WiiU will sell better than Gamecube.

[Egann]

happydolphin said:

Egann said:

I said middle or low for a reason. The best conclusion I can come to is that the market "ideal" console is usually in the middle of the bell curve, but that marketing and the specifics of the generation can tweak the victor's specific placement. In the Playstation's case, Sony bet three times in a row on optical media technology and won the first two. Blu-Ray turned out to be kind of irrelevant against streaming media.

It's not like cost is the only factor behind power, either. Reputation is key, too. One of the key reasons developers are opting for the 3DS over the Vita is that Vita gamers expect high production values because it's the power system. Even though the 3DS is a rather powerful system, it has the low power reputation, so developers can take short-cuts.

These are fair points. My point stands that price is important, much like it was for all cases except the PS0ne and PS2 (which we both agree are exceptions because they added values like media-playback).

The U has one difference with other low-end devices, in that the padlet creates overhead cost. So even though the system is low-end, the console is still pricy. Another thing to keep in mind.

So for those reasons I believe the U needs to lower its price in order to ensure success. It also helps that the market Nintendo is aiming at generally buys into price-sensitive proposals.

Maybe, but so long as they remain cheapest, even if only by a hair, I don't see them changing anybody's minds. What would dropping to $250 do now besides put Nintendo in the red? Right now a price drop looks way too reactionary to Sony's price, and the lineup is really strong between now and next spring. Those titles alone are on par with the other console's launch libraries.

If the Wii U is loosing early launch advantage come Q1 2014, then's when I'd go for the price drop.