There is economy of scale to play in to it also.
M-16's have been around forever. They have made lot of m-16's and it's variants and to date, the variants still roll off the production lines. Production lines that have been in place a long long time.
This new "gee wizz batman, I sure wish they had had that when I was in" $35k rifle will get cheaper as production lines and development are finalized.
Even then the system and it's components wont be cheap. In the end though, it really is a revolutionary tool for the war fighters. When the troopers get up to speed on how to actually use it I think the price wont be as big an issue as it is now. $35k for a rifle is an astonishing price. But then, this is more than a rifle and the capabilities are well worth it.
All I can say is Finally it's here !