Mine came with one controller at launch and I think they still come with one controller. In territories without Wii Sports bundled in the system sells for ~$200 or exactly what they have releasd it at historically. It was the game.

People are forgetting one big thing:

- Nintendo are kicking arse
- they posted a $1bn profit last qrt, compared to basically not much for their rivals

Choosing a low price point is part of the overall "strategy" of the Wii, positioning it as the console for everyone - rather than some expensive, techno device for selected consumers.

Its also worth noting they were making a profit from day#1 - versus a huge loss by their competitors.

...

All that said, I think they could have picked a $299 price point - with a drop to $249 last Xmas. I think $299 should be the price point for the Wii HD (when it launches in 2-3 years).

@Gnizmo

Sorry, what I meant was 1 wiimote and 1 nunchuck. 2 controller pieces that = one $60 investment (twice as much as previous controller pack-ins).

The ironic thing about that is that, if the rumors are true, Nintendo initially planned to launch at $199, but pressure from retailers brought it up to $249. I'm still not completely sold on that story myself, mind you, since it just seems bizzare, but...

Am I the only person who noticed that the same people who have claimed for over a year that the Wii was just a fad that would die in a short period of time also believe that Nintendo should have totally predicted its massive success and established long term manufacturing capacity to meet Wii demand?

No company has ever been pumping out so much hardware in the entire history of video games. You have to keep in mind they are also producing the DS and Wii Fit, which adds up to millions of hardware units each month. That kind of scale has never been done before.

When you produce that much hardware, you also have to build the support and quality control infrastructure or you wind up with massive egg on your face when RRoD arrives.

Indeed! Good catch.

Patcher once again can't stop making a jackass out of himself. Nintendo flat-out told him his "currency fluctuation" theory was wrong, and he continues to spout off in the media. His claim that "the pricing was wrong" for Wii is one of the dumbest things I've heard in quite some time.

So the Wii HD will be out by the end of the year, right Michael?

I think this is where WiiSports comes into play. The Wii *is* $199, and WiiSports valued at $50 - just a forced bundle.

Brilliant move in the end, you can be sure all their future consoles will do something similar.

You're probably right. I say "probably" because if Nintendo hadn't initially planned to pair up each system with one of the greatest console-movers ever made, then they stumbled into a major victory. Considering how few mis-steps they've made this generation, I somewhat doubt that the decision to include Wii Sports was thrust upon them.

On the other hand, Wii Sports is sold separately in Japan.

Too true. Some move the goalposts out of spite, and I pity them. Some move the goalposts to cover their a**, and I laugh at them. Pachter, unfortunately, is almost always in the latter category. Although in his defense, he's been completely wrong when betting against and for the Wii, so at least he's equal-opportunity that way.

And getting back to the article proper, the reason I posted it is because of just how amazed I am at the "analysts" and "journalists" this generation. Nintendo has gone on record repeatedly explaining the shortages, and their reasons don't really make them look good (long answer short: we have no idea how much more we can sell, so we're being cautious when manufacturing new units). Why must some people continue to form conspiracy theories when the truth is being thrown right in their faces?

Although the part about Nintendo calling Pachter and saying "you're wrong", only to have him go on really did make me smile.

Why is it stupid to maximize revenue and profit in the company's domestic currency (the yen)?