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Forums - Gaming - Nintendo needs to drop WiiU's price soon and here's why

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oniyide on 04 July 2013
TheLastStarFighter said:
The problem with the OP is that this fall no one is going to buy the Wii U instead of the PS4 and vice-versa. They are definitely competitors for consumer dollars, but not until 2014. This fall every PS4 (and XBOne) is going to be gobbled up by rabbid fanboys and tech heads who need the latest thing. Sony won't be able to make enough of them... just like the Wii U last Christmas. Once that surge is done, the real demand will be revealed and the battle for the lucrative mass-market will begin. At that point the mainstream buyer will be cross-shopping consoles and price will be a major factor. This is why I would expect a price drop in spring 2014 to coincide with the MarioKart release.

There are other flaws with the OP, but that's mostly just natural bias that comes with being King of Playstation. PS4 is not the cheapest Playstation because it is the first with an annual fee. PS4 doesn't have more games, and it isn't better looking. History also shows that general consumers won't pay more for more power. They will pay more for more perceived value, but microchips inside don't deliver that. The touchscreen is about as likely to make something seem high end as the processors. There is something to be said for the Sony brand name, but the Wii/PS3 debacle shows that the public can be convinced anything is worth more if it catches their imagination.

There is potential for a fall Wii U price drop, but it has nothing to do with what will be a sold-out PS4. It's the battle the Wii U is fighting with itself. If Nintendo finds that consumers will not pay $299-$349 for one of their consoles no matter what, they may need to drop the price. They may need to do this to move units because they simply aren't selling, but not because people are buying PS4s instead. 2014 is when the console war will begin in earnest, but Nintendo desperately needs to build an install base this fall if they hope to have any 3rd party support and more importantly any market traction. People buy what their friends have, and if no one has Wii U's by 2014 it will be a hard pitch to get them to start then when PS4s and XBOnes are readily available. I could see a desperation price cut to $275-$299 for Deluxe Wii U's if sales aren't improving, but if sale volume is moderate I would expect Wii U to get its price drop in the spring.


im sorry but i dont know where you live, but where i was at, there were plenty of Wii Us. PLENTY, it was never sold out, and there was never any indication that Ninty couldnt make enough of them, think you are accusing it for Wii



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AnthonyW86 on 04 July 2013
Zero999 said:
S.T.A.G.E. said:


One model of the Wii U is $100 cheaper but the one that gives more space has a $50 differential to the PS4. Onlookers will look at both and bypass Nintendo this holiday season. They've been doing it with the PS3 and 360 while those are essentially the same price. This means the average consumer doesn't see the Wii U as next gen.

give up already. wii u is the cheapest 8th gen option and the average consumer will favour it. and you can bet the ps360 will easily outsell the ps4/xone for a while.

Can't you go play somewhere else? This is getting kind of old. You know that when almost everyone say's the exact opposite of what you say it could actually mean you're wrong?



S.T.A.G.E. on 04 July 2013
Zero999 said:
S.T.A.G.E. said:


One model of the Wii U is $100 cheaper but the one that gives more space has a $50 differential to the PS4. Onlookers will look at both and bypass Nintendo this holiday season. They've been doing it with the PS3 and 360 while those are essentially the same price. This means the average consumer doesn't see the Wii U as next gen.

give up already. wii u is the cheapest 8th gen option and the average consumer will favour it. and you can bet the ps360 will easily outsell the ps4/xone for a while.

The Wii U is the cheapest 8th generation offering but the average consumer cannot differentiate it from 7th generation offerings. Its obvious from the sales.



TruckOSaurus on 04 July 2013

Any price cut HAS TO come along with strong software. If it doesn't, it's just Nintendo loosing money for very little gain in sales.



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TheLastStarFighter on 04 July 2013
oniyide said:
TheLastStarFighter said:
The problem with the OP is that this fall no one is going to buy the Wii U instead of the PS4 and vice-versa. They are definitely competitors for consumer dollars, but not until 2014. This fall every PS4 (and XBOne) is going to be gobbled up by rabbid fanboys and tech heads who need the latest thing. Sony won't be able to make enough of them... just like the Wii U last Christmas. Once that surge is done, the real demand will be revealed and the battle for the lucrative mass-market will begin. At that point the mainstream buyer will be cross-shopping consoles and price will be a major factor. This is why I would expect a price drop in spring 2014 to coincide with the MarioKart release.

There are other flaws with the OP, but that's mostly just natural bias that comes with being King of Playstation. PS4 is not the cheapest Playstation because it is the first with an annual fee. PS4 doesn't have more games, and it isn't better looking. History also shows that general consumers won't pay more for more power. They will pay more for more perceived value, but microchips inside don't deliver that. The touchscreen is about as likely to make something seem high end as the processors. There is something to be said for the Sony brand name, but the Wii/PS3 debacle shows that the public can be convinced anything is worth more if it catches their imagination.

There is potential for a fall Wii U price drop, but it has nothing to do with what will be a sold-out PS4. It's the battle the Wii U is fighting with itself. If Nintendo finds that consumers will not pay $299-$349 for one of their consoles no matter what, they may need to drop the price. They may need to do this to move units because they simply aren't selling, but not because people are buying PS4s instead. 2014 is when the console war will begin in earnest, but Nintendo desperately needs to build an install base this fall if they hope to have any 3rd party support and more importantly any market traction. People buy what their friends have, and if no one has Wii U's by 2014 it will be a hard pitch to get them to start then when PS4s and XBOnes are readily available. I could see a desperation price cut to $275-$299 for Deluxe Wii U's if sales aren't improving, but if sale volume is moderate I would expect Wii U to get its price drop in the spring.


im sorry but i dont know where you live, but where i was at, there were plenty of Wii Us. PLENTY, it was never sold out, and there was never any indication that Ninty couldnt make enough of them, think you are accusing it for Wii

No, Wii U sold at about 88% of Wii sales through Christmas.  Wii was sold at Nintendo's maximum capacity, so Wii U were just under that.  It doesn't matter where you or I live, Wii U sold through its shipments.  There weren't people fighting to get a unit, but if you saw one at a store, it probably wasn't the same one you saw there next week.  It was only after Christmas that the stock began too stagnate.

This will be the same for PS4 and XBOne.



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S.T.A.G.E. on 04 July 2013
TheLastStarFighter said:
oniyide said:
T


im sorry but i dont know where you live, but where i was at, there were plenty of Wii Us. PLENTY, it was never sold out, and there was never any indication that Ninty couldnt make enough of them, think you are accusing it for Wii

No, Wii U sold at about 88% of Wii sales through Christmas.  Wii was sold at Nintendo's maximum capacity, so Wii U were just under that.  It doesn't matter where you or I live, Wii U sold through its shipments.  There weren't people fighting to get a unit, but if you saw one at a store, it probably wasn't the same one you saw there next week.  It was only after Christmas that the stock began too stagnate.

This will be the same for PS4 and XBOne.


The Wii U sold very strong because it was a launch window. They will all have strong launch windows, but the PS4 will sell strongerer than its competition overtime because of a superior software window to balance out the initial sales and a fair market price for the tech inside of it. The third party titles that cannot be attained on current gen consoles will be secondary selling point for the new consoles. 



TheLastStarFighter on 04 July 2013
S.T.A.G.E. said:
TheLastStarFighter said:
oniyide said:
T


im sorry but i dont know where you live, but where i was at, there were plenty of Wii Us. PLENTY, it was never sold out, and there was never any indication that Ninty couldnt make enough of them, think you are accusing it for Wii

No, Wii U sold at about 88% of Wii sales through Christmas.  Wii was sold at Nintendo's maximum capacity, so Wii U were just under that.  It doesn't matter where you or I live, Wii U sold through its shipments.  There weren't people fighting to get a unit, but if you saw one at a store, it probably wasn't the same one you saw there next week.  It was only after Christmas that the stock began too stagnate.

This will be the same for PS4 and XBOne.


The Wii U sold very strong because it was a launch window. They will all have strong launch windows, but the PS4 will sell strongerer than its competition overtime because of a superior software window to balance out the initial sales and a fair market price for the tech inside of it. The third party titles that cannot be attained on current gen consoles will be secondary selling point for the new consoles. 

Few consumers understand or care about the tech inside.  The PS4 is also more expensive than Wii U which could be an issue.  Most games are available on PS360.  Exclusive titles are from weak franshises such as Killzone, Knack, iNfamous and Drive Club.  I'm not certain that early 2014 will be kind to PS4.  To me its primary advantage is that AAA support for PS360 will be drying up in 2014.  Whereas potential Wii U consumers saw a void of games contrasted with top releases for PS360 like GOW, GOW, Bioshock, etc, PS4 will be compared to dying predecessors, and Wii U.  At $499 and with a similar game selection XBOne will be a very tough sell.

For PS4 to be strong during the winter months it will need to convince consumers that they should leave behind their PS360s and pay $399 for shinier versions of games they can play on their PS360.  And also purchase it instead of what will likely be a sub $300 Wii U with a very different library of popular family-friendly fare such as Mario 3D, Wii Party and the soon-to-arrive MarioKart.  I honestly think the winter/spring will be slow for PS4, but a large part of that will depend on if Nintendo can get consumers to consider Wii U as an option.  If Wii U continues to be ignored and XBOne is rejected, I could see sales for PS4 at a moderate level rather than poor...but I don't see it lighting up the chartz at $399.  It's just too pricey for most families to buy outside of Christmas.



S.T.A.G.E. on 04 July 2013
TheLastStarFighter said:
S.T.A.G.E. said:
TheLastStarFighter said:

No, Wii U sold at about 88% of Wii sales through Christmas.  Wii was sold at Nintendo's maximum capacity, so Wii U were just under that.  It doesn't matter where you or I live, Wii U sold through its shipments.  There weren't people fighting to get a unit, but if you saw one at a store, it probably wasn't the same one you saw there next week.  It was only after Christmas that the stock began too stagnate.

This will be the same for PS4 and XBOne.


The Wii U sold very strong because it was a launch window. They will all have strong launch windows, but the PS4 will sell strongerer than its competition overtime because of a superior software window to balance out the initial sales and a fair market price for the tech inside of it. The third party titles that cannot be attained on current gen consoles will be secondary selling point for the new consoles. 

Few consumers understand or care about the tech inside.  The PS4 is also more expensive than Wii U which could be an issue.  Most games are available on PS360.  Exclusive titles are from weak franshises such as Killzone, Knack, iNfamous and Drive Club.  I'm not certain that early 2014 will be kind to PS4.  To me its primary advantage is that AAA support for PS360 will be drying up in 2014.  Whereas potential Wii U consumers saw a void of games contrasted with top releases for PS360 like GOW, GOW, Bioshock, etc, PS4 will be compared to dying predecessors, and Wii U.  At $499 and with a similar game selection XBOne will be a very tough sell.

For PS4 to be strong during the winter months it will need to convince consumers that they should leave behind their PS360s and pay $399 for shinier versions of games they can play on their PS360.  And also purchase it instead of what will likely be a sub $300 Wii U with a very different library of popular family-friendly fare such as Mario 3D, Wii Party and the soon-to-arrive MarioKart.  I honestly think the winter/spring will be slow for PS4, but a large part of that will depend on if Nintendo can get consumers to consider Wii U as an option.  If Wii U continues to be ignored and XBOne is rejected, I could see sales for PS4 at a moderate level rather than poor...but I don't see it lighting up the chartz at $399.  It's just too pricey for most families to buy outside of Christmas.


You're right, few consumers care about the tech inside, but once they see the new level eye candy for a good price during the holidays they will more than likely fork over for that product vs the competiiton. I wont argue about what titles are weak or not but the fact of the matter is the core will be purchasing PS4's for their exclusives, its what core gamers do and thats what an initial launch window is a signifier of. This is why Sony went to IGN because they want a one on one with the core to hype them up for the PS4. I dont believe the PS4's offerings are weak so we're not going to agree there, not only myself but the media has also stated that this is probably the best first party launch a Playstation has ever had and its only going to get better at Gamescom for Sony and Microsoft in the offerings. 

$400 is a fair market price for all that is iside the box. This is exactly what put the 360 ahead of the PS3...the $399 price point even though they have no years head start, but really Sony doesn't need it.



carlos3189 on 04 July 2013

This is just a complete mess...

I don't see people spending $500+ in a console with just few games and Killzone (not a system seller, btw), having to pay if they wanna play online and with very few games announced ...

On the other hand, we have a WiiU with some games already and a bunch of content coming for the end of the year, including some "system sellers"...



zorg1000 on 04 July 2013
S.T.A.G.E. said:
Zero999 said:
S.T.A.G.E. said:


One model of the Wii U is $100 cheaper but the one that gives more space has a $50 differential to the PS4. Onlookers will look at both and bypass Nintendo this holiday season. They've been doing it with the PS3 and 360 while those are essentially the same price. This means the average consumer doesn't see the Wii U as next gen.

give up already. wii u is the cheapest 8th gen option and the average consumer will favour it. and you can bet the ps360 will easily outsell the ps4/xone for a while.

The Wii U is the cheapest 8th generation offering but the average consumer cannot differentiate it from 7th generation offerings. Its obvious from the sales.

No that had nothing to do with its sales, the number 1 reason is lack of games, the only big games so far is NSMBU and that alone wont sell a $300-350 console. Lack of advertising and being the most expensive are also part of thr problem, but all three of those things will be fixed in the coming months.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.