Nintendo To Keep Digital Game Prices Same As Physical

When buying a game online and downloading it to your computer, it is usually slightly cheaper compared to the physical copy. We suppose it makes sense because with the physical copy, they would have to pay for the box, the printing of the manuals, guides, DVDs, covers, and etc., all of which are costs that could add up.

However as far as Nintendo is concerned, games are games and it seems that they have no intention of making their digital downloads cheaper than their physical counterparts. This is according to Nintendo’s President Satoru Iwata who said, “We believe download versions have the same value and should be priced the same. Some companies price DLs cheaper.”

In some ways we suppose we know where Iwata is coming from in terms of value. Gamers usually buy games for the content. The additional stuff such as manuals, artbooks, the retail box, and so on are really just extras that most people don’t really bother with too much, so in terms of value, the person buying the physical game is getting more or less the same as the person downloading it.

For the budget-conscious gamer we guess Nintendo will be stepping on some toes here with their decision, but what do you guys think? Should digital and physical copies of games be priced differently?

Filed in Gaming. Read more about Nintendo.