Wii U price won't repeat 'same mistake' as 3DS

"We won't make the same mistake that we did with the 3DS, which was considered relatively high by consumers," Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata promised investors.

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The 3DS had quite a troubled launch. A meager launch library and high $250 price point caused initial reaction to Nintendo's latest handheld to be quite tepid. The company quickly dropped the price on the system and implemented an "Ambassador" program for early adopters. While the system has significantly gained momentum in recent months, Nintendo is eager not to repeat the same mistakes of the 3DS with its upcoming Wii U console.

"We won't make the same mistake that we did with the 3DS, which was considered relatively high by consumers," Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata promised investors.

Nintendo has yet to announce a price on the upcoming console. However, how low can the hardware manufacturer go, especially as the company typically avoids losing money on hardware--a strategy employed by the other platform holders. In fact, many of Nintendo's current financial struggles were blamed on the low price of the 3DS. After the price drop, the company actually lost money on every unit sold. That's since been rectified, according to Iwata. "We've fixed the 3DS profitability issue and pledge to turn profitable by the end of this fiscal year."

Analysts are pegging a 30,000 yen price for the new console, according to Andriasang. That would roughly translate to a $300 launch price for the US.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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  • reply
    June 26, 2012 3:15 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Wii U price won't repeat 'same mistake' as 3DS.

    "We won't make the same mistake that we did with the 3DS, which was considered relatively high by consumers," Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata promised investors.

    • reply
      June 26, 2012 3:21 PM

      Poll: What price would the WiiU have to be for you to consider buying one.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 3:22 PM

        Free, with purchase of either the Playstation 4 or Xbox 720.

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        June 26, 2012 3:22 PM

        $300 and Monolith Soft needs to announce Xenoblade 2 or similar game before I'll even consider one.

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          June 26, 2012 3:25 PM

          More like $200 and Xenoblade 2 as a launch title.

          Given how late Xenoblade finally came out in the Wii's life, I see no point in going for the WiiU until the sequel (or something else equally awesome by them) is actually released. I got my Wii to play Xenoblade on for $75.

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            June 26, 2012 5:30 PM

            Xenoblade 2 would be an instant buy for myself as well.

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              June 26, 2012 9:16 PM

              [deleted]

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                June 27, 2012 7:39 AM

                Like I said, it doesn't have to be "Xenoblade 2". What was compelling about the game wasn't the story alone. The massive expanses, the solid, strategic combat, the music and lots of little details in the world with plenty of reason to explore made it a fantastic title.

                They could do another game related to Xenoblade and it'd probably be awesome, but another game that was as good and had nothing to do with Xenoblade would also be good.

                Basically, a Monolith Soft title would sell me on the WiiU...and not much else would.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 3:24 PM

        $49.

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        June 26, 2012 3:26 PM

        $150

      • Ebu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        June 26, 2012 3:38 PM

        $99.99 and I might.
        Even $149 and I will pass on it. I'm not at all hyped for it, the Wii I bought got maybe 20 hours of use total, so unless it's THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY I'll be holding off.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 3:48 PM

        When there's a good selection of released games I will buy it. I'm sure they're not going to price it a penny more than $300.

        I listened to the haters and held off getting a Wii until really late. But when I got it, I realized people don't know what the fuck they're talking about. It's a great system and well worth the $150 I paid for it.

        Not going to make the same mistake again. Haters gonna hate but Nintendo knows how to make a quality product and I'm sorry I doubted them.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 4:00 PM

        350 if there's a good pack-in.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 4:02 PM

        $200

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 4:08 PM

        Z$100

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 4:10 PM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 4:11 PM

        299$ and Nintendo would need to announce a new Metroid in the style of either the Prime series or the classic side scrollers and developed by Retro, and openly apologize for Other M and say that it can officially be considered retconned.

        other than that, i seriously doubt i will be bothering with the Wii U. if it has some compelling games, ill wait until i can get one used for ~100$ with a couple games. they would have to be pretty extraordinarily compelling though.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 5:03 PM

        Depends on the games. If Wii is any indication of the direction they'll take Wii-U, I'd say $150. I still regret the money I spent on Wii at launch.

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        June 26, 2012 5:37 PM

        Whatever. Loved what I played at E3

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 6:15 PM

        We'll see what the launch titles are. I don't see it selling for less than $299 regardless, which I would probably pay since i'm a sucker for new toys.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 8:24 PM

        I'm basically buying one. At launch if it's $350 or less, but I'd hope for $250 - $299.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 8:28 PM

        $250 or less

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 8:33 PM

        It would have to be about $20 because I'm just not interested right now. I'd rather save that money (and valuable space on my entertainment unit) for the next MS console.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 9:09 PM

        $299 +/- $50 depending on their launch lineup.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 9:51 PM

        250 if Pikmin and that Platinum Games project is all they have at launch. 300 if there are some other must-haves.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 10:47 PM

        All of my money if the new SSB actually good.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 11:02 PM

        Well I'm not actually buying it for the Wii U so much as for the Wii.

        I want to play the last few Zelda and Metroid games, and a few other things, pretty badly but I don't see any reason to pay 150$ for a Wii when the Wii U is about to come out and will be backward compatible.

        So if you ask me "Would you pay 300$ for a Wii" I'd say no and if you ask me if I'd pay 300$ for a Wii U if I had already played all the stuff I want to play for Wii, I'd say no. But since buying a Wii U also encompasses a lot of other gaming that I've missed out on that I think I'll enjoy, then suddenly the Wii U becomes an easy buy for me at 300$.

      • reply
        June 27, 2012 1:10 AM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        June 27, 2012 1:11 AM

        150

      • reply
        June 27, 2012 3:47 AM

        Does it upscale Wii games?

      • reply
        June 27, 2012 7:29 AM

        $99.99 (not joking)

      • reply
        June 27, 2012 7:36 AM

        $200 at the most.

      • reply
        June 27, 2012 7:42 AM

        I don't plan on buying one but $249 or $299 seem more realistic

      • reply
        June 27, 2012 7:48 AM

        under $300.

    • reply
      June 26, 2012 3:42 PM

      $250, only because I can feel that the price for the Game Pad is going to hurt...a lot.

    • reply
      June 26, 2012 3:44 PM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 3:47 PM

        also a pony

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 4:17 PM

        lol. You say that, and then you'll turn around and buy an Xbox 720 for $399 with just a couple shitty rehashed dudebro shooters at launch.

        I think it's incredibly clear a lot of people just have a grudge against Nintendo. Still butthurt that Nintendo didn't commit suicide by making the "GameCube HD" that core gamers claim they should have made instead of the Wii.

        • reply
          June 26, 2012 4:25 PM

          he will buy the 720 because he can be guaranteed that there will be plenty of third party games, along with the obvious halo's and DUDEBRO McMANLY FISTBUMPPPPPERRRRRRRR AMERICA FUCKYES!!!!!! titles.

          at best, all anyone can be sure of with a nintendo console is that there will, at some point a good zelda (maybe 2), a mario with a fairly high chance at good quality, and a crapshoot metroid (have i mentioned how much i hate MOTHERM?)

          nintendo can promise all they want about third parties. they have done so before, and failed to deliver.

          • reply
            June 26, 2012 4:37 PM

            What does MS offer besides Halo and Gears that I can't get on a Sony console or a PC?

            • reply
              June 26, 2012 4:39 PM

              [deleted]

              • reply
                June 26, 2012 4:46 PM

                ??? It's a good question. Xbox 360's exclusives are absolutely laughable compared to the selection on PS3. And nearly all the 360 game are on PC.

                • reply
                  June 26, 2012 5:00 PM

                  [deleted]

                  • reply
                    June 26, 2012 5:20 PM

                    lol. The Xbox exclusives consist of Halo, Gears, and Fable. That's it, man. The fact that my pointing that out makes you upset doesn't mean it's any less true.

                    The Wii doesn't have much processing power, and the third-party selection is meager, but at least it offers something interesting and different that I can't get on my PC. The Wii U will continue this role.

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                      June 26, 2012 5:23 PM

                      actually wait, Fable 2 is the only Fable not on PC. Halo and Gears then.

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                        June 26, 2012 5:34 PM

                        [deleted]

                        • reply
                          June 26, 2012 5:36 PM

                          There's a million fantastic games on Xbox 360, many of which are more polished than the PS3 version. I was talking about the 360's lack of games that are unavailable on any other platform, AKA "exclusives".

                    • reply
                      June 26, 2012 6:19 PM

                      Forza bro. The xbox is worth Forza alone for me.

                    • reply
                      June 27, 2012 3:25 AM

                      Crackdown

                  • reply
                    June 26, 2012 8:48 PM

                    My 360 smells perfectly fine.

                  • reply
                    June 27, 2012 3:21 AM

                    I didn't read that from his post at all. Personally I bought the 360 for Halo, which I would never of gotten if they'd have released it on PC. I play most FPS on PC where I can get the resolution and controls of my choice. So, what's left to draw me to the XBOX? Oh yeah Trials HD, and Evolution.

                    I've gotten way more use out of my PS3 thanks to Demon/Dark Souls, the God of War series and Uncharted. Hell even early on there was the awesome convoluted mess of Metal Gear!

                    • reply
                      June 27, 2012 9:50 AM

                      I loved Halo 1 on PC, both SP and MP, but to me I couldn't justify getting a 360 just for that one series. Especially given that I'd have to play it with a gamepad which really would diminish the experience for me.

                      I have nothing against the Halo games. Gears doesn't interest me, but I'm hardly the vehement Xbox hater that some people here are painting me as.

                • reply
                  June 26, 2012 5:38 PM

                  if you prioritize multiplayer on a console, you pick an Xbox 360 -- that's just all there is to it. much better execution and more distinct titles that suit it (Halo and GOW do count here).

                  the PS3 is a dandy console, but the multiplayer attitude is scattershot, and the online titles beyond the usual Call of Duty fare are a bit rough. who's really a hardcore Killzone fan?

                  • reply
                    June 27, 2012 7:32 AM

                    I really like Killzone, then again, I really dislike online games for the most part - so if you like a solid single player game with a good story - the PS3 seems to win there in my opinion :/

                • reply
                  June 27, 2012 7:31 AM

                  100%, the PS3 exclusives seem to have gotten stronger in the past 18 months than ever - while the 360's "great games" either made it to PC or PS3 eventually and what few solid exclusives they have left are few and far between

                  If you actively dislike Halo and Gears like I do - Fable turned to shit - you're left with one game. Forza :/
                  Sold my 360 3 months ago - my PS3 though wow, Journey coming out on disc and Okami HD soon too, fuck that thing is a powerhouse of awesome :)

          • reply
            June 26, 2012 5:31 PM

            i am not sure how this turned into a hate on MS thread, i thought we were hating on nintendo. i cannot multitask my hatred :(

        • reply
          June 26, 2012 4:48 PM

          [deleted]

          • reply
            June 26, 2012 5:02 PM

            Boy, I sure do hope all those games are available to me on the Wii U. I don't know what I'd do if I had to play them on my 360, PS3, or PC.

        • reply
          June 26, 2012 11:06 PM

          [deleted]

    • reply
      June 26, 2012 3:47 PM

      What does that mean? The 3DS was priced high out of necessity to maintain a non $0 profit per device, not to gouge people. Now it's selling at a loss, subsidized by software sales, the model Nintendo has tried to avoid in recent generations. If we were talking about dropping the 3DS margins from 40% to 20% then it's easy to say "sure Nintendo, good plan" but that's not what happened. If the Wii U needs to be $400+ with just one tablet controller and one wiimote to not take a per unit loss are they just going to eat that cost and try to make it up on software and additional controller sales? That's not the model that made them millions with the Wii.

    • reply
      June 26, 2012 3:50 PM

      $300, but Nintendo has yet to show me why I need this console over the Wii I already own. I have no idea what games are coming out for it.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 3:58 PM

        Because the Wii looks like ass on modern TVs, and the multiplayer is non-existent.

        • reply
          June 26, 2012 4:11 PM

          Wait there planning on fixing the non-existent multiplayer!? Just get rid of the friend codes and they might have a chance at making a decent system.

          • reply
            June 27, 2012 7:26 AM

            IIRC they're using something similar to the 3DS's system, which is about a bazillion times better than the Wii's.

        • reply
          June 26, 2012 9:12 PM

          Don't console graphics look like ass in general?

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 4:10 PM

        All the usual franchises are going to end up on it of course, and I'm sure Ninty is cooking up some nice surprises too. Once they give us a real taste of glorious HD Zelda people are going to want it bad.

        Give it a couple years to hit its stride. Unless it really just crashes and burns, you know Nintendo is going to end up making some top-level games for this thing.

    • reply
      June 26, 2012 3:55 PM

      $250 if they have good launch titles, $200 if they don't. Probably won't buy it anyway, because I can't think of a single Wii game I want to play, except Muscle March.

      • reply
        June 26, 2012 5:33 PM

        If you like rpgs, Xenoblade is a must have.

    • reply
      June 26, 2012 4:02 PM

      $200 if they want some decent lines.

      $400 if they want to make sure that the touch screen device is highly desirable. sorta like the PS3 pricing.

    • reply
      June 26, 2012 5:56 PM

      Since it's a current gen console it can't get away with much more than $250-300

      This has Dreamcast written all over it :(

    • reply
      June 26, 2012 8:38 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 26, 2012 11:19 PM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        June 27, 2012 12:25 AM

        It's an iPad addon for your Wii trololololol

    • reply
      July 3, 2012 11:55 AM

      According to the article "30,000 yen.. would roughly translate to a $300 launch price." This is simply not true. The days of 100 yen per dollar are long gone (but not forgotten and definitely missed). At current exchange rates, 30,000 yen is more like $375.

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