See I don't think that this price cut will help nintendo long term like many here seem to believe. Nintendo has taken a pretty big riskwith this move because once you cut the price you can't go back. And if sales don't see a significant spike or for an insignificant amount of time, then what? Although I don't fully see eye to eye with Malstrom in that this will critically damage the Wii and Nintendo's strategy, I am with him in that this price cut is too early. Wii Fit+ and NSMB Wii are more than enough to carry the Wii to the holiday season, at which point Wii sales would obviously increase anyway regardless of a price cut. I think it is to Nintendo's advantage to keep the price cut card against Sony and MS as long as possible, and if PS360 are still gaining momentum while Wii sales are going down, THEN cut the price.

But to do this - #1, RIGHT after Sony and MS have cut the price without sitting back and seeing where their sales stabilize first, and #2, RIGHT before Wii Fit +, NSMB Wii, and only a couple months before the holiday season - leaves me scratching my head.

Now Malstrom I think is being a little over the top doom and gloom on this one mainly because he has always clinged so strongly to the Blue Ocean ideals and envisioned that Nintendo and Itawa would stay true to all aspects of it, and now that they are diverting slightly from it Malstrom was taken by surprise and responding in hostility because he was wrong in that regard. However, what I do agree with Malstrom on 100% is this price cut is simply too early, and that Q1 or Q2 or next year would be the ideal time to finally cut the price when sales tend to be down for video games.

There is no blue ocean anyway ... Sony and MS both laid down the gauntlet at E3 by showing Natal and the Sonywand.

So that will be a red ocean very soon.

Nintendo has to be aggressive NOW and sell as many systems NOW and be as strong as possible leading up to that inevitable battle next year.

They will lose marketshare if they are not aggressive. When Nintendo thinks they're special or above market shifts ... that's when they get their ass kicked (pardon the pun). 

Its exactly that attitude and quite frankly -- arrogance -- that caused them to piss away most of their marketshare to Sony in the 1990s.

Man Soundwave we are HERE ---> = 

Agree 100% I don't know why it's being missed that both MS & Sony will be entering the Blue Ocean tho.

The PSP lost momentum. The DS could afford to ignore it. Unfortunately stubborn developers have not that let the Wii be able to afford to ignore the HD systems (stubborn in terms of neglecting the Wii, not ignoring the other systems).

*cough* face book *cough*

The various steps of Innovators Dilemma and Blue Ocean also have to keep in mind that products need to reach the farther extended market. I don't have a PSP, but the DSi does have camera which I believe the PSP does not(correct me if i'm wrong). You know how many I see take pictures with camera phones? Then there is facebook, a download service that seems to move towards iPhone/Touch series. No DSi is not a move to counter PSP. It's a move to tap into the same market as the iTouch/Phone. It's just that I don't think Nintendo realized they were moving into already sailed waters.

As for Maelstrom. I keep saying it, but he's just like anyother person out there. He has his bias as anyone else. It's also pretty clear that he is a gamer that likes to experience company material rather than user material. He likes shorter games than longers games. He like arcade over story. Which is all fine in personal taste. But as for content there are numerous games that give his theory the boot. Half Life 1/2, NWN, Baldurs Gate, Sims series, Elite Beats Agent computer rippoff game that I can't think the name of, Frets of Fire(Guitar Hero rip off for PC), World of Warcraft Mods are endless, RPG Maker has been roaming around on the Japanese SNES for EONS. We get it Maelstrom is just as silly as most others. Unless he is writing about the actually movement of Nintendo in relations to BOS. Don't listen to the guy.

The thing is that he's only considering a few reasons Nintendo is doing this, and ranting on about them. There are other possible reasons for this.

I for one think Nintendo found that 50 million people were fine with $250 for the system and Wii Sports, but for the rest the value might not be there even with the content.

The Blue Ocean is just one of many strategies. Nintendo disrupted to keep gaming around, not to own the competition through BOS. They aren't about making the "game industry" die that Maelstrom wants. That's why Nintendo is working with third parties.

That article is a bit ridiculous.

It's the first time I agree with him. He's not the blinded Nintendo fanboy I thought he was.

I will be following him closely from now on.