It seems a lot of nintendo fans have become Blue Ocean Strategy fans in the last few years...

The price-cut is only a strategic mistake in the short term, if it comes now before the holidays, for a couple of reasons. It has nothing to do with who is or isn't buying the system. That unique factor Nintendo will retain: that they have an experience built for their motion interface from the ground up. The fact that it was built from the ground up is what will keep them ahead of the imitators launched by the competition, their console has exactly what the expanded audience wants, and right away. Comes with software, relatively cheap, comes with the motion hardware, and the motion hardware is simple (unlike Natal's rather intimidating camera, or Sony's solution involving multiple pieces of hardware)

not intended as a bash against other consoles, mind, just stating what exactly keeps Wii unique, and why PS3 & 360 cannot emulate that quality, at least not without substantial effort to re-launch the hardware, which is why this move won't really jeopardize Nintendo.

 

The only negative impact it will have is the bad PR that will come from the media (lol, Nintendo has to compete with PS360 price drops), and the lost revenue they'll have to put up with in the short term.

They've had 3 years without a price cut. That's a record right there, isn't it? Doesn't that spell extreme success?

If they cut the price, it's because they KNOW it will help in the short term and long term more than not doing it. Nintendo is really good at making money. They know what they're doing. I think it's kinda weird, but after ridiculous Nintendomination after Nintendomination, I've begun to trust them.

This isn't a hardcore-only strategy. I don't understand that idea at all. Not all non-gamers think video game systems are worth $250.

Demotruk said: It seems a lot of nintendo fans have become Blue Ocean Strategy fans in the last few years...

Of course we have, beacuse of that Nintendo have made billions of $ wich pretty much guarantee lots and lots of new core games for us to enjoy.

The price cut, if it happens, is not a mistake. It's a good idea. The price was good when it released. The price was good when it was selling out every week. This is 2009, where technology that is technically superior are much cheaper, and when HD, what the wii doesn't have, is becoming more and more relevant.

You have to keep the price relevant to the circumstances and the time. If Wii had released now, they wouldn't have gotten away with selling it for $250. Besides, to pull in more and more people, you need a price cut or two. The PS2 did not sell all 140 million at full price - far from it, and people certainly werent put off when it got cheaper. It only helped. Besides, when Wii 2 eventually hits, it'll probably be around $250 as well. If the Wii 1 was still that price, or thereabouts, people would feel cheated considering that the vastly inferior (I'm assuming) first Wii had been asking the same price.

The blue ocean strategy is what gave me Wii Sports, which is one of my favorite games ever made. It also gave me the DS, which is perfection.

I just don't agree with this perspective. A $200 Wii is a more enticing prospect to a consumer regardless of whether that consumer is contemplating buying a competing product or not.

So which non-gamers are Nintendo trying to steal with a price cut? The ones who are less reluctant to buy their first console at $200 than if it was $250.

One of the cornerstones of Nintendo's strategy has been to lower barriers to entering the video game market. Complex controls are a barrier. The price tag is also a barrier. A barrier which looms large in this tense economic climate.

lol how cute. They think the DS hasn't had a price cut.

CGI-Quality said: kowenicki said: @cgi you broke the site!!!!!

Damn Brooklynites!!

On topic, I don't know if its good or bad, I'd say good in the sense that it went 3 years without a pricecut, where the HD systems had a lot of reorganization and price cuts. Also, good in the sense that people are being more frugal this year with the economic downturn. While the economy started going to hell last year, the brunt force didnt really hit hard until earlier this year. For example, many people I know took local or no vacation trips this summer to save cash. These same people will likely be looking into cutting back on their gift giving. So the lower price, in competitive range with the 360 Arcade, will in turn draw that "on the fence" audience to the Wii, especially when they see it at a price that's less intimidating (see my other post about $199 vs $200)

The negatives are few, but everpresent. Price cuts fade quickly, and Nintendo will need to keep up the pace with their games. The Metroid Prime Trilogy, SMB4, FFCC, and for the horror fans - Silent Hill, will do the job for now, but what's 2010 going to bring? Will the new Zelda be out for 2010 holidays? What about Star Fox and other big franchises that we haven't seen yet. What will be their "Natal/PS3 motion" killer?  There's a lot of questions for 2010 and few answers. A dull 2010 library could have been countered with the pricecut then. A lot of people feel that the price cut was unneccesary for right now and better reserved for a later date.

Of course, nothing official has been announced by Nintendo. Perhaps Toys R Us doesn't want their Wii's sitting on the shelves without a price cut, and they decided to take the hit on the retail level.

 

I don't care about the "Blue Ocean Strategy" or "expanding the audience". If Sony or Microsoft go the Nintendo route, and have games like Wii Fit and Wii Sports be what they focus on...I quit games