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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Nintendo still selling Wii U at a loss

g911turbo on 09 August 2013
ethomaz said:

g911turbo said:

I'm going to have to pull my "you're a crack head" card here, because that's rediculous.  What is the difference between the Wii U controller and a standard Xbox 360 controller?  The screen and the Wifi Direct chip?

MAX of 50 combined.  I (me, not a company) can buy 500 pieces of a 7" display with touch for $40.  The 6.2" size is very popular in car stereo/gps, so Nintendo isn't paying more than 30 for the display even at their volumes, and 20 for the wifi direct chip (I USED TO WORK FOR BROADCOM)


Those are pessimistic numbers.  So if a 360 controller cost 30+50 adder, you're looking at 80 cost.  Again, pessimistic.  Still expensive, but 150 is rediculous dude.

And Nintendo support charges you $140 do replace (yeah you need to send the old one).

And no... it is not only a touch screen... there a lot more expensives parts in this device.

I listed the parts.  Touchscreen/LCD + WiFi direct (and actually, this chip displaces the normal RF chip in the controller, so there is some buy back there).  Name me the rest.

Also, the only reason they are not selling this controller on open retail is because every system comes with one and you don't need a second pad for anything yet.  That and no need to supply constrain (funny in hindsight).  You don't want pissed off consumers buying one for nothing, or worse, standard Wii customers buying one thinking that it is an upgrade to the Wii U.  All the more reason for the core exchange.  The last thing Nintendo needs is [more] bad PR/confusion.

Finally, Nintendo is going to make money on replacement controllers just as they would anything else.  The fact that it is priced at $140 actually lends more credibility to my estimate of $80 (conservative worst case scenario, might even be lower).



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ethomaz on 09 August 2013

g911turbo said:

I listed the parts.  Touchscreen/LCD + WiFi direct (and actually, this chip displaces the normal RF chip in the controller, so there is some buy back there).  Name me the rest.

Also, the only reason they are not selling this controller on open retail is because every system comes with one and you don't need a second pad for anything yet.  That and no need to supply constrain (funny in hindsight).  You don't want pissed off consumers buying one for nothing, or worse, standard Wii customers buying one thinking that it is an upgrade to the Wii U.  All the more reason for the core exchange.  The last thing Nintendo needs is [more] bad PR/confusion.

Finally, Nintendo is going to make money on replacement controllers just as they would anything else.  The fact that it is priced at $140 actually lends more credibility to my estimate of $80 (conservative worst case scenario, might even be lower).

They just don't loose money with $140 replace is because they receive the bad/old...

The GamePad is expensive... that's already know... the Wii U itself is a weak and cheaper machine... ~$200 cost for all the system... the issue is the GamePad that add at least $150 to the machine.

The GamePad is what make Nintendo loose money with Wii U.

Wii U GamePad parts:

  • 2x NFC module and antenna (each with Broadcom BCM20792 KMLG NFC + T130 MsEU crystal oscillator)
  • Dual-antenna wireless module and antenna (Broadcom BCM4319XKUBG - new system co-develop with Nintendo)
  • Front of motherboard: STMicroelectronics UIC-WUP MCE GH226, STMicroelectronics MSA3D 01F and Texas Instruments TSC 2046I Low Voltage I/O Touch Screen Controller
  • Back of motherboard: InvenSense ITG-3280 Gyroscope, Micron 25Q256A 256 Mb Serial Flash, DRC-WUP 811309J31 1217LU603, Texas Instruments AIC3012 Audio Converter, Texas Instruments 1010007
  • 6.2-inch touch screen display (Phillips) *  LCD and digitizer fused together, cost increased
  • Microphone and remaining speaker
  • 3.7 V, 1500 mAh Battery

I think I listed everything inside the Wii U GamePad.



g911turbo on 09 August 2013
ethomaz said:

g911turbo said:

They just don't loose money with $140 replace is because they receive the bad/old...

The GamePad is expensive... that's already know... the Wii U itself is a weak and cheaper machine... ~$200 cost for all the system... the issue is the GamePad that add at least $150 to the machine.

The GamePad is what make Nintendo loose money with Wii U.

Wii U GamePad parts:

  • 2x NFC module and antenna (each with Broadcom BCM20792 KMLG NFC + T130 MsEU crystal oscillator)
  • Dual-antenna wireless module and antenna (Broadcom BCM4319XKUBG - new system co-develop with Nintendo)
  • Front of motherboard: STMicroelectronics UIC-WUP MCE GH226, STMicroelectronics MSA3D 01F and Texas Instruments TSC 2046I Low Voltage I/O Touch Screen Controller
  • Back of motherboard: InvenSense ITG-3280 Gyroscope, Micron 25Q256A 256 Mb Serial Flash, DRC-WUP 811309J31 1217LU603, Texas Instruments AIC3012 Audio Converter, Texas Instruments 1010007
  • 6.2-inch touch screen display (Phillips) *  LCD and digitizer fused together, cost increased
  • Microphone and remaining speaker
  • 3.7 V, 1500 mAh Battery

I think I listed everything inside the Wii U GamePad.

I already explained why they do the core exchange.  They don't want people buying these controllers as add-ons to the Wii or to have two per Wii U.  This helps curb that, AND they can then fix and resell that controller. 

Most of those parts listed are included, as an example, in the PS4 controller.  Gyro, audio controller, osciallators, battery, etc.  The DIFFERENCE is the touchscreen interface chip/LCD and broadcom chip.

Also, now you're saying the gamepad adds 150 to the cost of the machine, but at first you were saying it cost 150 for nintendo to make.  



ethomaz on 09 August 2013

g911turbo said:


I already explained why they do the core exchange.  They don't want people buying these controllers as add-ons to the Wii or to have two per Wii U.  This helps curb that, AND they can then fix and resell that controller.

Most of those parts listed are included, as an example, in the PS4 controller.  Gyro, audio controller, osciallators, battery, etc.  The DIFFERENCE is the touchscreen interface chip/LCD and broadcom chip.

Also, now you're saying the gamepad adds 150 to the cost of the machine, but at first you were saying it cost 150 for nintendo to make.

Cost = manufacture cost... not the price point.

The Wii U + GamePad BOM is over ~$300... so Nintendo is having loss at each unit of console sold... the Wii U console have a ~$200 and the GamePad over $100 for sure.

The GamePad is really expensive.



Jay520 on 09 August 2013

Finally some good news for the low Wii U sales!