Online merchants are hawking the double-screen portable, even though Nintendo hasn"t officially announced a price.
When Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata displayed the DS at Nintendo"s E3 press conference, he didn"t announce a price for the device. Also, in all the subsequent press releases from the Japanese game behemoth, no mention has been made of the handheld"s cost to consumers. But that hasn"t stopped online merchants from giving it one. EB Games and GameStop are now accepting pre-orders for the DS at a price point of $199, with free shipping. Both stores also give a speculative ship date of November 29, 2004.
But before you pre-order your favorite Nintendophiliac a Christmas gift, know that both the date and price are completely speculative. EB"s product page for the DS even says so in bold letters, reading "The ship date and retail price have not been confirmed and therefore are subject to change." EB"s note also assured prospective buyers that they wouldn"t be out $50 if the DS ships for its $149 rumored price. "If the retail price is decreased you will receive the lower price," it read.