Nintendo DSi Update: Can Region-Locked Nintendo DSi Games Affect Sales?
Nintendo DSi games are reported to be “region-locked’. This means that games that can be played on Nintendo DSi games consoles in Australia cannot be played on Nintendo DSi handheld games consoles in other countries or regions. In terms of marketing, is this the right move? Well maybe. But here are some of my random thoughts.
If the Nintendo DSi games consoles are made global in nature, will this be advantageous to Nintendo as a company? One game programming, one set of DSi games to market. But hey, let’s not blames Nintendo for this move. First, according to Nintendo, the DSi “embeds net communication functionality within itself” and Nintendo intends to “provide net services specifically tailored for each region“. Also, different regions have different sets of laws regarding parental control which Nintendo aims to incorporate in the New DSi games consoles. This is the company’s way of regulating the types of games played by user considering the fact that most gamers are teenagers and school children.
Also, Nintendo DSi games have a backward compatibility with Nintendo DS which implies that some games for DSi can also be played on Nintento DS games consoles. The region-locking only applies to games specifically for the DSi model, not for games designed for DS because there is no region-locking on games playable on DS.
Well, well, well. Let’s find out how Nintendo Dsi games consoles and Nintendo games will sell in about a year. I personally think sales will not be as high as the company’s expectations. They better hope I’m wrong.
Note: Nintendo DSi price is $180 (around Php 8,280 in the Philippines). If Nintendo DSi becomes available in the market and is sold in the Philippines, I think the initial price would be at least Php 10,000 (games not included).
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[...] to wikipedia, the Nintendo DSi is an upcoming version of the handheld game console Nintendo DS, announced during the Nintendo [...]
Php 10,000? Toy Kingdom in SM North Edsa in Manila is selling the Nintendo DSi for Php16,000 (US$333)
[Reply]
Information, Facts and Trivias Reply:
November 7th, 2008 at 6:03 am
Chris,
If the DSi price in the Philippines is PhP 16,000 then I was right. I wrote in this article that the price of the DSi will be at least Php 10,000.
[Reply]
come on. The price on toy kingdom is highway robbery. I suggest you go to trinoma. The price for the Nintendo DS there is fair compared to the other malls. Some still sell the DS lite for 11,000 Php. Who the heck are they kidding? My friend got his for 7,000 last year, and it’s brand new too.
[Reply]