Nintendo and Europe

[Ivysaur]

Not really.
Ireland has 15% VAT, Germany has 19% VAT, and Netherlands has 21% VAT.
Game prices in all 3 countries are equally € 40,- for, let's say, Pokémon X.

So Nintendo gets more money from Irish games and less from Hungarian ones (27%). The thing is, 21 European countries can be found in a VAT bracket of 20-23%, and the European custom is including it in the prices, so that's what they do, so that's why European prices seem higher. Average US sales tax is much lower and the custom is not including it in the prices, so that's why they seem cheaper (and, indeed, are- but not in such a large proportion). In the end, we are comparing after-taxes prices (EU) to tax-free ones (US), so the comparison is not strictly fair.

It's true that some European countries have smaller VAT rates, as you mentioned (and some have fairly larger ones too, such as Sweden, Norway or Iceland -25%- or the aforementioned Hungary), but, talking averages, the difference in before-taxes prices across the pond is not that different.

 

[DavidtheDeadPhilosopher]

Wait, we have Consoles that don't exist in any other Regions?
Wow, I didn't know that...Good to know...

Sorry, I meant to say console designs, for example

For 3DS XL alone Europe has received 3 additional base color models (Pink, White, and Silver/Gray)

For Special Editions you had the Fire Emblem XL, and have plans to see The Year of Luigi XL and The Link Between Worlds XL which (as far as I know so, and may yet still change) have not been announced for American release.


As for Club Nintendo, Europe has both a larger selection of choices and (imo) cooler choices compared to what America gets. Of course, I have no idea how the star system works in comparison to the coins system, so maybe it's just not worth accumulating the points?

 

[MKGirlism]

Well, Club Nintendo only works in a few countries in Europe, and sometimes, they differ in every country.
Here in The Netherlands, we have a pretty decent Club Nintendo thingy, but only since recently (in fact, we only had Wallpapers, Screen Savers, and Keychains nobody cared about, until recently).
Meanwhile, in East-Europe, North-Europe, and parts of South-Europe, Club Nintendo doesn't exist at all, and their distributors even throw away all Club Nintendo Cards, before they ship them to stores.

Also, 100 Stars = € 1,-, unless you buy Nintendo Points (for DSi Shop and Wii Shopping Channel only), you'll get 100 Points for every 400 Stars, which was pretty much ********, especially because you only get 250 Stars for every Retail game you buy.
So basically, you buy a game for € 50,-, get € 2,50 in return, and you still can't get any Nintendo Points.

 

[DavidtheDeadPhilosopher]

Well, Club Nintendo only works in a few countries in Europe, and sometimes, they differ in every country.
Here in The Netherlands, we have a pretty decent Club Nintendo thingy, but only since recently (in fact, we only had Wallpapers, Screen Savers, and Keychains nobody cared about, until recently).
Meanwhile, in East-Europe, North-Europe, and parts of South-Europe, Club Nintendo doesn't exist at all, and their distributors even throw away all Club Nintendo Cards, before they ship them to stores.

Also, 100 Stars = € 1,-, unless you buy Nintendo Points (for DSi Shop and Wii Shopping Channel only), you'll get 100 Points for every 400 Stars, which was pretty much ********, especially because you only get 250 Stars for every Retail game you buy.
So basically, you buy a game for € 50,-, get € 2,50 in return, and you still can't get any Nintendo Points.

hmm, ok, that does put things in a bit more perspective. The stars system doesn't sound nearly as nice as the coins system, although I never really took the time to figure out what the coin per dollar ratio is, I just know that often times, for a brand new game, you can get anywhere between 50-70 coins. You get a 10 coin bonus if you commit to buying a game before it launches, and even 10 coins after about a week as part of a post play survey. We also get loads of coins for console purchases. If Europe doesn't offer any of those extra little nifty ways to earn stars, along with varying availability, I would have to say I concede to my original statement. I just looks better from the outside looking in.

 

[MKGirlism]

If I can remember correctly, a 3DS comes with a 400 Star Card, and a Wii U comes with a 500 Star Card.
It's more than a game, but still almost nothing, compared to what you've spent.