Nintendo issued a press release that basically says, “Nobody should buy a Nintendo DSi or DSi XL for the next 13 days!” That’s because on September 12, they’ll be $20 cheaper.
The DSi, which currently sits as the ubiquitous version of Nintendo’s handheld, will retail for $150 beginning September 12. As of now it sells for $170.
The DSi XL, a much larger version of the DSi intended for gamers who want to share the system with other players, will go from $190 to $170.
Although Nintendo’s home console, the Wii, has remained consistent by only having one SKU for its entire life cycle, the DS has gone through four iterations. Three versions are currently being manufactured. The third, the DS Lite, will remain at its $130 price point.
It’s an interesting move to announce a price change that won’t take place for nearly two weeks. Video game companies have historically waited until the day of the new price, or at the most, a couple days before, to announced a price cut.
DS sales have been sloughing in the US, though the portable system is still a sales juggernaut compared to Sony’s PSP. That, combined with slowing Wii sales, have presented trouble for Nintendo as it reaches the point of diminishing returns. Xbox 360 sales, meanwhile, have been largely steady and the formerly sluggish PS3 is logging stagnant year-to-year sales growth.
