Pachter: 3DS to be $250, games to be more expensive

Games industry rent-a-gob Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan believes that the Nintendo 3DS will initially retail for a not inconsiderable $250.

That figure would back up last month’s prediction by Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets, who put the launch figure at around $250-300.

While this figure is well in excess of any previous Nintendo handheld launch, however, Pachter doesn’t think that it will impact sales adversely thanks to the 3DS’s “revolutionary” nature.

“Due to the unique 3DS experience previewed by Nintendo at E3 this year, we believe Nintendo will be able to sell millions of units even at a price of upwards of $250”, he says.

Pachter also tries his hand at predicting 3DS software prices, which he feels will also see a hefty boost.

“From a software perspective, we believe Nintendo will be able to increase DS software prices, from a blended average of around $25 today to over $29 next year”, he muses, sagely.

So there you have it. If the analysts are to be believed, you’ll be needing fully-3D wallets when Nintendo’s latest handheld rolls around. (Because you’ll need to fill them with lots of money.)