As you'll see, while the 3DS is on the high side of Nintendo portables with its $250 asking price, it's not outlandish when compared with the Atari Lynx, N-Gage or NEC's TurboExpress.
... Okay, so maybe it's not the greatest company to be in.
YEAR | SYSTEM NAME | PRICE | *ADJ. PRICE |
(1989) | Game Boy (Nintendo) | $90 | $153 |
(1989) | Atari Lynx | $190 | $324 |
(1990) | TurboExpress (NEC) | $250 | $405 |
(1991) | Game Gear (Sega) | $150 | $233 |
(1995) | Virtual Boy (Nintendo) | $180 | $250 |
(1998) | Game Boy Color | $80 | $105 |
(2001) | Game Boy Advance | $100 | $121 |
(2003) | N-Gage (Nokia) | $300 | $350 |
(2004) | Nintendo DS | $130 | $146 |
(2005) | PSP (Sony) | $250 | $272 |
(2009) | Nintendo DSi | $170 | N/A |
(2009) | PSP Go | $250 | N/A |
(2011) | Nintendo 3DS | $250 | N/A |
*Price adjusted for inflation (in 2009); via Westegg