Nintendo Selling Refurbished 3DS and DSi XL Consoles Below GameStop Pricing
Generally you don't bite the hand the feeds you, but apparently Nintendo doesn't feel GameStop provides all that much financial sustenance, hence the console maker isn't thinking twice about competing against the new and used games retailer with lower priced refurbished consoles. That's right, Nintendo is now selling refurbished 3DS and DSi XL game consoles in the U.S., and at prices that are lower than GameStop.
Nintendo points out that the ones it's selling are the only refurbished products in the market that have been cleaned, tested, and inspected to meet its high standards. Like Apple does with its refurbished items, Nintendo offers the same one-year warranty that applies to its new products. However, while the consoles are guaranteed to be fully functional, they may have minor cosmetic blemishes, so you're not getting a brand new chassis.
Here's how the pricing breaks down:
Nintendo points out that the ones it's selling are the only refurbished products in the market that have been cleaned, tested, and inspected to meet its high standards. Like Apple does with its refurbished items, Nintendo offers the same one-year warranty that applies to its new products. However, while the consoles are guaranteed to be fully functional, they may have minor cosmetic blemishes, so you're not getting a brand new chassis.
Here's how the pricing breaks down:
- Aqua Blue Nintendo 3DS: $130
- Aqua Blue Nintendo 3DS w/ The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D: $170
- Metallic Rose Nintendo DSi XL: $100
- Metallic Rose Nintendo DSi XL w/ Mario Kart DS: $130
- Midnight Blue Nintendo DSi XL: $100
- Midnight Blue Nintendo DSi XL w/ Mario Kart DS: $130
- Midnight Purple Nintendo 3DS: $130
- Midnight Purple Nintendo 3DS w/ The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D: $170
These are all lower than GameStop, which sells refurbished 3DS and DSi XL systems for $160 and $110, respectively. Gamers can save $30 on a 3DS console and $10 on a DSi XL handheld by buying direct from Nintendo and have a one-year warranty to boot.
Whether or not this creates a rift with GameStop remains to be seen, and Nintendo may not care either way. A report by Kotaku last year shed light on the fact that you can't buy Wii U and 3DS hardware direct from Amazon, which is a much bigger retailer than GameStop. Amazon will fulfill orders by some of its resellers, but doesn't offer Nintendo hardware as a direct sale company, possibly suggesting that the relationship between the two companies soured at some point.
