The official 3DS launch price was "around" £230. DS I can't remember off the top of my head. Wii was £180 and wii u was £250 for cheap pack and £300 for premium. Again "around".
Nintendo aren't darling in Europe because they treated Europe with utter contempt in the 80s and 90s, many great games not being released at all and the scraps we did get were often a year or more after the US. This meant other manufacturers particularly Sega got a much better foothold.
No Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Mario RPG also means some of the systems fondest titles never even existed here for us to have those memories.
Chuck in all the price fixing saga and it certainly tarnishes a brand. Add in that the n64 got a panic price drop. GameCube started getting dropped by retail a year after release and they really just don't have the golden boy darling track record over here. Why should we give them money?
Sony and later MS treated Europe as a serious market. They reaped the rewards.
Personally I love Nintendo stuff, but I've always been in a minority with family and friends.
RIP Dad 25/11/51 - 13/12/13. You will be missed but never forgotten.
