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Forums - Sales Discussion - BBC Reports: Nintendo profit concern over currency market gyrations

Nintendo is doomed! They are losing profit!



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Is Nintendo going to raise the price of the Wii again?

Here in the UK, when the £ fell Nintendo increased the price of the Wii from £180 ($265) to £200 ($295)




Really, this is terrible for Nintendo! Their huge profits they gain in Europe are going to be destroyed by fluctuations in the Euro.

Sony, OTOH, couldn't be better. If I'm doing my math right, the massive amount of money Sony is losing on the PS3 should be reduced by these very same fluctuations!



Wii has more 20 million sellers than PS3 has 5 million sellers.

Acolyte of Disruption

sethnintendo said:

If Nintendo is taking a hit then Sony is definitely taking a hit in profits due to currencies fluctuation.  Europe isn't looking too hot right now and they need to get their act together.  The euro is looking pretty weak now compared to what it used to be.  If the dollar stays strong/strengthens more then this should help both companies for USA region.  Anyways, the whole global economy is in a rut and I don't see it getting too much better for certain regions anytime soon.  USA is still way off from recovering and Europe is even further.

I agree. The thing is it works both ways. Nintendo, Sony and MS did well when the euro was strong which resulted in good revenues. They must take the rough times with the smooth. The truth is the euro is still better than it was a few years ago (2006/2007) but it's rapid rise after disguises this fact.

 

  The dollar is in a better position at the moment but in this volatile economic environment there is no guarantee that it wont nosedive in the foreseeable future (depending on which "expert" you believe).



kowenicki said:
justinian said:
sethnintendo said:

If Nintendo is taking a hit then Sony is definitely taking a hit in profits due to currencies fluctuation.  Europe isn't looking too hot right now and they need to get their act together.  The euro is looking pretty weak now compared to what it used to be.  If the dollar stays strong/strengthens more then this should help both companies for USA region.  Anyways, the whole global economy is in a rut and I don't see it getting too much better for certain regions anytime soon.  USA is still way off from recovering and Europe is even further.

I agree. The thing is it works both ways. Nintendo, Sony and MS did well when the euro was strong which resulted in good revenues. They must take the rough times with the smooth. The truth is the euro is still better than it was a few years ago (2006/2007) but it's rapid rise after disguises this fact.

 

  The dollar is in a better position at the moment but in this volatile economic environment there is no guarantee that it wont nosedive in the foreseeable future (depending on which "expert" you believe).

Thats incorrect.... the Euro recently reached an 8 year record low against the Yen and a 4 year low against the Dollar

Yes, you are right, actually it has reached a NINE YEAR low against the yen.

I was comparing it against the dollar so 2006 is indeed four years.

The US$ is the currency other currencies are measure against so forgive me for ignoring the yen.

In this case it would have made sense for me to consider the yen as the discussion was about yen/euro so you can hold me guilty of that.



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Well, Nintendo failed to diversify their cost base. They could be producing in Germany and having some sourcing contracts in Euro and then wouldnt have that problem.

Nintendo failed. Like always.



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Nintendo survived the 1990s economy of Japan, I surmise they will survive an extended downturn of 5 that was officially recognized by the US Federal Government in mid-September 2008. If anyone is to fail or leave the videogame market, I would place my bets on Sony due to the spectacular failure of the PS3 in comparison to the PS2 and the very point that Sony is showing a tendency to invest in the cutting edge technologies for their consoles effectively pricing themselves out of most consumers as evidenced by the PS3 having an entry level price of $400 from 2006 until early 2009.

Any economics majors here who can correct me?

If a country's currency devalues then the local market will have a hard time buying products because they are paying more or the same, while having less disposable income to spend on nonessential luxury goods such as videogames. Conversely, a devalued currency makes exports cheaper (see China) because US based multinationals can get more for less meaning it is cheaper for them to set up Nike factories because their dollar gets a lot more in a country with a devalued currency.

In Japan's case, Japan, and I would suspect Nintendo, imports all the raw and manufactured products it uses to physically create Wiis and DS handhelds. Henceforth, with the Yen devaluing, the production costs for Nintendo will skyrocket forcing Nintendo to charge more their product in overseas markets.

Conversely, a highly valued currency is a sign that the local market is doing well, thus you have more local consumers purchasing your product. A highly valued yen for Nintendo would result in lower manufacturing costs, thus cheaper consumer prices overseas. On the negative, countries with highly valued currencies tend to scare away multinational manufacturers because workers are more expensive and countries with highly valued currencies tend to have strict labor laws regarding a 40 hour work week, limited  child labor, unionization, and on.