I think most people hate the $250 not because of the cost itself but...

I

icecubedx5

CAGiversary!
They wanted to believe that Nintendo "cared about the gamers" or because they felt that Nintendo was on the "road to greatness" by releasing it cheap. I see some posts about how the $250 is expensive, but don't people realize that PSP launched for $250 as a bundle and people NEVER ONCE complained about the price?

Its almost as if Nintendo fans are "hurt" by the $250 tag, not by their wallets, but by their hearts like it was some personal betrayal or something.
 
I know this one isn't gonna go well but I feel like my $250 PSP purchase was a better deal for my money than the Wii. Although, at that time I didn't own a next gen handheld whereas right now I own a next gen console already. The DS was a great secondary handheld because it only cost $130, if it was more, I probably would have skipped it.

At $200 the Wii would have made an excellent secondary console. At $250? I think I'll just be throwing that $200 into 360 games. I have a strong feeling that I'm not alone in this feeling.
 
Yeah, I recall a lot of complaints about how expensive the PSP is, in comparison to the Nintendo DS.

I think most of us are just upset because we all had the mindset that it wouldn't cost any more than $200.00. Just like how we all thought the name of the console was going to be "Revolution." We all had to adapt to the name change, and we'll just have to adapt to the new price.

I personally thought $250.00 was a rip off at first, but you know, I paid that same amount for a handheld... why not a "Next Generation" console?
 
I complained about the PSP price...

but just not on this forum.

Though, that does make a good argument. That new PSP bundle is the same price as the Wii.
 
[quote name='derder']hahahahahahhaha, that is the stupidest shit i've ever heard.

How can you adapt to a new price?[/QUOTE]

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to tell the gamefaqs kids hello for us!
 
Few things.

1) Nintendo said they'd sell at a slight loss. I think 20-30 a console would have been that, which would have been a $230 pricetag. They said this not 2 months ago. Reggie just droppen zal bomben that it will be profitable out of the box.

2) Everyone heard and expected language pointing to a $200 price tag. Iwata himself said "look at the history of our console launches." It worked all the way back to the SNES (not sure about NES).

3) They continually talked about how "It's not as powerful, so it will be more cost efficient to manufacture and develop."

4) It's built on an extension of the GC's innards. That should have cut down R&D pricing.

5) The price puts it dangerously close to a competiting product (Core 360) despite the fact that it has some hardware features comparable to the Premium pack.

6) Reggie said it would be under $250. We acknowledged 249.99 is < 250, but for most of the reasons stated above, it looked like a lower price.

All of these things sort of piss off any N fan because they all point to a lower cost console, and $250 seems high.

RvB, you can't say "the PSP has more value" until you've played and tried the Wii. You're talking like you can honestly compare them when you own one but not the other. That seems a little unfair, don't you think? I'm just askin'.
 
[quote name='Scobie']Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to tell the gamefaqs kids hello for us![/quote]
Enlighten me as to how a single person "adapts" to a new price.
 
[quote name='Strell']

RvB, you can't say "the PSP has more value" until you've played and tried the Wii. You're talking like you can honestly compare them when you own one but not the other. That seems a little unfair, don't you think? I'm just askin'.[/QUOTE]

You cut off the "to me" part. The PSP has more value to me because I already own a next gen console and the Wii would have just been a secondary console for me. I'm not really interested in any of Nintendo's first party titles so the only thing the Wii is offering me for $250 is a different way to play multi-platform titles.
 
Ok. Then what you are really saying is you already have a next gen console at your disposal and it works out better.

That's a little different than instantly saying a PSP is a better value.

I could buy $400 bucks worth of chocolate and say it's a better value than a 360.
 
[quote name='Strell']Ok. Then what you are really saying is you already have a next gen console at your disposal and it works out better.

That's a little different than instantly saying a PSP is a better value.

I could buy $400 bucks worth of chocolate and say it's a better value than a 360.[/QUOTE]

On a serious note, its all in what something is worth to someone.

On a lighter note, of course the chocolate is a better value, you don't have to keep buying games for it. On the other hand, working off the calories of $400 worth of chocolate may require a gym membership...
 
[quote name='RedvsBlue']On a serious note, its all in what something is worth to someone.

On a lighter note, of course the chocolate is a better value, you don't have to keep buying games for it. On the other hand, working off the calories of $400 worth of chocolate may require a gym membership...[/QUOTE]

Which I have, so therefore I win.

:p
 
I think a bigger issue is the controllers. $60 a pop is fucking steep for something they were making a big deal out of being inexpensive. This system is designed for local multiplayer, unlike the other new systems. Nintendo making people pay $180 to do that is ridiculous.
 
[quote name='Strell']4) It's built on an extension of the GC's innards. That should have cut down R&D pricing.[/QUOTE]

In a purely hardware vein, maybe. But you've got to factor in that controller. PS3 and 360 don't have any talk about the controller beyond, "Wireless? Yep. Same button config as last time? Yep. Push the buttons, things happen? Yep." Granted, I understand it's not as simplistic as that, but getting that remote working the way it is took a lot of time and effort. From the sounds of it, they were working on this thing before the Cube even hit.

As was stated above, I think people really will chill out. People that were getting it as their primary console still will. And likely, those look to the Wii for a secondary console still will, but maybe after a price cut.

Personally, as a fan of Nintendo's products, I'd like to see them making money on each system from the get go rather than lose. Yes, it would be nice to pay less, but I guess I'd just rather support the game company I enjoy the most. And yes, I've owned an Xbox and PS2 this generation and enjoyed both systems a lot (Ninja Gaiden and Shadow of the Colossus might be my 2 favs of this gen), but I keep coming back to Nintendo's stuff as things that hold my attention and whose innovation I truly enjoy.

If the DS is any indication, launch systems will sell out, the market will cool a bit, and then the killer apps will start to flow and things will go nuts. Of course, the DS had an N64 port to launch with, not a 60+ hour 6 year-in-the-making adventure. I'll probably be chewing on that till March. I tend to base my game purchase value on movie tickets. If I get more than $3.50/hr of fun out of game (figuring a $7 ticket to a 2 hour movie... right, where are tickets $7 anymore?), it was worth it. By that calculation, Zelda would eat up $210. If it lives up to the promises, the price is no problem for me.
 
I guess I'm one of the few people that isn't upset on the $250 price. I just don't see what the big deal is. And by no means do I have lots of money to throw around; I'm a college guy with no current job. But I'm not "OMG CANCELING PREORDER!" over $50.

I will say those controllers are pricey, but that's fine with me. The last few consoles I've purchased (Xbox, GC, PS2) I only got the stock controller, and friends wanting to play the system bought their own controllers. :lol: Then, I acquired more controllers when I found them used or very cheap! The Wii will be no different for me.
 
i'm not bothered by paying $250... i'm bothered by what i GET for that much.

nintendo has hyped this new business model... they're not competing with ps3 and xbox360... they're going after new gamers... they're trying to get people to gather together and play in groups...

and then they price it over the $200 mark, making it less of an 'impulse buy' for consumer electronics... and they package just 1 remote in there. they actually give you a game that pretty much requires you to buy another remote for full enjoyment. ridiculous. add in the other controller, since it's damn near essential to really enjoy wii sports... and the console is now sitting at $290 plus tax. $310 if you think the controller should be 'complete' and have the nunchuck attachment.

to me... the whole thing was set up in a very deceptive way... and it goes against the strategy they've been preaching... non-gamers won't jump on a $250 piece of hardware so quickly. and this package certainly does little to gather people together to play in groups.

it needed to be ready to go out of one box... system, 2 remotes, multiplayer game... and at $200. awesome deal, and stays in line with what nintendo has been preaching.
 
[quote name='derder']Enlighten me as to how a single person "adapts" to a new price.[/quote]

Er, perhaps I wasn't talking about just myself?

You're really just grasping for straws, I don't see anything wrong with using the word "adapt" for this situation. Unless it's too big of a word for you? I apologize in that case.

Now, to get back on topic...
 
[quote name='rodeojones903']I think a bigger issue is the controllers. $60 a pop is fucking steep for something they were making a big deal out of being inexpensive. This system is designed for local multiplayer, unlike the other new systems. Nintendo making people pay $180 to do that is ridiculous.[/QUOTE]

Amen, brother. The remote cost is MUCH more important to me than the cost of the console itself. I was hoping for $200-230 for the package we're getting; the extra $50 won't kill me. But $40 for a remote + $20 for a nunchuck (shouldn't that be packed in? Isn't the "controller", as far as most games are concerned, the nunchuck + remote?) + $20 for a Virtual Console controller, which we very well may need for the likes of Smash Bros Brawl = too fucking much money.
 
The bottom line people hate the $250 is that people just need to bitch about something. If people can't whine and complain, they are not happy.

The world is full of whiners, just look around the next time you go out in public, work or school. The box could have been $150 with Wii Sports and people would be complaining.

TBW
 
[quote name='derder']Enlighten me as to how a single person "adapts" to a new price.[/QUOTE]

Prepare to be enlightened... With every item that a consumer may consider buying there's a cost-benefit analysis that has to be made, i.e., what will I be getting for my money. Obviously, benefits of consumables can be tangible (direct enhancement to one's life) or intangible (such items to indicate social status).

Price as a concept can be "adapted" to by consumers in the aforementioned analysis of the value of the purchase.

So for instance, the initial reaction of the consumer to the Wii's price point may be "Oy vey! $250! That's a lotta shekels for a mensch!"

However, given a little time to consider the benefits of the purchase (durability of hardware leading to greater longevity, purchase price being mitigated over time, enjoyability of software, unique play control interface, etc.), the consumer can in fact "adapt" to the notion of the $250 price point.

Now, if you wouldn't mind, please take your seat and quit disrupting the class.
 
[quote name='Scobie']Prepare to be enlightened... With every item that a consumer may consider buying there's a cost-benefit analysis that has to be made, i.e., what will I be getting for my money. Obviously, benefits of consumables can be tangible (direct enhancement to one's life) or intangible (such items to indicate social status).

Price as a concept can be "adapted" to by consumers in the aforementioned analysis of the value of the purchase.

So for instance, the initial reaction of the consumer to the Wii's price point may be "Oy vey! $250! That's a lotta shekels for a mensch!"

However, given a little time to consider the benefits of the purchase (durability of hardware leading to greater longevity, purchase price being mitigated over time, enjoyability of software, unique play control interface, etc.), the consumer can in fact "adapt" to the notion of the $250 price point.

Now, if you wouldn't mind, please take your seat and quit disrupting the class.[/QUOTE]
Amen.
 
[quote name='DocRamon']to me... the whole thing was set up in a very deceptive way... and it goes against the strategy they've been preaching... non-gamers won't jump on a $250 piece of hardware so quickly. and this package certainly does little to gather people together to play in groups.

it needed to be ready to go out of one box... system, 2 remotes, multiplayer game... and at $200. awesome deal, and stays in line with what nintendo has been preaching.[/QUOTE]

Just like so many times before, it's Doc Ramon for the win!!! Nicely stated, my friend. This absolutely nails the situation Nintendo's greed has put them in.

If they think the Coolest Grandparents In The World who've all been hopping on board the DS Lite train will look at the Wii and shout "hells YES!", then they've got another thing coming. People only invest so much in this kind of tech and Nintendo may be pushing their luck with the blue ocean strategy.

After the hardcore set snap up the launch shipment, it's highly possible that Wii's will crawl off of shelves. And if that happens, it's price drop/bundle/free game promo city.
 
I can't believe that people are saying things like "If it were $200 I'd buy it, but $250 is a fucking rip off!"

Its $50. $50 is nothing in this day and age.

I can understand some of the younger people who aren't working yet having issue with this, but I'm sure many of your parents make $50 in about 2 hours so I don't think they'll be too upset if you ask for one for x-mas.

You're getting a new console, a controller (which apparently costs $60 alone), and a GAME! When's the last time we had a pack-in game with a home console? Saturn?

Maybe my mind has just been warped from living in Japan and carrying rougly $1000 in my wallet at any time, but I really don't think the price is that unfair.

Or maybe I'm just getting old.......*dies*
 
[quote name='Strell']5) The price puts it dangerously close to a competiting product (Core 360) despite the fact that it has some hardware features comparable to the Premium pack.[/QUOTE]

Ok. Stop the presses. I desperately need to be sold on this, because I ain't buyin' it.
 
What does make me full of regret is that all this hoopla could have turned the Wii launch into an EXPLOSION. Every message board has topics that only lats a minute on the front page because of the traffic. Imagine if it did release at an awesome price, they really could have captured the market in one huge swoop.
 
[quote name='mykevermin']Ok. Stop the presses. I desperately need to be sold on this, because I ain't buyin' it.[/QUOTE]

Wifi adapter?

The thing that costs $100 according to MS?

Wireless controller versus wired?
 
[quote name='icecubedx5']What does make me full of regret is that all this hoopla could have turned the Wii launch into an EXPLOSION. Every message board has topics that only lats a minute on the front page because of the traffic. Imagine if it did release at an awesome price, they really could have captured the market in one huge swoop.[/QUOTE]


Yep, and instead you will have many people putting their $430 towards a PS3 or 360.
 
[quote name='rodeojones903']Yep, and instead you will have many people putting their $430 towards a PS3 or 360.[/QUOTE]

Neat.

I can't wait to buy my 2/3rds of a PS3.
 
[quote name='Gameboy415']I can't believe that people are saying things like "If it were $200 I'd buy it, but $250 is a fucking rip off!"[/QUOTE]

That's not the point, though. The point is that Nintendo promised a "compelling price point" that would cause consumers to practically stampede. (Ref. Perrin Kaplan in one of those IGN Ninteno Minute interviews).

$200 was *that* price point. On top of that, we had the original Wii video that lead many to believe we'd be getting two controllers packed in (remember the two i's playing together?) and the general notion that the Wii was the system for the Every Man and his family. $250 for the console plus $180 for three more controllers doesn't seem quite right.

Also, $199.99 has a psychological power about it in the consumer electronics world. $250 allows consumers to ponder the graphically superior Xbox 360 (yes, graphics matter). This is *not* where Nintendo needs the Wii to be in the marketplace.

On a related note, I would like to think that most of us who are complaining have Nintendo's best interest in mind -- I know I do. We wanted this thing to go like gangbusters and to prove the world wrong. We wanted Nintendo to charge up the hill with the Wii and reclaim 1st place in the console wars. I don't really see that happening now.
 
For me it isn't the price, but what's in the package. The Wii Sports game has little to no effective value outside of the bundle. To suggest that the title is worth $50 on its own is silly. It's not.

My disappointment is that Nintendo, in its campaign to recruit new gamers, has made a lot of noise about the importance of the multiplayer experience. I expected a launch bundle that offered a demo game such as Wii Sports and a few controllers at a discount rate. I think they unnecessarily cut a corner here.

None of this goes to mention the exclusion of the nunchuck, which is clearly as necessary to a majority of games as the linear accelerometers in the Wiimote.

So my disappointment wasn't in the idea that Nintendo would touch the $250 price, it's that my expectations, based on Nintendo's public statements of late about the nature of gaming and their goals for the Wii, were just a little bit higher than what Nintendo delivered.

I can see the argument that forcing extra controllers on people who may not want them is a bad idea, but I would think that from Nintendo's perspective they would want to bundle an extra and force the consumer into some multiplayer. So if I had to do the bundle, I would start by not treating Wii Sports as a component with any substantial monetary value--it's a freaking Wiimote demo. IMO, the bundle needs one more controller. Console, demo game, 2 controllers for $250 has a good price and meets Nintendo's supposed strategic goals.

I think that the BS gaming philosophy we've been getting from Nintendo about thinking outside of typical demographics and so-called hardcore demands is exactly that: BS. In the end, they're marketing the bundle for a 1P experience, just as the other consoles do. Nintendo put a lot of effort into distinguishing themselves philosophically from their competitors, but in the end, the real differences are in the game control and the hope that graphics won't matter to potential customers. Everything else is the same old plain vanilla video game console launch we've seen before.

Things like Wii Weather are cute, but I don't see that functionality being anything to crow about. The opportunity to capitalize on VC with nostalgic gamers was blown by their pricing strategy. Hence, it's all about the Wiimote and the price point/impression at launch, and I think that the "price point vs. bundle contents" side of their strategy is slightly off target given what's in the box. We'll see.
 
[quote name='Scobie']After the hardcore set snap up the launch shipment, it's highly possible that Wii's will crawl off of shelves. And if that happens, it's price drop/bundle/free game promo city.[/QUOTE]

Scobie forces overtime... The hardcore are indeed the most likely to pick this up during the holiday season and it will be quite interesting to see if Nintendo clears the shelf at the $250 price.

If they do then they will not have lost any potential sales to the more casual or cost conscious crowd, as the hardcore fans would have already bought the system at $200 or $250. With Zelda as a launch title it certainly seems plausible to move systems fast.

If Nintendo does sell out before New Years, they would be well on their way to overtaking the 360 in terms of sales.
 
[quote name='Strell']Neat.

I can't wait to buy my 2/3rds of a PS3.[/QUOTE]

Or you can buy a Premium 360 and half of a game!
 
[quote name='Scobie']Just like so many times before, it's Doc Ramon for the win!!! Nicely stated, my friend. This absolutely nails the situation Nintendo's greed has put them in.[/quote]

Yeah, greed is the word I've been looking for all day. $250 with two controllers and Wii Sports would have been perfect but Nintendo really disappointed a lot of people that had their hopes up today.
 
[quote name='iufoltzie']

If Nintendo does sell out before New Years, they would be well on their way to overtaking the 360 in terms of sales.[/QUOTE]

Yep, if somehow MS sells zero 360's between now and New Years.
 
[quote name='Strell']Wifi adapter?

The thing that costs $100 according to MS?

Wireless controller versus wired?[/QUOTE]

Pardon the analogy, but you're talking about "hardware features," which, you show above, clearly are.

But, arguably, some insignificant features overall. I could argue that there are some features more important than wifi that $150 (from a Wii to a Premium 360) more than compensates for:
DVD playback
20GB storage space
Superior Graphics (we can giggle, but they do matter, I assure you; especially when one considers if EA or Ubisoft puts out three versions of the same title)
Component Video out of the box
720p/1080i High Definition output

Talking about wifi and claiming "hardware" similarities is roughly akin to saying a Vespa is like my Honda Civic because both have wheels. It's true, but it's a damn-near laughable stretch of said truth.

[quote name='icecubedx5']What does make me full of regret is that all this hoopla could have turned the Wii launch into an EXPLOSION. Every message board has topics that only lats a minute on the front page because of the traffic. Imagine if it did release at an awesome price, they really could have captured the market in one huge swoop.[/QUOTE]

Oh, feh. We aren't the market. We are the sheep. The market is the people who never heard of a Wii until they saw one on the cover of this morning's USA Today (replete with a GameCube disc, ironically enough, next to it).
 
[quote name='iufoltzie']Scobie forces overtime... The hardcore are indeed the most likely to pick this up during the holiday season and it will be quite interesting to see if Nintendo clears the shelf at the $250 price.[/QUOTE]

I'm sure they will, or at least will come close. Remember the GameCube launch went exceedingly well for the same reason -- the faithful came out in droves. It wasn't long, though, before sales stagnated and we got a $50 drop and then a free game bundle in fairly short order.

I'm just worried that Nintendo is going to shoot themselves in the foot, even just a little, by trying to max out their profit.
 
[quote name='rodeojones903']Yep, if somehow MS sells zero 360's between now and New Years.[/QUOTE]
Maybe that would be the case if they delayed Gears of War for the XBox 720 launch...
 
I saw those videos that were posted of the Wii's interface, picture thing, weather thing etc. It made me feel kind of okay again. It's amazing what some nice on-screen buttons and pleasant-sounding dings and clicks can do for a product. :)
 
[quote name='mykevermin']Pardon the analogy, but you're talking about "hardware features," which, you show above, clearly are.
[/QUOTE]

The point was that the Core is 50 bucks more, but it instantly goes to 400 if you want wifi. At which point you might as well get the Premium.

You are reading far too much into what I said, and I have an itch that you know you did that deliberately.

I'm not trying to act like the Wii is comparable overall. I'm just saying some of those things make it into the box.

Which, yes, is close to what you said. But instead of wheels (seeing as how those are core components, much like an AC adapter might be here), it's like saying both have iPod docks.
 
[quote name='Strell']You are reading far too much into what I said, and I have an itch that you know you did that deliberately.[/QUOTE]

Nope. I'm on a quest to behave.
 
[quote name='dothog']So if I had to do the bundle, I would start by not treating Wii Sports as a component with any substantial monetary value--it's a freaking Wiimote demo. IMO, the bundle needs one more controller. Console, demo game, 2 controllers for $250 has a good price and meets Nintendo's supposed strategic goals.[/quote]

This is it exactly. I think the addition of an extra controller would make the $250 price point reasonable. I'd definitely be on board for that.

Without it, we're being sold "affordability" but with a lame pack-in like Wii Sports and $60 Wiimotes it just isn't adding up for me anymore.

When Nintendo promised the Wii for < $250, I was hoping to escape on launch day for < $350 with two controllers and a real game (not Wii Sports). That just doesn't seem realistic at all anymore. Or affordable. Or exciting.
 
when it comes to next-gen consoles, it's really up to this to the average consumer.

If nintendo's PR does their job, it should look like this.

PS3 = 600(damn expensive) and sold out everywhere. No sight for xmas. No game included either

360 = 400(Still expensive) but same old fucking shit as the xmas with better graphics. No game included. makes the wallet cry.

Wii = 250 innovative gaming system! Kid friendly! Adult Friendly! It even comes with a game included! 250 is a steal! and it's available for you to own!

It's extremely simplified, but i hope you get what i'm trying to say. Nintendo needs to advertise the hell out of this system in order to sell. After that, they need to keep coming out with quality games in order to stay on top. Just like the DS.
 
Some of you make it sound like the pricing was going to be around $150. Really, what the hell? Having an extra controller cost $60 is kinda shitty, but I really don't care seeing as how I would not be buying another one right off the bat anyway, and don't see myself grabing one for any upcoming game. I really don't think $250 is that big of a deal, I am not a huge Wii fan and will still be picking one up.

The only real problem I see is adding in Wii sports, which I could not even give a shit about, and what VC games seem to cost, which once again really don't care about it ether since I do not like roms. Big thing for me is it has the new Zelda which looks great and that is why I am picking it up. Hell I plenty of bills { classes/apt./car/ ect. } and $250 is not a problem for me.
 
Nah its the price...they made it seem like they wanted to get all audiences so they should have made it the same as the gamecube or less in price. At first I thought 250 american was what the GC was in canada, 300, but it was really 200 in the USA and 300 in Canada so....that makes no sense to me. I guess they DID pack in the game, but I'd sooner not have that. Pfff what is it again like 5 games? And I can bet they won't be very in depth either. Whats gunna put this one over the GC launch is Zelda, hence why they delayed the GC version....if they had released it they would sell less Wii's for sure.
 
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