I think the Wii could use a price increase. MS and Nintendo are going in different directions.

the price doesn't matter

people have been paying more for wiis than 360s on ebay/craigslist since it launched, as well as in bundles for 600+ with a few horrible games

for millions of Americans, the 360/ps3 are not substitutes for the wii...they aren't even considered in their buying decision

A lot of Americans seem to ignore this constantly.  The 20GB 360 Premium is cheaper than the Wii in Europe.

Price was more important last gen, when consoles were more similar.

The price cut won't have an impact on Wii sales, but maybe a small impact on PS3 sales, because of the greater similarity between Xbox360 and PS3. Still the PS3 won't die because of blu-ray and some exclusives.

Sad, really. I could argue that the 360 is the best all around console, so far this generation. The fact that it's not selling as well as it should, even with a price that is actually a steal is pretty depressing. So many good games that are going unplayed, because of Microsoft's relative lack of brand loyalty (compared to the Playstation's 10+ years of experience, and Nintendo's 20+ years of making memories).


The XBOX's reliability issues hurt the console in a lot of people's eyes.

The only company an American 360 price cut could threaten would be the PS3..that's it

I will run counter to a lot of people here.

I think that the Xbox 360 could be seen as a substitute item if the Wii has a third straight holiday season with limited supplies. This would especially be true if the motion controller and avatar systems come out.

Clerk to potential customer who can't find a Wii:
"How about an Xbox 360? It's cheaper. It has motion. It has avatars -- they are like Miis." Customer -- "OK."

Of course, Nintendo knows this and will make sure it has sufficient supply -- because the only thing that can stop Nintendo at this point is Nintendo itself. And with short supply again it would do just that.

Mike from Morgantown

I had no idea that the 360 was cheaper there, thanks for the info. I guess the reason I hoped that was the cause was I don't understand WHY the 360 is doing poorly. I love my wii by all means, but I think the 360 has an incredible library of games this generation.

I don't think it would make a huge difference, but since most people just want to buy the pro you shouldn't even make the comparison until the pro drops below the wii.

 When my PS2 quit on me I gave the original Xbox a try and loved it. Since then i've always a supporter of MS's consoles (that and I own stock in Microsoft). It's a great console but the lack of "on the market" time has hurt as well as the RROD. Heck I own and like all 3 of the consoles this gen for their own reasons.

Anyway, OT: The 360 isn't going to take any sales away from the Wii IMO. The Wii just caters to a different brand of gamers, which isn't a bad thing. Rumors have been popping up that both Sony and MS are trying out "new" ideas that will cater to some of the Wii owners or possible buyers. And unless either of them come out with something mindboggling the Wii will still outsell PS360 in the face week after week with the exception of big releases from either camp or for some weird reason people just start hating the Wii. Any sales taken from the Wii won't be anything to have a sexy party over :P