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Wii Gets Price Cut To $199

Posted by Soulskill on from the keeping-up-with-the-softses dept.

After watching Microsoft and Sony drop the prices on the Xbox 360 and the PS3, Nintendo has decided to jump in with a price cut as well. Starting September 27th, the Wii will cost $199 in North America, a $50 drop from the previous price. Japan will be getting a slightly smaller price cut, but Europe seems to be left out of this change. Nintendo is hoping this reduction and the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Wii Fit Plus in the coming months will boost slipping sales rates.

30 of 320 comments (clear)

  1. Soon by sopssa · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And the fact that xmas sales are coming soon.

    But what actually gave Wii some boost and made me pick it up again was the Motion Plus extension - it feels a lot better than the regular controller without it. Sadly, theres still not many games for it.

    Also like was discussed a few days ago, Wii might be on end of its lifecycle soon and Nintendo might go a little different route with next console, which I actually find a little sad. The control scheme is a nice change and it could be utilized really well with some types of games. Nintendo should have pushed indie game developing a lot more, since thats where some great ideas could had been coming from and because of Wii's limited graphic powers, indie game developers could had concentrate on the control and gameplay a lot more.

    1. Re:Soon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Nintendo should have pushed indie game developing a lot more

      Yeah. I hate Microsoft as much as the next guy, but XNA and XBLA were fantastic ideas that have led to some great games. Same with Apple and iPhone apps. You pay $100 and off you go. But Nintendo...$2000 for the SDK? Ick.

    2. Re:Soon by Reason58 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Nintendo should have pushed indie game developing a lot more

      Yeah. I hate Microsoft as much as the next guy, but XNA and XBLA were fantastic ideas that have led to some great games. Same with Apple and iPhone apps. You pay $100 and off you go. But Nintendo...$2000 for the SDK? Ick.

      This has always been Nintendo's biggest weakness. While their in-house development is good, they have an abysmal track record when it comes to third-party support. With the reinvention of the one-man "indie" developer this problem is exacerbated.

    3. Re:Soon by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I've found that the game library for the Wii is terrible and THAT is its greatest weakness.

      The better games - like Smash brothers - aren't even Wii games (How much motion control is in it?) which shows that Nintendo knows how much their control scheme is lacking. There's no Zelda for Wii (it's a Gamecube port) and Mario Galaxy was meh at best. Mario Kart is a decent party game, but it requires you to race so much in single player that you honestly can't play a pickup game against your friends. The guy who unlocked everything is going to dominate.

      The motion controls, while innovative, are move confusing than enjoyable. Otherwise decent games end up frustrating because you don't have the right kind of control. Now there's a motion plus sensor, which for $100, lets you and your wife have the control that they should have put into the controls in the first place.

      There isn't a decent native RPG or racing game in their library, and if I'm wrong, I'd love to hear the titles. Look at the all-time ratings on Gamespot; half the top games are games you got tired of playing 10 years ago.

      It's been great to lose 20 pounds with the fitness games, but the two I've used (Wii Fit and EA Active) are fucking terrible. I imagine the interview process at EA was like this:

      "Have you ever played a game -- any EA games in particular?"

      "No."

      "Hmm, what do you think makes a game fun?"

      "Absolute precision, interrupting gameplay for no reason, and a repetitive soundtrack."

      "Hmm, have you ever exercised before?"

      "Does shaving count?"

      "You're hired."

      I've never had a problem with the graphics on the Wii; perhaps that's because one of the first games I played was a black square racing down a blue path surrounded by orange. It was called "speedboat". If I want immersion, I'll go outside.

      --

      ---
      ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
    4. Re:Soon by ultranova · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There's no Zelda for Wii (it's a Gamecube port) and Mario Galaxy was meh at best.

      Mario Galaxy is great; however, the control scheme in the main game - shake the controller to spin - is a hindrance, not an asset. The same is true of Zelda. On the other hand, Metroid 3 works fine, not as fine as 2D Metroid but fine nonetheless.

      Offhand, I'd say that compulsive use of 3D in what's really platformer games is the greatest weakness in current game consoles.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    5. Re:Soon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Someone please mod this down- it is definitely untrue. While the GameCube version was released after the Wii version, Twilight Princess was developed as an end-of-cycle GameCube game, and was ported to the Wii to give it a another "Flagship Title."

    6. Re:Soon by tyrus568 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Link is normally left-handed, but most players are right-handed and would want to use the sword (Wii-remote) with their dominant hand. It's somewhat less confusing if the game character also uses that chirality.

      Not that I own a Wii (or Gamecube), but what if you ARE left-handed? You just get to be confused because the on-screen Link is now right-handed (even if in all previous games it was the opposite), or does the game on the Wii allow you to change this and make Link left-handed again?

      Oi, the many annoyances of being left-handed..........

  2. Wii upgrade. by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The Wii when it was sold a couple years ago was already behind the time in terms of graphics and performance. Today it is that much further behind. It is in really need for an upgrade. Granted I am not a hardcore gammer and I don't think graphics are the most important part to good gaming. However its graphics are a bit early 2000 compared to what the other guys have.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:Wii upgrade. by ledow · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You give your own criticism to your own comment.

      When it was *released* it was out of date. And it's still the best-selling games console. So what makes you think that the graphics/performance have any effect on *sales* at all? Did you ever seriously believe that game console wars have *ever* been solved by technical prowess and not by games, marketing, gameplay, etc.? At best you could claim that you prefer games with style/content but the sales figures speak for themselves about how bothered the general populous is about the "out-of-date"-ness that the Wii was released with... None.

      It's been a wonderful product because it proves the point that I've always maintained - games don't even *need* graphics at all to be great games. It's always been true, but people lost track of that during the last few generations of console wars.

    2. Re:Wii upgrade. by cabjf · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I read just yesterday that the rumor is the Wii's replacement will bring it up to par with the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Given that both Microsoft and Sony want this generation to last much longer than your usual console generation, I'm thinking Nintendo will have an opportunity to put out two generations of their consoles in one of their competition's generations. If they manage to convince at least some of those casual players that bought the Wii to upgrade (perhaps through affordable blu-ray player or even more casual appealing games and hardware), they could easily stay ahead of Xbox 360 and PS3 in terms of consoles sold. Granted that was just a rumor, but I think it is a plausible one.

    3. Re:Wii upgrade. by PitaBred · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If they keep compatibility with Wii games and controllers, I'd buy the new console.

      --
      My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
    4. Re:Wii upgrade. by grumbel · · Score: 3, Informative

      I read just yesterday that the rumor is the Wii's replacement will bring it up to par with the Xbox 360 and the PS3.

      That must have been fanboys that still have some hope left that Nintendo actually still cares about gaming. I for one have given up that hope long ago and the last tiny bit that might have been left was smashed a few days ago when I downloaded the horoscope channel. The company that once up on a time gave us Mario, Zelda, Metroid and all the other stuff just isn't there anymore and has been replaced by some trendy lifestyle product producer or whatever you want to call what they are now.

    5. Re:Wii upgrade. by commodore64_love · · Score: 4, Insightful

      >>>Did you ever seriously believe that game console wars have *ever* been solved by technical prowess and not by games, marketing, gameplay, etc.?

      Nope. If you look at the winners over the last 30 years, it was NEVER the most powerful console:

      - Atari VCS/2600 - inferior to Intellivision and Colecovision
      - Nintendo ES - inferior to Sega MS
      - Super Nintendo - inferior to the Genesis' 32-bit capability
      - PS1 - inferior to Nintendo' 64-bit console
      - PS2 - inferior to faster-operating Cube and Xbox
      - Wii - inferior to high-def-capable PS3 and X360

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    6. Re:Wii upgrade. by MBGMorden · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You could take a different viewpoint though. Look at XB360 and PS3: they're as much "media hubs" as they are game consoles. There was a whole addon built for the 360 specifically for the purpose of watching HDDVD movies - it has no gaming benefit whatsoever. I can log into Xbox Live and what am I greeted with? The option to purchase television shows and rent movies. And it connects up to my PC to act as a media center "extender" so I can watch video files and the like off of my PC.

      Sure, the other systems have maintained more of a trend towards traditional console gaming with their games (and personally, I actually prefer that which is why the only system from this gen that I own is the 360), but it's hard to argue that Nintendo doesn't care about gaming - everything about the Wii is targetted towards gaming. It's just not the same type of gaming we are used to.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    7. Re:Wii upgrade. by Toonol · · Score: 3, Interesting

      See, I think Nintendo saved gaming from the living-room-media-hub-centric-controlling desires of Sony and Microsoft. Video game fans would be in a world of hurt if either of those companies had managed to dominate the industry.

    8. Re:Wii upgrade. by Cowclops · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Eh... while the Atari, PS2, and Wii examples are accurate, I don't think the NES/SNES/PSX examples are correct.

      NES and SMS were very very close in capability. The SMS might have been superior in some nitpicky sense, but if you play games on both systems it isn't apparent that SMS outpaces NES. I'll give you credit that NES won despite not having any obvious technical superiority (since it didn't.)

      At SNES vs Genesis: Genesis was noticably inferior. Genesis was NOT 32 bit capable, as it used a 68000 on a 16 bit bus. Its cpu was measurably faster, however its graphics and sound hardware were noticeably behind SNES. If you play SNES and then play Genesis, especially games that were on both systems, the SNES version nearly always had better graphics and sound. Due to the censorship issue, I wouldn't compare Mortal Kombat 1 on Genesis to SNES, but if you go to MK2, the SNES version is a lot closer to the arcade version than the Genesis version was. Having a slightly faster processor doesn't outweigh the greatly superior dedicated sound and graphics chips of the SNES. Genesis can only put 64 colors on screen out of a palette of 4096... SNES can put 256 colors on screen out of a palette of 32768. Not to mention FM synthesis in the Genesis vs 8 channel PCM mixing in SNES.

      As far as Playstation vs N64... the Playstation won because its storage system was technically superior to N64. Game developers didn't want to be limited to expensive ROM, so developers switched in droves to PSX. The 3d rendering capabilities of N64 were limited by the small amount of data each game could hold, not to mention a tiny texture cache that limited the detail in games. Granted, the main CPU in N64 was superior to the main CPU in PSX, but this isn't the only "technical" detail of the system. Playstation won due to technical superiority: In 1996, CDs were technically superior to rom cartridges.

    9. Re:Wii upgrade. by Toonol · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You know, you could actually look up the software sales, instead of speculating. The Wii generally has more titles dominating the charts than the 360 or PS3... or looking at it another way, Wii+DS software usually outsells 360+PS3+PSP software. 3rd party software sales are similar to the 360's quantities, and exceeding the PS3's by quite a bit. That's with quite a bit more consoles sold, however, so the attach rate is closer to the PS3's. The 360 wins there.

    10. Re:Wii upgrade. by DarKnyht · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Let's look at the facts behind some of those wins

      - Atari I cannot comment on because I was too little for it and only remember playing the Intellivision.

      -Nintendo Entertainment System won because of two things, Mario and a anti-competitive contract with developers. If you wanted to develop for the NES you were not allowed to develop on anything else. Hence why most of the Sega Master System games were ports done in house by SEGA.

      -Super Nintendo won because you had a huge installed base with NES who were familiar with the popular characters of the system. Plus the Genesis suffered from attachment syndrome, you were constantly purchasing bigger and more expensive add-ons to get to the 32-bit capability.

      -Playstation One won because Nintendo stuck with the expensive Cart-based system. 600+ MB of cheap CD to work with or 64-256 MB of expensive RAM chips was an easy choice for developers. Plus, Nintendo screwed up their relationships with important developers such as Squaresoft.

      -Playstation Two won because their marketing department promised Toy Story quality graphics that only appeared in non-playable cut scenes. Plus at the time, the PS2 was the cheapest way to get your hands on a DVD Player. Gamecube was hurt itself in the US by making itself look like a kid's toy and using proprietary DVD discs that had less storage capability (making multi-platform releases harder on it). SEGA was hurt by focusing on 2D over 3D graphics, although they did have a superior online system for the time.

      -Wii won mostly because of novelty and price. It was accessible to people that otherwise would not touch a game system.

      --
      Voting them all out of office, now that's change I can believe in.
    11. Re:Wii upgrade. by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well thats your definition of gaming though - the Wii's Target Audience is not the Age 12 through 40 Males who enjoy the satisfaction of a good online headshot.

      Their Target Audience was: Everyone ELSE. I guess someone in marketting said "Hey, you know, I looked at the numbers, and there are more people who haven't played Mario then the people who have played Mario. I guess the Gamer group is still not quite a majority. What if we made something for everyone that isn't a gamer?" and thus the Wii was born.

      It is still Gaming, just not in the sense that you've grown to call it. The games aren't "Good" because you don't find them challenging, or you find the controls to be lacking, or the graphics are bad, or anything else you've put on the list.

      These are not reasons that the Wii is a bad Gaming Console. These are reasons that YOU don't like the Wii. The Wii is a very successful gaming console, and it is very good at doing what it aimed to do: Taking someone who has never in their life touched a nintendo product, and made them purchase it.

      You will find that the amount of people who Have a Wii and DON'T want a 360 or PS3 is Staggering, if you get out and meet some new people who aren't into gaming.

  3. You can thank me... by SoTerrified · · Score: 5, Funny

    I just bought a Wii two weeks ago. So of course the price would drop...

    1. Re:You can thank me... by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 4, Funny

      I got you beat. I bought a Wii *and* a PS3 a month and a half ago...

  4. Nintendo's qualifications by tepples · · Score: 5, Informative

    Same with Apple and iPhone apps. You pay $100 and off you go.

    Plus $600 for Xcode if you don't already have an Intel Mac, but your point is still valid.

    But Nintendo...$2000 for the SDK? Ick.

    That's peanuts compared to the cost of doing an internship in another state and then leasing an office. Nintendo requires developers to have a dedicated office and experience in the mainstream video game industry.

  5. Almost down enough... by sajuuk · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Almost down to that $100 price they said it was going to be originally.

  6. Re:It's not the console, it's the games by tilandal · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Its funny how the most profitable console maker doesn't follow that business model.

  7. What about game prices? by tedgyz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They need to drop the game prices. It's hard to justify the $50 for a game like Punch-Out. For casual gamers, that's a high price tag.

    As others have said, the motion-plus is badly needed. Sadly it may be too late since so many games have already been produced without it. Star Wars Unleashed would be so much better if the light saber truly followed your motion. I don't think I want to pay the extra $50 for Star Wars Unleashed Motion Plus. How about a downloadable upgrade?

    --
    "No matter where you go, there you are." -- Buckaroo Banzai
    1. Re:What about game prices? by godrik · · Score: 4, Informative

      In the wii, downloadable upgrade must be done in the game itself since there is no operating system running when the game run. marcan explains that very well in http://hackmii.com/2009/02/why-the-wii-will-never-get-any-better/

  8. Re:Still too much. by geekoid · · Score: 4, Funny

    "It offers a lot more."
    like a 50% failure rate.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  9. Re:Internet Channel (2009-09 version) by Afforess · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That would presumably cost more to build. There is a DVD-Video player for the jailbroken Wii, but it makes the drive wear out faster.

    In some unrelated news, it was discovered that using lightbulbs caused them to burn out.

    Take is from someone who has soft-modded their wii. The DVD playback works fine.

    --
    If our elected representatives no longer represent us, do we still live in a Democracy?
  10. Why the 50$ price cut? by Yvan256 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I guess Nintendo heard Apple talk about the magical 199$ price tag (warning: lots of photos). Look at around 1:51 PM ~ 1:52 PM:

    1:51 PM: Greg Kumparak âoeWe learned something very important a few years back.â
    1:51 PM: Greg Kumparak "Essentially, $199 is a magic spot."
    1:52 PM: Greg Kumparak "When they dropped from $249 to $199, sales of the past iPod models almost doubled."

    So if the same thing happens to Nintendo and the Wii, sales should double from now on until at least Christmas.

  11. Re:Still too much. by Toonol · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'd be interested if EITHER of you could support EITHER of those figures. Note: A gaming magazine survey isn't sufficient support, nor is counting up your friends.