Gamestop executive thinks DSi is 'priced right'

By JC Fletcher
As those of us who have spent enough time staring at the preorder pages know, the DSi costs a bit more than the DS Lite: $169 for the new handheld versus $129 for a Lite. Bob McKenzie, GameStop's senior vice president of merchandising, doesn't think that's a big problem. Even if he doesn't have the details quite right off the top of his head.

Talking to Gamasutra about GameStop's success in the portable market, McKenzie said, "Now with the DSi coming out, I think that's going to help too. Even with that, [Nintendo has] a $179 retail on that, so it's a $30 upcharge from the original DS Lite." We believe he's referring to the original $149 price of the DS Phat here. As for the $179, no idea where he got that. But if he thinks it's priced right at $179, he must think the real price is a bargain!

He said that Nintendo has "got the value there. It's great; I think it's priced right. They've done a good job. Seeing the demo of that thing really makes you realize how much different it is from the original DS Lite." As for the loss of GBA compatibility: "I don't think that the consumer is really going to look at that as a negative."

Speaking of GameStop DSi pricing, if you use the coupon code 3DAYDSi at checkout, you can get free three-day shipping on a preordered DSi from the retailer.

Not invited to the Club Nintendo event? Don't worry — we've got you covered. Check out our unboxing of a Japanese system for a hands-on rundown of features, and have a look at the awesome DSiWare downloads that have come to Japan. Then torture yourself with the limited-edition FFCC: Echoes of Time DSi that probably won't make it here!

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