Nintendo’s Response To Sony Price Cuts
By William on Sunday, July 15th, 2007 at 1:15 PM PST In Nintendo
Nintendo responded to the Sony price cut by confirming that they do not believe it will change anything. I find it odd that they had to make a statement in the first place. They have to save face and not act worried, but I really think they are. I have always thought the Wii was an interesting system, but it has sold well for it’s seemingly low price. You also have to keep in mind that to fully enjoy the Wii, you have to purchase numerous expensive peripherals and that all adds up. I think the Sony price cut will hurt Microsoft and Nintendo a little, but there is still more than enough room for 3 consoles in this generation. For me, price tag is not the issue. It’s all about the games. With the current prices, you basically get what you pay for system-wise.
Nintendo has responded back by saying that this price cut is unlikely to affect the sales of their Nintendo Wii console.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata further confirmed in a statement that the hardware side of its Wii game console business has turned profitable.
What expensive peripherals do you need to buy to use the Wii?
The Wii remote = $40
Nunchuck = $20
$60 for a full controller, whereas other consoles controllers are about $10 cheaper (for wireless of course).
I think the Wii though is a special console. I’m willing to bet people will buy one and one of the other two for balance. It makes sense. A lot of people do seem to be into the whole Wii60 thing (not good in terms of promoting gaming) but I can see that as the way forward. PS3 is climbing back up, I’m certainly interested in what it can do…and when the UK can get it for a reasonable price.
I’ve read that Microsoft will be dropping the price of the XBox soon. If so, Nintendo needs to be more concerned about that competition. Sony may get off the canvas in the future, but they have a long way to go before families take them seriously.
I’m still waiting for a valid response to what “expensive peripherals” you are referring. Also, what do you mean by “seemingly low price” when mentioning the Wii? It IS low. In fact, it’s the lowest-priced next generation console available. After all this talk about prices you state “price tag is not the issue(s)”, so why push the emphasis towards that direction in the first place? I deem this post biased and poorly written.
first off I am not biased. Second off, the peripherals required to fully enjoy the Wii do add up in price after a while. It is true that it is the cheapest base system out there..that’s kind of obvious.
If you think I’m biased, then obviously you know nothing about me.
I think Wii will have a price drop, probably just before Christmas.
If you need additional controllers for multiple players, then yes, it will add up to the tune of $10 more per set versus a single controller for another system. Considering the Wii doesn’t get hot enough to warrant a cooler, like the other systems for example, I figure the net amount spent on the Wii will still average far less in the end. Back to the point of your post. I believe Sony’s “price cut” will likely leave Nintendo completely unaffected. With the 60GB PS3 going out of production consumers will end up paying $599 for the new 80GB system anyway.
There will be plenty of $499 systems floating around on shelves for some time. I have read articles talking about how by next month the discount will not even matter, but this isn’t true at all. I figure the $499 ones will be around for at least another 2-3 months or more.
What is this guy talking about? Expensive peripherals? It’s by far the cheapest system in almost every way.
Also, “you get what you pay for”?! Come on man, Sony’s PS3 is getting killed in the gaming industry because it lacks just that – games! And it’s double the price of the Wii. Now, I’ll grant you that Nintendo’s game lineup is not stellar (yet), but you definitely can’t say that price has some sort of linear relationship with game selection, given Sony’s situation.
I said system-wise you get what you pay for. Honestly, I’d say the systems are priced based on what you get as far as hardware. What I care about personally is games, but that’s not what it’s exactly about right now. We really need to give things about another 12 months before we can honestly make definitive statements about each system.
At least the Wii comes with a game. When you buy a PS3 you’re paying another $60 just to play something, then if you want 2 player you’re still buying the second controller on top of that. And if you want to watch a Blu-Ray movie you’re paying a $10 premium over the price of a DVD for each movie.
The PS3 may have very powerful hardware, but it’s way too expensive to use that hardware.
What Sony price cut? Clearing out your old model at a discounted rate until the stock is gone doesn’t really count as a price cut in my eyes. Sony is just trying to clear up the glut in their supply chain.
Don’t forget that a wii uses far less energy then a 360/ps3, so it will save a few bucks in the years you use it.
Is it just me or all the consoles to expensive. The supply and demand compared to the number of systems out on the market say that they all should be cheaper anyways.
Wii made a statement just for the sake of making a statement. To say to consumers that are still unaware. Hello, wii are here and wii are cheaper.
This post is biased and stupid. And no I don’t “know you” and shouldn’t have to know you to read a post and understand it fully.
You mention expensive peripherals on the wii “to fully enjoy [it]“. As other people pointed out, it’s not that different in price from other consoles’ controllers price points, not to mention numerous other facts like you don’t need the nunchuck depending on the types of games you play.
Also not mentioned is the fact that games for the system are $10 cheaper across the board, so you’re paying MORE to “fully enjoy the system” for the other systems, unless you don’t consider games to be necessary to enjoy a console!
And I still have no clue what you mean by “you get what you pay for”. Are you saying that the only thing that matters in this generation is power? You say tons of contradictory stuff here. “Money doesn’t matter but wow an extra ten bucks!”, “I care most about games but you get what you pay for in power and hardware.”
This is a poorly written and biased post, typical user-run gamer journalism.
He doesnt have to know you. You are biased. The whole post is biased.
The peripherals you speak of are non-existent. Controllers are
controllers. Theres very little difference between a $50 and $60
controller. Why dont you mention the insanely overpriced Sony HD cables
that they tried to make people buy instead of the normal $20 ones people
use for their TVs?
You also fail to mention that Sony’s price cut is not even a price cut.
They are simply using it to eliminate stock of the lower end systems
that are not selling so they can put in an extra 20 gig hard drive that
costs them about $2-5 in effect making an extra $100 off people selling
20gigs for $599 US.
The whole post reeks of disinformation and Sony bias. “They have to save
face and not act worried”? Who? Nintendo who is selling out every shipment
of Wii’s? Who’s about to take over first place from the 2 year old 360?
Surely you must have meant the PS3 who has barely broken 3 million world
wide sales has to act not worried?
Please stop this insanely biased libel as it just makes your site look
worse then it is and further promotes these insipid fanboy wars that are
prevalent on the internet. If you must promote the PS3 for ads money
or to get some exclusive content or something, at least stick to the
quality games they have coming in 2008 like MGS4 or FF13 and so on and
leave the Xbox and Wii bashing out of your posts.
So let me understand this.
Wii console ($250), 3 remotes ($120), 3 nunchucks ($60) = $430
PS3 console ($500-600), 3 controllers ($150) = $650-$750
Xbox 360 console ($300-480), 3 controllers ($150) = $450-$630
Something isn’t adding up.
Of course not. Nintendo is so amazing that even if every other console was free it wouldn’t affect sales
Seriously though, of course it will! But probably not much.
One Man. One Year. $100,000 online. How’s he doing it?
http://www.oneyeargoal.com
You know the above posters are right. Wii is cheaper in the end. Games are what matters, and the games are cheapers for the Wii. THere is a ten dollar difference between a Wii controller and a 360/ps3 controller, but remember, Wii games are also 10 dollars cheaper when compared to the other next gen consoles.
Lets do math. The average person buys aabout 8 ( probably more depending on the console) games by the end of a consoles life. The average person doesn’t usually buy more than 2 controllers, but I’ll make it 4 just to prove how much cheaper the Wii really is.
(8 x360/ps3 games * $60) + (4 contollers * $50)= $680
(8 Wii games * $50) + (4 controllers * $60)= $640
it’s the games that truely matter, and Wii’s games are at a better price, which is a plus. Unless you buy more controllers than games, Wii is cheaper.
Well, the peripherals aren’t really expensive or numerous as far as i can tell, plus the new peripherals that are coming (zapper, wiifit and the sterring wheel) are being bundled with games designed for those perpherals specifically (with the exception of the zapper, whic is gonna be just $20)
In response to probably wii cuts during christmas… i actually kinda doubt so. Its sorta unrelated, but nintendo has stated they don’t think they can meet demand this christmas for the season shopping.
Kirk, James,
Well done. William I don’t know you, but I think you may not know you.
Oh well Will, these posts are a definite sign of the site popularity (and yours)growing to stardom levels. So, how do you like being a star ? Is it harder being on the receiving end of the camera ? Why do you insist on antagonizing these fanboize? Don’t you know which system is best yet ? GeezeLouise! I’m so embarassed for you right now!
Oh, I almost forgot, now that I’ve probably also offended these ‘boys of the fan’, I look forward to their pitiful flaming. Let the games begin !
The Wii is indeed a great system, but I agree with William that with all the separate peripherals you need to buy, the Wii becomes less and less appealing in my opinion.
Steve
you guys who are saying that you have to buy expensive necessary peripherals for the wii are wrong. the peripherals are being packaged with the games that utilize them and the zapper only costs $20 so the cost is no big deal. also, the peripherals aren’t needed. you can still play games without them; they just make the game feel a little more natural. and to the people who say the $10 difference between the wiimote/nunchuck and the 360 and ps3’s controllers are stupid. the games for the 360 and PS3 are $10 more. unless you buy more controllers than games, the wii becomes ever cheaper compared to the 360 and PS3.
Let’s not forget that the “Sony price cut” isn’t a price cut, it’s a phase out.
60GB PS3s aren’t going to be available beyond the end of July, then we get the 80GB in its place at the old price point.
That’s not really what a price cut is. Sony continues to drop the ball during this generation. Also, before the flames begin, I am an ex Sony fanboy. I’ve been on board since the original Playstation and have stood by their product and defended them since then. Unfortunately, as a Sony fanboy, I feel that I have been betrayed by the crap their pulling this generation. I am now the proud owner of an xbox 360 and a wii and couldn’t be happier.
“We really need to give things about another 12 months before we can honestly make definitive statements about each system.”
well you seem to be making definite statements about these systems now…
bottome line is this: the Wii is a system on a completely different level than the 360 or the ps3. It’s a Nintendo, and people will always want a Nintendo. It’s very true that many “hardcore” gamers are going the Wii60 route… because it makes sense: have one system for blazing graphics and performance, and another for unique and innovative gaming experience… Sony and Microsoft will never EVER be great game companies because they really only focus on the hardware. They depend on ongoing third-party development to sell their systems, whereas Nintendo has an extremely loyal fan base for its original titles.
This is what separates Nintendo from the rest: Microsoft is a software company, Sony is a consumer electronics company… but nintendo is a VIDEO GAME COMPANY, and that’s all they ever wanted to be: that’s why they are the best at what they do.
“The Wii is indeed a great system, but I agree with William that with all the separate peripherals you need to buy, the Wii becomes less and less appealing in my opinion.”
Who are these people? Who genuinely believes that buying a second 60 dollar controller combo and 20 dollar classic controller counts as “having to buy several expensive peripherals.” This is spin-to-the-max, it’s like “OK I agree that the Iraq war isn’t doing too hot now but I just didn’t want Al Qaeda to have all these weapons of mass destruction”
That’s like saying that Sony is making you have to buy a second controller, boosting up the price to 550.. for 2 or 3 months.
So we’ve got 340 for a Wii, add up 50 for Twilight Princess and 50 more for Wario Ware, Trauma Center or the game of your chase. We’ve got 450. Use that other 100 dollars in Virtual Console games and you’ll be a happy, happy man.
Sony PR is hoping to win back us influential buyers by posting all this positive news about them and get our negative opinion about them to change. Fact is, this is nowhere near enough.
PS3’s have been selling for less than the price of the Wii on EBAY for months. I’ve seen many a PS3 go for $210 to $250. That’s what people want to pay for it, I’m not gonna throw down 500 bucks to play Motorstorm and that FPS with bad graphics.
You also have to keep in mind that to fully enjoy the Wii, you have to purchase numerous expensive peripherals and that all adds up
–
WTF? numerous expensive peripherals? Are you on drugs?
i find it odd that the wii still sucks
am I the only one that thinks $500 for a video game system is STILL ridiculous?
Let me sum it up. For all you people here that complains about the price of which console and attachments, games etc….
Look! if a person wants a system they will pay what ever for it. its called supply and demand. each system is differently priced and what u get for it will ofcourse add to the cost. the average game is atleast $50-60, so why waste time here argueing over what system has what better features and what costs more or less.
Back to the topic: As for the Wii, i dont know of any other accessories u need to buy than just a few extra controllers. u need to do that for any system you own past or present. And as for Nintendo, the PS3 can drop the price to what ever, it wont affect the Wii. The Wii has its own fun factor and the motion controllers make it fun. Nintendo dont need to do a thing. the Wii sells it self.
I won’t join in on proving how incorrect this article is; it seems enough people have already pointed out the fallacies, but I will point out how poorly this article is written.
“They have to save face and not act worried, but I really think they are.” Most likely, they had to make some sort of statement because people like you would endlessly speculate how Sony’s “price cut” would be the end of the Wii. Unfortunately, now we have a dimwit speculating about why they made the statement.
Awesome.
“I have always thought the Wii was an interesting system, but it has sold well for it’s seemingly low price.” I think that you totally should’ve used the conjunction “and” here, but I suppose it could go either way if you meant “interesting” in a derogatory connotation. Anyway, you should definitely not have used the word “seemingly.” It’s like you’re insinuating that there are hidden monthly charges or that you have to insert quarters into it every time you want to play. Sure, the controllers cost $10 more, but you don’t need to buy extra controllers. You also fail to point out that the games are $10 cheaper on the Wii, and the last time I checked, people buy games more often than controllers. Kevin even proved that just buying the systems and three controllers–no games–the Wii is still cheaper.
And your conclusion just rubs me the wrong way. It’s as if you just added in three of your opinions which had little relation or didn’t add anything to the story. “For me, price tag is not the issue.” Awesome. Then why did you even write the article? “It’s all about the games.” Why not do a comparison of the games on each system to measure and compare the system’s true worth? “With the current prices, you basically get what you pay for system-wise.” I think you meant to imply that the costlier a system is, the more powerful it is. Say it isn’t so!
Now, who exactly are you? I hope you don’t do this professionally.
You also have to keep in mind that to fully enjoy the PS3, you have to purchase numerous expensive peripherals and that all adds up.
You also have to keep in mind that to fully enjoy the 360, you have to purchase numerous expensive peripherals and that all adds up.
I agree, totally biased post. The only explanation for the “expensive peripherals” statement is: I don’t need no extra controller for PS3 because I have no family & friends!!!
Anyway, if you know the rule about this industry then you should know that the small install base of PS3 will only get it less & less exclusive games. So if you care about game only, you shall realize the value of Wii.
And the Nintendo stock I bought last year is now DOUBLED!! You can keep writing this kind of post but it’s not going to change anything.
I’m just wondering how many games are that appealing for the Wii. Nintendo has a history of making cool party/group games for multiple people, and good children games. But I like adult games……guns…..gangs…..fighting. The Wii has the right price range. The 360 is within reach….and the PS3 is just ridiculous (not everyone wants to take out a small loan to buy a video game system). Every system has expensive peripherals…theres no avoiding that, but I just don’t see the games on the Wii. Atleast not yet. I don’t want to knock the Wii though….cause if I ever venture to buy a new system….it’s between the 360 and the Wii (yah….I know, I’m poor….I still haven’t got either of them yet).
As far as the PS3…..they’ve blew it. There’s no coming back, to me atleast. There’s that small groupe of people out there that HAVE to have the coolest and newest technology out there (or someone that just loves Sony), those people have PS3’s. The rest of us, that have patience and would rather have something that is reasonable….stick with the Wii or 360.
Sorry for boring you all with my rambling.
– SNIP –
What expensive peripherals do you need to buy to use the Wii?
The Wii remote = $40
Nunchuck = $20
The Wii is indeed a great system, but I agree with William that with all the separate peripherals you need to buy, the Wii becomes less and less appealing in my opinion.
– SNIP —
So which are these separate peripherals that i need to buy with Wii? Dont other consoles need the same things if you are referring to cables, controllers or any other available part?
Dont know about the others but i got my controllers WITH the Wii itself. If you people are referring to extra controller, you have to get that with other systems too like i already said.
Here at europe, in Finland to be exact, we pay with EUROS. Compare this europrice to dollars where euro/dollar ratio is 1/1,37. (1 euro is worth of 1,37 dollars). Current prices are for the consoles are:
Wii: 269e
Xbox360: core system 284e, normal system 399e and elite 499e
PS3: 659e (retailers dropped the price from 699e theirselves)
If you ask me, i get a lot more fun with the Wii and with cheaper cost that any of the other consoles. Now especially when Microsoft has admitted that XBOX360 is flawed and might break anytime. PS3 price is way too high, infact its ridicilous as you can get 2,5 Wii’s with the same price! Thats what i call a bargan.
Btw, only reason why Nintendo commented this was the constant bragging from the press for comment. Thats all, nothing else. When more good games come out and Wii availability is better, its gonna sell lots and lots. There isnt a single Wii here at stores. They are currently always out. We got plenty of PS3’s and Xboxes here though, just that… they are not selling that good.
What the heck is this post? No source. No News, just an opinion. I expect better from Gaming Today. The writers here usually have news with their opinions.. not something like this.
Kevin,
They probably are all a little high. As technology improves, things should get cheaper. Prices for game systems really haven’t changed much over the years. If you calculate inflation the PS3 costs less than the Atari 2600 did when it first came out.
1st:
What game other than Rayman: Raving Rabids needs more than two nunchucks?
Many of the wii sports and WarioWare only need one controller to be passed around.
So, if you get to the total of 4 wiimotes and 2 nunchucks then the wii accessories are the same as the 4x$50 on the other two systems.
2nd:
Nintendo would be silly to do a price cut when the systems don’t stay on shelves for any duration. One of my friends saw them on the shelves of a Target once (we don’t know how long they lasted). I have two friends still hunting for their systems. I guess it could increase demand and continue the ’selling out’ of the systems for awhile. But if Nintendo announced that there would be a price cut soon, then there’d be a period where some would not buy to wait for the cheaper tag.
3rd:
You think Nintendo is worried?
I think that is one of the main places that people are seeing you as biased. If you would’ve said that Nintendo should be worried, and then explained why, you’d be better off.
watch me:
I think Nintendo shouldn’t be scared. The Wii sytems sales are record breaking, matched only by the DS, but shattering speed records for consoles. The Wii is one of the only systems for a hardware company to profit on the unit itself. The Wii stands a chance of catching or passing the 360 in the next holiday season, thereby having the largest install base making it most attractive to 3rd party developers.
I can even argue your side, if I wanted to:
I think Nintendo should be scared. The Wii is the least powerful of the three systems with its main draw being from its innovative control scheme. The 360 and PS3 can bring out their own equivilants (I look back to N64’s analog stick being copied by both the Saturn for Nights and the PS dual shock). When the competitors release such a device, along with their superior hardware and learning from the development of Wii games, they should be able to tear Wii’s market apart. The Wii has relied too long on party games that have too little depth, causing it to be more like a board game that a traditional console. The Wii Virtual Console is not that unique anymore, with sweet old/vintage games available on both PS3 and 360. PS3 and 360 have more functionality, offering high end DVD capability and HDs built in. Wii sells primarily first party titles, third parties don’t see great sales so may be less inclined to develop for the system where they have to fight against Mario and Smash Bros for market share.
Etc.
I like my Wii. It’s a drag that I need to pay a lot for four full controller setups, but they’re they same cost as any current gen console would be anyways!!!!!!!!! To be honest with you, I have had my Wii for 5 months, and I only have one controller setup. When I get a room of friends over, we YouTube on it via the Internet Channel and thats more fun than playing to me;) Long live Wii.
PS: I like all the next get consoles out, but don’t hate on specific ones, they all have niche market they hit PERFECTLY.
Oh wow. All the consoles have their pros and cons, so you wii-tards should stop saying ‘oh its so much better’ ‘and its so much cheaper.’ Because seriously, i would rather play an fps on a traditional controller than wave a remote in the air to see how far i can throw a ball. Don’t get me wrong, i love the wii. Golf and tennis on wii sports is AMAZINGLY AWESOME, but in the longrun, i just think the ps3 and 360’s games’ diversity and actual storylines are more appealing. :]
See, I’m always hearing about how the Wii controllers end up more expensive than a 360 or a PS3 controller, but seriously, how many Wii multi-player games use both the Wii mote and the nunchuk? Almost none. Not to mention, you’re also talking about buying 4 of them. Which, if you ask me, is awesome. I have only seen four people playing on one 360 ONCE in my lifetime for a Madden release party. So four people would really want to play Wii all at once, huh? Interesting. lol