Wii for around $250

[UndeadMeat]

Not an exact price point for launch, but Nintendo says it won't cost more then $250. Like everyone I would have been happier with $200, but the 50 extra bucks won't stop me from getting the Wii at launch. I'll be getting a white consol and one of each color Wii-mote.

Full story here.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6151827.html

-UndeadMeat

[Todd H]

I have a feeling they'll release it for $199.  Just a feeling....

Of the three new consoles, I'm actually looking forward to the Wii the most.  I had planned on a PS3, but the price is just too much.  And when you're married and building a house, money can be tight.

[Hoagie_one]

I had planned on a PS3, but the price is just too much.  And when you're middle class, money can be tight.

[brained]

That's a pretty tempting price, comparing to 450 and higher for the new consoles. I think I'll just buy a WII and forget the PS3 thing!! to pricey.....
 

[Luxury]

I'd be willing to bet money that it will be $199.  But if it isn't - I'd think that it's more likey to be $149 than $249.

[versapak]

Already have a 360, PS3 is WAY overpriced for a game machine, but $250?... If so I can wait. The controller looks neat, but  I do probably 90% of my gaming on Xbox Live these days. I just don't see it being a primary source of gaming for me, so the lower the price falls, the better.

$200 is my magic number. For now anyway. If they do go above that, then I'll kick back and see how developers actually make use of the thing first. I can definitely see some great potential, but so far nothing displayed at E3 really blew my socks off.

[Stingray]

Compared to the price of the 360, and the outrageous stupidity that is the PS3 price, even $250 sounds like a bargain. Still, I'm hoping it's more like $200, but I'll buy one either way.

-S

[UndeadMeat]

I agree that it will probably be $199, but the $249ish price makes me happy because it is at least a step closer to telling us how much it will cost and when to expect it. I think $149 won't happen, but I'm willing to proven wrong. 

I never owned a PS2 and I can tell you that I surely won't be buying a P$3.

-UndeadMeat

[pointdablame]

I'm hoping for a $199 price point like everyone else UNLESS they make a nice bundle deal for $249.  If Nintendo comes out with a system wtih say a game and 2 controllers, or something similar, for $249, it'll look a hell of a lot more tempting than either a 360 or PS3 IMHO.

Get everything you need to get going for $250 compared to shelling out AT LEAST $300, and up to $600... and then having to buy games...

[shmokes]

I think $249 would be a big mistake.  When people see these things in Kiosks, side-by-side with Xbox 360's it'll be pretty easy for that magical "average" consumer to not say, "Wow....for only $50 more I get the one with way better graphics?"  I mean, seriously, if they've got Red Steel on one the Nintendo Kiosk and Gears of War on the 360, Nintendo needs that person to say, "Well, yeah, but that thing is way more expensive," and fifty bucks ain't gonna do the trick (the price diff. between $250 and the core Xbox 360 package).

They will sell through the initial six million projected to be shipped through March '07 at either price just because of all the hardcore gamers who are excited about it.  But $250 is not going to cause non-gamers to buy this thing in droves.

I'm getting it either way, of course, but I'm probably not nearly as hard a sell as non-gamers.

[GGKoul]

When is it coming out???

[JONTHEBOMB]

When is it coming out???

The Wii will be coming out this year.  No exact date has been set yet, but I think the rumor going around is the Wii will be in stores before Thanksgiving.  The console looks fun to use, but even at $200 or $250 I can't afford a second console.  
(I guess I'll miss the revolution )

[markrvp]

I think $249 would be a big mistake.  When people see these things in Kiosks, side-by-side with Xbox 360's it'll be pretty easy for that magical "average" consumer to not say, "Wow....for only $50 more I get the one with way better graphics?"  I mean, seriously, if they've got Red Steel on one the Nintendo Kiosk and Gears of War on the 360, Nintendo needs that person to say, "Well, yeah, but that thing is way more expensive," and fifty bucks ain't gonna do the trick (the price diff. between $250 and the core Xbox 360 package).

They will sell through the initial six million projected to be shipped through March '07 at either price just because of all the hardcore gamers who are excited about it.  But $250 is not going to cause non-gamers to buy this thing in droves.

I'm getting it either way, of course, but I'm probably not nearly as hard a sell as non-gamers.

When we throw politics out, I agree with you almost all of the time.

Will the Wii come standard with one of the special controllers AND the nunchuk?

[pointdablame]

When we throw politics out, I agree with you almost all of the time.

Will the Wii come standard with one of the special controllers AND the nunchuk?

I haven't seen anything official about it... but I damn sure hope they are both included.  The way they are touting the two as a "team" with seperate motion sensors and the like... and the Zelda demo at E3 (among others).   I certainly hope they won't go lame and make us buy one of the pices (the nunchuck I guess) seperately.

[Howard_Casto]

199 will be almost certainly the price. 

The 250$ price tag was estimated by converting yen to US dollars.  In the past, nintendo has been willing to drop the price in the US/European market to make their systems more appealing.  They don't have to do this in japan because the nintendo is always a good seller there. 

Regarding the 360 argument, I would argue that the 360 core system is rather useless.  People will be buying a 360 not ony for the graphics, but online play, which is it's key selling point.  It's my understanding that live and the arcade won't work without a harddrive.  A harddrive is 100 bucks, so if you do that one upgrade you might as well get the full package, get upgraded to a wireless controller and get the wi-fi adaptor and such basically for free. 

[pointdablame]

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/25/1314204&from=rss


If that is correct, the Wii will be released in Japan at the equivalent of $225.  I don't think (as Howard mentioned) Nintendo would ever consider selling their systems in teh US for more than the Japanese price, so the $199 price point is looking very likely IMHO.

[brophog]

Wow....for only $50 more I get the one with way better graphics?"

Agreed. Nintendo has to use price point as a bait until the functionality of the Wii remote catches on.

How many people, just here, are excited about this system but skeptical about the controller? I think this is merely a small sample size of a larger whole, in this case.

[mmmPeanutButter]

I'll stick with the trend from the graph (found in this post).  Nintendo seems to like the $200 price point.

Wii for $200.   

[shmokes]

Also, factor in a price drop from MS.  I see it as relatively unlikely, considering the already huge price diff. between them and Sony, especially considering that they already have a good sized library with a 1-year head start, including some very compelling second gen games.  But a $50 price drop would put the core Xbox 360 at exactly the same price as the Wii which would make a $250 pricepoint an absolute impossibility for Nintendo.  Frankly, I think Nintendo has to come in at $100 cheaper than MS in any case.  If the MS core system is $250 I think Nintendo has to hit $150.  Even then, they'd still probably be breaking even on hardware, or at the very least not losing nearly as much on each one sold as MS or Sony.

[horseboy]

$150...(fingers crossed). That is the only way it will even get close to flying with my wife.

[Stingray]

I damn sure hope they are both included.  The way they are touting the two as a "team" with seperate motion sensors and the like... and the Zelda demo at E3 (among others).   I certainly hope they won't go lame and make us buy one of the pices (the nunchuck I guess) seperately.

I hope they don't go all Sony/ Microsoft and release two different versions, one to make it seem cheaper and a more expensive model that actually includes the good stuff.

-S

[shmokes]

No way...it looks like almost every game uses both the nunchuck and the remote.  Mario, Metroid, Red Steel, Zelda, Madden, Tony Hawk (I think).  The nunchuck will be included.  It just will.  The idea that it wouldn't be included is so absurd that it shouldn't even be considered.

[KDOG]

I am almost positive that I saw an interview that stated that both will be included. I think it was from ign. I will look for it again.

found it http://media.revolution.ign.com/articles/708/708093/vids_1.html
It is about 9 min in

[shmokes]

I already mentioned Mario.  Do you really believe, in your wildest dreams, that Nintendo would release a system that was not capable of playing Mario out of the box?

[KDOG]

I already mentioned Mario.  Do you really believe, in your wildest dreams, that Nintendo would release a system that was not capable of playing Mario out of the box?

Nintendo has had a track record of bundling things with there games
Star fox 64-rampack
donkey konga-congas
one of the mario parties not sure which

but no like I said it will be included