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[OrangeGrayBlue]

Okay, I should have added "for me"

Xbox360 is 200 / 250 with Harddisk and Nintendo should go with 350? Probably there will be a price cut too until the WiiU releases.
PS3 Slim 320GB is around 230€.

300 is the absolute maximum that I am willing to pay.

Xbox 360 will be a last gen system that has been on the market for 7 years when Wii U launches. Why would Nintendo use that as a benchmark for their brand new system?


The original xbox launched in 2001 at a price of $299.99. I just can't see Nintendo, or any other company, getting away with that price point 11 years later.

 

[Easy_D]

Okay, I should have added "for me"

Xbox360 is 200 / 250 with Harddisk and Nintendo should go with 350? Probably there will be a price cut too until the WiiU releases.
PS3 Slim 320GB is around 230€.

300 is the absolute maximum that I am willing to pay.

Keep in mind that WiiU's supposedly half a generation ahead, so you're getting a more powerful console at 350. Take into account that the PS3 launched at 599 and I'd say 350 is a pretty worthwhile price. Though I agree that it's expensive and I hope that the worst case scenario is 300

 

[AniHawk]

My guess was actually assuming that they initially planned for $399.99 and then bumped it down after the 3DS. I can definitely see them having a pack-in game again, though. I doubt it will be SMBM. They'd want something that utilizes the tablet more.

if they initially were planning for $399.99, and are scaling it back to $349.99, i think it damn well better have parts justifying the cost. personally, i think once you're in the $300+ range, it doesn't matter if it's a cent or fifty dollars under $400, because people will see that 3 first. i think a big part of the wii and ps2's success was that both started off at a price that everyone had accepted since the 90s.

i agree with you about nsmbm. that's a good point. mario would sell on its own anyway. the only thing i wonder about is if whatever tablet game would become the wii sports of this gen where it's copied endlessly without any consideration of what else could be made for the platform.

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

if they initially were planning for $399.99, and are scaling it back to $349.99, i think it damn well better have parts justifying the cost. personally, i think once you're in the $300+ range, it doesn't matter if it's a cent or fifty dollars under $400, because people will see that 3 first. i think a big part of the wii and ps2's success was that both started off at a price that everyone had accepted since the 90s.

i agree with you about nsmbm. that's a good point. mario would sell on its own anyway. the only thing i wonder about is if whatever tablet game would become the wii sports of this gen where it's copied endlessly without any consideration of what else could be made for the platform.

You're right about the "3" sticking out when people look at the price. However, launching at 350 would put them in a great position to drop to 299 as a counter to the PS4 and 720 launches, which will undoubtedly be above 300 themselves.

As for a tablet game being copied ad nauseum, I think the more traditional controls offered by the wii U tablet will make developers feel less obligated to tack on gimmicks or make games that revolve around them. If their initial idea doesn't revolve around some zany tablet function, I think they'll just forego it and use traditional controls. In that sense, I don't think the Wii U can be fairly compared to the Wii.

 

[AceBandage]

It's going to launch at $250.
I'm more sure of that now than ever.
They wouldn't have done so drastic a price drop on the 3DS otherwise.

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

It's going to launch at $250.
I'm more sure of that now than ever.
They wouldn't have done so drastic a price drop on the 3DS otherwise.

When considering that the controller itself will cost a hefty bit more than a wiimote to produce, as well as the Wii U tech being more up to date comparatively, on top of any inflation that has occured in the last six years, I just can't see the Wii U launching at the same price as the Wii.

 

[AceBandage]

When considering that the controller itself will cost a hefty bit more than a wiimote to produce, as well as the Wii U tech being more up to date comparatively, on top of any inflation that has occured in the last six years, I just can't see the Wii U launching at the same price as the Wii.

The controller won't cost a horrible lot. The most expensive part is a very low res LCD screen which are fairly cheap.
We have no idea what the tech will be in it, nor if Nintendo is going to be taking a loss on it as they are on the 3DS now.

 

[BurntPork]

Cite.

Oh come on. It's a well known fact that Nintendo doesn't like moving parts. And what is citing it supposed to mean? why don't you give a reason instead of being an ass?

 

[Gravijah]

I'm expecting $299, personally. Then again, I thought the 3DS would launch under $200 so what do I know?

 

[BurntPork]

The reason the sliders aren't clickable is the same reason Nintendo hasn't had a real online infrastructure yet for their console. They are clueless to what's going on in gaming outside of their own world.

edit: damn that second pic is legit.

The reason their online is behind is the fact that Nintendo is afraid of lawsuits from parents. Nintendo is more than willing to hurt sales to avoid lawsuits. (See: 3DS warnings.)

 

[Sadist]

$ 299 or bust

 

[ASIS]

I'm expecting $299, personally. Then again, I thought the 3DS would launch under $200 so what do I know?

$399 confirmed?

 

[AniHawk]

I'm expecting $299, personally. Then again, I thought the 3DS would launch under $200 so what do I know?

i thought the same thing, and we were apparently right in what nintendo should have done.

 

[AniHawk]

$3999 confirmed?

fixed

 

[Smiles and Cries]

PSVita is a pretty good deal until you see the prices for the memory cards you'll have to buy.
If the WiiU is cheap, I expect Nintendo to find similar ways to burn your wallet by selling something you need separately from the core purchase.

I don't see why everyone so dead on pointing at 3DS for the fate of WiiU's price point
you cannot just lump home console and portable's market together like its the same thing
If the 3DS was a home console the price drop it go would mean an early death but since its just a portable they can easily faze out the 3DS with a 3DS lite at a bit higher price point given that some new features are added and weak points of the hardware adressed.

3DS had no games at "Launch Window" WiiU needs a solid launch that is the only thing Nintendo needs to worry about. But if the WiiU has a no games problem forcing a price drop you cannot turn around home console revisions as fast to rebrand your failures.

So they have to get it right, thats why I am not fighting a fall launch to wait on more games
I don't feel the WiiU is being rushed out like the 3DS did, the DS did not really need to die off as fast as the Wii had been taking a dive, but the WiiU has had plenty of time for decent launch titles.

$249 had always been Nintendo's target price for home consoles but can they still make a profit at that price point on the WiiU? I think people keep forgetting unlike Sony and MS, Nintendo has no other business outside of gaming. They sink or swim on profit margins with nothing to fall back on.

 

[BurntPork]

I think it will be entirely re-revealed at GDC. Slightly different controller, slightly different system, overall improved visuals, abd they'll go in depth about the features the system has. I'll go ahead and say that a price and release date will be announced at GDC as well. Then, at E3, they'll maybe give us another nugget or two about the system side of things, but almost exclusively talk about software, just as they did at TGS with the 3DS.

I'll also go ahead and guess that the launch price will be $349.99

They're not going to price it above $300 after the 3DS fiasco unless they want it to flop hard.

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

So for those saying it should launch at $299, do you also feel that the launch price of the 360 at $399 was too high? And if not, why?

 

[AniHawk]

i raged pretty hard against the $399.99 pricepoint of the 360. i waited until it (and the ps3) were less than $300 so i could buy one.

hell, i made some really really bad predictions about the ps3 and how it would be $300 so they could bury microsoft and nintendo forever with their awesome looking ps3 games from e305.

but this is totally different

 

[Smiles and Cries]

They're not going to price it above $300 after the 3DS fiasco unless they want it to flop hard.

It would flop regardless what they do if people keep thinking 3DS fiasco why would they take a chance on WiiU anyway?

I'll say this now if the WiiU turns out to be a cheap piece of shit I'm blaming you guys because you all expect it to be build cheaply to match some low price point.

SONY and MS lost money on those systems at launch and they were over $300
keep dreaming 3DS has an effect on this

 

[BurntPork]

So for those saying it should launch at $299, do you also feel that the launch price of the 360 at $399 was too high? And if not, why?

You're missing the point. Wii U will most likely be weaker than the other next-gen consoles, the online will likely be horrible, and it won't have a hard drive. It needs to be priced lower than the other next-gen consoles to stand a chance. Wii has to be brought to mind when thinking of pricing, not 360. Plus it'll be competing with the currently $199 360 and the $249 PS3 for at least the first year of its life.

Besides, it's not as if the 360 set the world on fire at $399.

It would flop regardless what they do if people keep thinking 3DS fiasco why would they take a chance on WiiU anyway?

I'll say this now if the WiiU turns out to be a cheap piece of shit I'm blaming you guys because you all expect it to be build cheaply to match some low price point.

SONY and MS lost money on those systems at launch and they were over $300
keep dreaming 3DS has an effect on this

So you want it to fail? Because if Nintendo ignores the existence of competition, it stands no chance at succeeding. The terrible economy makes that even dumber. Pricing it over $300 doesn't mean that it'll be next-gen in terms of power either. MS and Sony will outclass it, and they'll both have a $299 SKU. Nintendo can't expect anything more than Gamecube sales at $349. Hell, it would do even worse.

 

[ecosse_011172]

I really can't understand why $50 i.e. the price of ONE game makes a massive difference to gamers who will go ahead and buy scores of games for the console in question.

 

[DefectiveReject]

$249
WiiU Sports pack in.
Built in video chat
Messaging system (how awesome would it be if your tablet started blinking, you look at the screen and your friend is asking you to turn your console on for some online duelling)
NSMB at launch (Guarantees additional sales)
Follow Mii, Pirate game, Hide and Seek e.t.c. from E3 built in.

I also expect the Wii Photo channel to be fleshed out to a media channel for you to play your own media off a USB HDD.

They are going to come out aggressively. They (and by they I really mean Iwata) won't want a bad launch as it mires the system.

As for launch frame. With a game you can launch with a few months hype, BUT with a console you need much more notice. It's an expensive piece of kit.
Sellers have to make plans for storage e.t.c., fans need to be aware so they can plan their spending, and you need some idea through pre-orders in the interest so you don't overly undersell/oversell.

 

[LeleSocho]

$249
WiiU Sports pack in.
Built in video chat
Messaging system (how awesome would it be if your tablet started blinking, you look at the screen and your friend is asking you to turn your console on for some online duelling)
NSMB at launch (Guarantees additional sales)
Follow Mii, Pirate game, Hide and Seek e.t.c. from E3 built in.

I also expect the Wii Photo channel to be fleshed out to a media channel for you to play your own media off a USB HDD.

They are going to come out aggressively. They (and by they I really mean Iwata) won't want a bad launch as it mires the system.

As for launch frame. With a game you can launch with a few months hype, BUT with a console you need much more notice. It's an expensive piece of kit.
Sellers have to make plans for storage e.t.c., fans need to be aware so they can plan their spending, and you need some idea through pre-orders in the interest so you don't overly undersell/oversell.

yeah keep dreaming

 

[BurntPork]

I really can't understand why $50 i.e. the price of ONE game makes a massive difference to gamers who will go ahead and buy scores of games for the console in question.

Because that might be the difference between being able to buy a game and not being able to buy one. Though, in this case, it's the competition that's the issue. And, again, it doesn't have a hard drive, so it'll look like a rip-off no matter what the launch price is. Why make that even worse?

 

[DefectiveReject]

Because that might be the difference between being able to buy a game and not being able to buy one. Though, in this case, it's the competition that's the issue. And, again, it doesn't have a hard drive, so it'll look like a rip-off no matter what the launch price is. Why make that even worse?

It didn't have a HDD, but things change.

I expect 3rd parties will be moaning about fixes and stuff so there will be some onboard storage of at least 4-8GB for that. Otherwise they risk losing some multi platform titles for not being able to update them.

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

I guess time will tell, but I think $350 is the most likely price. $300 is the absolute lowest it will launch and anyone hoping to see one at $250 will be waiting until 2014.

 

[disap.ed]

It didn't have a HDD, but things change.

I expect 3rd parties will be moaning about fixes and stuff so there will be some onboard storage of at least 4-8GB for that. Otherwise they risk losing some multi platform titles for not being able to update them.

I really would appreciate at least 8GB, better 16GB, even better 32GB.

You get a 320GB 2,5" hard disk for around 30€, for this price you most probably easily get 32GB of flash memory. I think this would be sufficient to serve all tasks (apart from massive game or media downloads for which you could use an external HD).

 

[WillyFive]

I don't care about clicky sticks, I always found them annoying when playing games. However, I do want the Gamecube Analog Triggers to come back. There's no reason for the Wii U to not have those.

 

[BurntPork]

It didn't have a HDD, but things change.

I expect 3rd parties will be moaning about fixes and stuff so there will be some onboard storage of at least 4-8GB for that. Otherwise they risk losing some multi platform titles for not being able to update them.

It's rumored to have 8GB, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the point I was making.

You have two $350 consoles. One says 8GB on the box, while the other says 320GB. What is the average consumer going to choose?

 

[BurntPork]

I guess time will tell, but I think $350 is the most likely price. $300 is the absolute lowest it will launch and anyone hoping to see one at $250 will be waiting until 2014.

I pray that you're wrong, because it'll flop so hard that the 3DS pre-price cut will look like an Apple product by comparison. It will be the next Virtual Boy. It's not that I wouldn't pay $350; it's that it WILL fail no matter what at that price. I'll bet my account that if it launches above $300, it'll do worse than the 3DS did by far. Casuals won't buy it at that price, and core gamers will shun it in favor of the cheaper current-gen consoles or the better next-gen consoles for the same price or even $50 cheaper.

 

[Kenka]

Those thoughts are prophecies. Nothing to back you up.

Also, where did you read that 8 GB internal memory storage number ?

 

[BurntPork]

Those thoughts are prophecies. Nothing to back you up.

Also, where did you read that 8 GB internal memory storage number ?

Current gen consoles competing with Wii U at first is a fact, and you'd be insane to think that the next XBox or PlayStation would have $399 as their cheapest SKU.

It's a rumor from Kotaku before E3. Before you say it, the rumor was on the money about it having an HDMI port and 25GB proprietary discs.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

So you want it to fail? Because if Nintendo ignores the existence of competition, it stands no chance at succeeding. The terrible economy makes that even dumber. Pricing it over $300 doesn't mean that it'll be next-gen in terms of power either. MS and Sony will outclass it, and they'll both have a $299 SKU. Nintendo can't expect anything more than Gamecube sales at $349. Hell, it would do even worse.

yeah Nintendo has a very long history of following competition :| wut?

WiiU will be $299-349 anything less is a letdown to me because it would mean a very weak hardware. I am not looking at WiiU to be part of the PS3/360 generation like most people do

I don't care if its outclassed in 2 years by newer better consoles what I do care about is that they don't give me some gimped crap because they are cutting price for 3DS mistakes.

I want a solid hardware I can enjoy and not feel insane for having one without any games like I did with my 3DS

I'm drawing the line at anything above $350 that is my cut off point, you points would make total sense if the WiiU came out at $399 I would not be buying at that point but I'll be fine with $350 if the hardware is solid. I see $249 only if the power is not that much better than PS3. (that is what I am afraid of, low powered hardware to match a lower price)

 

[Graphics Horse]

Kotaku's was one of the few legit reports, they also described the asymmetrical multiplayer stuff which I didn't believe at the time. It still sounds ridiculous to me

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

It's rumored to have 8GB, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the point I was making.

You have two $350 consoles. One says 8GB on the box, while the other says 320GB. What is the average consumer going to choose?

It's like you think people are totally incapable of realizing one is a current generation system and the other is next generation. By your logic, people would never upgrade their consoles because the previous gen will always have more games at a lower price. People won't buy a 320 GB system from this gen in favor of an 8 GB Wii U because they know the Wii U is going to get all the new games and the 360/PS3 are not (this is assuming that you're even right about 8 GB in the first place). No generation has ever launched with some need to compete with the previous generation and I see no reason why they should start. The Wii U will be competing with the PS4 and 720 and Nintendo will price their console with that in mind. The last worry they have is the MSRP of a system that is 7 years old.

Also, I'd have to laugh at anyone who expects to see the PS4 or 720 at $300. Sony and Microsoft might as well have been burning their money away with last gen's pricing of $400 and $600, and you suddenly expect them to launch, 6-7 years later, at a price point that is $100 lower for MS and $300 lower for Sony?

Edit- I'll go ahead and say it outright: if Sony and MS launch at a price point of $300, then Nintendo will have the strongest system next gen.

 

[Kenka]

Current gen consoles competing with Wii U at first is a fact, and you'd be insane to think that the next XBox or PlayStation would have $399 as their cheapest SKU.

It's a rumor from Kotaku before E3. Before you say it, the rumor was on the money about it having an HDMI port and 25GB proprietary discs.

Yes... but come on, we have had evidence since E3 that WiiU's graphical power exceeds the one of the HD mates, justifying some price difference. And I don't know why I would be insane, I never stepped in your conversation about pricing at first.

8 GB SSD cached for a 320 GB hard drive would be neat. If this happens, we could have some fast loading times for MMOs on WiiU. If understand also the topic, having a hardrive inside of your console gives it a lower-bound price, right ? Could anyone explain why ?

 

[phosphor112]

It's going to launch at $250.
I'm more sure of that now than ever.
They wouldn't have done so drastic a price drop on the 3DS otherwise.

Unless you expect it to be utter shit, you're delusional. Especially with these claims of 28nm, etc. This isn't Sony or MS who can subsidize their costs, they need to make at least a tiny profit margin upon release. I expect a 350 - 400 release cost.

 

[BurntPork]

yeah Nintendo has a very long history of following competition :| wut?

WiiU will be $299-349 anything less is a letdown to me because it would mean a very weak hardware. I am not looking at WiiU to be part of the PS3/360 generation like most people do

I don't care if its outclassed in 2 years by newer better consoles what I do care about is that they don't give me some gimped crap because they are cutting price for 3DS mistakes.

I want a solid hardware I can enjoy and not feel insane for having one without any games like I did with my 3DS

I'm drawing the line at anything above $350 that is my cut off point, you points would make total sense if the WiiU came out at $399 I would not be buying at that point but I'll be fine with $350 if the hardware is solid. I see $249 only if the power is not that much better than PS3. (that is what I am afraid of, low powered hardware to match a lower price)

It'll be $269 or $299, which is plenty for a powerful console. And Nintendo has a strong history of looking at the competition when it comes to price. The 3DS was the exception, not the rule.

And Sony and MS will not wait two years. At least one of them will be out by the end of 2013. PS3 is dying and MS will want to beat Sony to the market.

 

[BurntPork]

It's like you think people are totally incapable of realizing one is a current generation system and the other is next generation. By your logic, people would never upgrade their consoles because the previous gen will always have more games at a lower price. People won't buy a 320 GB system from this gen in favor of an 8 GB Wii U because they know the Wii U is going to get all the new games and the 360/PS3 are not (this is assuming that you're even right about 8 GB in the first place). No generation has ever launched with some need to compete with the previous generation and I see no reason why they should start. The Wii U will be competing with the PS4 and 720 and Nintendo will price their console with that in mind. The last worry they have is the MSRP of a system that is 7 years old.

Also, I'd have to laugh at anyone who expects to see the PS4 or 720 at $300. Sony and Microsoft might as well have been burning their money away with last gen's pricing of $400 and $600, and you suddenly expect them to launch, 6-7 years later, at a price point that is $100 lower for MS and $300 lower for Sony?

Edit- I'll go ahead and say it outright: if Sony and MS launch at a price point of $300, then Nintendo will have the strongest system next gen.

People expect a next-gen system to be better than a current gen system, so having 1/40th of the memory of current-gen systems will look bad no matter what at $350, and it'll look even worse against a 160GB PS4 at $350 that uses incredible CG tech demos and inflated polygon counts to fool people. In addition, mainstream gamers will assume that Wii U is weak because Wii was weak, and they won't even bother keeping up with it.

I'm talking about a low-end SKU at $300, not the main one. Did you forget about the core 360?

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

People expect a next-gen system to be better than a current gen system, so having 1/40th of the memory of current-gen systems will look bad no matter what at $350, and it'll look even worse against a 160GB PS4 at $350 that uses incredible CG tech demos and inflated polygon counts to fool people. In addition, mainstream gamers will assume that Wii U is weak because Wii was weak, and they won't even bother keeping up with it.

I'm talking about a low-end SKU at $300, not the main one. Did you forget about the core 360?

Your arguments rely too much on being certain how the future is going to play out for it to be debated with any sort of objectivity. How do you expect me to make any decent point when I'm suddenly expected to play along that there is definitely going to be a 160 GB PS4 at $350? Until you learn how to ground your arguments in a way that can be reasonably backed up instead of just fabricating the future to support them (since the present and past certainly don't) I think it would just be asinine to keep responding to you.

 

[BDGAME]

How WiiU can show that it is a “next gen” machine?

That’s a tough task to show something like that in current days. I remember that back in E3 a lot o people tell that the game footage showed of theWiiU is clearly inferior to what we see in Ps360. Later in that day we discovery that its footage IS from the Ps360 games. A lot about the hardware of WiiU was told and speculate, but the only thing we know for sure is that Nintendo will not tell anyone what kind of hardware WiiU have.

In the end, the only thing that left is the games and, like we can see, a lot of gamers will use your fan-goggles and will never see what this machine is capable or not. Look in a more easy way. In the previous generations, when we imagine how the next gen will look, we see the CGs and say: like that. But what expect in the next generation, when real time and CG is so close one of other? When top PC games, like Battlefield 3, receive a reasonable port to a 6 years old videogame?

Like I say, its look like a tough task and I can’t see how we can notice how powerful WiiU truly is.

 

[megashock5]

$ 299 or bust

That's where I am. That's been a sweet spot, historically (for launch, at least).

I'm not saying it's not worth more, but it's not worth more than that to me. I have 7 systems hooked up right now and plenty of games to play. I love getting caught up in the excitement of a hardware launch, but only if the price is right.

 

[BurntPork]

Your arguments rely too much on being certain how the future is going to play out for it to be debated with any sort of objectivity. How do you expect me to make any decent point when I'm suddenly expected to play along that there is definitely going to be a 160 GB PS4 at $350? Until you learn how to ground your arguments in a way that can be reasonably backed up instead of just fabricating the future to support your arguments (since the present and past certainly don't support them) I think it would just be asinine to keep responding to you.

Okay, how about this.

After the 3DS fiasco, Nintendo is afraid that people will assume that Wii U's price will be cut within six months (Iwata said something that strongly supports this), so it only makes sense that they would want to price it correctly at launch. Nintendo can't survive in the console space with just the core audience; they need casuals, and I don't think that casuals will buy a $350 console, especially in this economy. Both Sony and MS had to deal with very slow starts this gen, so it would be foolish to launch even higher than they did this gen, so $299 is a very likely target for the low-end SKU. You're implying that all three of them will ignore the state of the economy, and they deserve to fail if they're that stupid.

$269-299. It will be priced in that range, no matter how weak or powerful it is.It won't be a cent more, and if it is I won't buy it because it will flop.

 

[ZAK]

It's a rumor from Kotaku before E3. Before you say it, the rumor was on the money about it having an HDMI port and 25GB proprietary discs.

Wow, those were some tough calls, but they nailed 'em.

 

[phosphor112]

Wow, those were some tough calls, but they nailed 'em.

:lol

 

[BurntPork]

Wow, those were some tough calls, but they nailed 'em.

:lol

The 25GB disc was a tough call, knowing Nintendo, and the asymmetrical play style was a bit out there. They also correctly predicted that there wouldn't be a built in HDD.

 

[Jocchan]

The 25 GB disc was entirely to be expected from Nintendo. Using DVD9-like discs would have been insanely stupid.

 

[Luigiv]

The 25GB disc was a tough call

Hardly. It had to be either 9 or 25, and chances were favouring the latter given how DVD-9s continue to kick Microsoft in the ass.

 

[BurntPork]

The 25 GB disc was entirely to be expected from Nintendo. Using DVD9-like discs would have been insanely stupid.

Hardly. It had to be either 9 or 25, and chances were favouring the latter given how DVD-9s continue to kick Microsoft in the ass.

After N64 and GCN, would it really be shocking?

 

[Gravijah]

After N64 and GCN, would it really be shocking?

Yes, if Nintendo released a console in 2012 that used discs similar in size to DVDs, it would be shocking.