Wii for $200, Alex
Wii for $200, Alex
September 24, 2009
In a move that has been rumored for awhile, Nintendo announced today that it had dropped the price of the Wii console to $199.99, a savings of $50. The price cut takes effect on Sunday and it marks the first price drop for the console since it was released in November 2006.
Sales for the Wii have been slipping in Japan and the United States, and price cuts on Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 have only fueled the increased competition. Sony released a statement yesterday saying that PS3 sales had risen 300 percent in the United States with a $100 price cut and the release of the slimmed down version of the console last month.
Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's VP of sales and marketing, said in a statement:
"Our research shows there are 50 million Americans thinking about becoming gamers, and this more affordable price point and our vast array of new software mean many of them can now make the leap and find experiences that appeal to them, whatever their tastes or level of gaming experience."
NPD released numbers last week that, among other things, gave a breakdown of console ownership in the United States. Kyle Orland analyzed much of the data available to get a better picture of the console landscape.
Have these price drops affected your decision to buy a new console?
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Posted 11/20/09 at 05:42pm
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:17pm
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:10pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:01pm
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:59pm
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:49pm
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:46pm
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:44pm
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:42pm
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:33pm
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:25pm
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:07pm
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:56pm
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:49pm
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:47pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I know they are intimate friends of yours...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I know they are intimate friends of yours...
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:44pm
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Neil and Bob?
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Neil and Bob?
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
A cheaper consoles no good if it ain;t got the games to make it worth owning...
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I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.
Already have a Wii, too bad I never grabbed a PS3 will it was still backwards compatible with ps2 games.
you can pick those up for 200-300
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy! Stop supporting big media and furthering the criminalization of consumers!! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
I traded in my 80GB non BC to Gamestop for a 60Gb and they gave me $100 for it. Combined with some PS2 trade ins I got a 60GB for $125.
Luckily I had an extra HDD laying around so I was able to pull out my 320GB from my old PS3 and swap in a 100GB I had hanging around. You need to have an HDD in the thing to trade it in.
If they tell you "We can't accept it if you've swapped the HDD" tell them to check with corporate. The person at mine initially said that (because she forgot the PS3 had a swappable drive) and then called me like "Woops, my bad, you can trade it in"
And yet tis still 250 in the UK.... fckers....
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy! Stop supporting big media and furthering the criminalization of consumers!! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
Making it chaper is a wise move in these times.
weather or not the software for it is worth it is up to each individual.
Too little, way too late. For me anyway. It'll still sell like hotcakes.
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Believe in something! Even if it's wrong, believe in it!
GET OFF MY PHONE!
-Glenn Beck
The price drop has effected my decision for a PS3... i've been on the fence this whole generation, but now, after the price drop, i'm certain i want a PS3. In my time mostly watching from the sidelines, i have found that with the exception of a few titles, the Wii has mostly failed to keep up with good games just like last generation, imo... and after i got my new computer, my desires for a 360 were chopped down due to the fact that half of their great exclusives come out on PC anyway. Wii and 360 would need to drop even further for me... the price drop for the PS3 however was enough
granted, one thing that helps is that my PS2 is still alive and kicking and thus the lacking backwards compatibility does not effect my decision as much... though i did read on destructoid some leaked plans to bring PS2 games to PSN, which would mean working on the BC; so it may be coming back...
I considered buying a wii but after borrowing one from a friend I wont not becuase it wasnt as good as I thought but becuase the wii mote goes through batteries like crazy
While Nintendo doesn't offer a rechargeable solution, plenty of third party companies do. You could even buy a charger and a pair of rechargeable batteries. Either way you go, you shouldn't spend more than $20at most. If you enjoy the Wii's games, don't let the battery situation turn you off the console entirely.
Andrew Eisen
I bet pretty much anyone who would consider buying a Wii already has one.
True. I think the same thing about the PS2. Who keeps buying that thing? Doesn't everyone who wants one have one by now?
Andrew Eisen
I had a Wii at launch and grew bored with it rather quickly. Gave it to my parents and they play it every so often, but a lot more than I did.
As it stands right now, I wouldn't buy a Wii for $20. There is basically nothing about the console that appeals to me and the game selection is very weak (for my taste in games anyway). Having a big screen TV actually hurt the little white console more than helping it, the games looked down right fugly for the most part on it. There were some titles that looked superb (Mario Galaxy and Metroid, for example), but the bulk of the games were quite heinous. Graphics don't make a game, I am aware, but when I am comparing this to its competition, it definitely hurts the product.
I don't know man I mean I already have a PS3,PS2,psp I'm saving up for a gaming pc so the 360 is obsolete since the pc gets most of their exclusives and it has plenty of old shooters that have great online communities the only reason I would want a wii is for Tatsunoko vs Capcom,House of the Dead Overkill and Samurai Warriors 3 but that doesn't warrant the purchase.
Side note:I'm sure anyone who wants a wii already has one the sales are declining for a reason they have no one else to sell the wii too.
I guess I'm the odd one out in these comments cause this is making me consider buying a second Wii for not only myself, since I share the current Wii with the family, but also for purposes that any aspiring gadgeteer would understand.
I know the Xbox 360 has a lot of great games, but I refuse to buy one until the high failure rate is addressed. I've never been a gambling man so it's just not worth the risk. And the PS3 is still too expensive for me even after price drops. So it's a darn good thing that Super Smash Bros. Brawl is that one game that I'm willing to play until the planet becomes a lifeless ball of ice anyway. I just cannot afford to buy that many games, so I look for ones with infinite replay value like that.
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"They were retarded hairless pink bunnies, all of them. Except Shigeru Myamoto and... well, the good ones were just too /rare/ to be worth bothering about." - Mason Hornblower on the extinction of the human race
Wii costs $220 where I live now. I've seen it at that price at Wal Mart, EB Games, etcetera. I already own one though. I just recently got a PS3. IT ROCKS!