Nintendo on the console/handheld price gap, 3DS launch

Nintendo recently posted a rather large Q&A session about a number of topics, all with equally lengthy responses from president Satoru Iwata. For this post, I wanted to focus on one sliver of the conversation: why the 3DS isn't coming out this year and why it's more expensive than many people were expecting.

"We have come to understand that, if we launched it this calendar year, it would be difficult to produce a sufficient amount," says Iwata. "Also, in terms of the completion level of the product, we believe that it will reach the most satisfactory level by our standards if we will launch it on [February 26 for Japan]."

"We do not think, 'the price relationship between portable devices and home consoles must stay intact simply because it used to be that way.' While it is always better for the price to be as accessible as possible, in terms of its cost, and in order to make a healthy and sustainable business for both the hardware and the software, and given the positive reactions since E3" ... "we have concluded that we should propose this price point to our consumers."

Maybe this will apply to Nintendo's next console as well?

Nintendo Q&A Session (GoNintendo)