Nintendo DS price to drop to $130 by August 21st?

by Dan Choi { Aug 14th 2005 at 4:00AM }

Nintendo DS Have you been holding out on buying a DS? If you're anything like me, you hate paying full price for a console (er, handheld?), especially when the console in question was released during the previous calendar year. Well, the prayers of frugal shoppers and Nintendogs-loving gamers everywhere may be answered by a $20 price drop on the handheld next week, quite possibly nine months to the day after the launch of the DS (and right before the release of Nintendogs).

According to a reliable source on CheapAssGamer.com (also known as CAG), the Nintendo DS will drop from $149.99 to $129.99 (or $129.95) on or before August 21st. In addition, a $10 off $50 Nintendo purchase coupon may possibly be mailed out to preferred "R" Zone customers this coming week, which just might be applicable to hardware. (A big maybe…) Regardless of local promotions, however, should the MSRP be lowered nationwide, the reduced DS price should be available to everyone within a week, and not just at the major retailer where our source obtained this information. So if you have been dying to pick up a DS, just hold on a little while longer (or buy now and get that price match/correction if you're bold). Follow the link at the end of this post to read the details and examine a few more GameCube bundle rumors. [Note: registration is required to view the forums on CAG, but you can currently catch the gist of this DS deal on the CAG front page if that's what you prefer.]

The time is ripe for another price drop. I might just pick up a DS to play the latest Advance Wars, but it's tantalizing to imagine how Sony might respond with respect to PSP pricing and SKUs. Will they bundle a game, drop the "value pack" price, offer a standalone package, throw in a new color, or simply rely on that famous Kutaragi hubris to pull them through? We shall soon see.

8/16 Update: the price drop is a universal one and will actually occur this week, most likely by Thursday or Friday. [Thanks again, tubtub.] The TRU coupon mentioned above will work on the DS itself, and a special bundle will be on tap at TRU as well (though other retailers will probably follow suit). Read the same CAG thread below for details, or follow this link to the public archive for the main news.

8/16 Update #2: The price drop's officially been confirmed for 8/21. Read the news here.

[Thanks, tubtub]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

theCurse @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I've been waiting for the price cut (and Castlevania) for my DS purchase.

This might not seem like much of a price drop, but you can buy a used DS game for less than twenty dollars.

funkonaut @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

http://www.gameexpress.com/ has great prices on import DS systems. I couldn't wait until Nintendo gets around to releasing a color other than blue here in the States, so I ordered a Graphite DS from them last week for $145, plus $6 shipping. It arrived the very next day (they're in NJ, I'm in NY). They rock!

Takeo Rey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Damn, I knew I should have waited longer before getting my gf her own DS...

Oh well, it's great to hear about the price drop with Nintendogs coming out to help push mor systems. I'm guessing Nintendo won't be losing anymore money on the DS, even with a small price drop, right?

DarkMavis @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Hey funkonaut... first off, great tip man! I've been using Game Express for quite some time now to purchase games but never looked at buying hardware from them. How did the import DS work for you? I know the website states that everything should work identically to the US versions but I wonder if the OS that powers the import DS has foreign characters (ie Japanese letters instead of English). Can you share some more of your experiences with us? Are the systems truly identical? A lack of different colors has kept me from buying a DS as well but your tip might change things. Thanks.

Rare Hare @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

oh man, i wish i hadn't wrecked my car :-(

i'm trying not to spend anything on video games so i can pay to fix it, but this price drop makes me want to finally cough up for a current-gen handheld..

Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Jap DS is exactly the same as the US DS. It starts off in Japanese though when you boot. Not sure if you explored the options on your DS, but there's a toggle for languages where it lists English and 5 others. No harm if you order a Jap DS, short of warranty issues. If you ever have to return it or need customer support through Nintendo, you have to go to Nintendo over in Japan, not Nintendo of America. That's about the only down side. So if you get a dead pixel, you're bummin.

UrbanDragon @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Bother. Guess what I bought yesterday.

Oh well, back to Metroid Fusion.

ocswing @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Great to hear about the price break, but some quick info on the coupon. I used to work at Toy's R' Us and I remember the coupons always saying "Not valid on Hardware". So the chances of it working are pretty slim indeed.

word. @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

When is Joystiq going to close the consol purchase poll and post the results?

funkonaut @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

#5, You start up the DS, it's in Japanese. Just fumble your way through the setup screens. Then the DS will shut down. Turn it back on, and you're at the main menu. Go into options, click on the globe, and choose English as your language. Now you have a North American English DS.

#6, My DS from Gameexpress.com had 1 stuck red pixel near the middle of the top screen. I called Gameexpress.com, they gave me an RMA number, I shipped it back to them, and in exactly 1 week I had a brand new replacement in my hands. Very good customer service.

John @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Nice, but I already saw a great price drop in a mall while I was in Toronto. A store was selling the DS at 149.95 canadian (A $50 CND price drop, 130.47 US.

I really wanted one but I already bought a 130 dollar MP3 player at the store next door, now I realize I should have picked up the DS, but come August 21st, I just might.

Dan Choi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

#8 (ocswing): Yeah, I heard about the hardware restriction from another TRU employee, but some people seem to believe that it could work (or have seen it work in the past). This could very well be a Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV) situation, but you're probably right about the coupon not working for the vast majority of purchases that will be made.

fush @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Damn, I also bought a graphite DS from gameexpress.com, and it has a stuck-on blue pixel in the upper screen. I am living with it, but I was not aware that they would replace my unit. It might be too late.

Also, I'm buying my girlfriend a DS too...Is this a trend?

Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Yeah, I said issues dealing with Nintendo of America for issues beyond the store you got it... Like most stores only offer a 30-90 day warranty, Nintendo gives a full year I'm pretty sure. After the 90 day cut off you have to go to Nintendo, only if you have a Japanese DS you need to contact Nintendo, because Nintendo of America won't be able to help you.