£115 – 3DS price wars begin afresh

With the official UK price cut coming up tomorrow, retail has started to show its hand regarding the levels to which it is prepared to cut the price of the freshly discounted 3DS.

And Tesco seems to be the current front-runner following leaked POS indicating it will be selling the device for just 115 from tomorrow. That represents a 115 discount – 50 per cent – off the typical price a 3DS could be obtained for when it was launched in March.

And even if Tesco decides to go with a higher price (as has been indicated to MCV may still be a possibility), Morrisons will be selling the machine for 120, which is still a colossal saving on the handheld’s launch price. The supermarket is also offering any 3DS game for just 25.

Sainsbury’s has confirmed that it will be selling 3DS for 139.99. The 3DS can already be ordered for 134.97 from the UK arm of GameStop.

Tesco’s aggressive deal will likely have key strategists at retail scratching their heads this morning, pondering how low they are prepared to go to try and win back all important marketshare.

One retailer yesterday told MCV that it had not yet announced its price for fear of tipping off the opposition. Tesco and Morrisons’ offers will have given them a whole new problem to worry about.

UPDATE: Following Tesco’s reluctance to confirm its new 3DS with MCV, the story has been altered to reflect that the chain may yet change its strategy before tomorrow.