Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime says that the $299 base price of the new system offers value that will be "strong for a long time."
The Wii U release date and price were revealed yesterday, with the system going on sale in North America on November 18 in $299 and $349 configurations. That makes the Wii U at least $50 more expensive than the original Wii was at launch, but Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime says that it still offers good value for money.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Fils-Aime said, "We want to make sure we give the consumer a lot for what they pay…and when you look at that basic model you get the innovation in the GamePad, and all of the gaming options that presents." He continued, "You get Miiverse in terms of a gaming community, you get Nintendo TVii, you get video chat…all of that is included in the base proposition. We think $299 is a really strong value, and it’s a value that’s going to be strong for a long time.”
Fils-Aime also addressed the issue of a future price cut, after the 3DS was slashed mere months after its launch last year. "We don't believe in pricing a product and then having to reduce the price some short time later," he said. "When we had to do that for 3DS, it was a very painful proposition for us...what we did with the Wii at $249 and leaving it there for, I think, about three and a half years is very much consistent with our pricing philosophy."
For more on the Wii U, watch our conference reactions video below.
Guy Cocker is the Editor of GameSpot UK, a handheld gaming fan, and someone who actually managed to use video games to lose weight. He recently took up the position of games expert on BBC 5 live and is a BAFTA games judge.
Meh. I do think the Wii U at $299 can be a good value if the interface and software are good, but I don't think it's great. Until we can play the software, it's a bit of a gamble. I would have liked to see either the lesser model at $249 and the greater at $299, or add more storage into both units, because 32 GB is paltry and 8 GB is just absurd. It makes me wonder if Nintendo even understands why they need storage at all.
I'm not mad by the pricing, just disappointed.
@Dragdar that's a goddamn lie
the AC3 version on the Wii U looks much worser and have a terrible frame rate issues
nintendo has an inferior hardware and tell the fans all sorts of shit
1 Like Thats NOT at all true. There are still debates that the 360 is more powerful than PS3. Most graphic comparisons favored 360 over ps3. Wii U is NOT 50% more powerful. We would NOTICE that difference.
You guys shoudn't forget that the Wii U controller makes up a significant cost for the system. Nintendo won't sell it seperately in the USA at first but I heard it would eventually sell for around $120. So while the actual console is only slightly better than the 360/PS3 the controller is a expense that Nintendo needs to put in for their prices.
If they try to sell it for $120, nobody is going to buy them.
I think $80 is reasonable. Then again, I was thinking Wii U should be $275-ish ($50 cheaper). So maybe it'll be like $100.
A $300 system based on technology that's at least 5 years old, I would hardly call that value, i'd say it's the Wii all over again.
I wonder if storage will be better than the Wii's like you can actually move full games to the external HDD not like Wii's channel system where it wont run off the bloody memory card only internal memory
Of course it is!
There are only 2 reasons why I would buy a Wii-U (none of the reasons mentioned by fils-aime above)..
Zelda
Metroid
I would just treat it as buying a chance to play those 2 games, for $210 each... after that, my lady can do whatever she wants with it
If Nintendo doesn't get rid of friend codes (Are they? I've heard yes and no from reliable sources.), they won't see a cent out of me no matter what the price. Those things are just so goddamn annoying.
If they don't plan to drop the price for 3 years, then there is no value for money in the UK... As interested as I was in this console, I'm not gonna waste an extra £100 over it's true value... Sucks, 'cos I was looking forward to enjoying the Nintendo exclusives I'd missed.
It's kinda hard to measure a "system's value" through its price. I've paid my PS3 in 12 monthly installments, never did that before and I don't think I can do it again but I'm glad.
I will wait at least 6 months after launch and see where Nintendo takes their Wii U. A price drop? A model with more GB storage?
@Todoruk @dawnofhero Or a few SanDisks, I doubt they'll end up with stupidly sized dlc's on the WIiU anyway.
@JimmeyBurrows @Todoruk @dawnofhero A lot of DLC is sized for multiple machines. Recently Activision said no Elite DLC for Wii U.
@Todoruk @dawnofhero Yes, and it also doesn't help the Developers deal with Cache and it dangles from the machine. It's a solution, albeit an ugly one.
DLC is another issue I'm curious on how that whole business will work.
4 Like "We think $299 is a really strong value, and it?s a value that?s going to be strong for a long time"
Aye, in the States it is. Can you set an RRP in the UK please, because at £300 for the premium model, the price is very poor value.
I find it pretty hard to believe that MS and Sony are going to release consoles next year when they haven't even announced anything yet. I think all of you people are out of your minds with this thought that their actually going to release new consoles that are ridiculously powerful that will probably end of costing $399-$499.
In this economy? You got to be kidding me. The average consumer is going to see the Wii U price compared to the next PS/Xbox and isn't going to go for those kind of high prices.
Its going to be another year and a half maybe more before PS/Xbox come out and by then Wii U will have a ton of games and probably be even more affordable.While the other consoles will be launching with little games, just how it is every console launch.
Rumor is that Microsoft might be facing some delays:
http://semiaccurate.com/2012/09/04/microsoft-xbox-next-delay-rumors-abound/
Yeah imagine that. A Nintendo big wig throwing his support in on a Nintendo product. What are the odds? As I said before, I hope that they put out some good titles that will entice people like myself to get one. So far though, I have seen nothing of the sort. As for the "value" well a pack in game is nice, but I still think the price is too high. You can say what you want about the controller and all of that sort of stuff but the bottomline is that the system is on par tech wise with the current gen consoles.(Xbox/PS3) So what Nintendo is trying to sell me on is the tablet. Which to me, is just another one of their gimmicks that will not be used by most companies the way that it should be. No different then the Wii Remote. I hope I am wrong, but only time will tell.
The price ($300 for the entry level SKU) is just about what I expected considering that fancy controller alone.
The price of the White "Core" Wii U 8GB system $299.99 makes the price of the Black deluxe set look really good. An extra 24GB of storage, a stand for the console and the Gamepad tablet controller, Membership into the download points program. The "pack in" game NintendoLand. All for an extra $50.00 So the Wii U deluxe set should sell out.
When the PS4 and Xbox 720 hit retail. 1 year after the Wii U launch Nintendo still has room to cut the price of the white 8GB basic set to the $249.99 That should help the Wii U when the 8th generation really gets underway. The $349.99 Wii U deluxe set is worth it. The Basic core set is just meant to help the Deluxe set look good. For $50.00 more you actually get at lot.
3 Like OF COURSE Reggie would say that (as @SolidTy said). His paychecks say "BIG N"
As for price drops, here's my guess... E3 next year will be dominated with news about the Nexbox and PS4. So what news can N offer up?
What if Reggie came out and said "Price drop to $249 WITH a pack in game... starting TOMORROW". THAT is my guess for N's E3.
I would actually expect the announcement for a new zelda/smash bros/metroid to go along with it (with a demo people can play). Something that will take the wind out of the others sails. But at any rate, I would not expect anything too exciting for PS4/XBox 720 either. If they are powerful as the fanboys are guessing, that would make the price tag back over $500 for the systems again, and that took a couple years for them to adjust their sales models to make money. So I figure they will be more powerful than WiiU, but probably 1.5 times as powerful, maybe double at best
1 Like @Todoruk @PixelAddict It's more than fanboys guessing, analysts and industry insiders are estimating as well. Your price tag estimation also has no grounds. Finally, your guess that the PS4/720 will be slightly stronger than the PS360Wii U graphics also has no merit.
To be honest, and no offense, your post reads like someone justifying the Wii's power back in 2005-2006 against the PS360. Your post also reads like someone justifying the Wii U's weak architecture for a future purchase, and you also did NOT take into consideration the probability of Nintendo overcharging for the Wii U.
@ Todoruk Keep in mind back then the PS3 had a blu ray player in it and blu ray was new technology. So thats what drove the price of the ps3. The 360 was $399 which was NOT bad at all. Power doesnt really mean higher costs when xbox/ps buy million upon millions of powerful products, Just watch
@Todoruk @PixelAddict Nextbox = 360's codename.
It's all speculation. We'll see how it plays out in a few years. We gamers can get a lot of big tech in $300-$400 price range, and Wii U doesn't have that tech inside of it for a 2012 machine.
@SolidTy @Todoruk @PixelAddict
Underpowered? Its still stronger than the current systems, regardless of what the PS4/nextbox is. At the end of the day its not about the system, but the games that are on it. Thats why the PS2 dominated. And if memory is correct the PS2 was weaker than the Gamecube and xbox. If there are games people want, the price is justified
1 Like @Todoruk @PixelAddict Yes, Cost. We have no idea what the Wii U costs Nintendo. The Tablet "costs" are also weighed in. We aren't talking crazy power here, we are talking $300-$400 here, which is what the market expects. $300-$350 for the under powered Wii U was a huge surprise, but we are paying more for a tablet than we are the tech specs of the machine.
You speak of the intense power of the next xbox/ps. With high power comes cost. One would hope they would learn their lesson. I would like a crazy powered system, but not if it breaks the bank. Thats why I have a powerful gaming computer.
5 Like Of course you would say that Reggie, it's your job. Looking at the memory, specs, and performance. I disagree, I believe it's overpriced. Most analysts concur, it's too pricey, but not overly so.
However, I did preorder one since money isn't a problem, but I know you guys could have done better. It doesn't play Blu-Ray or DVD out of the box, which we all know costs money. Essentially this is a Wii HD with pricing to match what's on the market. In 2012, a Wii HD with none of those features shouldn't be so high. I would also argue the 360 is due for a price drop long ago, but I've said that in other articles. The price would be justifiable if the Tablet controllers were cheaper, but nope, as of this printing they are $174 a piece.
I predict a price drop much like the 3DS next year sometime. This price is just to take advantage of the Nintendo loyalists and fans like me that have the money and will pay..when those fans run out, then it's time to drop the price and bring in the real price. Take advantage of the fans with low spec hardware, just like the Wii. Hey, it worked, but this time you got a little too greedy on the price.
Make no mistake though, I will only be using this Wii U for exclusive games, much like my Gamecube, Wii, and N64...unless you demonstrate a reason to do otherwise.
Once the PS4/720 release, I predict once again 3rd oarties will abandon ship (PS360, Wii U) and make new next gen graphic engines that will once again put the pressure on Nintendo to make their annual Marios/Zeldas for me and other fans.
@PSYCHOV3N0M No the Wii U isn't BC with the GC, but the Wii U will pay Wii games.
The Wii today doesn't play GC games either, Nintendo removed that BC awhile back. :(
1 Like Does it play Blu Ray, and is it truely next gen? No, then it's not a good value.
Probably doesn't even play DVDs or CDs knowing how much you hate including stock features, Nintendo.
@Spartan_418 well, the Wii had web browser, too, and Netflix, but I would never consider it to be a media device.
@Razer361 Except it's not just that, it has other features such as the web browser. It's clearly trying to compete with the 360 and PS3 and be something of a media platform as well.
1 Like $300 is a fair price. Let's say they only sold the system alone with nothing included. It is just as powerful or more powerful than 360/PS3. That would be about $200-$250. Now add the Gamepad with will increase the price to about $300. Then the Deluxe edition includes Nintendo Land and other accessories, and that increases the system to $350. So this is a good price for me. It may not have the same impact as the Wii, but I do not care. Not everything is going to have the same results, just as long as it sells well, overall.
3 Like @Flint247 You skipped over the terribly small HDD in comparison to the very same PS360 you compared for that price. You skipped over Blu-Ray and DVD playback. You skipped over, PSN and XBL features for that same money. It's a lot to gloss over.
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I agree that the HDD is small, but they did that to reduce the cost for it. Flash drives or external HDD aren't too expensive to buy with the system. Blu-ray is semi-important and not really a game changer. They didn't include a DVD playback because DVD players are common nowadays. As for PSN/XBL-like features, we don't really know much about WiiU's online features right now, so I can't say. I still believe it is a fair price. Even if it doesn't have many features like Blu-ray or bigger HDD, the gamepad is probably the reason why the price is like it is now, seeing how it has gyro features, NFC features, and able to play games directly on the Gamepad, plus other features.
That's just my opinion. I feel it will be worth my money. Besides I am wanting to replace my Wii, anyways.
Let us hope that the Wii U price point does provide strong value and we do not see something that happened to the 3DS.
3 Like Forget all these whiners complaining, spinning everything into something negative. All these people bitching are the ones who wouldn't have bought the system anyways.
@Vickman178 Im not whinning, Im just tryong to figure out why I would buy a Wii U for $349 when I can buy a PS3 or 360 with more features, online service and A TON more better games?! I would NEVERbuy the Wii U just for the gamepad which IMO looks too bulky. So, I believe all your paying for is a small TV with buttons on it that they call a gamepad. The little power they added to "the wii" doesnt justify the price. Not when I can get much more out of PS3 or 360. Also, it waits to be seen "if" the wii U really is more powerful than the 360 and ps3. I doubt it. Speculations is huge in this industry and many game companies tout all about power but just like we saw this gen was a lot of BS. Honestly I think the 360 was the ONLY console that spoke true about the its power. The original Wii lied, the PS3 lied but the 360 seemed to be legit. Wii U = TOOOO Expensive!!= PASS
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