Should you have held off from buying a Nintendo Wii for cost reasons, you may get your time next month if this latest rumour is to be believed.
Engadget has claimed a "trusted source" has informed them the Wii will drop to $150 on 15th May as an attempt to improve the console's fortunes in North America. The website also hints that evergreen hit Mario Kart Wii will be included in the deal, which would certainly make a temptingly tasty platter at just $150.
It would certainly be an unusual move for Nintendo to reveal such a solid price drop one month before E3 — unless it were to pave the way for an announcement of the Wii's successor, that is. This rumour just got interesting.
[source engadget.com]
Comments 41
The Wii and a free $50 game costing as much as an iPod Nano is just ridiculous. I just might have to buy another...
If this is true, the successor to the Wii will be announced at E3. No question.
That's pretty sweet. An announcement of their new home console would be awesome but unlikely to happen
What is it including the extra controller, because its down to $129 right now.
My thoughts exactly.
/looks forward to E3!
So if it comes with MKWii, it'd basically be $100. Wowza. It'd be wicked cool if the Wii 2 is just around the corner. E3 is going to be sick this year.
Actually, a price cut could also mean Nintendo is trying to get both a 3DS AND a Wii into it's customers hands. Nintendo could be working on an update to the Wii to make interfacing between the console and the handheld. The Wii menu and feature set is certainly in need of an update! What better time to introduce new features to the Wii, when also introducing (unlocking) the online components (3DSWare, Internet Browser, etc.) of the 3DS?
but then theres aways the chance this is just some loszer making it up to get some traffic to his site
Interesting. I wonder how long it would take the competition to respond with a similar cut?
Wow thats kinda cheap. Makes me wonder if they are getting desperate just to reach their goal... I'm not gonna complain though.
I'm going to hold to my prediction of the next system being announced this year and released by late 2012. By then, the 3DS would have almost 2 years under it's belt. I'm just reading the writing on the wall: price drop, new portable system, Wii system 5 years old, DS came out one year before the Wii I mean... it all adds up to me that 2011 E3 is the Wii successor announcement, and 2012 E3 is the full details before a 2012 Q4 release. Same episode, different year.
Interesting. I can't decide if we'll get Wii 2 info or not. Part of me thinks that because of the Wii's modest spec, they knew they would have to release a successor sooner than they otherwise would. But another part of me thinks that they won't dare announce a new console so soon after launching 3DS. Especially if Wii is still selling well.
I'd love another price cut~ Having traded my Wii in for a 3DS on launch day, this would make it that much easier to recoup.
Wow. Thats a pretty great deal, considering MKWii is with it as well.
I don't blame them for the inevitable act of lowering the cost of the system. The Wii has been one of the Nintendo consoles with the fewest AAA titles. The NES easily had 200 great games at least out of the near 800, the SNES over 100 (if not equal or greater to the NES amount), N64 maybe 60 out of the measly 300 something games, and even the Game Cube surprisingly had quite a few. Hell, even the original Game Boy had at least 80 great titles (not including color, which was about 30 in its short 4 year run).
The Wii has 40-50 great disc-based games (leaving out most of the casual games for the sake of argument, as this is from the POV of a "hardcore" gamer). Now, I understand some great games are better than none, but Nintendo has really streamlined the process of releasing games with their consoles every few years. On the NES and GB launches, we had generic titles like Golf and Tennis, but at least the first party releases were plentiful. It's more than a shame we can't have as strong third party support for the Wii as the NES and SNES did, but where the hell is Pikmin 3, Star Fox Wii, F-Zero Wii, or anything else people beg for for years?
While Nintendo is evolving and catering to a wider casual audience (as any business should, really) people like me have to end up playing old consoles or the PS360 for their gaming fix during the immense "Wii droughts." It's the N64 days all over again.
Pretty soon Wii 2 will be announced, people will think the name is dumb, get super excited for the release, enjoy it immensely for the first year they have the system, then feel indifferent about the console a few years later. Then a decade passes, and the gamer has a nostalgic urge, and gets back to playing the old games they used to know and love. This cycle has happened every time, and will continue to do so, and we die-hard gamers will keep getting sucked into the newest, greatest, best thing.
I guess my point is, the DS library has easily over 200 great games, with most being AAA, all thanks to great first-party and third-party support. I know the 3DS will continue that trend. Nintendo sure did sell a lot of Wii consoles, making it a "success," but why does it feel like the Wii has failed? Why do so many people leave the system untouched for months? Is it because most developers can't figure out how motion controls work or don't like a system without HD? I sure as hell know I've never had a reason to stop playing my DSlite. I'm worried for the Wii's future, and at this point I'm starting to wonder why I even bought the system years ago besides the occasional Mario and Zelda game. Kirby's Epic Yarn and DKCR were good, and Capcom has always offered great support, but isn't this price decline just showing the Wii fading and eventually dieing with no last hurrah?
The DS had Monster Tale, Pokemon Black and White, and Okamiden recently, which feels as a nice final goodbye to that portable generation. What does the Wii have besides Conduit 2 (if that will be any good) and another Zelda? I hope E3 will be just as great as last year for the Wii and this price decline doesn't mean Nintendo is trying to finish selling their back stock of unsold systems.
Wait... who doesn't have a Wii yet?
I don't think so. Big N has plenty of games announced and they just made a new system, I don't think they are going to yet. I don't really care either way but I think they want to put all of their effort into software for the 3DS and Wii this year. I think that next E3 is the perfect time to announce the Wii 2. Just my prediction. I think with Kirby Wii, Rhythm Heaven Wii, Pikmin 3, Skyward Sword, Pandora's Tower, Wii Play: Motion and plenty of other games with the Wii before E3 is here yet (more info is coming out at E3, I'm sure), next year is the best time because Wii sales are going to drop like a stone once the new system is announced. I could be wrong but I have a feeling that this E3 is just software.
Because of that, Sony is probably going to do better if they can get some NGPs out there. I don't want one but a new system always catches attention and the graphics are supposed to be pretty good.
If that were true... well hot dang. Nnicely done, Nintendo... that sure does turn up he speculation dial to 11+, no?
The new slim Xbox 360 has been $200 for months now, this latest price cut for the Wii is long overdue. To me, it doesn't mean the Wii successor will be revealed soon. But if it was, I wouldn't be too surprised. No one is making games for the Wii right now and Nintendo can't deny that forever. If anyone thinks Pandora's Tower and Wii Play are signs of life on the Wii, think again.
I'm not expecting them to announce a new console till next year. I think this E3 is going to be more focused on the 3DS and whatever life they can squeeze out of the Wii.
I'm all for a Wii follow-up, but it will be super lame if it's announced before Skyward Sword comes out. Think about it - Twilight Princess was designed for the Gamecube, so the Wii hasn't had its own Zelda game yet!
@Gamesake: Pandora's Tower and Wii Play? No. Pandora's Tower, Last Story, Xenoblade, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Conduit 2, Kirby, and whatever else'll come out of E3? Yes.
@Topic: I think there WILL be a Wii successor announced, but it won't be out by Christmas this year... maybe Christmas NEXT year, though... heck, maybe August next year.
If this is true Nintendo will announce a wii successor at E3 2011.
I hope Wii2 has GCN and Wii compatability
I know someone some where is still saying "It's over priced!".
I'd love to get a Black Wii for $150. And another copy of Mario Kart Wii but there's one down side of all this and that is the fact that MKWii will be in the same form as Wii Sports. I'd love to get a new copy of MKWii....
I don't know, this seems more like a way to squeeze out all the life they can out of the Wii in the next year. They've announced several titles that are most likely going to come within the next year, if not early 2012 (Pandora's Tower, Last Story, Xenoblade, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Conduit 2, Kirby, and whatever else'll come out of E3 Thanks MasterGraveheart), and Nintendo wants the games to sell. However, they most likely would not sell (except for Zelda, possibly Kirby) if Nintendo officially announced that they were making a new console. Sales for both the games and the console would drop, making Nintendo lose money, creating another Earthbound story.
It's not overpriced anymore, thank god, but I wouldn't mind about $50 drop.
Also agree that if rumor is true, then it more likely means their announcing a new console could happen.
As they should, Wii doesn't have anything coming out that will a system seller for the time being, and the sales have slowed down.
There was a tech site rumor back @ the start of January this year, about a possible Wii price drop to $150. This may be true. I think this year, & next will be the Wii's final hurrah.
Does this mean... Nintendo will release the Ps4?
@MasterGraveheart The only game we're going to be playing this year is the waiting game.
this actually feels like the regular move of nintendo.
in august 2005(sorry 1995) donkey kong country came out, hek! they were showing the snes capabilities with killer instinct when the n64 was announced , so, is the talk about the wii 2,it will be out q1 of 2012... besides the 5 years fact of the console. but they wanna keep selling wii's so the price of the wii2 will be hi,with hardcore support and when the price is right and the wii is out of the market, the wii2 will have a lower price... but wont be as powefull as a ps3; it will have the new gimmicky technique to play hi-res graphs only compatible with wii disks and motion.
IDK why so many people think this means Wii 2 at e3. I'm positive it won't be announced. The Wii is still selling incredibly well with the kind of people (parents) who don't care if 3rd parties are making harcore games. So even though to us the only good games are coming from Nintendo, to the regular consumer non gamer, the Wii is just fine.
This is a list of Wii games I made for 2011 with the games I think are/will be good. This is not a complete or correct list, just me guessing.
RELEASED:
UPCOMING:
NOT SURE:
PS: "NOT SURE" is for games released on Japan that can get a international release or games that are not really announced.
I'ld be more impressed if they dropped the price of Mario Kart to $30 rather than include it in the package. The reason I bought a Gamecube wasn't because the price dropped to $99, but because Players' Choices prices were announced for 4 games I wanted (Starfox Adventures, Luigi's Mansion, Sunshine and SSBM - not sure about that last one). How many more Wii's do they have to sell before Twilight Princess, SSBB, SMG1, Mario Kart drop to $30? Of course I already own all those games, but still annoyed no line.
And really, how many people are waiting for a Wii price drop?
Full Disclosure - I am waiting for a DS price drop or Lite discontinue for my 6 year old. Does Nintendo really need 4 DS systems (Lite, i, i XL, 3)? (While it only has 1 outdated Wii?)
@rjejr DS Lite was discontinued and the price dropped to $130. DSi and DSi XL still in production but dropped price too, $150 and $170 respectively, and I think will be discontinued after some time.
One thing I have to agree, the Player's Choice is needed. There are more than 70 games that sold more than one million copies.
they might just be ANNOUNCING it this year, nobody said they'd be releasing it this year.
whoops went to post that in the other e3 thing.
Totally might gonna get myself a third one, I already got the white and black ones, me buying a red one is now a possibility.
I just bought a wii The black bundle with the wii Motion plus controller & nunchuk and the Two Pack-in games Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort.
For $169.99 no tax. So that is $19.00 more than the $150.00 May 15th 2011 price drop console.
Since the wii has 1 year left before the March/April 2012 launch of the Project Cafe.
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