give it for free.
put the prices of mk8 and ssb 150$ each.
and DLC the characters, minitransations, and paid online...

Mario Kart and Smash Bros should remedy the software issue. The problem then becomes getting parents to buy it for their kids, and parents are less willing to plonk down $299 than a hardcore gamer is.

You can actually get the Wii U here in Ireland for just €198.

http://www.harveynorman.ie/gaming/gaming-consoles/wii/nintendo-wii-u-console.html

It's been at that sale price for a while.

Gamecube moved better than WiiU though because they could afford to keep the price low without incurring huge losses.  And when you move more consoles, you move more software.

I absolutely agree with the OP.  $199 without a game, $249 bundled with a hit game (DKC, Mario Kart, Smash, etc).  And without posting another loss come "earnings report time" next year, there's only one way they're going to be able to manage those prices...

Obviously I do think a price drop would help, but I think the problems Wii U is experiencing are more than just a price problem. It is a branding and a marketing problem. Namely, the Wii name is hurting it. Current and past Wii owners don't see it as a reasonable upgrade. Part of that reason is price, but more of it is there is no reason to upgrade. As Nintendo said in their financial report, the tablet controller is hurting the system right now because it is coming off as unnecessary to the consumer.

Nintendo needs to fix the image of the system first. Price drop will obviously increase sales to those who are interested but can't afford and for consumers that go for bargain systems. But if the system is to sell better as a whole, Nintendo needs to convince Wii owners to buy into the Wii U... pun intended. I expect them to address this at E3, but I really hope that it isn't too late to change that image.

Other than simply not being a huge casual craze, I think the main problems Wii U has are a combination games/price/advertising. 2013 was barren of Nintendo games until the last quarter which saw a few high quality releases and the first half of this year only has 2. $299 is simply to high for Wii U to sell well with its current software output. Also they havent really had much advertising outside of launch and during the holidays.

Price it at $199, have 2 solid exclusives per quarter, and advertise consistantly throughout the year. Do these 3 things and I think Wii U will sell much better. It wont dominate or anything like that but it could push it to GC/N64 levels which it currently is trailing behind by a significant margin.

This generation can't end quickly enough for Nintendo. A total disaster on the console front.

The Wii U needs more GAMES to get the hardware to sell. The price is not the issue at the moment.

Price is an issue i feel, people like Mario and theres 2 mario games, weve just had 2 gens of super cheap Nintendo hardware, Sub $199 should always of been Nintendos plan.

Redesign a cheaper-to-manufacture Gamepad (slimmed down smaller version), and use the advantage of the lower Gamepad manufacturing costs to lower the price of the console box. $249.99 + bundled game (Mario Kart or Smash) = win!

inb4priceisstilltooexpensivecomparedtothecompetition Lol....