Wii Spot Podcast from WiiSpot.com

Welcome to the first of many round-table discussions here at WiiSpot.com. In today’s article the site staff talk about and predict the Wii price point. Nintendo has come out and stated that the Wii will be no more than $250, but this announcement was vague and the fans want more.

I posed the following question to the staff, read on for their responses.

Question: Nintendo has announced that the Wii will retail for less then $250, but what do you think the actual price point will be? Feel free to talk about any bundles or special announcement that will be made closer to launch.

I’ve thought of this long and hard, and I believe that what I’ve come up with makes some sense. Nintendo was the console that brought videogames back into the home after the great crash in the 80s. When the NES was out there you didn’t play videogames, you went to play Nintendo at your friends house. This was partly due to the fact that the system was powerful and affordable, but the clincher was a little game called Super Mario Bros.

I can remember where I was the first time I saw this game in motion. World 1-1 was the most amazing thing that I had ever seen; truthfully, it left me speechless. The Wii could make the same splash today with a great pack in game. I see a game like Wii Sports being a huge hit in my household, not only with my friends and myself, but with everyone. Young and old, the Wii controller will bring gaming into many peoples hearts.

Anyways… back to the question. I think that Nintendo will do something crazy and price the Wii console with one controller for $149US. This price will get a Wii into everyone’s home as $149 is nothing for most consumers. For the die-hard Nintendo fans, I also believe that Nintendo will go retro on us. I see a Wii Power Pack being released at the same time that will include the console, 2 controllers and a Zapper. Not to leave us with nothing to play, I also think that this Power Pak will being back the pack-in game. Wii Sports would be a great title to do this with. This Power Pak will be priced at $249US, a dollar less then the announced max price.

So there are my predictions, but only time will tell what Nintendo will do.

» Dasme, Owner, bMashers Network

I believe that the Wii will be coming out at the price point of $199 in the US as this has been the de facto standard for Nintendo. All of their consoles have released at that price point save for the Virtual Boy (which was released at $180). They had even originally intended to release the N64 at a higher price but changed their minds at zero hour.

In addition to this, it would be hard to justify a higher price point for a system that will not be supporting Digital video output or even basic High Definition, does not have DVD or Ethernet capabilities out of the box (additional hardware is needed for both features) and is not that superior to the GameCube from a technical standpoint. I believe they could easily succeed at the $200 price point with the additional profits made via the virtual console.

» Jakanden, bMashers Network Blogger

I think that Nintendo will launch at £149. There’s a lot riding on this generation. Microsoft has had a big heard start with the Xbox360, Sony’s PS3 will be a blu-ray playing media powerhouse (albeit at a cost), Nintendo’s Wii needs to launch at an aggressive lower price to try to shift some units and gain a good foothold in the next generation console battle!

» Dread Prophet, bMashers Network Blogger

Well I believe that the Wii is going to launch at the $249 point. I am aware that this is the next generation of consoles, but even at $249, it is still $150 less that the premium 360 bundle and if the current price point for the PS3 holds, $350 less then the highest end system that Sony is offering. Nintendo may offer a basic $199 console with the now consumer unfriendly one controller and unit only. Nintendo may also bundle a second controller and possibly a launch game to allow the old school goodness of the NES and Famicom of old and make it $249.

I think that Nintendo has always been more about the gamer than Sony or Microsoft, but they are safe to launch the system at $249 and still come off as being more tuned, by game lineup and price point, to the wants of the gamer. I honestly believe that the Wii will shake the stigma of Nintendo being a “kiddie” system, and at this time, I am actually excited about the Wii and plan on picking one up at launch or very soon afterward.

» Sam20Miles, bMashers Network Blogger

I believe the price point for the wii will be about $200, they will show that they have the most affordable product and that it can do so much more than its competitors. I think the low price point will really attract new gamers and satisfy current ones. Knowing Nintendo they will be the only ones making a profit off of their console, even with the low price. All in all I think Nintendo will come out victor in this generations console war!

» kekleon64, WiiSpot.com Blogger

If Nintendo is smart about the Wii then they will launch at no higher than $200.00 No Nintendo systems have ever gone over $200 at launch. Plus if they release at a price of $249.99 gamers will look at that price and say..hmm…$250 for only $50 more I can get a 360 and have a truly next-gen system. That is why the Wii will be around $200.

» LAXDefense38, bMashers Network Blogger

Nintendo is about innovation, not about power. But in some gamers minds, raw graphical power is more important than innovation. Innovation is extremely important but sometimes it’s just not enough, so Nintendo has to price the Wii aggressively in order to convince gamers to get it instead of of the Xbox 360 or PS3. Nintendo has announced that the Wii won’t be more $250 which to me means it’ll probably be less. If I had to guess, I would say the price point will be somewhere between $200 to $230. Nintendo can’t risk over pricing it because it’s the only edge it has over Microsoft and Sony besides innovation.

» ZephyrWest, bMashers Network Blogger

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