Anyone think Nintendo will drop a bomb come release..

Thunderscope

Thunderscope

CAGiversary!
10 years ago when N64 was released everyone thought it was going to be $250 just until right before release when they said it was only going to be $199. Well givin the fact Nintendo has a crapload of Wii's to deliver and the demand what better way to increase that demand even more. Plus satisfy its fans and encourage people on the fence to hop over by surprising everyone with a cheaper launch price. Its not like Nintendo couldnt do this considering its estimated to cost them under $200 to build anyways.
 
I hope so. I wouldn't mind seeing an extra pack-in of some sort for buyers at launch (like the remote with the 360).
 
This sounds smackingly like "Do you think Nintendo will change the name of the console back to Revolution from Wii?"

Sure, they could, but I doubt it. Wait 6 months, you'll see your $200.
 
Either way Im buying it but Nintendo could get in some more game sales by doing so and also sell more wiis, I cant see how they would lose. Either way its just $50 which doesnt make a difference to me.
 
As I have posted in similar threads, you're basically asking Nintendo to give up about $50 million worth of sales. I don't know any business that would do that. Plus their first party games sell well anyway, so the adoption rate of their games is close to 1:1. Its not like potentially selling less consoles at a higher price point is going to affect their software sales (where most of the companies make their money). They are essentially striking while the iron is hot and taking their profits up front.
 
true, however if they can sell more wiis they'll make way more on software and accessory sales overtime. Its all about how big of an impact they wanna make at launch.
 
No. I'd certainly like to see some sort of 'buy the machine and 2 games, get a free wiimote' type deal though. You know. Put that game registration nonsense to good use for once.
 
No. The N64 price dropped because the Playstation droped to $200.

It doesn't look like MS is goign to drop the 360 price, so there's not much chance of Nintendo dropping price either. And honestly, even if they did I doubt Nintendo would follow suit anyway. They want to make a profit on each Wii sold right from the start.
 
[quote name='Thunderscope']true, however if they can sell more wiis they'll make way more on software and accessory sales overtime. Its all about how big of an impact they wanna make at launch.[/quote]No, just no.

Launch? Impact? ha! Like the DS right? Yeah, people were just running each other over at launch. Neither have alot of consoles. I seem to remember alot of problems with the PS2 launch, and that system is doing great!

No. It's not about that at all. Noone really gave a flying fuck about the DS at launch, and now, it is THE handheld. No questions asked. They didn't have to sell it at any less. Why should they? Nintendo is confident in their products. They usually are. Except for the N64, which, as has been pointed out, they dropped the price right before.

I think the problem with dropping the price before launch is you get alot of people already crying that the company has no faith in the product(hence the commotion around the 'tard pack for the PS3 price drop in Japan).

Personally, I think the price is more than adequate for what we are getting. You do realize we are getting a game pack in right? That hasn't happened since the SNES.

The price is FINE. Let it go. EVERYONE.
 
[quote name='Sgt. Baker']No, just no.

Launch? Impact? ha! Like the DS right? Yeah, people were just running each other over at launch. Neither have alot of consoles. I seem to remember alot of problems with the PS2 launch, and that system is doing great!

No. It's not about that at all. Noone really gave a flying fuck about the DS at launch, and now, it is THE handheld. No questions asked. They didn't have to sell it at any less. Why should they? Nintendo is confident in their products. They usually are. Except for the N64, which, as has been pointed out, they dropped the price right before.

I think the problem with dropping the price before launch is you get alot of people already crying that the company has no faith in the product(hence the commotion around the 'tard pack for the PS3 price drop in Japan).

Personally, I think the price is more than adequate for what we are getting. You do realize we are getting a game pack in right? That hasn't happened since the SNES.

The price is FINE. Let it go. EVERYONE.[/QUOTE]

Not to go off topic BUT the day of DS release it was a bit hard to get a Ds and within a week it was sold out over here. Supply didnt let that last for long but I remember watching them sell for around $200 on ebay for a few weeks. So they did give a crap. And some people cashed in. Dont let anyone fool you into thinking that there wont be a markup on ebay for hte wii it will happen even if its short lived.

Its going to sell out somewhere.
 
[quote name='Sgt. Baker']No, just no.

Launch? Impact? ha! Like the DS right? Yeah, people were just running each other over at launch. Neither have alot of consoles. I seem to remember alot of problems with the PS2 launch, and that system is doing great!

No. It's not about that at all. Noone really gave a flying fuck about the DS at launch, and now, it is THE handheld. No questions asked. They didn't have to sell it at any less. Why should they? Nintendo is confident in their products. They usually are. Except for the N64, which, as has been pointed out, they dropped the price right before.

I think the problem with dropping the price before launch is you get alot of people already crying that the company has no faith in the product(hence the commotion around the 'tard pack for the PS3 price drop in Japan).

Personally, I think the price is more than adequate for what we are getting. You do realize we are getting a game pack in right? That hasn't happened since the SNES.

The price is FINE. Let it go. EVERYONE.[/quote]

Um yeah, that is why I had 12 or more calls an hour from people looking for a DS from the launch day till around the second week of December when we could actually keep at least one DS in stock. I don't know how it was in your area, but in mine we had a great deal of high want, low systems.
 
I can see them dropping some sort of bombshell press release about a game, new uber-feature, or something on that lines, but not a price drop.
 
[quote name='Z-Saber']I can see them dropping some sort of bombshell press release about a game, new uber-feature, or something on that lines, but not a price drop.[/QUOTE]
Agreed. I think what we might see is an announcement relating to the VC, such as a free game download.
 
[quote name='Sgt. Baker']Personally, I think the price is more than adequate for what we are getting. You do realize we are getting a game pack in right? That hasn't happened since the SNES.[/quote]
And you do realize that the SNES came with SUPER MARIO WORLD and not a mere tech demo, right?
 
[quote name='oleander']And you do realize that the SNES came with SUPER MARIO WORLD and not a mere tech demo, right?[/QUOTE]
You do realize that you've not played the final version of Wii Sports right so cannot judge its quality, right?
 
[quote name='daroga']You do realize that you've not played the final version of Wii Sports right so cannot judge its quality, right?[/quote]And you (still talking to oleander) do realize people have played Wii Sports and said that it is enjoyable? Electroplankton is touted as a tech demo, but it's still very fun. Tech demo |= killjoy.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']No. The N64 price dropped because the Playstation droped to $200.[/QUOTE]

Also, if I remember correctly, they announced at E3 that it'd be $250, and then a few months before launch they changed it to $200. I think we're past the mark for news with the console itself. If we get anything surprising now, it'll be game announcements.
 
If it were $50 cheaper more people would buy the system thus equaling more console sales and more game sales.
 
[quote name='David85']If it were $50 cheaper more people would buy the system thus equaling more console sales and more game sales.[/QUOTE]


my cat's breath smells like cat food.
 
[quote name='David85']If it were $50 cheaper more people would buy the system thus equaling more console sales and more game sales.[/QUOTE]

You're suggesting there won't be enough people wanting to buy it at $250?
 
[quote name='daroga']You do realize that you've not played the final version of Wii Sports right so cannot judge its quality, right?[/quote] As much fun as this sequence was...
I disagree...I can and do judge games without playing them quite frequently. Out of the games I own, probably at least 90% have been purchased without ever having played the game. But I'm being too literal and you probably meant I can't judge a game well or simply that I shouldn't (brings back fond memories of the "Can I go to the bathroom?" thing of elementary school, doesn't it?) judge games without having played them. All I can say to counter that is that I like the games I have, so I think it has worked out pretty well for me.

Even so, I am not saying that Wii Sports will be bad. When writing my original post, I had originally used "glorified tech demo" but changed it to "mere tech demo" because I deemed it to be a bit too strong (though admittedly, mere seems too strong the other way). Pac N Roll is what I would consider to be a glorified tech demo and quite fun; Wii Sports doesn't seem to have the same level of refinement or depth, though.

*********MAIN POINT*********
Wii Sports is not comparable to SMW. IMO, it is much closer to Hexic (which is also fun - I would like to make it perfectly clear that I am not saying it won't be fun), and I have never heard anyone mention Hexic as justification for the 360's price. I am not saying Wii Sports won't be fun. I expect it will be, in fact. But it is not anywhere near SMW, and no, I don't have to play it to figure that out.
*******END MAIN POINT*******

As an aside: how would you have felt if Nintendo had said the Wii was going to be $200 and then come launch day, every retailer forced you to buy Wii Sports for its MSRP of $50 to get a Wii? A little annoyed, maybe? Perhaps there might have been another game you would have rather spent the $50 on?

But to each his own (damn, a fragment...). It all comes down to your own conception of something's worth. Mine seems to be contrary to the dominant opinion, but that's how things go I guess...

[quote name='Z-Saber']Tech demo |= killjoy.[/quote] I am assuming you meant |= as a not equals operator, but perhaps you should use a different symbol. See entailment.
And I'm pretty sure I never said that being a tech demo means it is not fun, but whatever...
 
Wii Sports is great, in particular, Tennis. If I had someone to play it with I could go really competitive with it. You'd think there'd be a lack of depth because the characters move on their own, but you'd be wrong. Timing your swing to your own actions is easier than timing it to the computer movements. There is a lot of precision involved in your swing.
 
[quote name='oleander']As an aside: how would you have felt if Nintendo had said the Wii was going to be $200 and then come launch day, every retailer forced you to buy Wii Sports for its MSRP of $50 to get a Wii? A little annoyed, maybe? Perhaps there might have been another game you would have rather spent the $50 on?[/QUOTE]

Nintendo isn't charging $50 extra for Wii Sports, though. Consider that in Japan, the only region where it isn't a pack in, Wii Sports' price is comparable to an expensive DS game, which is 1,000-2,000Y cheaper than your typical console release.

Wii Sports was packed in to give the perception of added value, whether its a great game or not. It costs them next-to-nothing to pack in and lets them charge what they wanted to charge.
 
[quote name='alongx']Nintendo isn't charging $50 extra for Wii Sports, though. Consider that in Japan, the only region where it isn't a pack in, Wii Sports' price is comparable to an expensive DS game, which is 1,000-2,000Y cheaper than your typical console release.

Wii Sports was packed in to give the perception of added value, whether its a great game or not. It costs them next-to-nothing to pack in and lets them charge what they wanted to charge.[/quote] Yeah, I know...but I was one of those who felt that Nintendo implied a $200 price, so it feels like $50. Even at $30-$40, though, I'd rather have the money to spend on another game.
 
People will buy the Wii at launch at $250. If two million people buy the console in the first month at $250, they would have lost 100 million dollars in revenue selling the system at $199.

The price will drop, but after Nintendo sees how will the Wii is/isn't doing.
 
[quote name='oleander']And you do realize that the SNES came with SUPER MARIO WORLD and not a mere tech demo, right?[/QUOTE]

No, the tech demo they sold as a full priced game. It's called Pilot Wings. It was derived from the code first used to demo Mode 7 effects for the press in Japan about a year before the Super Famicom launch.
 
The problem with this thread is that the premise is based on a perception that never had any basis in reality. The price of the N64 ws announced by Nintendo many weeks before launch and remained unchanged. (The price of the PS1 didn't come down to $200 untill well after the N64 launch.)

Would they sell faster at a lower price? Sure but Nintendo doesn't expect to have enough supply to meet that level of demand. They've already arranged, as part of the Wii's modest performance level, to have what may be the highest launch supply ever. But that doesn't mean they intend to flood the stores with inventory. The PR of selling everything down to bare shelves on the day of launch is far too valuable. They have a pretty good network in place for tracking inventory at the big retail chains. They can manage daily deliveries to their regional warehouses if the demand is there.

Otherwise, they can just sit back and let the market take its time and not run three shifts at their manufacturing facility, which means reduced labor costs. If the demand is there to keep three shifts going the payoff is worthwhile.

The Wii is poised to sell for a very low price but Nintendo has a good chunk of capital from the R&D and launch costs to recoup. They'll try to make all of that back this Xmas seaon and look like gods in the eyes of their investors.
 
I wish the "bomb" would be that they're kidding about Wii Sports.
 
[quote name='Brak']I wish the "bomb" would be that they're kidding about Wii Sports.[/QUOTE]

Not to be curt, but whats your beef with a "free" game? I've played Wii Sports and while its not something I would pick up at launch its certainly a fun diversion and a good intro for the Wiimote.

I cant imagine Nintendo including anything other than Wario Ware that would have the same ease of use and universal appeal that Nintendo is shooting for with the non-common gamer. Unfortunately, Wario Ware sells itself.
 
[quote name='iufoltzie']Not to be curt, but whats your beef with a "free" game? I've played Wii Sports and while its not something I would pick up at launch its certainly a fun diversion and a good intro for the Wiimote.

I cant imagine Nintendo including anything other than Wario Ware that would have the same ease of use and universal appeal that Nintendo is shooting for with the non-common gamer. Unfortunately, Wario Ware sells itself.[/QUOTE]
Because the game is disposable, and can't be compared to the choice of packaging Super Mario Bros. / Duckhunt and Super Mario World with the NES and SNES.

And saying it's "free" is subjective.
 
[quote name='Brak']Because the game is disposable, and can't be compared to the choice of packaging Super Mario Bros. / Duckhunt and Super Mario World with the NES and SNES.

And saying it's "free" is subjective.[/quote]It's free from the standpoint that they wouldn't have had a different MSRP without the game.
 
[quote name='Brak']Because the game is disposable, and can't be compared to the choice of packaging Super Mario Bros. / Duckhunt and Super Mario World with the NES and SNES.

And saying it's "free" is subjective.[/QUOTE]

No one is claiming its on par with SMB or SMW, but it is indeed "free" or its included in the price because you wont be able to walk up to the clerk at Target and ask them to remove Wii Sports and get a discount on the package.

But its thanks to Sega and Sony you will probably never see a launch pack in like SMB or SMW. They successfully launched and in Sony's case dominated the market and guaranteed a 3rd party company a game sale with the system.

You cannot blame Nintendo for taking the same lead that their competitors did with regards to including a game with their systems. Also, with the Wii Nintendo “appears” to be refocusing some attention on garnering 3rd party support. So they bundle in a glorified tech demo in order to get people used to the control system and let the customers pick a second game. Most will take Zelda, but already a fair number are looking at the releases from Ubisoft, EA, and Sega.
 
[quote name='Brak']Because the game is disposable, and can't be compared to the choice of packaging Super Mario Bros. / Duckhunt and Super Mario World with the NES and SNES.[/QUOTE]
I guess I would argue that point.

I understand what you mean, that the depth and lastability of SMB & SMW will in hindsight exceed Wii Sports. That may very well be true (though I could see Wii Sports being a staple at LAN/game parties. A few beers and Wii Tennis & Bowling? Yes.) But I believe you're missing the point of the pack-in.

The Pack-in is meant to show what a system is capable of doing. When Super Mario Bros. hit, the Atari owners' jaws all hit the floor. It wasn't something that had been done on a home TV console, ever. Graphically it was impressive, but the scope and seeming size of the game blew away the many one-screen games that had existed before it.

Super Mario World was more or less the first game to start the "graphic whoring" trend that still goes on till this day. SMW boasted a color pallete that put every NES game and Genesis games at the time to shame. It proved that the SNES had power under the hood, and Nintendo could make amazing games and that the system was a force to be reckoned with--and would prove all that to be true in the following years.

So SMB showed what was in store for gaming, as did SMW. To follow suit, the N64 should've had Mario 64 as a pack-in, as the 3D platformer was about as mindblowing as things came in that day. The Cube's lack of packin makes sense in this line of thinking because, if we're honest with outselves, nothing has changed this generation save for smoother graphics and crisper gameplay.

But now, like with the NES and the SNES, Nintendo needs to make a statement. They need to show what the heck this messed-up looking controller is for and what it can do--even if it's just a taste. Is it a tech demo? Maybe, but so was Duck Hunt and I remember having endless fun with that.

Once again, Nintendo's not the loving Grandpa looking out for your good. They're a company seeking to make money. Now, more than ever, Nintendo has to prove their philosophy to the mass market, and thus Wii Sports is the only first party title that makes sense to bundle in with the console. Zelda may be a better, longer game, but Wii Sports is Nintendo's new philosophy on a disc.
 
When one says demo, it makes it sound incomplete. Do we actually know for fact that Wii Sports is a demo? Has Nintendo actually come out and stated such?

If one can play a full 18 holes of golf, 9 innings of a baseball game, a full tennis match, or a complete game of the other sports offered in Wii Sports in 1 or 2 player, then I would consider Wii Sports slightly more then a demo. More along the lines of an actual full game, but that is just me. Electroplankton is sufficiently less.

Perhaps one of the reasons for Wii Sports as a pack in is to show off what the Wii is capable of and what really makes is much different then the traditional button mashing console.
 
I work in sales, and one thing you learn very quickly is to not oversell your product. Once you hook the customer, you make the sale, quick. You don't want to throw in extra information, or change prices last second, or anything like that, because it makes the customer start thinking again. If you already have the sale, why make them think about it any further? All it does is open up the potential for them to reconsider.

Right now, the demand is pretty high for the Wii, so making any changes at the last minute may shake the customer's confidence in buying the product. I think it'd probably be a mistake.

Granted, I sell things nobody wants, so this may not really apply here, but I think it's valid for some people.
 
[quote name='oleander']I am assuming you meant |= as a not equals operator, but perhaps you should use a different symbol. See entailment.
[/quote]You are absolutely correct. I actually meant "!=" and even though the two look similar to me, you caught my mistake.
 
[quote name='guinaevere']I'm in for bowling, myself.[/quote]Bowling was fun, even if it was bowling. I hate and suck at real life bowling, but I did like, though still sucked at, Wii Sports bowling.
 
[quote name='b3b0p']When one says demo, it makes it sound incomplete. Do we actually know for fact that Wii Sports is a demo? Has Nintendo actually come out and stated such?[/QUOTE]
Demo is short for "demonstration", obviously -- and they used Wii Sports as a tech(nology) demo(nstration) at E3.
[quote name='b3b0p']Perhaps one of the reasons for Wii Sports as a pack in is to show off what the Wii is capable of and what really makes is much different then the traditional button mashing console.[/QUOTE]
... and that is why it's a tech demo, much like Yoshi Touch 'n' Go, or whatever the Hell they ended up calling it.

Anyway, my gripe about the Wii being packaged with Wii Sports is because I wish there was a choice - at least - as I don't Wii Sports, and others feel the same, I've seen. Regardless, at least they're not charging us for Wii Sports, on the shelves -- that'd be the last game I'd buy.
 
[quote name='Z-Saber']You are absolutely correct. I actually meant "!=" and even though the two look similar to me, you caught my mistake.[/quote]
BTW, I'm not trying to be an ass, I'm just anal. Thanks for not yelling at me (which I suppose would have been justified).

I would like to add one more thing on the topic of Wii Sports. If Nintendo had originally come out and said the Wii was going to be $250 instead of saying it would be less than $250, I think I would have been ok with that, and would now see the Wii Sports pack-in as a great bonus and be excited about it. As it is, I still feel like the Wii is less than $250 and the reason I have to pay $250 to get one is because of Wii Sports.

On the actual topic of the thread, I certainly would like them to drop the price, but it isn't going to happen. I'm still holding out hope for some free VC downloads or something like that.
 
I don't think there are going to be any bombs dropped.

Once Nintendo decided to pack in Wii Sports, that was it. They're not going to drop the price to $200 with Wii Sports. They're also not going to make a console-only option at this point.

I think Nintendo gauged the demand for the Wii, and decided that while people would be very happy at $200, they'd still pay $250. So they chose that price point instead, and added Wii Sports as a sweetener. It worked. Some people (me included) are grumbling, but there are no widespread revolts.

I'm not particularly happy about it, but my choice is get it or wait for a drop. And this time, I don't want to wait. I have money and credit saved up, Zelda waiting for me, and whatever I'd save in the form of a price drop isn't worth the four/six/eight months it would take for it to drop $50.
 
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