Nintendo sells 3DS units to retailers at £173 base price

GamesRadar has been on the blower to a representative from a major UK supermarket, and found out the trade price for the Nintendo 3DS.

At Nintendo’s press conference in Amsterdam, the company didn’t offer up an exact price. The house that Mario built told press it was selling the console to retailers at a trade price, and it was up to them to decide how much they’d ask for the system.

It’s led to an early retail war, as shops immediately undercut the competition with slightly cheaper prices.

HMV was one of the first shops to set a price, and offered the device for £229.99. But Play.com announced its price tag just minutes later, undercutting HMV by a tenner, with a £219.99 asking price.

But we now seem to know the base price for the system: £173. This means that the retailers pegging £230 are making a nice 33 per cent mark-up on the hardware.

It also means other shops have the ability to severely undercut the current prices, so don’t rush into any preorders just yet - a far better deal could be around the corner.