Iwata rules out Wii price cut, next console a long way off

  • By Brendan Sinclair, Takeshi Hiraoka, GameSpot
  • Posted Aug 4, 2009 12:17 pm PT

Nintendo president says Wii Music, Animal Crossing disappoint with 2.65 million, 3.38 million sales; Vitality Sensor due in 2010; Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus and New Super Mario Bros. target 10 million units.

In light of declining Wii sales, analysts have been projecting a price cut for the system for months. However, Nintendo has stood its ground, refusing to drop the price on its latest console, which has retailed in the US for $249.99 since its launch in November 2006.

Still waiting for a price drop to pick one up?

In a transcript of Nintendo's post-earnings conference call translated by GameSpot, Iwata said there were no plans for price cuts at the moment, saying that price hasn't been the reason for declining hardware sales. Instead, he pointed to weakness in the system's recent lineup of titles. For example, in the same quarter that Nintendo launched Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii last year, the publisher had no major releases.

Nintendo expects that situation to be remedied shortly, as the company's slate for the rest of the year is being forecast favorably against last year's launches. Iwata said that last year's big Wii launches in the back half of the year--Wii Music and Animal Crossing: City Folk--failed to live up to expectations, selling 2.65 million and 3.38 million copies worldwide, respectively. By contrast, the publisher expects its 2009 lineup--the recently released Wii Sports Resort and the upcoming Wii Fit Plus and New Super Mario Bros. Wii--to each surpass the 10 million units sold worldwide milestone in its current fiscal year (12 months ending March 31, 2010).

Iwata also shed a little light on the company's decision to pursue the Wii Vitality Sensor pulse-monitoring peripheral. He said the company likes to challenge itself with such unproven concepts at least every two years and explained the reasoning behind the sensor's E3 unveiling.

"At this year's E3, there was a danger that we were being perceived as a company that creates many sequels," Iwata said, adding, "As a time frame, we would like to bring this to [retail] not too late into next year, but as mentioned before, in software, the last bit of effort is very important so we'd like to withhold an exact time frame."

Looking beyond the Wii, Iwata answered a question about the next generation of Nintendo console hardware and how it won't be coming any time soon.

"We [don't believe] we are currently approaching the end of a cycle and must start thinking about releasing the next piece of hardware at all," Iwata said. "And so we are not setting a determination on how long this console should remain active. Of course, research into hardware is ongoing, and we are developing the next console. When we determine that the ideas of our employees match the flow of the world, and we can provide the appropriate amount of stock at a reasonable price, that is when we can start talking about when to release the next piece of hardware. But we feel that this is not something that will happen at any time in the near future."

252 Comments

  • Blade8Aus

    Posted Sep 7, 2009 2:40 am PT

    @sleeper
    i feel the same way. except i wouldnt consider myself a fanboy even though they are my favourite console manufacturer

  • sleeper16

    Posted Sep 4, 2009 3:22 pm PT

    ok ok everyone. I am a nintendo fanboy. I have been happy with nintendo all my life. the Wii is superior to anything out there now. Its reliable, its cheap, and its something new. COME ON PEOPLE! WHO WANTS TO PLAY WITH 2 ANALOG STICKS ALL THEIR LIFE!? i don't. I don't care about gaphics, i care about the fun factor. and wii is way superior. Now, they could release some more 3rd-party games AND some more 1st person shooters. because i'm gonna need more than QOS and The Conduit.

  • HonorOfGod

    Posted Sep 1, 2009 7:10 pm PT

    Hey Nintendo WTF!!! why dont you ever listin to gamers... i remember when the GC came out i froze my ass in line for hours for nothing F@#$!! no games.. WTF!! WAS THAT!!.. and now Wii and its kid games.. ok im starting to think they are on crack. I love the Wii but they need to hear us out on what we want so then we will buy.. you cant just make up whatever crap for games you want and expect sales to rocket sorry Nintendo dosnt work with hardcore gamers like that. The PS3 is now $300 and its realy hard to say hmm lemi buy the Wii instead when you can get a system with better games on it with HD and alot more. Common Nintendo dont F@#$ with us enymore we made you and we can brake you... bunch of AS$ HOL3S!!!. ABUSE ABUSE!!!! NINTENDO IS RAPE ME!!!! lol i wata touch my nutty places ... il say it!!! Iwata if you dont drop i scream!! you get lock up muhaha.

  • ekalbtwin

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 10:25 am PT

    As much as I love my wii and get really tired of everyone griping that Nintendo is a whore of a buisness (get real, Soney and MS are just as bad! I mean really, you can get a 360 for 200, but then you have to drop 50 for a memory card and 100 for wireless internet? ok...) I am a little edgy about how they are starting to view thier games. Why is Animal crossing a disapointment when it sold over 3 MILLION COPIES? Does this mean that Metroid Prime 3 was a total failure? I am all for the big N setting thier own sales standard but if 10 million is the new norm, they are going to be very depressed a great deal of the time.

  • anarchist4eva

    Posted Aug 11, 2009 7:40 am PT

    I remember way back in '03 on Gamespot when the hot rumor was that Nintendo was going to be a third party developer because GameCube sucked so bad. Well, they surely will have to now bwcause Wii sucks so bad... Draw your own conclusion who hates Nintendo more.

  • OF-5

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 10:30 pm PT

    Reading all these comments bashing the Wii makes me sad especially because i agree with them. I used to love Nintendo i trusted that they would always bring great high quality games. When the Wii was announced i was elated. It was an innovative idea and still is for that matter. Unfortunately as time went on the game quality degenerated too the cheap "kiddy games" that are a dime a dozen today. Nintendo needs too go back take a good hard look at themselves and realize that the hardcore gaming audience is being seriously neglected.

  • D3A7HJ0K3R

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 7:18 pm PT

    Nintendo already knew at the get go that they couldn't get hardcore games on their consoles, but instead are targeting a younger demographic so that they have a large amount of loyalty from all the kid fans, then they will carry the success of the wii over to the next gen of consoles, cuz they probably can't come up with anymore so called " Innovative" perks to their consoles, and by then, Iwata will just resign and have a fat and comfortable "retirement" bank account.

  • kbaily

    Posted Aug 10, 2009 12:32 pm PT

    Nintendo keeps defying the analyists and "hardcores" because it's doing things their way. Everyone says how the only reason the Wii is selling is because poor people are buying it and yet the 360 Arcade bundle is cheaper and didn't outsell the Wii and if the console is still selling well, why should they lower the price? As gamers we seem to forget that this is a business. Unless sales really slow down there's no need to lower the price. It's simple as that.

  • elozl

    Posted Aug 8, 2009 1:25 pm PT

    I have a friend on Sony Electronics division, and according to him, the PS3 is going to have a price cut by November or before that time, he works on business planning but before he was a PS3 supervisor on refurbished units, so I believe that once Sony and Microsoft lower their console prices or reveal a Slim or Ultra Elite version of them, THEN Nintendo will lower their Price on Wii consoles.
    But heck, if you want a cheaper Wii go to craigslist and get a used one bundled with at least 3 Excellent Games and they could be around 300 Dlls...
    Good day people!

  • burizadokyanon posted Aug 7, 2009 12:50 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    burizadokyanon

    Posted Aug 7, 2009 12:50 am PT (hide)

    @ BladedNuiasnce

    I can't help but laugh at the blindness of the statements you and others make in carving out these cliché "hardcore" categories - the Wii is every bit as "hardcore" as a PS3 (-I own both, btw). Indeed, I've hard more intense moments playing Mario Kart Wii online than I have elsewhere in quite a while.

    I find it ironic that you suggest that the PS3 and 360 are hardcore systems - just look at their latest E3 showings and you'll see that Sony and MS are eager to cut out a piece of that "casual gamer" pie. If anything, Nintendo's competitors are itching to tone down their "hardcoreness" in favour of broader appeal to the masses. How will you draw the boundaries then?

    (On a side note, for those of you complaining re: Wii shovelware - yes, there is indeed enough to fill a landfill. However, in case you haven't noticed, the PS2 also had a boatload of craptastic games - and that's a major understatement! Yet, the PS2 had many great games to make up for that. I believe the Wii does too.)

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Aug 6, 2009 7:56 pm PT

    They won't drop until the other two even come close to the Wii's price point.

  • etai79

    Posted Aug 6, 2009 3:24 pm PT

    Ever since Iwata took over Nintendo has been like a filthy, slutty, but otherwise extremely profitable Japanese hooker.

  • hatieshorrer

    Posted Aug 6, 2009 3:06 pm PT

    @majere613

    Yeah when I think of how the next big release from MS is Halo 3 ODST and the next big release from Sony is God of War 3.

    Seriously if a game sales well there is going to be a sequel and Id rather they spent time on game series that are good that will sell well then waste time on some no name game that no one cares about.

  • Newave

    Posted Aug 6, 2009 2:10 pm PT

    I don't really have anything to "add" to this... Shinkada and many others have already said pretty much everything. But I'll add my two cents anyway!

    Wii = extremely overpriced last-gen console with old technology marketed as being new and "innovative"

    Nintendo = respectless toward every type of gamer and only interested in money because they are selling shovelware like it was brand new top of the line material

    I'll probably receive tons of thumbs down from Nintendo fanboys and fangirls who for unknown reason still think highly of Nintendo, even considering all the bulldung Nintendo is shoveling back and forth, calling it innovative and what not, while selling it at prices set so high that every time I see them it makes me just stand and stare at it until my mind can grasp how extremely overpriced all of their worthless garbage is.
    It makes me wonder... Just how many unnecessary gadgets can Nintendo shovel out on the market before even their most devoted fans get the picture and leave Nintendo and their money hungry grasp for good?

    I guess only time will tell...

  • majere613

    Posted Aug 6, 2009 1:24 pm PT

    Quite apart from anything else, hearing how 'innovative' Nintendo are when their next three big releases are another Wii Sports, another Wii Fit and another Mario makes me want to whack myself in the head with a big stick.
    Of course, we could also shell out some cash on a widget to make the Wiimote do what it was supposed to do already.

  • Voltergeist

    Posted Aug 6, 2009 11:38 am PT

    Pretty fail, Isayama, since the 360 has a lot of kiddy games as well. Not to mention that the Wii does have buckets-of-blood games like NMH and Madworld, which the 360 is sorely lacking.

  • Isayama

    Posted Aug 6, 2009 11:04 am PT

    Xbox 360 w/ hardcore games for $200 or Wii w/ kid games for $250, hmmmm...

  • Marcster1994

    Posted Aug 6, 2009 7:40 am PT

    There's no need for a price cut.

    250 is cheap

  • Xaviersx

    Posted Aug 6, 2009 3:56 am PT

    It's both, in my eyes and to a lot of consumers, that the price of the Wii (though low) is not low enough to get the rest of us to buy the device that has not enough titles to satisfy or justify buying the Wii. I've been happy that Nintendo survived and thrived this 'next gen' of consoles when people were counting it out when they introduced the Revolution, but it's been a number of years after the launch and sitting on the price like they have, making money on a no loss console, does not endear. IF you're not going to reduce the price and you're not pushing 3rd partiy developers and your 1st party titles to be diverse and numerous enough to meet consumer demands (and no Wii sports isn't the be all end all of diverse Nintendo play), then continue to expect diminishing returns. Good luck with that plan.

  • monson21502

    Posted Aug 6, 2009 2:54 am PT

    yeah,he better hold it off. because when natal and ps wand comes its wii hd or wii 2 or wii red,black and blue time

  • clue942

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 8:04 pm PT

    This interview doesn't change the fact that the vitality sensor is stupid. If items like the eyetoy and definitely Natal weren't announced it wouldn't have shown how stupid the item was but I can't see the purpose for knowing my heart rate. After seeing both conferences I expected the Wii to come out with something amazing but I get this...I wanted something amazing for my Wii but at least the game line-up is way better this year than last...

  • iucidium

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 8:00 pm PT

    @scificat: I think big N are trying to save the japanese economy. Sony fluffed up

  • iucidium

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 7:56 pm PT

    Hmmmm....iwata san and his boys need to use that vitality sensor for a horror game, this years releases will fail too. Its a sad fact that the wii was a fad, great for peeps who can't afford a 360 or a black slab, nonetheless, a fad. The fad is getting boring. Big N need to focuse on their fans, smb:wii and other m just don't cut it

  • JERMINITIS

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 7:47 pm PT

    2 bonus points for Iwata! I base these points on him acknowledging that the Wii's recent released games were 'weak'.

  • lamprey263

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 5:19 pm PT

    the Wii might have a lot of crap on it but I don't regret owning one, there's still some gems there worth playing, though I do think they should price drop, Microsoft and Sony seem to be approaching a $300 price tag (for the 120GB X360 and PS3 slim), and the Wii is still at $250

  • skullboy950

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 5:08 pm PT

    Wii Music + Wii Fit plus = shovelware from Nintendo.

  • BladedNuiasnce

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 3:21 pm PT

    Yes there are a few exceptions, but even then... Metroid for example, is one of the 3 games I have enjoyed (not purchased, I bought several others too, but I actually enjoyed 3 of them) on my Wii... 3 games... 3 years... WOW(ii)... Thats not good!

  • Hillsy_

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 3:01 pm PT

    Quote:

    I WAS a Nintendo fan, until I got my Wii. Now I will never buy another Nintendo product again, unless they do something HUGE with their next console!

    EndQuote;

    I agree mostly...but I did enjoy playing Mario Galaxy.

  • Phazevariance

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 2:51 pm PT

    @BladedNuiasnce - Thats not true, Metroid Prime 3 was actually quite fun on the wii controls, and totally would support hardcore play. The developers have yet to enthrall us with a good concept of a game 'FOR' those controls. Sucks they still arent dropping prices, but it won't make the launch unit i bought any cheaper for me. They need better games badly though.

  • BladedNuiasnce

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 2:28 pm PT

    @ Oozyrat Yea there are hardcore games on Wii, but have you ever played 1. They SUCK, because of the Wii's input method, the Wii-mote just cant provide the depth of gameplay that others can, and very often the control scheme ends up hurting a hardcore targeted game more than it helps them, the contols hurt hardcore gameplay just as much, if not more then it helps casual games.

    Have you ever played a FPS... if you scroll too far to the right, the crosshair goes off the screen and returns from the left side, then you have to scroll 2 screens to the left just to recenter the crosshair. YUCK!

    Nintendo DID shun the hardcore audience!!

    They wouldnt have such a hard time moving hardcore games if it wasnt a casual console. Its the fact that the Wii is SOOOO INCREDIBLY underpowered, that nobody wants a hardcore Wii game. If Nintendo had developed the Wii to be able to run MODERN hardcore games, they would have no problem selling them, but we (the hardcore gamers) all know that Wii sucks for REAL games, so we get PS3's, and XBOX 360's.... Its Nintendo own fault!

    @ Hvac0120
    Im not disagreeing or calling you out, what you said is 100% truth. Im just stating how F**KED UP Nintendo is for going this route, they couldve created a console that could done both.

    I WAS a Nintendo fan, until I got my Wii. Now I will never buy another Nintendo product again, unless they do something HUGE with their next console!

  • Oozyrat

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 2:03 pm PT

    @Hvac0120 I agree that the system needs a price cut, agree that it's not a hardcore system, I agree with you on almost every level, except the following. The 64 was not a loss at all. It might not have been as great as the PSone sales, but was still a very successful system. The other thing is that I don't really think Nintendo "shunned" the hardcore audience. There are still many hardcore games on the Wii, just not as many as casual games. Take WiiFit and MadWorld for example. WiiFit sold outstandingly well. MadWorld...well not so well. So of course they're going to make more casual games, but there are still hardcore games out there, so I wouldn't say Nintendo "shunned" the hardcore audience, they are just responding to the hardcore audience sales. Apparently it's not Nintendo that doesn't care about the hardcore, it's the hardcore that stopped caring about Nintendo. If they still cared, MadWorld, the Conduit, etc. would have sold MUCH better.

    @gonzalezj1 Why would you want to disagree? The fellow GameSpoter is right.

    P.S - Hvac0120, thx for stating the truth

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 1:20 pm PT

    (this applies to people who didn't own a gamecube but own a Wii) I'm sorry but if people want "the old Nintendo back" then just buy Gamecube games for your Wii. The graphics are the same and nobody can complain about tacked on waggle controls. For the rest of us we have some nice looking games to look forward to in the form of Mario Galaxy 2, Darkside Chronicles, No More Heroes 2, Sin & Punishment 2, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, Fragile and Metroid: Other M. Yeah I have double the amount of PS3 games on my wish list but the fact is that the Wii is catering for us and as a gamer for 22 of my 28 years it is keeping me just as satisfied as any console gone before. Sometimes I think that some of you just complain for the sake of it or just out of boredom.

  • gonzalezj1

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 12:47 pm PT

    @ Hvac0120

    I want to disagree with you, but I can't.

  • NICKKELANIUS

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 12:29 pm PT

    if you need a price cut to buy a wii then you must be really cheap

  • ThisNameIsDumb

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 12:28 pm PT

    i'd buy a wii for 500$ if it had good games. i don't care about the graphics on a console, even the price of the console can be high so long as it has good games! which nintendo is lacking

  • alien100000

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 11:59 am PT

    Iwata admit that the declining hardware sales are because of crap titles coming out on the Wii, so why doesn't Nintendo do something about this.

  • BoondockSaint22

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 11:59 am PT

    I love my 360 for its online pretty much Halo 3 and some fighting games. The Wii does have some good games. Although Nintendo pisses me off with not bringing Pikmin 3. Alas the wii does have a good price, the basic 360 is trash unless you already have a hard drive. Final point. The Wii is the Honda of cars Uber reliable. The 360 is a German car upscale but not very reliable, I am on my second box I truly hate the box's reliability. P.S I own a Wii.

  • drangel_jam

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 11:26 am PT

    I don't see why these spefic games are being percieved as a let down. For their genre, I think the sales are really good. They as well as they could, according the quality, market saturation/competition, and time of release.

    And it's mind blowing that Nintendo is one of the publsihers that confidently expect so many titles to sell +10M units in 12mos. That alone commands respect. But then again, the Wii's overall library [sic] isn't as competitive in terms of quality and quantity as the other current gen consoles.

  • SuperfastSonic

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 10:36 am PT

    I've been waiting for a price drop for a long time. I guess I'll just have to wait some more. @M212 your right, there looks to be a lot of hardcore games for the Wii. And who the [blank] cares if it has games like Outdoor challenge, and Carnival game..whatever it is...it's not like you HAVE to buy them!

  • Ogelthorpe

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 10:28 am PT

    The Wii is nothing but an overpriced gamecube with a non functional controller. It is overpriced, and I'm happy that the causal crowd is showing that they aren't consistent as the hardcore hence the declining sales. I need the Nintendo of old - wave race, fzero, earthbound, not the Nintendo of new (Wii fit, wii music)

  • grove12345 posted Aug 5, 2009 10:28 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    grove12345

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 10:28 am PT (hide)

    hmm $250 for gamecube hardware with nunchucks plus another $120 for other peripherals (wii fit, motion plus, etc)

    or $300 for a 360 which offers some of the best titles in this generation.
    What a hard choice. I want a wii, but why am i paying so much? Its like paying $250 for a PSP Go. Which is still a PSP 1.

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 10:26 am PT

    @Hvac0120,

    You hit the nail on the head.

  • Excedra

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 10:04 am PT

    @M212

    Thats ok dude, your cool anyway.

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 9:46 am PT

    I think a lot of people complaining here miss the point of the Wii. It's not catering to the hardcore because you are no longer their primary audience.

    With the PS3 and Xbox 360 the hardcore are the primary audience and the games are made for that demographic.

    You can't purchase a Wii expecting the same style of play or same level of technology and graphics.

    You buy a Wii as a secondary system if you are a hardcore gamer. Don't buy it if you don't have the money to spend on it. Whether it's $250 or $100 a lot of you will still complain because Nintendo isn't going to ramp up development of hardcore games any more than what they have already delivered.

    Nintendo has sold the most consoles this generation because they have shunned the hardcore in exchange for a broader audience who might not need new games every month.

    I bought my Wii mostly for my children. It's a great system for kids under 13 and pretty good for teenagers. It's a party system. It's a family system. It is not hardcore. Quit asking Nintendo to make it that way.

    Go ahead with the thumbs down. I agree the system needs a price drop. I also understand that Nintendo wants to make sure they have made the profits this generation to carry them over to the next. They lost out big with the N64 & GameCube. The Wii is a formula that works and their statistics scream louder than your comments.
    _

  • M212

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 9:46 am PT

    @Excedra

    Excedra you have a point. I did over react, but I'm just trying to defend my console. I have nothing against the other two consoles. I'm just trying to prove my point. That"s all. What do you have to say in response?

  • Excedra

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 9:31 am PT

    @M212

    Dude, Chill. I understand you love the Wii, but you cant compare its games to the 360 and ps3 games cuz, they cant compare to 360 and ps3 games. And i think millions of fanboys out there would totally agree with me.

  • M212

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 9:25 am PT

    I'm tired of people complaining that the Wii has no hardcore games. I own a Wii and I love it. It has games for everyone thats why its called the Wii, its a system anyone can play. Yes the Wii does have a lot of shovelware. THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO BUY IT! Buy games like Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, The Conduit, The Godfather, Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess, Tenchu: Shadow Assassins, MADWORLD, House of The Dead Overkill, Scarface: The World is Yours, No More Heroes, Okami, Call of Duty: World at War, Manhunt 2, Disaster: Day Of Crisis, Medal of Honor Heroes 2, Mortal Kombat Armageddon, The Tales of series, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Deadly Creatures, Red Steel, Call of Duty 3, Bully Scholarship Edition, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

    People! Take note of these great games and buy them. THEY ARE NOT SHOVELWARE! Oh, and by the way, Super Mario Galaxy got a higher press average than Halo 3 and Killzone 2 according to Metacritic Super Mario Galaxy: 97% Halo 3: 94% Killzone 2: 91%

  • striker131

    Posted Aug 5, 2009 9:17 am PT

    I sold mine after nearly two years of collecting dust. It was fun early on, but got lame. The lack of virtual console and new games was frustrating. My 360 and PS3 do me just fine

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