i think that with the PS4 at $400 and the Xbox ONE at $500 i think nintendo is gonna need to do something else other than just make a $50 price drop. People are investing in these consoles. They dont want to buy a console, put all this money in it, and see to no games, bad hardware, horrible dev support. people are gonna choose the PS4 no matter what, your getting so much for just a little extra. The WiiU defiantly needs at least a $50 price cut just to compete with Sony and Microsoft

My bundle has always basically been this ....

$279.99 -- Wii U in white or black, 32GB storage, Nintendo Land (disc) bundled

+ Holiday Season promotion, get a free digital download of Zelda: The Wind Waker if you purchase a Wii U from October-January 2014.

It has to be able to compete with the 360/PS3 too, which often have holiday bundles with multiple games, this closes the gap.

Here's want Nintendo really need to do to get the install base growing:-

1) Phase out the 8GB model.
2) Make the Delux model the standard and make it $249 with a $299 SKU which bundles in a new game like Mario 3D or something.
3) Increase the internal storage to 64-128GB and start pushing the Eshop more.
4) Have the 64GB Delux model available in white or black or what ever other colour they think people will like just like they do with the 3DS.
5) Spend dat Wii cash to guarantee to WiiU owners that they will get parity releaseses of big AAA games like GTA5.
6) Fucking decide if they want to have offscreen gaming on the tablet as the sole feature or if they want the asymmetric unique gameplay, and then push and market the fuck out of it, the sure fire bet is the offscreen play, it's not developer dependent.

All these need to happen by Gamescom or TGS if Nintendo hope on selling well this Christmas season considering that two new more capable and hype driven consoles are about to hit the market. Nintendo fucked its 1 year lead, but they can still do some damage control and make a come back this holiday.

archbrix said: Einsam_Delphin said: @archbrix: Yep, you acknowledged them alright, and I'm just saying you didn't because that's simply what I do.   But seriously, telling me what I'm equating stuff to and lying about ignoring some stuff I said only tells me we should just stop this. In time we'll see who was right, so no need to get all worked up over this now, or ever really. It's just video games. @bolded: Oh? What exactly did I lie about ignoring?

Just some of my bullet points, namely short term v.s. long term and the impact a $50 drop would have, or lack thereof.

Cold-Flipper said: Einsam_Delphin said:   You say Nintendo will avoid potential profit loss at all cost, yet they had been selling the 3DS for a loss after it's price cut, and you even say the Wii U was/is being sold at a loss. I believe they do this because software makes them more money than hardware, so they needs a big install base so their games sell more and to attract third partys. Correct me if I'm wrong though. Also, what else is Iwata suposed to say lol? How exactly is their focus primarily on 3DS? I don't remember them saying anything like this. Now that I think about it, if the Nintendo Directs and E3 are any indication, their focus is actually more on Wii U, which makes perfect sense considering the 3DS is in a good spot while the Wii U suffers. They did take a small loss after the 3DS price cut but are definitely making a profit on each system now. It has been nearly 2 years since then and they were already only take a small loss. Wii U was being sold at a small loss at launch and is now likely a little profitable or will be soon. They for sure make he majority of their money on games but they still won't want to continue taking a loss on the Wii U itself. That's why a $50 cut might be optional because it won't be a big risk unlike a $100 cut would be. 2013 was always supposed to be 3DS focused. They are only talking much more about Wii U because it is currently a sinking ship. They are focusing on Wii U press-wise but game-wise? You think they don't know Pokemon will take sales away from Wii U? That a new Zelda game will get people's attention more than a HD remake? I will admit that Wii U is their focus now but it wasn't supposed to be like that...it's clear from their release schedule.

Aha, so you see, it's all about them long-term software sales, as why else would they ever sell their systems at a loss if even for a short period of time. I don't see the risk in a $100 drop coinciding with key releases, as the same tactic worked out for the 3DS. Besides, they're gonna drop the price to that point and beyond sooner or later anyhow.

I forgot why we're debating over which console Nintendo is focusing on, but ahwells lol. All these games we're seeing now weren't made this year, but have been in development for years. They likely decided to shift game development in the 3DS's favor after it's slow start, but that's just speculation on my part. I do expect the Wii U to be getting development focus right now though, and so we could expect a 3DS-like game rush in 2015.

DM235 said: I am predicting a $50 price cut this fall, just to get sales up. I think they will keep the basic model just to have a $250 entry point. If 3rd party publishers see that it is selling well, the games will come. As people already mentioned, a $100 price cut would hurt their profits too much.

Well, short term profits would be hurt yes, but long term profits would be helped! You know what they say, you must first lose before you gain.

Also, the Basic model hasn't been selling in comparison to the Deluxe. A price cut wont help it improve it's sales against the Deluxe as long as the latter receives the same price cut. As such, only the price of the Deluxe really matters, and a $50 cut wouldn't put it at a price the Wii U hasn't been at already.

Demensha said: Maybe Nintendo can strike a deal and sell a vita with each wii U. Then maybe both can get some good numbers. But serious at least 75$ off would be a good amount. They need to discontinue the basic unit, and increase the storage to a min of 64gb (prefer 128gb). Add in nintendoland and Mario U pre loaded with a pro controller for $349.99, or stay at 32gb with pro controller and a game for $299

That's an interesting thought. Rather than change the price, you suggest they add to it's value. Only problems I can see with this is the price technically not changing, meaning some people wont notice the difference, and what will they do with all those standard Basic n Deluxe sets they must have floating around. The former can be helped with a good advertising campaign, but the latter might be too significant an issue.

Einsam_Delphin said: archbrix said: Einsam_Delphin said: @archbrix: Yep, you acknowledged them alright, and I'm just saying you didn't because that's simply what I do.   But seriously, telling me what I'm equating stuff to and lying about ignoring some stuff I said only tells me we should just stop this. In time we'll see who was right, so no need to get all worked up over this now, or ever really. It's just video games. @bolded: Oh? What exactly did I lie about ignoring? Just some of my bullet points, namely short term v.s. long term and the impact a $50 drop would have, or lack thereof.

Nope. Both addressed in my last post, no less:

"They cannot just magically cut the price so drastically and not feel the repercussion. It would make more sense to reduce less now that the BOM is still relatively high and then again in the future when it's cheaper to manufacture than it would be to reduce dramatically now that production cost is at its highest."

"WiiU, on the other hand, would be at $300 for the deluxe model with just a $50 price drop. That's only about fifty dollars more expensive than the seven year old PS3's current price and a full hundred less than the PS4. Selling consoles leads to profit, yes, but it's a balancing act and you have to be realistic about what is possible."

I would say $50.

archbrix said: Einsam_Delphin said: archbrix said: Einsam_Delphin said: @archbrix: Yep, you acknowledged them alright, and I'm just saying you didn't because that's simply what I do.   But seriously, telling me what I'm equating stuff to and lying about ignoring some stuff I said only tells me we should just stop this. In time we'll see who was right, so no need to get all worked up over this now, or ever really. It's just video games. @bolded: Oh? What exactly did I lie about ignoring? Just some of my bullet points, namely short term v.s. long term and the impact a $50 drop would have, or lack thereof. Nope. Both addressed in my last post, no less: "They cannot just magically cut the price so drastically and not feel the repercussion. It would make more sense to reduce less now that the BOM is still relatively high and then again in the future when it's cheaper to manufacture than it would be to reduce dramatically now that production cost is at its highest." "WiiU, on the other hand, would be at $300 for the deluxe model with just a $50 price drop. That's only about fifty dollars more expensive than the seven year old PS3's current price and a full hundred less than the PS4. Selling consoles leads to profit, yes, but it's a balancing act and you have to be realistic about what is possible."

Well as you said that was your last post, of which came way after the point you initially ignored me at. But meh, let's just move on already as I really don't care about all that junk. :L

Anywho, there's no magic required here. *Billy Mays voice* "Just change the 3 to a 2, it's that easy!" They may lose money now (I'm saying may because the 3DS and Wii U game sales may counter the losses), but they'll reap more cash later thanks to a bigger install base enabling their games to sell more and encouraging third partys to jump on board. Based on how Nintendo has sold consoles at a loss before, they too must see things this way, as there's no other reason to do that, atleast none that I can think of.

I don't see anything unrealistic about dropping the Wii U's price by $100. Infact, I only see the opposite as true, as people clearly don't like it's current price range, which includes $300. Due to that last part, it's hard for me to see a $50 drop helping much as the Deluxe model a.k.a. the actually selling model wouldn't be at a totally new price for the Wii U. Of course a $50 cut would help when weighed against the competition, but likewise a $100 cut would help more, as it'd put the Wii U even closer to PS360 and further away from PS4/XO. The 3DS didn't have nearly as much competition, yet it still got a larger than expected cut, so again it's logical to assume that the Wii U which is up against heavier competition should atleast see a similarly large cut.