Nah, $300/$350 isn't as bad as $599, but it's still a bit more expensive than I believe it should be. I think it should have been $250 for the regular, $300 for the deluxe, but an extra $50 isn't the end of the world IMO. Now If the console was $400 THEN it would be equally catasrophic to Sony's $599USD. But if you put it into perspective, you can get a brand new console, with its new gamepad, for only $50 more than the 6 year old PS3, which is weaker, and does not have a tablet controller. Plus, many people won't have to buy extra controllers, as the console supports Wiimotes, which many already own.

The price is right within the range that I predicted ($250-$350), though I was hoping it would be on the lower end of that range, not the higher end. I will still probably fork out $350 for the deluxe Wii U, but I am none too pleased about it, and I will probably only get 3 games with it to start instead of the 4-5 I originally planned. While I wouldn't exactly call the price "too high," it's dangerously close to that. Now, if the graphics are better than I am expecting, the controller impresses me, and NSMB U and Pikmin blow me away, I might take that statement back.

This was not posted here yet? Should be on OP. As you see, Wii U is not expesive at all.

Ordered by price:

If you think 1000$ is cheap for a console then... Yes. 

I'm not saying the PS3 was 1000$. You're saying It was cheap, though, in comparison to other consoles. (AKA the 1000$ ones) Right?

Kind of shows how gaming is actually cheaper nowadays than the 1980s and 1990s. When you take out inflation though, PS3 becomes the 3rd most expensive console ever!

Some interesting stuff:

• NES (launched roughly 30 years ago) is still Nintendo's MOST EXPENSIVE console ever! Yet it's still cheaper than all Sony consoles bar PS2.
• Nintendo's GC is the CHEAPEST console ever! Dreamcast is 2nd (WOW it was that cheap!!!), Wii is 3rd cheapest, and Wii U will be 6th cheapest.
• Only ONE console from the BIG 3 (PS3) is in the TOP 10 most expensive systems.
• 6 of the 10 LEAST EXPENSIVE consoles are from the BIG 3, all but the X360 (considered expensive) are Nintendo consoles, and none are from Sony.

Another thing to note. Wii, and Wii U increases from their previous gens, and the huge PS3 increase from the PS2 are breaking the general trend (bar a few exceptional consoles ala Saturn) of decreasing hardware costs each gen. That coupled with increasing software prices (50$ ---> 60$ during the past decade) could indicate that prices are rising faster than inflation... In other words, gaming is getting expensive again :/