With the Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 fighting it out at the $299 price point, many industry insiders are wondering what Nintendo will do to maintain its gargantuan lead with its Wii console. Let's face it, at $249 the Wii seems like a rip off compared to its competitors. Although it offers a unique experience with its motion controls, its raw horsepower and multimedia capabilities are considerably behind the other two consoles.EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich believes that Nintendo needs to drop its price to $199. He said:
"Essentially, Nintendo stole potential PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consumers from this hardware lifecycle three years in advance.
In order to maintain this position Nintendo should drop their Wii console down to $199, not because the current Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 pricing structure poses a threat; rather, because they will eventually pose a threat. Nintendo's strategy should be to capture as many consumer dollars as possible while their competitors are still weak in their offerings to the casual audience and price sensitive consumers."
It's a sensible argument, but some would say that at $50 price cut isn't enough. Since the Nintendo Wii was the only home console this generation sold at a profitable price from the get go, surely a more drastic cut can be made three years later, right? While casual consumers can be swayed by a $100 difference, any shopper with a modicum of console knowledge can see that you are getting more for your money with the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.
What do you think Nintendo has to due to compete with the recent price cuts? Is reducing the Wii's price to $199 enough? How about $149? Or is Nintendo's lead so big that it doesn't even matter? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!
Comments
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azn_bl1tzkr13g
the thing is, if nintendo drops the price of the wii to 200 buckar00$, it'll make the dsi look like more of a rip off because for like 20 bucks more, you can get a full fledged console as opposed to a crappy portable device. They're not gonna drop the price any time soon.
aztecyankee
Makes no sense for price cut. I cant remember the last time the Wii did not oustsell either Xbox 360 or PS3. If you where Nintendo and your item still sells why in the world would you cut the price?
Redd75
How 'bout Nintendo get some Wii games I actually want to play first, then I'll see about getting one.
swede7754
After playing games on the Wii at a friends house, I can't justify paying as much as $150 for last gen's tech. Kudos to the Nin. faithful, but I'll pass.
On topic - I think Nin. will sit on the current price & see how the sales numbers look for a month or two, then drop the price or info about some "amazing", first-party title that will further help push systems.
Kanaye
I think it's a bad suggestion, because it'll steal some of the DSi's spotlight, currently priced at $170. If Ninty were indeed to do that, they'd have to slash the price on the DS SKUs as well.
Man, Nintendo's in a tough position...
IcemanMX
I think that right now Nintendo can afford a "wait and see" attitude towards a price cut if they see their Wii sales falter. However, deep down inside, I feel that if they wait too long, they will have missed the boat.
A drought of AAA titles do not help the system, either. (And yes, I know about the two new Mario games coming out... whenever they will be coming out.)
-M
TSuperfly
Its a good idea for nintendo to cut wii prices but they don't really have to, they aren't really trying to appeal to gamers anymore and seriously, would grandma ever buy a ps3 or 360? Nintendo is really going for a different market now, maybe if they released more than 1 or 2 REAL games a year or had some 1st party support it would help but they don't really care...
WhiteWolfAssassin
How did Nintendo essentially steal potential Playstation 3/ Xbox 360 consumers in three years in advance, when Xbox 360/PS3 consoles are caters towards a different demographic then the Nintendo Wii? At this point, I would be astounded if the PS3 or 360 ever caught up with sales of the Nintendo Wii. I don't think price will ever be an issue for Nintendo, I think the problem lies in there lack of quality games. Now it's obvious that the Nintendo Wii suffers from lack of quality hardcore games, but let's also face the fact that most of the causal games released on the Nintedo Wii are shovel-ware. So as always, I think the problem lies on the software side and people are starting to see that there is not enough quality games on the Nintendo Wii to warrant a purchase.
WhiteWolfAssassin
I meant to use word lye, instead of lies. But hopefully you get the gist of my original statement.
Gordfacekiller
Nintendo needs more hardcore games to stay at 250 or even at 200. If they lowered it to 150 id think about adding one to my PS3 And 360 pro.
halophile
I am a PS3 owner. But I feel like I'm missing out on a couple things not owning a Nintendo. Motion control isn't one of them. It's zelda and mario. So even though I don't have a wii, I do own twilight princess and mario galaxy. They are ready to go as soon as nintendo drops it's price or releases a console that has the motion control they promised!
JohnnyBuku
Our Wii just sat there. I can't remember the last time anyone turned it on for anything. So yesterday I boxed it and all the periphials and games we bought for it and traded it in to Game Stop against a PS3 slim (2 360's & 1 PS3). Won't miss it...
ErrorCodeOfDeath
ErrorCodeOfDeath's comment is abusive and has been removed.
BBHSbenito
I just want to know about how much it can possibly take to build a wii? I guesstimate 50$. the way i see it is Nintendo is ripping everyone who buys their console off. If you buy a PS3 slim sony loses money. I'm not sure but xbox 360's may be losing money or just barely making profit. but Nintendo is making a GIANT profit.
If anybody knows the answer to how much a wii cost to make please reply.
TheDragonclaw
I say a price drop is not a bad idea at all. Wii sales have definately slowed down quite a bit from what I've seen. I also don't think the DSi price point really factors is to the parents who's kid wants to play in the car...I'd say drop the price to $189 and drop Wii Sports in favor of adding Wii Sports Resort with the Motion-Plus...that way it "comes with 12 games right in the box" which was a big selling point for the console originally being the only one that always came with any games
gamerbps
It's so funny how when discussing the giant SMACKDOWN Nintendo is giving Sony and MS, someone pull the 'The Wii has a different demographic' argument out of their butt. However, the same people don't apply the same argument to the software! 'Quality Software' is a term relative to the person experiencing it. If YOU are playing a game YOU enjoy for whatever reason, then that is a quality peace of software!
infamouscole15
They should either drop the price to 199$ or make a wii capable of HD graphics because their current dominece of the console war wont last through 2010.
groggy
everything should be free! i want the government to give me every console. where's my free money check at?
leakime ShowHide(5 Replies)
Heres an Idea DON'T BUY A WII! IT SUCKS!!!
Samm24f
I own an Xbox 360 and iphone. The Xbox I have for my bedroom and the iphone I use on the go so I dont need a portable gaming console. If the Wii drops in price by 50$ than I will definately consider buying one for my family in the living room. Its a family console but anybody that owns one say the Wii gets boring after a while. If it drops I'll lug myself over to gamestop and get a used version for even cheaper. (not to mention you can perform some great hacks and mods on a wii)
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