Rumor: Wii Pricecut in October

[Queasy]

Kotaku - Kotaku is reporting that they've gotten ahold of a Wal-Mart flyer that shows a Wii 'rollback' at the beginning of October. No word on how much of a price cut but I'd expect it to see it at $199.99.

Even though the Wii is still leading in total sales month after month, it's seen the total number of Wiis sold drop steadily both here in North America and in Japan. So, Nintendo is obviously looking for a way to boost sales back up to "It prints money!" status.

Update: Kotaku now has pics of a Toys R Us ad showing a $199.99 price. This ad is for Sept 27th though whereas the Wal-Mart ad was for the first week of October.

 

[SandEagle]

i'd consider one for $149.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Originally posted by: SandEagle
i'd consider one for $149.

Maybe, but sales will go up 100-150k units/month easily if they cut to $200.

And the thing probably costs like $80 to make, so they're still making bank.

 

[erwos]

I wonder how much a price cut is going to help them, honestly. $250->$200 just doesn't seem like a lot of jump, considering how hot it was recently.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

$179.99 maybe? $184.99? While I would agree that $199.99 wouldn't feel like much of a drop, $149.99 would be a massive dive. $199.99 + some sort of enticing bundle is another option.

 

[Kromis]

I think $199.99 seems appropriate. I don't think Nintendo has ever made a $100 price drop. I'm guessing that a $50 price drop is still enough for them to make profit on each console sold.

But who knows, maybe they might go the Sony route and take a loss!

 

[dguy6789]

Has there been a Wii die shrink for the CPU or GPU yet? Are there any announced plans for one?

 

[Tom]

Nintendo has lots of good options. They could drop price to $199 and bundle it with some Wii points and there would be shortages before Christmas.

 

[sonambulo]

I would like a price drop, yes, definitely. I blew all my play money this month on books and kanji practice software. I don't want to wait until next month.

 

[A5]

Originally posted by: dguy6789
Has there been a Wii die shrink for the CPU or GPU yet? Are there any announced plans for one?

I can't imagine that they haven't, but it's not really an issue with the Wii. It already draws far less power (and fails less) than either the PS3 or 360.

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: sonambulo
I would like a price drop, yes, definitely. I blew all my play money this month on books and kanji practice software. I don't want to wait until next month.

Off-topic but which Kanji software did you buy?

 

[MODEL3]

Wii + Wii MotionPlus + 1000 Wii points = $199.99

 

[SoulAssassin]

I was thinking a bundle with Wii Sports 1&2/Motion Plus before the price drop.

 

[I4AT]

Originally posted by: Kromis
I think $199.99 seems appropriate. I don't think Nintendo has ever made a $100 price drop. I'm guessing that a $50 price drop is still enough for them to make profit on each console sold.

But who knows, maybe they might go the Sony route and take a loss!

lol they'd have to go to like $49.99 to take a loss.

 

[DrOff508]

The wiis fail rate is only 3%. They dont need any help with there sales

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

The Wii should be $99, because it's just a GameCube with Waggle.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: Tom
Nintendo has lots of good options. They could drop price to $199 and bundle it with some Wii points and there would be shortages before Christmas.

A bundle with Wii Sports Resort and Wii Sports, along with a WM+ would still sell like hotcakes at the $249.99 price point.

 

[Lotheron]

Obligitory "It prints money" animated Gif

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer
The Wii should be $99, because it's just a GameCube with Waggle.

No, the Wii should be whatever price Nintendo can sell it for that maximizes revenues.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer
The Wii should be $99, because it's just a GameCube with Waggle.

And a BMW should be $16k loaded and a 50" Sony Bravia LCD should be $600.

And if people stopped buying them, you can be sure they would be.

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

Originally posted by: Krakn3Dfx

Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer
The Wii should be $99, because it's just a GameCube with Waggle.

And a BMW should be $16k loaded and a 50" Sony Bravia LCD should be $600.

And if people stopped buying them, you can be sure they would be.

Fail analogy fails. BMWs are a luxury car with niceties, build quality and features that other, cheaper cars don't have. The Wii is literally a GameCube with a gimmicky control scheme.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer

Originally posted by: Krakn3Dfx

Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer
The Wii should be $99, because it's just a GameCube with Waggle.

And a BMW should be $16k loaded and a 50" Sony Bravia LCD should be $600.

And if people stopped buying them, you can be sure they would be.

Fail analogy fails. BMWs are a luxury car with niceties, build quality and features that other, cheaper cars don't have. The Wii is literally a GameCube with a gimmicky control scheme.

Analogy succeeds in that both are priced 80-100% more than what they cost to produce because they are sold in a market that allows for massive profits for that approach.

 

[BenSkywalker]

BMWs are a luxury car with niceties

Wii Fit/Wii sports seems to be considered niceties to the masses.

build quality

Even Kia rates higher then BMW. Chevy and Hyundai too. That said, what is the Wii's failure rate? I would argue you can easily place their build quality well ahead of the other white console

and features

Wiimote/waggle is a feature to some.

In real world terms, something like a Cadillac CTS-V is far more of a car then anything remotely comparable from BMW, and costs far less. What BMW has going for it is their name and reputation. Nintendo as of right now has the same. They are charging a premium for what we all know is a lesser console, just as BMW can charge more for what anyone who follows the auto market knows in most cases is a lesser vehicle then their competitors.

I'd say his analogy works rather well. Some BMW fans may not like it, but on an objective basis it certainly stands up.

 

[Queasy]

Kotaku now has pics of a Toys R Us ad showing a $199.99 price. This ad is for Sept 27th though whereas the Wal-Mart ad was for the first week of October.

 

[dguy6789]

Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer

Originally posted by: Krakn3Dfx

Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer
The Wii should be $99, because it's just a GameCube with Waggle.

And a BMW should be $16k loaded and a 50" Sony Bravia LCD should be $600.

And if people stopped buying them, you can be sure they would be.

Fail analogy fails. BMWs are a luxury car with niceties, build quality and features that other, cheaper cars don't have. The Wii is literally a GameCube with a gimmicky control scheme.

So what is your argument? The Wii should be cheaper because it's less powerful than the Xbox 360 or PS3? You know the PS2 was a pile of shit in a box compared to the Gamecube and Xbox hardware, yet nobody seemed to complain about it's high price or how terrible its games looked in comparison. To clarify, the Wii is more powerful than the original Xbox. It is close to twice as powerful as the original Gamecube. The motion sensor controls are worthless? To you maybe, but obviously not to the majority.

I'm tired of playing the same Halo and the same fighting games and the same WW2 and Counterstrike clones that were available for years just with better graphics. I'm not too eager to pay $60 for the same game with a visual improvement like the 360 and PS3 fans. Granted the number of AAA Wii games isn't terribly high yet(something people seem oh so eager to attack), but it's no lower than the # of AAA games on the PS3. The games that are there are great and offer some new experiences that aren't possible on the 360 or the PS3. The PS3 and 360 offer nothing that an Xbox or PS2 or PC gamer hasn't done a hundred times already. If you're not bored of those types of games yet then fine, but I am.