Wii US Price

flogen

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/05/25/nintendo_wii_pricing_revealed/

Nintendo has revealed its next-generation console, the Wii, will retail in the US for $250 or less and no more than ¥25,000 ($220/£119/€174). It also expects to have shipped more than 6m of the machines by March 2007, the company said today.

If they do a proper conversion we should see the Wii at €200, although going by previous sale prices at launch, it will be a straight swap, but €250 for the console is still an impressive price point... certainly what most people expect.

If they pull it in under 200 it would be a master stroke, get three wii's for the price of one PS3

KTRIC

I am no means loyal to any console, I've owned all of the previous gen machines. But I really think Nintendo and MS are going to lead this time around purely based on Sony's f*ck ups recently.

Vegeta

to be honest i am prob going to get a Wii 360 bundle

flogen

Vegeta wrote:

to be honest i am prob going to get a Wii 360 bundle

If 250 is the price then MS will need to knock 50 off theirs before the PS3 comes out to keep their claim that you could get a 360/Wii for less than/the same as a PS3... I suppose 50 is to be expected though

Pugsley

If MS want to really chip away at PS3's sales €50 price drop will be pretty much guarenteed between not and the PS3's launch, and what a release price for the Wii, that had to be a new record.

super_furry

The 360 is still the main one that really interests me, as soon as there's a price drop, I'll get one. The Wii is a close second though and at that price, I'll probably get one at launch. Don't think I'll be arsed with the Playstation this time around.

Retr0gamer

200-220 euros would be a fantastic price. Thats practically pocket money 250 would be alright but I'd be really annoyed about getting ripped off by the dollar-euro conversion yet again. It's so anoying to see the japanese price of consoles and games. New releases over there are no more than 40 euros.

LookingFor

flogen wrote:

If 250 is the price then MS will need to knock 50 off theirs before the PS3 comes out to keep their claim that you could get a 360/Wii for less than/the same as a PS3... I suppose 50 is to be expected though

They'd need to knock €150 off if the €500 system is available here. And don't talk to me about the 360 Core, no one wants that

Anyway, my guess for Wii is €249, but I'd happily be wrong, and hope that it's €199. If it's not, the two weeks in the middle of November could be VERY expensive for me :eek:

tman

**** yeah!
i'm seriously toying with the idea of booking a week off work for the Wii's launch

flogen

LookingFor wrote:

They'd need to knock €150 off if the €500 system is available here. And don't talk to me about the 360 Core, no one wants that

Anyway, my guess for Wii is €249, but I'd happily be wrong, and hope that it's €199. If it's not, the two weeks in the middle of November could be VERY expensive for me :eek:

IGN claim that most developers are gearing their launch titles up for Oct, and Nintendo may try and get the jump on Sony by launching then..

And if you're going to compare the 360/wii with the lower-end PS3, it's only fair you use the crippled 360 too

steviec

flogen wrote:

IGN claim that most developers are gearing their launch titles up for Oct, and Nintendo may try and get the jump on Sony by launching then..

And if you're going to compare the 360/wii with the lower-end PS3, it's only fair you use the crippled 360 too

The 'crippled' PS3 has no HDMI, no card reader, no wifi and a 20GB hard drive.

Meanwhile, the 'premium' 360 has no HDMI, no card reader, no wifi and a 20GB hard drive. Sounds like a fair comparison to me.

LookingFor

flogen wrote:

And if you're going to compare the 360/wii with the lower-end PS3, it's only fair you use the crippled 360 too

Whilst MS would no doubt encourage that comparison, it's totally flawed IMO. The core 360 is not really a credible option. If you buy it, you have to buy a memory card, and you're already half way to a premium. The lack of the HDD is a major barrier to your full use of the system. I think given the market's reaction, it's pretty clear that for most it's not a credible option.

The €499 PS3 does not inherit such a drop in functionality. The only reason to get a €599 PS3 IMO is you have a 1080p TV and want 1080p Blu-ray movie playback.

Not to mention that the €499 PS3 has everything the premium 360 has and then some. The two credible entry points for both systems IMO are the 360 Premium and the €499 PS3 - as long as the latter is available where you are, of course! - and that's where the comparison should lie.

(Oh, and I could bring up the €50/year you'll be paying for Live on 360 if you want the full benefit of the platform - perhaps €300 over the life of the system - but the comparison is favourable enough for PS3 as is IMO ).

flogen

LookingFor wrote:

Whilst MS would no doubt encourage that comparison, it's totally flawed IMO. The core 360 is not really a credible option. If you buy it, you have to buy a memory card, and you're already half way to a premium. The lack of the HDD is a major barrier to your full use of the system. I think given the market's reaction, it's pretty clear that for most it's not a credible option.

Ah no, I know the Core can't be compared to the low-end PS3, the Core is a waste of a chipboard IMO.

(Oh, and I could bring up the €50/year you'll be paying for Live on 360 if you want the full benefit of the platform - perhaps €300 over the life of the system - but the comparison is favourable enough for PS3 as is IMO ).

Well let's not assume just yet that online gaming will be free on the PS3, I know Sony have said they won't be charging you to connect but so far all they've guarenteed is a service comparable to Live Silver... there's every chance that you'll have to pay on a game-by-game basis if the Developers decide to do so (which would make sense, after all who else is going to pay for the service because it doesn't come cheap)

j4vier

the Wii sounds pretty nice alright at that price,
but i wonder how much will they be selling the games at.
when i got a N64 back in the days some games were nearly twice as expensive as ps1 games

LookingFor

flogen wrote:

Well let's not assume just yet that online gaming will be free on the PS3, I know Sony have said they won't be charging you to connect but so far all they've guarenteed is a service comparable to Live Silver...

They've also said playing online will be free, which you can't do with Live Silver. But I do think the business model is open, such that third parties can charge if they wish. But I do not expect this would differ much or at all from the current situation on PS2, where the vast majority of publishers do not charge to play their games online. Some notables, like FFXI, do, but then MS is making no promises that certain types of game won't require you to pay more beyond the Live subscription, and FFXI on 360 again requires you to pay another charge as on PS2.

I think it'll be quite typical that a user will be able to get away without paying to play online, but on 360 you have to pay if you want to play online at all (barring the odd promotional weekend etc.).

Anyway, Wii Wii Wii! Should probably get back on topic. Apparently Nintendo has also said in their fiscal results that they expect to ship 6m in the next fiscal year (to April 07).

Retr0gamer

j4vier wrote:

the Wii sounds pretty nice alright at that price,
but i wonder how much will they be selling the games at.
when i got a N64 back in the days some games were nearly twice as expensive as ps1 games

That was due to the cartridge format they used. Cartridges are far more expensive then to manufacture than CDs. They should be the same price as the typical PS2/xbox/GC game. However I wouldn't put it past greedy publishers to push up the price like they did with xbox360 and will most certainly do with the PS3. The excuse of higher production costs just won't fly with the Wii since it is far less powerful, uses tools that programmers are already used to and is supposedly a joy to program for.

Vegeta

LookingFor wrote:

Whilst MS would no doubt encourage that comparison, it's totally flawed IMO. The core 360 is not really a credible option. If you buy it, you have to buy a memory card, and you're already half way to a premium. .

You mean a hard drive

LookingFor

Vegeta wrote:

You mean a hard drive

Well, yeah, I'd argue you really do need to buy the hard drive if you're geting a core, putting you on par or past the premium's price, but the bare minimum just to play and save games would be a memory card. I'd agree the HDD is effectively a must though, yes.

CombatCow

Wow this is great news, €200-250 is a bargain, wonder how much the games are gonna cost

CC

Dont be at yourself

Retr0gamer wrote:

It's so anoying to see the japanese price of consoles and games. New releases over there are no more than 40 euros.

Cough, splutter!

Balfa

Meh, I was hoping it would be $200 and I think it should be. The graphics are barely better than a gamecube, which leaves the remote and wifi as the only significant differences. Since the gamecube can be bought for under $100, that means you're paying over $150 for a controller and wifi peripheral.

Hmm.

I think that if Nintendo did release it at $200, it would be a huge boon for them. I think there's a big psychological difference between $249.99 and $199.99. And the games will have to be cheaper than the competition, too.

Like, with the average DS game here costing $30 to $35, I practically pick them up as impulse purchases. Yet DoubleDash is still $40 and I still haven't bought it despite it being better than many of the DS games I have.

thelordofcheese

Nice price point, well played nintendo.

I've never made the effort to get a console on launch [the closest being the Dreamcast i got two months after launch], but i am highly tempted to make the effort for the wii.

honru

Preorders for launch Wii games have been popping up on US game sites at $60. While they're not completely final prices, it's looking like the premium next-generation price point will be taken advantage of.

$250/€250 is a fine price. Hopefully that will include both a Wiimote and classic controller. Doubt it though.

A packed-in version of Duck Hunt at launch would certainly see Wii fly off the shelves. G'wan Nintendo.

flogen

f®eak s&#169 wrote: »

Preorders for launch Wii games have been popping up on US game sites at $60. While they're not completely final prices, it's looking like the premium next-generation price point will be taken advantage of.

$250/€250 is a fine price. Hopefully that will include both a Wiimote and classic controller. Doubt it though.

A packed-in version of Duck Hunt at launch would certainly see Wii fly off the shelves. G'wan Nintendo.

http://cube.gamespy.com/articles/699/699320p1.html

In an interview with CNN/Money, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata vowed to keep Nintendo Revolution software under the $60 price tag set by Xbox 360 games.
...
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata stated that he "cannot imagine any first party title could be priced for more than $50."

Hopefully they stick to that, and if they do then third party may have a harder time justifying higher price points...

I think Nintendo have also said the classic controller will be seperate but the wii will have the wiimote and nunchuck attachment... I'd say Wii Sports would be the most likely free software too, as it seems to be a kind of shallow tech demo of sorts but one that highlights the controller pretty well

honru

I reckon it will be similar to when the DS launched, where all of the first-party Nintendo games were cheaper than third-party titles. Though that has since changed for some reason.

Now that I think of it, I can use a Gamecube controller on the machine anyway, so there's no essential need for the "classic" Wii version.

Balfa

f®eak s&#169 wrote: »

I can use a Gamecube controller on the machine anyway, so there's no essential need for the "classic" Wii version.

Except that it looks seriously saucey. I have six perfectly working GC controllers and I still want one of those!

evad_lhorg

aww man they should totally launch wii with duck hunt and super mario bros 1. just like christmas in the early 90s all over!!!!

Retr0gamer

evad_lhorg wrote:

aww man they should totally launch wii with duck hunt and super mario bros 1. just like christmas in the early 90s all over!!!!

Oh yes! I could take the day off at launch and live the perfect childhood christmas I never had