E3: Nintendo Says 3DS Price Is Fine, PS Vita At $249 Is No Concern

As part of a larger Gamasutra interview, Nintendo's Charlie Scibetta explains that the company's games will draw buyers to 3DS, and the PS Vita debuting for the same price is not going to change its strategy. When asked if $249 is too high a price for the casual gamers who flocked to the original Nintendo DS, Scibetta, Nintendo of America's senior director of corporate communications, told Gamasutra that it's the strong lineup that will bring the audience. "I think if you give people enough reasons to buy, eventually they will. We're not too concerned about the long term viability of the platform." It's not about dropping a price, then, to drive interest. "If we give them good enough content," he said, success will follow. "I'll keep coming back to the games, and we've got the experiences that will appeal." Of course, Sony announced its new handheld, the PS Vita, will ship in 2011 at $249 -- the same price as the 3DS. Scibetta is not worried, toeing the usual Nintendo line. "We tend to focus more on what we have to offer." He added, "We certainly wouldn't change our strategy or our approach based on what a competitor is doing." The company will "continue to innovate... and encourage our third party developers to take advantage of the system." The full interview, which discusses the 3DS more extensively and also covers the newly-announced Wii U, is also live on Gamasutra.