Damn no poll. Now I have to post.

Yes, the launch prices are perfect for what you are getting.

Not at launch.

PS: Prices in Europe are same as USD but in EUR.

I believe the price is right. The basic Wii U package is just $50 more expensive than the PS3 (the 160GB model) and it's the same price as the 360 (250GB model) and this is a new hardware (doesn't matter if it is more powerful or not) so people will jump in.

TROLOLOLOLOL!!!

Anyway back OT: what the hell kind of question is that in the headline?  How the hell is $299 the new $599?  Is the OP trying to say the Wii U is way overpriced or something?

Newsflash... some PS3 and 360 SKUs are STILL selling for $299 and up 6 and 7 years after their respective launches!  If anything, $299 is the new $199, which up until last gen was the common mass-market consumer price that most consoles sold for on average.

Yep probably right and crazy expensive. So 1/2 of the console (at a profit) is the gamepad. Surprised actually as I figured $80 max. Considering as its not even avail yet in NA and not mentioned in NA presentation, I'm thinking it may be cheaper when it actually comes out next year. Who knows, maybe they just didn't want to mention it and scare folks off.

Price is OK, can't see it having any issues due to that. I'm a bit worried about the tablet controllers though. We have any word on that already?

Actually, I heard Nintendo went back and grabbed some graphics from 2007.

OT: That seems like an extremely good price. But since pricing is all relative, it's going to depend on the cost of the PS4, and 720. And to a lesser extent, the PS3 and 360.

I think for the hardware that's involved, each tier should easily have cost $50 less. We were told a long time ago by Reggie that they were going to make a solid profit from day one. So taking into consideration the economic climate, and the fact that Nintendo is no doubt making more than $50 per console, I think the prices are unreasonable. They've even convinced the general public that their Wii U Game Pad costs a ton of money. But aside from being a normal controller, there's only a simple, single-touch screen on it, and a very low quality camera.  Things like NFC and internal microphones, etc., are not new technologies and are inexpensive to produce. The more people use the word 'tablet' to define it, the more others are convinced that there's actual built-in tablet hardware of some kind. I wouldn't doubt that the Wii U Game Pad costs them close to $50 to manufacture. And considering how easily those companies can profit off of peripherals, they can charge $100-$150 without flinching.

What if Nintendo is making $100 on their Premium model? It's not outside the realm of possibility. And does anyone really thing that Nintendo is looking out for the best interests of your wallet before those of their investors and shareholders? The people that realize and don't care are the same ones who have propelled Apple to be worth more than any company in the world. But I digress.

To address the title of this thread, the answer is no. $299 is absolutely not the new $599. Believe it or not, $599 was an incredible deal for what you were getting. Sony was losing around $200 per console sold. $299 for the Wii U, on the other hand, is not a deal, it represents an overpriced and overvalued product. I wish more people understood how relevant that comparison is instead of saying, "well, at least it's not $599"... How about instead seeing the truth of the matter and realizing, "you know, the PS3 was actually a much better deal than this".

Price is pretty good for a launch console. That tablet controller is outrageously expensive. If someone has to replace it for whatever reason. Better play COD and games that require pressing the thumbsticks down with the classic controller as they usually become loose over time.

Nintendo is obviously charging too much for this cardboard box.

They should fill it with 800 bux worth of parts and sell it for a 200 dolla loss to show how much they love us.