Wedbush Morgan Analyst Michael Pachter predicts that the Nintendo 3DS will not be released in time before Christmas in the UK. In an exclusive interview with IncGamers Pachter said: “I expect the device to be available only on eBay for its first couple of months. I think that we Westerners won’t have an opportunity to buy before Christmas, so think that sales by Christmas will be limited to a few million in Japan.”
Although this is considerably more than what the DS costs, it is a lot more realistic than Play.com’s predicted MSRP of $300.00. “My best guess is that they will price it around $250/£199/€250, so this may limit demand somewhat, and I doubt that Nintendo will manufacture more than 10 – 15 million the first full year,” said Pachter.
He also added that most gamers interested in the 3DS will be current DS owners, and given that worldwide sales have reached over one hundred million units sold, that’s not a bad start at all.
