Nintendo is preparing premium DLC system for 3DS, but not a true in-app purchase platform

For a company willing to slate the mobile gaming business, Nintendo appears remarkably happy to cherrypick some elements.

The latest comments CEO Satoru Iwata made during a post-earnings Q&A session suggest the company is planning on adding downloadable content to its 3DS titles for a fee in a bid to make additional revenue from the platform.

Purchasing power

The news comes after Nintendo posted a $324 million loss in Q2 2011, owing in part to slowing DS sales and a less than stellar debut from its follow up 3DS.

As a result, Nintendo has slashed the price of 3DS handsets by 40 percent in a bid to trigger a rise in take-up.

While that will ultimately cut into the firm's revenues, the addition of a 'paid item transaction system' before the end of the year (currently in development both for 3DS and the forthcoming Wii U) is designed to do the exact opposite.

The aim is to squeeze more money out of 3DS's userbase - an area in which Nintendo has apparently been found wanting.

Thinking big

But, despite this apparent change of tact, Nintendo has no plans to adopt the full freemium game model any time soon.

Andriasang reports the Nintendo chief expressed concern over the damage such releases might do to the firm's reputation for releasing quality.

On a similar note, the downloadable content will be limited to added stages and features, rather than buying in-game currency or items.

The firm hopes the launch of such a system will fair better than the current eShop, which critics have branded as a half-hearted effort to take on the rise of the app store.

Positive news, Iwata stated, comes in the form of 3DS's internet connection rates, which he stated is far beyond that of the original DS.

[source: Andriasang]