Nintendo Announces Japanese Wii Price

Wowzer writes "Nintendo has revealed to Famitsu.com, at the company's recent press conference unveiling its financial results, that Wii would arrive in Japanese stores with a maximum price tag of 25,000 yen. After taking in account various factors, the conversion to other currencies comes down to a launch price of: 225 dollars, 225 euros, and 150 pounds." Update: 05/25 13:45 GMT by Z : GamesIndustry.biz points out they hope to ship 6 million units by next March, and an Opera exec has said you can browse the internets with the wiimote.

Comments

Sold!

[MMC Monster]

I haven't bought a console in over a decade. But I will by a Wii. I've been thinking about a Playstation 2, since it's a mature system by now, but Nintendo has a lot more family oriented games, or so I hear.

Re:Sold!

[GeckoX]

Actually, a lot of consumers do too.

I'm about at the end of my rope with Sony, this time around they appear to be about to take SERIOUS advantage of my loyalty, which I will not stand for.

In the past though, I've stuck with Sony because my game library is MUCH bigger than it would have been since I can (and do) still play PS1 games, AS WELL as use it as my dvd player and cd player. I didn't always use it for this, but in the time I've owned my PS2, I've had a 6 disc dvd player die, a high quality pure dvd player die, and my old trusty cd player die.

It wasn't a hard choice to NOT go out and spend a few hundred dollars a few times over the past number of years. As a consumer, I've been tickled pink with my ROI on my PS2.

I'm about to get raped though, and I won't stand for it. No bloody way. The Sony-BMG corporate culture appears to be leaking into the rest of Sony and poisoning the entire company from the inside out. I already cut off Sony-BMG COMPLETELY a number of years ago now for their frankly disgusting business practices, I will do the same with Sony if they continue in this direction.

Brand loyalty is stupid if it stops working in both directions. As soon as your loyalty starts to be taken for granted, move on, because anything else will only result in reinforcing a companies bad behavior.

This is why Nintendo is just as strong and innovative as they always have been. They understand the loyalty of their customers, and wouldn't DARE piss in their face just to make a few extra bucks.

Re:Sold!

[Zardus]

Here it goes :-)

Two years ago one of my friends had a party to celebrate his birthday and some of our friends' high school graduations. There were 8 people there, 4 guys and 4 girls. One of the guys brought his Gamecube and I brought mine. After playing the requisite Smash Bros games (we've had a Smash Brothers rivalry ever since the week the original was released), we networked the gamecubes to play Mario Kart DD. Well, unknown to us (as we were too involved losing races to the girls to notice), a huge Arizonan monsoon thunderstorm brewed up outside while we were playing.

It happened about an hour into playing; a match had just ended and we were about to start another. Us guys were all involved in choosing the track and such, and the girls were resting their hands. So it just so happened that every guy in the room was holding his controller, while all the girls had put just theirs down. Suddenly there was a huge clap of thunder as a lightning bolt hit (from what we've been able to figure out) the garage door outside (killing the motor there), got into the power system, traveled throughout the house killing various computers, televisions, and stereos, and finally found my friend's Gamecube (mine was on like four surge protectors since the second TV was across the room from any unused power plugs and surge protectors were all that we had for extension cords). It traveled through his Gamecube and split up. Part of the charge went into the 4 controllers hooked up to his GC, and the other part went through the network adapter, over the ethernet cable, into my GC, and out of the controllers. Now the way the GC controllers are built (and the way we hold them apparently), two of the metal screws on the back make direct contact with our middle fingers. As such, the four people who were holding their controllers (the guys) recieved pretty powerful electric shocks. The guys all jumped up, yelped, and dropped our controllers, right at the *exact* moment the sound of thunderclap reached us. All the girls in the room thought we were just scared of the thunder.

Of course, the Gamecubes, controllers, and network adapters (not to mention a few computers, TVs, stereos, and the garage motor) were all completely fried. Apparently though my friend had insurance for this sort of thing, and all our Gamecubes and accessories got replaced (I was hoping he'd get me a different color. Mine was silver and I had grown tired of that color. But alas, he got me another silver one). I'd since wondered if he really had lightning insurance or if he just shelled out to replace our stuff, but one of the girls at the party (now my wife) assures me that he did.

So yeah, that was a fun night. My wife still thinks I'm afraid of thunder, and will accept no explanation to the contrary. Sigh.

NOTE!

[Guppy06]

"After taking in account various factors, the conversion to other currencies comes down to a launch price of: 225 dollars, 225 euros, and 150 pounds."

This is not official. This is mere speculation on the part of the article.

I, too, can pull numbers out of my ass. For example, because the launch price of 25,000 JPY is exactly the same number they used for the GameCube, they'll release the Wii in the US for 199 USD (like they did with the GameCube).

Until we get official numbers, though, this is all speculation.

Been wondering about the "loss leader" idea

[ianscot]

IIRC, Nintendo doesn't have a history of taking losses on their consoles, someone correct me if I'm wrong. At this low price, is it possible they've taken a turn on this one?

Given the marginalization of the GameCube, I've been wondering whether Nintendo wouldn't be smart to lose a smidge on each console this time around in order to regain market share. Their two competitors have blown prices sky high and narrowed their market considerably (I think) by making it necessary to pony up for an HD screen in order to really see the fun from their new systems. Sony and MS are vulnerable, vulnerable as can be. Nintendo needs to get the third party developers on board, and the relative cheapness of developing for Wii is a step that way. But imagine if the Wii release price was a bit of a loss leader, a $175 sort of thing, and they got a huge jump starting next November or so in their market share. Developers would take note.

I doubt it happens. As you say, Nintendo makes profit on its consoles (and everything else), and doesn't play the market share game a la Microsoft. Sony always tries to bundle everything with some sort of wrongheaded standards war "leverage" move. MS desperately tries to gain market share despite losing rivers of money, and imagines they understand the "extreme" tone "hard core" gamers like, 'cause you know, they're so cool. The teams keep running the same plays... I still think Nintendo is the clear winner this round, in prospect.

Re:Been wondering about the "loss leader" idea

[ronanm]

Dude, the basic xbox is $300, $250 is in no way blowing the competition OUT OF THE WATER

The average consumer is going to stick with what they know and either buy the 360 for $300 or if they're budget concious they can always pick up a cheap PS2.

It makes loads of sense for Nintendo to lose a few bucks on a system, if it's going to increase their customer base.

Half the cost of one, a third of the other...

[ZSpade]

This is a severe undercut... In fact there has never been such a mighty difference in prices in past console wars.(unless you count the neo-geo, meh-heh!) It will be interesting to stand by the sidelines and watch Nintendo again rise.

Hopefully

[JanneM]

Could we perhaps see a Wii/DS-Lite combo pack for 40k yen? Either way, Nintendo has just sold me my new toy come winter.

Get ready for $200

[RyoShin]

The Gamecube was also launched at 25,000 Yen in Japan. The Gamecube had a $200 price point in America.

Unless Nintendo takes into consideration fluctuations of the dollar vs. yen (not sure what the difference is between then and now), I think it's pretty safe to say that we're going to see a $200 Wii. In previous interviews (during E3, I believe) Iwata stated they've had a pretty consistent price point for releases and see no reason to change that- every console system they've released has been done so at $200.

While Nintendo may not have the latest & greatest in graphics processing, the technology they isn't exactly common. It's nice to see that they follow the trend of all other hardware, in that prices fall as technology advances (before you say "But they've all been the same price!", work in inflation, where the NES at launch cost $350 in 2005 dollars)

Re:Under $250 is unlikely

[eonlabs]

I actually think it's very likely.
Unlike sony and msoft, nintendo is not marketing a high-spec machine for the gear heads. They're focused on delivering games, and go to great lengths to make sure that their box is used ONLY for games. Ever notice that the cds spin backwards in a gamecube?
Can you play music on a gamecube?
They're selling a platform for gaming, and have successfully been doing exactly that for over 20 years. Most gamers don't even consider $400 dollars for a system. Remember the Sega Saturn? A system that was broadcast for specs with a $400 price tag. Do we still have sega consoles?
I think 90% of consumers will end up getting the Wii simply because it hits their price range first. I don't personally get new systems till they drop below $150, I don't think Msoft or Sony will hit that mark any time soon. Until then, nintendo has a virtual monopoly on my console game purchases.

Re:Under $250 is unlikely

[creepynut]

Hmm.. there's not something I'd considered.

What IF Nintendo shipped the Wii with a game? Just like the SNES with Super Mario World when it launched, and the NES with Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt (At least, I got Duck Hunt years ago with it). I don't recall if the N64 was released with a game at launch, but I do recall there being bundles.

On top of that, they'd be wise to ship the system with at least 2 of these "controllers" if they really want to cater to family buyers.

Think about it, a parent can go out and buy a PS3 for $600, AND a game (~$60 each) or 2, AND another controller (~30) if going multiplayer. It gets pricey.

OR, they can go buy a Wii with an included multiplayer game, and everything required for a couple kids to play it on Christmas morning. At a little more than 1/3 the price. Better yet, this perfectly supports the idea of "Wii."

it will still be pretty cheap

[jpling]

You know Nintendo... After the first few months there will be a price drop, then a few months after another drop and so on... I say it will be $249 USD at launch to clear out the early buyers and holiday season but afterwards it will probably go down by $20 and then by the time they reach 6 or 7million units they might even bring it down by another $20. That's my theory.

Re:Under $250 is unlikely

[AKAImBatman]

I don't recall if the N64 was released with a game at launch, but I do recall there being bundles.

It wasn't. Mario64 was sort of a killer title for the N64 and was thus sold separately. That being said, part of the need to sell it separately was that Catridges were very costly back then. Now that the Wii uses inexpensive optical disks, it is again cost effective to bundle a game with the system.

The only question then is, what is Nintendo's strategy? The market has gotten used to the idea that pack-ins are a thing of the past. Will Nintendo go with the flow on this one, or will they attempt to do further damage to Sony and Microsoft's positions by throwing in a killer title with the console?

Personally, I hope they take the pack-in route. Not only will it make their competitors look bad, but it might force them to cough up a pack-in themselves. Which given the costs associated with developing a game on their consoles, would further dig in their losses on each unit.

Re:Congrats Nintendo

[bishiraver]

Interesting enough, the NES was, adjusted for inflation, was a little more expensive than the average of the two 360 price points ($350 or so).

Nintendo has been consistantly keeping their price lower and lower each subsequent generation.

Although their sales have been going down each generation - the NES was the best selling nintendo console made (the origional playstation outsold -that- by double, while the N64 sold about half as well as the origional) - if the poll on slashdot is to be extrapolated, the Wii will outsell the PS3 by 3, and the xbox360 by 5.

Of course, the slashdot crowd is not everyman's crowd, so you can probably expect the Wii to sell even better than that, given their slant towards the casual gamer and the non-gamer.

Re:Folks always forget the VAT

[TheRaven64]

Off topic, I know, but does anyone know why prices do not include tax in the USA? The advertised price has to have both state and national tax added to it. When I was last there, both were around 5% (this was Utah) and both were some silly number with two decimal places so it was impossible to do the sales tax calculations in your head. You could roughly check by approximating it to 10%, but unless you wanted to take a calculator with you you couldn't tell if the till was adding on a few pennies, or if you had enough change to pay for something on you.

Do Americans get used to this? In the UK, a shop that advertised pre-tax prices[1] would be prosecuted for running a bait-and-switch scam. The price they advertise is the price you pay.

[1] The exception to this is business supplies, since businesses claim VAT back.

Re:Slightly off topic

[rolfwind]

I think William Zinsser would have something to say on this topic:

http://www.cla.wayne.edu/polisci/kdk/general/sourc es/zinsser.htm

Ripped a new one

[clown_puncher]

Personally I think the consumers are getting ripped a new one if they buy these overly expensive consoles.

I am primarily a pc gamer but I do not mind laying down some hard earned cash for a console. What I have seen thus far is not really that impressive for the price. Except for wii. I'm drawn to the new ideas and the fact that it just looks plain ol' fun. Most companies will play out a format until its dead. Nintendo always seems to try something new and innovative (perhaps out of necessity).

Originally when the cube came out, I was put off by the fact that nintendo had gotten a reputation for being a little too family oriented...too many cute n' cuddly games so to speak. Also, their hardware was inferior, their mini disc media didn't hold as much data..etc..etc..etc. I've heard it all.

Surprisingly tho,while the ps2 and xbox were collecting dust I was thoroughly enjoying the GC including the DK bongo games(which made your game room a hit with the kids) and felt I would have gotten my moneys worth if I had paid full price. Games not available on the cube I played on my PC. Now the cube is a dust collector as well but at least it accomplished its task. I had more fun with the games on that little jerky console than I ever did with the others and I didn't have to feel guilty afterward.

It already seems that there are a lot of /.ers that wouldn't pay for it anyway but I just wanted you to remember, all consoles eventually collect dust. If you were smart you'd put your $600 into your ING this way, if your a die-hard SONY loyalist, you'll be able to afford their next console. (that is... if this console doesn't do them in).
I would be heart broken if the speculated price of wii was way off. I wouldn't buy it but I could just play it at a friend's house. After all I already have 3 dust collectors

I haven't read any posts that bash nintendo and this is not a call to arms to defend it. Just relating a story of my new found loyalty to a company I had forsaken for so long.

Re:Folks always forget the VAT

[The One and Only]

Aside from the tax variance between states mentioned by sibling posters, there's also philosophical reasons--including the tax in the posted price tends to "hide" it from the taxpyaer, while having the tax as a separate line item on the receipt as we do in America makes it more apparent.