Nintendo issues warning on cheap apps

The rock-bottom prices of iPhone and Android apps is sending the wrong message to the games consumer, a key Nintendo executive has said.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime suggested that such apps – many of which are free or as low as £0.99 on Apple’s App Store – are skewing the impression of value in Nintendo’s own handheld games, which can cost anywhere between £19.99 and £34.99.

“I actually think that one of the biggest risks today in our industry are these inexpensive games that are candidly disposable from a consumer standpoint," Fils-Aime said in an interview published on GameTrailers.

"Angry Birds is a great piece of experience but that is one compared to thousands of other pieces of content that for one or two dollars I think actually create a mentality for the consumer that a piece of gaming content should only be two dollars.

"I actually think some of those games are overpriced at one or two dollars but that’s a whole different story," Fils-Aime added, in a further act of trying to distance Nintendo’s premium titles from App Store offerings.

Nintendo is preparing for the global launch of the 3DS, beginning this month in Japan, followed by releses in the US and Europe by March.

The new handheld’s games are expected to be priced at $39.99 and £39.99.