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Wii officially $200 starting Sept. 27

As widely rumored, console's first price cut set to go into effect on Sunday, nearly three years after original launch date.

With the eyes of the gaming world turned to Sony's Tokyo Game Show kick-off keynote address tonight, Nintendo of America stole some of its competitor's thunder by announcing the long-awaited first price cut for the Nintendo Wii. After weeks of leaks and price cuts that brought both the Xbox 360 Elite and PlayStation 3 to $299, Nintendo has finally confirmed the suspicions of gamers and analysts alike, announcing a $50 price cut to the Wii, effective this Sunday, September 27.

Surprise?

Surprise?

The system and its motion-sensing controller debuted in North America on November 19, 2006, with a $249 sticker price. It sold out almost immediately and remained a tough find on store shelves throughout the holiday season of 2008. While the price tag on the system has finally changed, the contents of the box have not. The $199.99 Wii will come with a Wii Remote, Nunchuk, and the original Wii Sports. The pack-in's follow-up, Wii Sports Resort, and its accompanying Wii MotionPlus attachment will still need to be purchased separately from the console.

In a note to investors, Electronic Entertainment Design and Research analyst Jesse Divnich said the cut is a response to disappointing hardware sales that have been slipping industry-wide since February. While Nintendo isn't the only company feeling that pinch, Divnich said the sales slip of the Wii has been steeper than its competitors. He believes this cut will help the Wii reverse that trend and keep it selling well throughout the holidays.

"EEDAR believes Nintendo is making a preemptive strike to capture as much of the mainstream and casual market as possible before Microsoft and Sony can release their mainstream-targeted motion capture devices (expected to launch in late 2010)," Divnich said.

258 Comments

  • AceCometh

    Posted Apr 18, 2011 1:58 pm GMT

    Still won't buy it.

  • Gov1

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 11:36 am GMT

    @ Xtatic324 Check your currency convertor $200 = £125.724

  • ybrik222

    Posted Oct 2, 2009 3:24 pm GMT

    The 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!

  • spoonOFknife

    Posted Sep 29, 2009 6:51 pm GMT

    why is there no "I don't buy casual consoles" option on the front page, cos at the moment the only option that is close is winning but the economic climate has nothing to do with not wanting a wii.

    edit- a ton of wii friends have seen the poll since i voted

  • wiidsduelpack

    Posted Sep 28, 2009 3:33 pm GMT

    Nintendo was the #1 console in August in N.A even though it is not the best and it was $250--------------

    Now that it is $200 and there are actually good games coming up, Nintendo should sell more, although why is Metroid Prime Trilogy not selling well if it is one of the best deals of Nintendo history.--------------- Some of the good games coming up are New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Metroid: The Other M, Red Steel 2, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and other good titles. Nintendo should sell more since good games are coming to the Wii.

  • ultralesus

    Posted Sep 27, 2009 10:51 am GMT

    And the UK??

  • Xtatic324

    Posted Sep 27, 2009 8:01 am GMT

    Should be 150.

  • hannify

    Posted Sep 27, 2009 5:10 am GMT

    about time

  • dwd_27

    Posted Sep 27, 2009 4:26 am GMT

    I bought mine the 2 month it came out ****

  • 24k_Solid_Gold

    Posted Sep 26, 2009 10:03 pm GMT

    And I already bought mine a year ago...OH THE AGONY!!!

  • trw534

    Posted Sep 26, 2009 5:53 pm GMT

    cool

  • calvinsora

    Posted Sep 26, 2009 1:10 pm GMT

    @chimera23: Don't make ignorant comments. Have you ever heard of the word "opinion"?

  • Flint247

    Posted Sep 26, 2009 12:29 pm GMT

    This site is full of Sony/Microsoft fanboys...ugh, it makes me sick. I admit the Wii needs shaping up now, but really, some of you are being too serious over it.

  • meta_foxx278

    Posted Sep 26, 2009 11:47 am GMT

    I honestly don't get a lot of gamers these days. They often whine, cry, b****, and moan about price drops this and price drops that, and when the price drops finally come, all they do is whine, cry, b****, and moan about that. They just made the system more affordable for those that have yet to purchase one, and yet you still want to complain about it? What do you expect Nintendo to do? Make it free? I don't think so. You begged and pleaded for a price drop, and you got one. Make the best of it and stop complaining. Everyone knows that Nintendo systems come down in price a little at a time. The Gamecube did so, the Nintendo 64 did so, and so did the Super NES. Maybe near the end of the life cycle it will see a $100 price drop, but now is not the time. It's more affordable now, so just pool up whatever money you can, and buy one. If you don't want to buy one, then don't buy one at all...problem solved.

  • Hunt270

    Posted Sep 26, 2009 8:13 am GMT

    Even though i have one, i do think i paid to much, i mean 199 is good but maybe 149.

  • NoLifeGamin

    Posted Sep 26, 2009 1:06 am GMT

    woah i know alot of wiitards say a lot of dumb things, but dang, this takes the cake, way to go Gamespot, giving these idiots the power to post a comment.......never a good combination in my book ......and i swear to !^*$% if a mod deletes this message just because a wiitard went "OMG THIS GUY MADE FUN OF ME!!!! "WAHH!!!!" i'm filing a complaint. period, i've had enough of the BS with mods on Gamespot and why can reviewers cuss while we cant!? WHAT DA.....*sigh* and those comments are also on M rated game videos........*facepalm* the amount of fail i've seen from mods astounds me to no end, which there is no end of to speak cuz it happens ALL the time!........ anyways, wii fanboys are the most ridiculous bunch of all the fanboys you could find......hilarious actually....

  • AlmightyMax

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 5:07 pm GMT

    $99.99?!?! Oh, wait. That's a misleading crop, Gamespot.

  • Flint247

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 1:01 pm GMT

    I hate the fanboys these days.

  • Lable1985

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 12:23 pm GMT

    It seems as though everyone has been getting price drops ever since Sony put the ps3 on a diet and made it affordable. What guys, afraid the clearly most powerful console might start turning the tides unless you remain cheaper than it? Yea, I'm probably going to get sh*t for this, but looking back on this year, and the rest of this year its clearly obvious that Sony has produced the best software. Microsoft hasn't released anything significant, but Halo ODST, and that's just a mission pack thats 3 hours long and cost 60$. Nintendo has done jack sh*t this year besides release mediocre 3rd party games, and yes I mean Wii sports resort as well!
    Now At this point you all think I hate the wii and the 360, but they both have some of the best games made in this generation! problem is none of those games have come out this year on their systems. Sony hands down has the best software this year.
    Though maby with this price drop I might consider actually buying a wii or 360 so I don't have to steal them from my friends and family.

  • Sonicplys posted Sep 25, 2009 11:10 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Sonicplys

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 11:10 am GMT (hide)

    Wii are still the champions.

  • shawn7324

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 10:47 am GMT

    Still not worth it.

  • wolvklaw

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 10:41 am GMT

    So I start thinking to myself, here I am just about to pay off my MW 2 Prestige edition for the 360. It was $150 plus tax right? Now as a collector I am stoked but for what? A cheesy pair of night vision goggles? Then heres the Wii, priced only $50 more and I gawk at the price. Has IW done more to sell me a product than Nintendo? It's a pretty messed up world, as I am pleased with that choice. Still not buying a Wii, but I shall enjoy my MW 2 Prestige edition.

  • LOXO7

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 10:10 am GMT

    @jadefury27 Let's be 100 percent honest. The Nintendo Wii is a success. This is the first price drop in three years and its only droping $50!

  • hatecandie

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 9:55 am GMT

    oh great! so when i sell mine cause hate it ill get less for it!

  • Evilhen88 posted Sep 25, 2009 8:59 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Evilhen88

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 8:59 am GMT (hide)

    I got a wii and totaly regret it i wish i got a 360

  • jadefury27

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 7:54 am GMT

    Let's be 100% honest. A price drop is only a band-aid on a decline in sales. The only thing that will save the wii is better, less gimmicky games. Fortunately for nintendo they have that too going into the 1st qtr of 2010 with games like RE:darkside chronicles 2, No more heroes 2, and tatsunoko vs capcom, not to mention new super mario bros, and new wiiware. the holiday season is gonna be intresting...

  • InExcelsis

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 3:15 am GMT

    Nintendo will have to do more than lower the price 50 dollars to save their shovel ware flooded system if they don't get any third party support than it doesn't matter if the system costs only 50 dollars.

  • malverick

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 2:44 am GMT

    I bought a Wii ( I'm not a fanboy ) because of the control method, and the idea that you could play FPS / RPG games with better aiming / control than a control stick can provide ( in my own opinion - I come from playing FPS / RPGs on the PC with a mouse ). I also liked some of the IPs that come with a Nintendo system, such as Metriod Prime, Mario and Zelda.

    However, I will admit that I would like to get another console, and I am choosing the 360 over the PS3. Again, not because I'm a fanboy or because I think Sony are crap, but because the 360 has had a long lead in the next gen arena which gives it more software to choose from - plus it has Fable which I like.

    I think that there is room for the different consoles to provide different gaming experiences for different types of gamers. I don't want online, even if I get a 360 - I won't be shooting people in WAW or Halo - I'm antisocial. I like to play games on my own.

    I like playing Wii sports with the family - but I also like playing Madworld, and would like to play Obvlivion, Fable, Fallout 3, Bioshock etc. I just wish that I could get these games on the Wii, in non-HD glory

  • Thatguysawesome posted Sep 25, 2009 2:26 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Thatguysawesome

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 2:26 am GMT (hide)

    Xbox 360 sucks!

  • pure_impact

    Posted Sep 25, 2009 12:53 am GMT

    This is more good news for gamers and consumers but I agree that the Wii should be slightly lowered a bit more. It DOES NOT belong in the PS2 price neighborhood but I think $150 is a perfect price for it. Maybe a bundle could push it up to $200 but it should be at least $150 by now.
    i'm thinking about hanging on to my money a little longer seeing how MS and Sony are reeling. Another price drop will definitely happen next year as well, because the economy will prolly be in even worse shape with unemployment steadily climbing. Now, if only the software (new releases) could go back down by $10 bucks, then my world would near perfect 8-)

  • Tripwolf posted Sep 24, 2009 9:50 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Tripwolf

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 9:50 pm GMT (hide)

    Too little, too late.

  • Flint247

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 9:34 pm GMT

    To people saying "Wii sucks", it doesn't, BUT it is lacking some good games lately. Wii Sports Resort was a GREAT example of what the Wii should have had since the beginning. If we had more games like that plus some hardcore games, then Wii will remain in one of the top spots. So I do agree that Wii needs better games, but I don't agree that Wii sucks. It's worth playing.

  • PapaRocks

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 9:25 pm GMT

    Will this really sell more Wiis? I thought everyone that wanted one already got it.

  • OwnageGuy posted Sep 24, 2009 8:54 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    OwnageGuy

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 8:54 pm GMT (hide)

    Wii's worth is not $199. take off the 1. aka $99 which is very generous estimate of what the wii is worth, maybe too generous.

  • OwnageGuy posted Sep 24, 2009 8:53 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    OwnageGuy

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 8:53 pm GMT (hide)

    no REAL hardcore gamer would go for the wii. ps3/xbox360 ftw!

  • brian_13un

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 7:54 pm GMT

    OK it has started

  • real-guitarhero

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 6:09 pm GMT

    @DanOwns1207:
    well, you can 'cause all macs are: simply PC's made fancy. they dont really have much better content and uses... dont get me wrong i love apple products haha

  • thingta42

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 5:47 pm GMT

    Two words already Nintendo... Wii HD.. Make it compatible with all current wii games and i will gladly pay 300 pounds for it.

    Since now Nintendo have lowered the price there isnt much room anymore for any changes.. Microsoft have updated the 360 to the Elite with HDMI and 1080p support and lowered the price, Sony have lowered there price and changed the hardware a little. Now Nintendo has Lowered there price they need to update the console.

  • DanOwns1207

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 5:37 pm GMT

    @retroguy02

    How can you compare Apple devices to the Wii? I have a Wii, Macbook, and iPod Touch. I feel the Wii was overpriced, but the Macbook and iPod (which I got free with the Macbook) were worth every penny I paid. They feel much higher quality, run much faster (even with far lower specs), and get far more use.

  • retroguy02

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 5:02 pm GMT

    there will always be a market for the wii whether it is $250, $150, or $200, despite the fact that there are much better consoles (technically and economically) out there. just like there will always be a market for the imac and ipods regardless of 10x more advanced PCs and MP3s out there. these products have just got "it", and that is why they sell (also known as "a marketer's dream").

  • The_People

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 4:43 pm GMT

    Yep, Capitalism at it's best

  • ArielAguayo

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 4:20 pm GMT

    I'm glad all the systems have gone down in price.
    I Iike the Wii for its exclusive games

  • wolf0

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 4:17 pm GMT

    they can bring it down all they want still a POS ,for just $100 more xbox 360 or ps3

  • rob_dAmAgE

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 4:07 pm GMT

    not enough of a price cut for this type of console. wii should be in the same price league as the ps2. $99 is MORE than enough for what the wii is worth.

  • chimera23

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 4:01 pm GMT

    wii sucks in every aspect ( except mario and zelda wich are milked cows )

  • Beltsu

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 3:59 pm GMT

    I still wont buy one.

  • DMLSLAT posted Sep 24, 2009 3:57 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    DMLSLAT

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 3:57 pm GMT (hide)

    It's so predictable that Microsoft and Sony are making motion control stuff too now... I can see why Nintendo didn't reveal anything about the Wii for so long, they knew they'd be copied. But the reason the Wii's sales have slowed down isn't because of the price, it's because so many people already have them. Still, a $50 drop now is a good move.

    Now if only third parties would help on the game front...

  • CVM_123

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 3:57 pm GMT

    wii sucks

  • Linkari

    Posted Sep 24, 2009 3:53 pm GMT

    YES!! That makes it so much easiert to get one...when I find it on the shelf that is.

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