Harrison: No Wii price drop for now

Soon-to-be-ex Nintendo executive says scarce console will bear $249 tag for the "foreseeable future."

With all three next-generation consoles in play, many are looking to this holiday season as a good indicator of the future of the console race. Looking to get a leg up on the competition, Microsoft and Sony have undergone much-publicized price jiggering and repackaging in recent months to help lure frugal shoppers to their console.

However, that won't be the case for Nintendo's Wii. Speaking to Reuters, Nintendo senior marketing VP George Harrison said that the Wii's price isn't budging, at least for now. "We'll stay at $249 for the foreseeable future. We are still selling everything we can make," he said. Of course, Harrison's "foreseeable future" may be skewed, given that the long-time exec announced last month that he would be parting ways with the Mighty N this December.

The news is unsurprising, considering statements made by Nintendo of America president and CEO Reggie Fils-Aime earlier this month. The outspoken exec noted that inventory for the Wii has been and still is selling out within a day of arriving at retail, and said that supply of the console will definitely not meet demand this holiday season.

213 Comments

  • mixcal

    Posted Dec 3, 2008 3:15 pm PT

    How can you play all 3 a lot? *gamefreak* lay off the crack eh?

  • wakyz

    Posted Nov 4, 2007 2:03 pm PT

    PEOPLE!!! THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE TYPING BEFORE YOU SUBMIT!!! i've already been in one of these flame wars, and it lasted for hours, and i dont want that to happen again! Now, im not trying to preach to you, but you guys are just trying to defend your systems. I know a guy who had a PS3 AND an xbox 360, but he was humble enough to find out the pros, AND the cons about both, but he never put down anything nintendo did, or made, because he had no personal experience with them. When he finnally got a Wii, he loved it just as much as his xbox 360, and his PS3. This guy is a great guy, because he could also find out the pros and cons for the Wii too, and he plays all three of his systems alot. now i think we all can learn rom him and be good people, and let others think what they want to think, but keep our thoughts to ourselfs, unless it wont hurt anybody. Thankyou for listening to me.

  • bigdayve

    Posted Oct 17, 2007 3:42 pm PT

    Why don't they ramp up production? It's cool to look like they've created the greatest thing ever and that it's selling out of stores but, selling out almost a year after launch is really annoying. Besides creating a larger installed base is probably more important long term than hype. With their stocks being at the highest ever one would think that they could shell out a few million more Wii's a month or w/e it is the market wants. It also makes it more expensive on Ebay which is preventing me from buying one. If I could find a Wii on Ebay for 200 I'd buy one but, I don't want one $250 bad. I may buy one or two to resell when the holidays roll around and supplies are low but, it won't be for my enjoyment it will be for profit and traditionally I think about game consoles being for fun.

  • Xbox_Gamer_117

    Posted Oct 16, 2007 9:31 am PT

    No need for a price drop. Wii still sell out!!

  • LegionOSH

    Posted Oct 16, 2007 9:26 am PT

    Wow..

    I got a -5 AND a -2????

    I must have really made some Nintendo Fanboys REALLY angry..

    ..and that's funny, because I thought my posts were actually pretty well written, and made a LOT of valid points.

    Usually the Nintendo Fanboys at least reply with some kind of intelligent statement, not just rate me down (I so rarely get my posts rated down this is sort of a shocker..I am used to +2-5s and up).

    So instead of trying to make a valid argument against what I wrote, the fanboys decided to rate me down?

    I point out the FACT that the Wii library consist primarily of mini-games..and BAM..I get rated down.

    I point out the FACT that the Wii software sales are severely lacking and BAM..I get rated down.

    I point out the FACT that the Wii control just isn't applicable or precise enough for every gaming situation and BAM..I get rated down.

    I point out the FACT that that Wii versions of some games AREN'T the best version and BAM..I get rated down.

    I point out the FACT that the PS2 has only sold just over 120 Millions in 7 years and that the odds of the Wii reaching 200 Million are pretty slim and BAM..I get rated down.

    Just because I didn't "SING THE PRAISES" of the Wii, I get rated down?

    If you'd care to re-read my posts, I didn't "rag" on the Wii, I basically pointed out things I noticed..and for that BAM..rated down.

    Or was my rating because of the fact that the fanboys simply couldn't argue anything I had written, and instead opted to rate me down?

    After re-reading my posts AGAIN I still don't honestly see why they were rated down.

    I wasn't rude, I wasn't crass, I didn't blindly flame, I didn't go off saying "game X suXor", I didn't do anything to cause my posts to deserve the -5 and -2 they have.

    I DID however point out several facts and errors in others posts. I did have one or two opinions but I posted them without hatred/flaming or being a fanboy. I thought they brought a different perspective (one not blinded by LOVE for only one console) to the discussion.

    ..and odds are this one will get rated down for whatever reason. Someone won't like that I inquired as to why my posts were rated down.

    Someone won't like that I am again not "SINGING THE PRAISES" of the Wii (but nor am I ragging on it, nor have any of my posts done that).

    I hope I get some sort of intelligent response or reply to this, or to why my posts got rated into the negatives...

    ...but I expect to be rated down..

    Kevin

    legionosh@msn.com

  • the_deathstar

    Posted Oct 16, 2007 6:08 am PT

    not until wii2 or wiislim comes out

  • Vash67

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 7:13 pm PT

    Of course they aren't going to drop their price. They are still selling strong. They are still the cheapest. And they need to use that extra revenue to flood the Wii with good games.3 a years is not going to cut it.

  • _Sam_

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 6:07 pm PT

    I guess I'll buy one soon then

  • LegionOSH

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 11:04 am PT

    @KevComesRipping

    ***Dude I'm sorry but FEAR was ok, and Dead Rising was just alright, and possibly Elder Scrolls (Wouldn't know, don't want to play MMORPG's) was good, but none of those are really killer app's like Zelda, Metroid Prime 3, Wario Ware, the Wii edition or RE4, the Wii edition of Madden, or even Wii Sports.***

    First off, Oblivion ISN'T an MMORPG. Maybe you should go back to gaming school. Where in the heck did you get THAT info from? It also scored a 9.6...now you were saying?

    Madden? Are you serious? The Wii version? Methinks you need to read the reviews around the world regarding that one my friend. The PS3 and 360 versions were better (360 easily being the best of the 3).

    Wii Sports? I had a Wii until recently. Wii Sports was fun for a little while, but that's about it. Nothing I spent more than 20 minutes per session playing. Then I'd play 360 for a couple of hours if not more. Which one do you think gave me a better gaming experience?

    Wario Ware? Yet ANOTHER mini-game collection for a console whose library consist of practically nothing but mini-games (albeit I will give Wario the fact that it got a 9.1, but the rest of the statement is 100% accurate)

    RE4? It was an excellent game, but it was an excellent game on the Gamecube and ALSO an excellent game on the PS2. No real reason to play it AGAIN a 3RD time is there? How about not bringing up a 3rd time port as a statement of a systems gaming goodness?

    ..and FEAR was a great game, on both the PC and 360. Just because you didn't like it doesn't mean it wasn't worthy. Just because a game is a FPS doesn't mean it's bad.

    (using your kind of logic 98%of the Wii library sucks since they're all mini games. Correct?)

    ..and Dead Rising was/is actually pretty darned fun. It's only really hampered by the god forsaken save system. Otherwise, you'll find few people who didn't have fun with the game.

    **Kameo was every other platforming game with the elements involved ever,**

    Yet if it was on the Wii it would be ok then? 8.7 is still a respectable score. I though Kameo was ok, but nothing groundbreaking.

    **Perfect Dark and Call of Duty are just the same old FPS garbage,**

    I take it you dislike FPS games, fair enough, but CoD2 review scores say otherwise. Perfect Dark got a 9.0 as well. Not too terrible for launch titles. ***and Dead or Alive 4 was every other Dead or Alive just shinier,***

    Not my cup of tea, but 8.8 is a pretty decent score none the less. Still it is pretty close to DoA3 gameplay wise.

    **whilst Saints Row was just another Grand Theft Auto rip off (They did it fairly well, don't get me wrong) all these games are the same old stuff.***

    I hated Saints Rows and GTA:SA, so no argument from me here..lol. 1 point to you.

    *** Wii may be reproducing games but they're breathing much more life to the games above and beyond new graphics.***

    If you are referring to the addition of the Wii remote functionality to existing games, that could be argued :

    I personally don't feel the Wii remote is applicable nor is it precise enough for every gaming genre.

    I could not see myself playing Forza 2 with the Wii remote, I'd have a hard enough time finishing a lap, much less a race, MUCH less coming in first. There just isn't enough precision.

    What about games like Tekken and VF5? The games would have to be dumbed down to the point of "swing your arm to kick, swing your arm to punch, swing you arm to..etc, etc,...

    ***Man, I like playing games like Skate and the new editions of NHL on Xbox and PS3 but other than that there really isn't anything fresh.***

    Fresh being a library of 98% mini games (if not more). Gotcha.

    That being said, Metroid Prime 3, Zelda : TP (and hopefully Super Mario Galaxy) are great titles, but we all expect that from Nintendos biggest franchises. That's like saying the grass is green. It's basically a given.

    You tried to make a few valid points and I commend you for it, but please think before you start boasting how great game X (Madden Wii) is or before you totally get the genre wrong on a game (Oblivion).

    People will take you much more seriously when you don't embarrass yourself.

    My two cents,
    Kevin

    legionosh@msn.com

  • nintendokid

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 10:56 am PT

    The people who think that Wii is the best thing to happen to gaming since NES will be in for a shocker come 2010, when it's time to leak information regarding next generation consoles. That's when these Wii gamers will start to ponder about games they want next generation, more interactivity, *GASP* better graphics.

    What Nintendo doesn't seem to realize is that they are playing with a double-edged sword. When you can spark interest in people whom would otherwise not even care about video games, you've done something amazing. However, when the other gamers who have been in the culture, played hundreds of games, logged in thousands of hours of gaming, when they seem to be repeled by your console, something very strange has occurred.

  • LegionOSH

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 10:20 am PT

    @PlasmaBeam44

    ***Everyone needs to calm down. The Wii has only been out for a little under a year and will take time for those great games to come out. I mean, did the 360 get Gears of War, Crackdown, The Orange Box, Halo 3, Dead Rising, and all those other games all in the first year it launched? NO! Give the Wii time.***

    Actually Gears of War WAS released at right under the year mark, at least in the US., Dead Rising 2-3 months prior to that, same for games like Lost Planet, Ghost Recon, etc..

    (The orange box released this week, not very fair to mention that...lol..)

    The 360 has had many other good games within it's first year.

    Like it or not the Wii is plagued with practically nothing but mini-games for a library. It's almost suffering from the same 3rd party dilemma that plagued the Gamecube..almost. At least devs want to make games for the Wii.

    ..but they have got to get out of the "mini-game" rut. The attach rate for the Wii is probably lower than the PS3. People are buying Wiis in droves, but the same cannot be said for the software. There are 2 (about to be 3) games worth owning for the Wii : Zelda :TP and Metroid Prime 3 (#3 being Super Mario Galaxy). (4 if you count SSMB, but that's Q1 2008..)

    ..every other 3rd party multi-platform game is better on the PS3, and then there is an even better version on the 360. ..and to whomever said the Wii will sell 200 million, get a grip. Even the almighty PS2 is hovering at (only) right over 120 million units over 7 years of sales and being the undisputed leader last gen. What makes you think the Wii will get to the 200 million mark? (To my knowledge the PS2 has sold far more home consoles than any other system to date..anyone know some hard numbers?)

    ..and yes I DID own a Wii (with Zelda:TP). I traded it in after it gathered dust for 2-3 months. If I feel I must have one again I am sure I can find one eventually (since nothing on the horizon seems "must have" to me it isn't a priority on my list). Even my brother traded in his Wii for the same reason, and all of my gamer friends see no real reason to own a Wii (we are all aged between 27 and 38, meaning we aren't people who don't know what the classics are. I've been gaming since the 2600 days). Just FYI, my gamer friends I mentioned used to run and manage a Game Xchange, so they've played every console under the sun and played practically every game you can think of. So needless to say they aren't just "noobs interested only in graphics"..

    I don't see the Wii sales being hot forever, it just can't happen. This isn't like the iPod where it was, for the longest time, a better product than most out there. The Wii is just "hot" right now. It's the "in" thing to have.

    (although "right now" does seem to have a rather long time frame..lol..)

    (I still stand by an earlier statement that if the Wii had launched at $400 the sales numbers would tell an entirely different story, but that's a different topic for a different time).

    ..and again while Wii sales are undeniably great, and every other console maker would love to be in their position, the fact is the game sales are severely lacking. No one will tell you different (again the exception being Nintendos own first party giants of Zelda, Metroid and Mario).

    In any case, this post was not meant to rag on the Wii, or any other console for that matter. It was just to basically bring things out in the open without any "blind fanboyism" to cloud the comments.

    Just some food for thought.

    My two cents,
    Kevin

    legionosh@msn.com

  • jonfigs

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 10:05 am PT

    Can somebody tell me where the games are that people want to play on this system, because I just don't see it. Metroid? Smash ETA? Galaxy coming soon? OK so when Jan 31st comes and those are all beaten.... its back to Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire? LOL.... I own a Wii and its has been collecting dust. I have to give Nintendo credit though, they understand their target market and it isn't GAMERS.

  • bcolter

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 9:45 am PT

    News Flash....! Hey GS... hurting for news?

  • double_decker

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 9:22 am PT

    All 3 are very pricey and as long as they are making sales without a problem then people must not mind the price tag too much, so I don't see a need for a price change either. Although I am a Sony fan i don't mind the Wii

  • cfamgcn

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 8:58 am PT

    Price will not go down for a long time...

  • Tokyo90

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 6:59 am PT

    are people that really cheap? da hell they need a price drop for.

  • OremLK

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 3:52 am PT

    The Wii's price will not drop until sales start to die down. This should be obvious to anyone with small chunk of financial sense.

  • romaf06

    Posted Oct 15, 2007 2:10 am PT

    why drop the price if sales are outstanding??

    supply n demand yeeeehhh

  • capitalthoughts

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 11:31 pm PT

    When the X360 and PS3 drop within 300 dollars (and the core doesn't count because you still have to buy a whole bunch of other things to make it even worth owning which will put it over the 300 mark) then we might see a Wii price drop. By that time though, the PS3 will be on life-support and Halo 3's hype has long disappeared.

  • osxgp

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 11:22 pm PT

    Why would Nintendo even consider a price drop at this point? The console is selling out everywhere. Nintendo could keep the $249.99 price for the next year if they wanted...and probably will.

  • YukoAsho

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 9:47 pm PT

    Spongebob4Prez - Xbox was also $300, so the Wii's cheaper than that one too.

  • u_poop

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 8:53 pm PT

    man they should they would have unlimited sales

  • c_smithii

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 6:00 pm PT

    Dreamcast and Gamecube were cheaper than both Wii and PS2 on release.

  • nickythenewt21

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 5:41 pm PT

    ... they were considering a price drop? I thought it was at a low price already.

  • Spongebob4Prez

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 5:12 pm PT

    Why would people expect a price drop from Nintendo? The Wii is cheaper than the ps2 at release AND the same as xbox was

  • Ospov

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 5:09 pm PT

    I heard something back when the Wii was first released on the TV saying that all of the parts that make up a Wii are $210 meaning that Nintendo makes $40 profit off of each Wii. So unless the prices of what made up the Wii dropped, Nintendo wouldn't be able to dropp the Wii price much anyway. I'm sure there will be a price drop once they can actually keep a Wii in the store for more than a day...

  • nvswolves

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 4:55 pm PT

    It is obvious why there will be no price drop Nintendo is on top in the console wars and the demand is higher then the supply.

  • Proman84

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 4:17 pm PT

    Of course there's no price drop right now. They are barely able to keep up with demands as is. It is more likely that they raise the prices not lower them atm (not really going to happen of course ).

  • neinnunb

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 3:44 pm PT

    I dont want it to drop in price. I want Nintendo to make lots of money!

  • ahyumifan

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 3:09 pm PT

    why would they? they are short on supply even with 250 price tag. You need to thank nintendo for not INCREASING the price.

  • ryanritter

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 11:13 am PT

    For a wii to price drop is pretty dumb if you ask me. I am not a fan of the wii, but i think 250.00 is a very good price for this game system.

  • Zoryuken

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 11:04 am PT

    I definitely wasn't expecting the Wii to get a price drop. $250.00 is still good for it I think.

  • XBASX

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 8:53 am PT

    250 is still a fine price

  • GrimBee

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 8:21 am PT

    No need to price drop the wii, if anything, all they need to do is include another free game or maybe some remotes or something.

    Nintendo make money off the wii at ALL times, and its already at a competetive price. Including a free wii remote and nunchaku (along with the ones already included) is all they would need to sweeten the deal, imo.

    £179 sure does look great next to the other prices of consoles. No need to price drop yet, the wii is selling like hot-cakes.
    The reason someone would price drop was to increase their market share and sell more consoles.
    At the moment, Nintendo are struggling to keep up with demand, even a year after launch.

    If they did want to mak the package nicer - just add a free game or some controllers or something to it. Or at least drop the prices of their crap games (red steel etc) that have been out for a while - that at least gives someone something more for their money.

    Not that im saying that people will be better off with red steel on the cheap... what I mean is - Cheaper software is better than a cheaper console.

  • razu_gamer

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 4:39 am PT

    @vass86: Ye the other day. What only one day you saw the children. The consumers who buy from those video game stores are rip off. Red steel is £39.99 in game for instance but I can get it with 40% discount from amazon or other stores that sell online.

    When I was younger I always used to go to the video store just for fun. Back to story, please ninty make sure the games that are coming are at least BBB if not AAA!!!!

  • americahellyeah

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 2:09 am PT

    Nintendo isn't very bright, if they stepped up production they'd sell more units. DUH!

  • kingtahktahkhuk

    Posted Oct 14, 2007 2:05 am PT

    futureshop is having a $20 sale for wii

  • XanderZane

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 11:34 pm PT

    Yeah.. it took awhile to get my Wii. I picked a day where they still had a bunch of them in a storage closest at Best Buy. lol!! Wii sales have slowed down some though. We'll have to see how great the demand is once the holiday shopping kicks into high gear. The price is still right for the Wii right now. No need of lowering it if they are still selling out everywhere at the price they currently have.

  • KamuiFei

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 10:44 pm PT

    If anything, the Wii should increase in price from Nintendo's point of view. I swear everytime I'm in Gamestop, theres at least one or two people looking for a Wii...and of course Gamestop either sold out or are "getting more in next week". So honestly...if the Wii was like $300 or even $350 like a Xbox360 Core, someone will buy it if they can find it. For what the Wii offers now (children's minigames aside) $249.99 is a good deal. Zelda, Brawl, Galaxy, Manhunt 2, Metroid and the VC is all the Wii has going for it as of now.

  • ninjajuggalo810

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 9:13 pm PT

    Also stores dont decide how much they get nintedo sony and microsoft send them what they get period. Walmart target best buy circuit city, NONE of them have a choice

  • ninjajuggalo810

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 9:12 pm PT

    I dont see the point in people complaining about game ratings (E or M) or graphics any REAL gamer will only consider gameplay to decide if a game id good or not Graphics are icing on the cake and RAting Matters about as much as whether or not the main character has hair stop complaing about trivial things such as these and start complaining about developers who will put complete crap out on the shelf just to make a quick buck instead of making Quality games with enhanced controls

    CARNIVAL GAMES AND OTHER SIMILAR TITLES ARE HORRIBLE WASTES OF TIME AND MONEY!!!!!!

    STOP WITH THE MINI GAMES!!!!!!

  • SOcean255

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 9:00 pm PT

    Dreadfall:

    Why wouldn't they send more Wiis to Wal-Mart and Gamestop seeing as they are the two biggest selling video game stores out there? And how it's not so much Nintendo is shipping out bundles, it's what the stores order. The stores decide what they want to sell and then order from Nintendo

  • 007christmas007

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 8:42 pm PT

    you only price drop when your sales are down aka ps3, or you want to sell more, aka 360. if your sold out you dont do jack about it until you stop selling out

  • Dreadfall posted Oct 13, 2007 8:15 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Dreadfall

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 8:15 pm PT (hide)

    This is all a hype thing more than anything. The Wii does the following/ or let me say Nintendo does the following. They make sure Eb and Gamestop and Wal-mart stay fully stocked with plenty of Wiis and Bundles, because they know people will definetely buy there. They limit the number of consoles they send to all others because they can't make as much money off just selling the console itself. So they force people that want to buy the system to overpay for the system by only sending bundles, or the systems to places that sell in only bundles, they make certain all the games get sold that way as well. Then peoples only alternative is to overpay at places like Ebay and auction places where people overcharge, making it look like there is just a shortage at the stores. They could very well send hundreds of individual systems, not bundles to retailers, but then they wouldn't make any money off the games. I unfortunattely own a Wii and my personal opinion was it was the biggest mistake I made in my life for buying a system, All the games are geared towards kids, so I don't see myself keeping the system for very long, just will play Manhunt 2 and then I sell the system, not enough adult oriented games for this system, I hate Mario games too, there's about a hundred variations for the wii already, Stupid.

  • Zapoo

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 6:23 pm PT

    For anyone that knows supply and demand, if anything Nintendo should be raising the price. If they raise the price at the moment there won't be such a shortage of Wiis anywhere, and we might be able to see more of a steady stock on shelves.

  • wiidominance

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 3:58 pm PT

    MrSickVisionz: Yo kira ... good point there ... but we as gamer shouldn't support a company to not keep their price down, otherwise it will be extreme fanboyism. But trust me, Nintendo if they want, they can totally drop the price at any point in time, cause, in the first place, a console manufacturer isn't supposed to make any money out the box, but with the Wii they are..... thus, a price drop is a piece of cake ... but hey, as someone said here, since this cake is selling out hotly, why drop the price? (strategically speaking) .

  • vass86

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 3:32 pm PT

    for a console that sells so great it's strange that i know no one who wants one. i think it's mainly children who buy the wii. when i was in a game shop the other day all the children were in the nintendo section looking at DS and wii games whilst the only adults were the parents of these children

  • MrSickVisionz

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 1:46 pm PT

    "The sales would sky rocket if they dropped the price to it's rightful one 199"

    Not really. They sell out now. They are producing at capacity and selling out everytime. A price drop would just make it sellout even faster, but its not like if they drop the price to $199, they'll be able to MAKE more systems.

  • LordGamer0001

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 1:36 pm PT

    i didnt expect a price drop anytime soon. i mean their console is already the lowest priced.

  • murfboyz

    Posted Oct 13, 2007 1:11 pm PT

    I,mnot a fan of any of the sytems i have all of them but I find nintendo cheap in the way they go about their business everything in about profit no heavy invest they made wii as cheap as possible explains 250 price(its a gamcube and 100.00 profit per unit they make quick cheap games to maximise profit to I must say thier competitors dont dot his

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