintendo will be just fine.

I sincerely doubt you honestly believe that. In fact, I doubt most Sony fans in here chirping the same tune believe that.

Nintendo's franchises are GOLD. Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Metroid, Star Fox, Diddy, etc.

I think it's clear to all of us that Nintendo will eventually be forced out of the hardware business. They shouldn't lose money to stop that from happening. It's inevitable. Sony's PSP agrressiveness just underlines that. R&D is getting increasingly expensive and Nintendo doesn't appear to have the resources to keep up. If they want to continue on like Apple has, they can be a pretty profitable company, but there days as #1 are far behind them in the console arena and within the next 5-10 years, at most, that will be true of portable gaming as well.

It's simply that maturation of the market and I expect Nintendo sees this. It's just which way are they going to go. Do they want to be a world class software company not bound by hardware, or do they want to continue to produce the hardware knowing that they will be the only source for thier games (much like Apple with their OS).

Nonsense, this market more than any is Nintendo's to lose. The problem with DS is that it's somewhat deviating from what always made GB win out against competitors. If they're really forward thinking, they'll do whatever it takes to force Sony out immediately... and dropping DS to $99 prelaunch would be an excellent start. It'd take the wind out of Sony's 19800 yen sails... which was what DS being relatively low tech/cost was intended to do anyway.

 

[snapty00]

Honestly, I'd say last second manuvering was exactly how PSP became a suddenly overwhelming contender. Nintendo needs to play by the same rules, it's their market to lose.

By doing what exactly? Dropping the price to $100? That'd be like trying to stop a tank with a wooden roadblock.

 

[nitewulf]

Can nintendo afford to price it at $100? the thing is, SONY/MS can afford to do that, they screw themselves in the short term, we get cheap ass electronics, everybody is happy.
Nintendo isnt in their league, they need profit in order to survive immediately. The profit will also go into R&D for the next gen console and the GBA successor, to develop launch games for those two platforms, and to keep developing games for gamecube/sp/ds. Then theres marketing. They cant afford to bleed money like SONY/MS imo.
I predicted this situation years ago, its a different market now, with players that are too big to compete against. Hell its laughable that I once expected Sega to compete well against SONY, in hindsight, they were never a match. Saturn was blown out the water by the lower priced PSX. DC, as well engineered as that was, wasnt a match for PS2. Sega could have develped a stronger platform, but they never could have priced it competitively.
In the end, its good that the hardware R&D is being taken over by SONY/MS, as they'll be able to provide the strongest hardware, and price the hardware well. We will get cheap consoles, handhelds.
It's just a different ballgame.

 

[jarrod]

Can nintendo afford to price it at $100? the thing is, SONY/MS can afford to do that, they screw themselves in the short term, we get cheap ass electronics, everybody is happy.
Nintendo isnt in their league, they need profit in order to survive immediately. The profit will also go into R&D for the next gen console and the GBA successor, to develop launch games for those two platforms, and to keep developing games for gamecube/sp/ds. Then theres marketing. They cant afford to bleed money like SONY/MS imo.
I predicted this situation years ago, its a different market now, with players that are too big to compete against. Hell its laughable that I once expected Sega to compete well against SONY, in hindsight, they were never a match. Saturn was blown out the water by the lower priced PSX. DC, as well engineered as that was, wasnt a match for PS2. Sega could have develped a stronger platform, but they never could have priced it competitively.
In the end, its good that the hardware R&D is being taken over by SONY/MS, as they'll be able to provide the strongest hardware, and price the hardware well. We will get cheap consoles, handhelds.
It's just a different ballgame.

Financially, I'd say Nintendo's healthier than Sony. They were willing to go as low as 10,000 yen ($95) anyway...

 

[sonycowboy]

Nonsense, thais market more than any is Nintendo's to lose. The problem with DS is that it's somewhat deviating from what always made GB win out against competitors. If they're really forward thinking, they'll do whatever it takes to force Sony out immediately... and dropping DS to $99 prelaunch would be an excellent start.

They clearly own the market, but they've owned the market before. They have not had any real competition, certainly none with the resources that Sony & Microsoft can bring to bear. I really do think they'll be just fine, but...

They are not a hardware company, they are a software company. I know they're going to hang on tight, but the writing is on the wall. The cannot spend billions on R&D for the next semiconductor and other technical advances. So they have to rely on already designed technology, which will always put them behind. It used to be that first party software could completely cover their hardware, but those days are long since gone.

As for Microsoft, I don't expect them to get into this market directly. They HATE having to lose money on hardware, but with the PS2 it was necessary to have a presence in the living room. They will continue to hammer away in the PocketPC arena and I expect that will be their way into the personal entertainment device. That way they make craploads of money providing the OS to all of the manufacturers of portable devices.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

There is no reason for Nintendo to drop the DS until Sony enters the US market which is spring 2005.

Agreed on this much at least. They'll both have no problems selling all they can release to this point.

What about Japan?

At least through the holiday season, I doubt the half-million PSPs will keep the million DSes from being sold.

Horrible idea. You don't drop the price four months after release once competition is out.

It makes your product look weak plus pisses off all the people who bought one. Either drop it before release or stay firm for awhile.

Will it piss off people who paid more? Only if they are silly people who don't expect price cuts. N64 and GCN (and Xbox) dropped price 6 months after US release.

 

[border]

I think Sony wants Nintendo to do everything that they can to undermine the GBA. They've already unndermined it signficantly by releasing a new handheld that people will interpret as a Gameboy successor. Forcing the DS into direct competition with the GBA (by way of a deep price cut) would be playing into their hand even further.

 

[jarrod]

They clearly own the market, but they've owned the market before. They have not had any real competition, certainly none with the resources that Sony & Microsoft can bring to bear. I really do think they'll be just fine, but...

They are not a hardware company, they are a software company. I know they're going to hang on tight, but the writing is on the wall. The cannot spend billions on R&D for the next semiconductor and other technical advances. So they have to rely on already designed technology, which will always put them behind. It used to be that first party software could completely cover their hardware, but those days are long since gone.

As for Microsoft, I don't expect them to get into this market directly. They HATE having to lose money on hardware, but with the PS2 it was necessary to have a presence in the living room. They will continue to hammer away in the PocketPC arena and I expect that will be their way into the personal entertainment device. That way they make craploads of money providing the OS to all of the manufacturers of portable devices.

So why not drive Sony out asap? Why let the "inevitable" come to pass when they're likely to reap far less in profits without their own hardware? Especially in the handheld area, which isn't exactly at the bankrupting cutting edge all the time? I just don't think you have a solid grasp over how important hardware really is to Nintendo's bottom line... nor how clever they can be when needed. Being a hardware company hasn't kept Sony from producing competitive games, and being a software company hasn't kept Nintendo (or Microsoft for that matter) from producing competitive hardware. Your view on this is too simplified.

 

[sonycowboy]

So why not drive Sony out asap? Why let the "inevitable" come to pass when they're likely to reap far less in profits without their own hardware?

Why didn't Sony do this with Microsoft? Because when a corporation makes a decision to enter a given market, and they have the resources, they aren't going to be driven out.

Your view on this is too simplified.

LOL. I think you're taking yourself a little too seriously. Nintendo CANNOT drive Sony from the market. If they drop the price and, if Sony had to, to counter, they would do it.

I'm not trying to get into a pissing contest and you do provide some great analysis, but you need to recognize that you aren't GOD when it comes to handhelds, OK.

 

[Link316]

Problem being, this pricing move of Sony's is suddenly spurring more PSP insterest among developers than anything they've done previously in regards to PSP. This isn't about wooing consumers right now, it's about wooing forecasters/publishers and building hype. Dropping to $99 will show they mean business and are really going for the mainstream handheld base.

keep in mind that 3rd party games will probably also sell better on the PSP, the only thing Nintendo should drop is their license fees if they wanna keep 3rd parties interested in the DS

I brought up the price dump litigation because Sega and Atari considered doing against Sony in the 32bit days. Why would it be desperate exactly, I'm not entirely sure how it works even?

Sony could just return favor on the console market if Nintendo gets desperate and start using dirty tactics, besides IIRC, I think dumping only applies to a foreign companies, so this wouldn't work against Sony, just MS ^_^

 

[sohka88]

there is no point dropping it.... they will sell out at least till next spring anyways.

 

[drohne]

industry and media sentiment can and will turn quickly against the ds. you followed the saturn and gamecube, jarrod. you've seen the way the community will pile onto a loser.

i don't think it would make any sense for nintendo to turn the ds into a financial drain. they're in no position to force sony's hand on a further price drop, let alone "bleed them dry."

 

[jarrod]

Why didn't Sony do this with Microsoft? Because when a corporation makes a decision to enter a given market, and they have the resources, they aren't going to be driven out.

Using the same logic though, won't Sony eventually be driven out of consoles as well given there's no way they can hope to compete with Microsoft's resources? Is that your stance?

LOL. I think you're taking yourself a little too seriously. Nintendo CANNOT drive Sony from the market. If they drop the price and, if Sony had to, to counter, they would do it.

I disagree. From the avaiable information, I'd say Sony blew their load at 19800, they most likely can't drop further until the next fiscal cycle. A $99 DS won't drive Sony out, but it's a start.

I'm not trying to get into a pissing contest and you do provide some great analysis, but you need to recognize that you aren't GOD when it comes to handhelds, OK.

Personal swipes in place of analysis or insight? And you're trying to avoid a pissing contest?

 

[jarrod]

industry and media sentiment can and will turn quickly against the ds. you followed the saturn and gamecube, jarrod. you've seen the way the community will pile onto a loser.

Sure... but that's why Nintendo needs to keep anticipation on their side. Right now DS isn't a loser, Nintendo needs to ensure that it won't turn.

i don't think it would make any sense for nintendo to turn the ds into a financial drain. they're in no position to force sony's hand on a further price drop, let alone "bleed them dry."

Wel, Sony's not exactly in the best financial shape. And PSP won't be their focus in a year, they'll be fighting Microsoft at home... do you think Sony could afford to drop PSP further right now?

keep in mind that 3rd party games will probably also sell better on the PSP,

Erm... they will? Why exactly?

Sony could just return favor on the console market if Nintendo gets desperate and start using dirty tactics, besides IIRC, I think dumping only applies to a foreign companies, so this wouldn't work against Sony, just MS ^_^

Uh... then why was Sega threating to do it in the Saturn days? Explain further...

 

[drohne]

i'm not sure how sony can afford to sell psp for $200 in the first place. but my point is that $200 is a damned impressive price for the technology, and there's nothing nintendo can do to change that perception. i expect sony to stick to that price for a long time.

 

[Baron Aloha]

A price drop won't work. Sony wanted the PSP price to be competitive. If Nintendo drops the DS that won't change. Sony will likely lower the price of the PSP immediately to combat them. Sony will do whatever it takes to KO Nintendo once and for all.

Nintendo should delay the DS at least a year, beef up the specs, allow 3rd parties to get tons of games ready, and launch Xmas 2005. That would allow them to kill two birds with one stone. Better tech will allow them to compete better with Sony when it comes to casuals and tech savy consumers. A Xmas 2005 release might also distract some people from Xenon's launch. This would slow down some of MS gains next gen and put Revolution in a better position for its launch.

 

[SantaC]

A price drop won't work. Sony wanted the PSP price to be competitive. If Nintendo drops the DS that won't change. Sony will likely lower the price of the PSP immediately to combat them. Sony will do whatever it takes to KO Nintendo once and for all.

Nintendo should delay the DS at least a year, beef up the specs, allow 3rd parties to get tons of games ready, and launch Xmas 2005. That would allow them to kill two birds with one stone. Better tech will allow them to compete better with Sony when it comes to casuals and tech savy consumers. A Xmas 2005 release might also distract some people from Xenon's launch. This would slow down some of MS gains next gen and put Revolution in a better position for its launch.

A delay one year isn't exactly the remedy to nintendo's problems. They should just hurry up with the GBA 2 development so they can redeem themselves quickly if DS turns out to be a failure.

 

[ironichaos]

Nintendo doesn't need to drop the price. The DS is going to sell as fast as it arrives into stores. Once Nintendo can actually properly supply the market, a price drop might be doable. But as it is, there's absolutely no need to.

 

[nitewulf]

i'm not sure how sony can afford to sell psp for $200 in the first place. but my point is that $200 is a damned impressive price for the technology, and there's nothing nintendo can do to change that perception. i expect sony to stick to that price for a long time.

this is true. even if nintendo sells the DS for 50 bucks, the PSP will still be more than worth it at $200. it screams value. there's no countering that can be done, i dont see it.

 

[Link316]

Erm... they will? Why exactly?

um, because there's no Nintendo games?

Uh... then why was Sega threating to do it in the Saturn days? Explain further...

I've never heard about that, if you want to continue to pusue this go read up on dumping laws first

 

[snapty00]

Dumping is when, for example, a Japanese company sells a television for USD$400 in Japan but something like USD$200 in the U.S.

 

[Mashing]

I think they do. I think they have to force Sony to make as many business moves that they really don't want to have to make (the $199 price is once such move I believe). Make it COST them dearly to enter the market if they want to. Nintendo is the 800-pound gorilla here, not Sony. Make them earn ever bit of marketshare and make them hurt for it. I'd do something nuts like create a pokemon bundle when the games come out. Nintendo has to be the aggressor in the handheld world becuase as the market leader they can dictate the flow of the market (right now).

 

[UltimateMarioMan]

A price drop won't work. Sony wanted the PSP price to be competitive. If Nintendo drops the DS that won't change. Sony will likely lower the price of the PSP immediately to combat them. Sony will do whatever it takes to KO Nintendo once and for all.

Considering how poorly the rest of Sony is doing they CAN'T drop the price whenever they want to. I'm willing to bet 200$ was as low as possible without serious risk. If they spend to much on the PSP they'll have to few resources to use fending off MS when it comes time.

 

[The Faceless Master]

they should drop it to $100 so i can save $50 when i buy it at launch

 

[Memles]

Both will sell out in Japan calendar year...and DS will likely sell out in NA as well.

So, basically, you guys are arguing a long term Nintendo strategy, but applying it to apparent short term failure. You're saying it will be a complete bomb and Nintendo should drop it...uh, why? The promise of a new Pokemon WILL sell the system in Japan, and the fact that it's launching unopposed will make it sell out in NA this year.

Long term, when PSP launches in NA, is when these conspiracy theories start to come into play. Price Drop at PSP Launch, along with a few major first party titles. You guys seem to be planning exit strategy far too soon.

 

[Deg]

Its not going to be that big but they are probably happy it will be bigger than what they imagined at first. The first DS responses were quite poor unlike PSP's first announcement.

 

[jiggle]

If PSP enters the US at $150, maybe there'll be a need to drop.

So unless DS debuts at 100, I don't think they should drop the price after 5 months.

 

[Mrbob]

If PSP enters the US at $150, maybe there'll be a need to drop.

So unless DS debuts at 100, I don't think they should drop the price after 5 months.

This is an intriguing thought. What if the PSP is brought out in NA at a lower price than in Japan?

 

[Brofist]

If PSP enters the US at $150, maybe there'll be a need to drop.

So unless DS debuts at 100, I don't think they should drop the price after 5 months.

It's possible the PSP enters at that price, a what's really a $35 lower price 3-4 months later seems realistic enough.

but if hype is high, and it sells out like mad in Japan probably not.

 

[cvxfreak]

A price drop for the DS isn't necessary this year, in either region. And there is so much more Nintendo could do than a simple price drop. Nintendo and its third parties have supplied the system with a fair amount of software, and Sony will have to hope that consumers buy into their product because they want PS2 experiences on the go. I think Nintendo should save the DS price cut for the release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Nintendo will really need to keep the DS software going, and will need to do its best to keep the DS focused. Nintendo should start by, if they haven't already, opening up Chinese, Korean and European development houses as well as open up another American studio. They need to keep the software coming. Nintendo, IMO, needs to exit their general family scope and open up/buy up Chinese and Korean development studios to develop network DS games and such.

I just think taking other initiatives would be better than a price drop. Nintendo should lose the money where they could have potential gains.

 

[Mrbob]

Stick Mario 64 DS with the Metroid Prime Hunters demo and sell that package for $150.

 

[Gek54]

Launch packages? NO!

 

[cvxfreak]

Launch packages? NO!

I suppose Nintendo should launch an optional $200 bundle with a Nintendo DS, Super Mario 64 x 4, Nintendo-brand headphones, a year subscription to Nintendo Power and a carrying case. I'd buy up that bundle in a heartbeat.

 

[Kon Tiki]

Better to drop it before it launches.

 

[fse]

Nintendo DS should = $115
GBA SP should = $69
Gamecube = $85

 

[Date of Lies]

Jesus, you're talking about a price drop for hardware not yet released. It's not going to happen, and by all means, it shouldn't. The Nintendo DS is still a very hot commodity for the upcoming holidays, has everyone forgotten?

150$ is what it's worth, they can't lower it to 99$, it WILL canibalize GBA SP holiday sales, if you can't see that, you're helpless. For 50$ more people do realize they are getting a more sophisticated "Game Boy SP" with more capabilities and games. 50$ is a very reasonable price difference for what the DS offers compared to the GBA SP, that's the message they need to give out.

Delay the DS one year and nulify the head start it will get this holiday season? What are you smoking? If need be, Nintendo will release the next Game Boy, IF NEED BE.

Right now, the PSP has no presence in the states and it will release during spring here, probably the worst time to release new hardware. I'm far more interested in the outcome of the DS and PSP for Japan in december, I think that will be one of the biggest deciding factors.


So many doom and gloom predictions for Nintendo, you guys should know better. I can't justify any DS price drops before october of next year, where the DS and PSP will duke it out for the holiday sales. And again, a 20-30$ price drop or a bundle with a game but no sooner than the end of next year.

 

[snapty00]

I suppose Nintendo should launch an optional $200 bundle with a Nintendo DS, Super Mario 64 x 4, Nintendo-brand headphones, a year subscription to Nintendo Power and a carrying case. I'd buy up that bundle in a heartbeat.

Why?

DS: $150
Super Mario 64 DS: $30
Headphones: $2
Nintendo Power: $20
Carrying Case: $2

You'd only save $4, you probably already have headphones (even if they're not -- gasp -- branded by Nintendo), Nintendo Power is worthless, and you can probably get better carrying cases.

 

[cvxfreak]

Why?

DS: $150
Super Mario 64 DS: $30
Headphones: $2
Nintendo Power: $20
Carrying Case: $2

You'd only save $4, you probably already have headphones (even if they're not -- gasp -- branded by Nintendo), Nintendo Power is worthless, and you can probably get better carrying cases.

Well, knowledgable games don't see the value, but the casuals will. Plus saving $4 is good enough for me.

 

[snapty00]

But like I said, Nintendo Power is worthless anyway, so you could even argue that you lost cash in that deal. Maybe if Nintendo offered monthly demo discs, it'd be different.

 

[Matlock]

Why?

DS: $150
Super Mario 64 DS: $30
Headphones: $2
Nintendo Power: $20
Carrying Case: $2

You'd only save $4, you probably already have headphones (even if they're not -- gasp -- branded by Nintendo), Nintendo Power is worthless, and you can probably get better carrying cases.

vs.

PSP $200
Memory Card: $30
Headphones $20
Carrying case: $2
Carrying strap: $2

oh snap

 

[cvxfreak]

But like I said, Nintendo Power is worthless anyway, so you could even argue that you lost cash in that deal. Maybe if Nintendo offered monthly demo discs, it'd be different.

They have a large enough subscriber base to be considered more than worthless when it comes straight to casuals, who aren't hardcore enough to use the internet - as well as little kids.

 

[ge-man]

I think people have a narrow view on the price cut issue. Part of it is a value battle, but the other part is what the affordability does for the hardware. At a 100 dollars, I can see families buying multiple machines for all the kids like they do with the Gameboy. A lot of this is about playing the numbers IMO. It won't matter if the PSP gets the adult crowd if that demographic pales size when compared to the groups that Nintendo could target.

The handheld market is going to grow, and Nintendo can influence the direction if they choose to.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

this speculation only works if the masses don't know about the price (AND THEY DON'T) before Nintendo releases the console. I don't see how perception can be shaped by price drops before launch. Survival of the fittest I guess. Now..if Nintendo had sold the GC cheap at the start; they wouldn't be where they are now.

FIGHT

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Is this Nintendo's only hope? I don't know. I just remember when Nintendo dropped the price of the N64 a mere fortnight before it's release. November 4 might be an important date, considering it is, indeed about a fortnight before the release of the DS.

However, one thing is certain, if the DS comes in at 10 000 yen, expect the SP to drop to something like 5800. 1000 yen more than Minish Cap. Nintendo is making a killing off SP hardware anyway, as people keep liking to mention.

 

[Fularu]

Dumping is when, for example, a Japanese company sells a television for USD$400 in Japan but something like USD$200 in the U.S.

Yes and no

This is what dumping TRULY is

Occurs when goods are exported at a price less than their normal value, generally meaning they are exported for less than they are sold in the domestic market or third country markets, or at less than production cost.

It means that if you sell your goods BELO(W the production + transport price, you are actually dumping

It has been "tolerated" in the console industry so far, but is sony is selling the PSP at not even half of what it costs to make AND distribute, then the authorities can look into it way deeper than sony would like them to do

that's probably why Sony is trying to disguise some of the costs by saying that's it's that cheap because of internal production

 

[snapty00]

Yes and no

This is what dumping TRULY is


It means that if you sell your goods BELO(W the production + transport price, you are actually dumping

Nah. You can sell them below costs. That in itself is GOOD for consumers. It's when this behavior drives out domestic companies unfairly that it becomes a problem.

And usually even then, the government just steps in with taxes to artificially raise the price, not ban the product altogether.

Sony isn't going to be liable for dumping, and jarrod was an idiot for even suggesting it. They're going to sell the product nearly as cheaply in Japan as they are in the U.S.