USA TODAY International Edition
Nintendo cuts price of Wii U game console
Gaming company hopes lower cost, more games lead to a turnaround
With the launches of rival devices Xbox One and PlayStation 4 looming, Nintendo is chopping the price of its struggling Wii U video game console.
Nintendo announced the Deluxe version of the Wii U will sell for $ 299.99 starting Sept. 20. The bundle includes a black Wii U console with 32 gigabytes of storage, the tabletstyle GamePad controller and a copy of the game Nintendo Land.
Basic Wii U bundles, which included no game and an 8- GB hard drive, will no longer be manufactured.
The company is also launching a limited- edition bundle featuring The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD for $ 300. The bundle includes a deluxe console; digital copies of the game and Hyrule Historia, a book about the history of The Legend of Zelda series; and a Zelda- themed GamePad.
Combined with an injection of new first- party games arriving this holiday — including Mario adventure Super Mario 3D World and fitness title Wii Fit U — Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils- Aime is confident in a rebound for Wii U. “It was critical for us to have a strong software lineup to support Wii U,” he says.
The price cut arrives as Nintendo endures a huge slump in Wii U sales. As of late July, global sales reached 3.61 million, with the company only selling 160,000 during its first quarter. The company predicts it will sell 9 million Wii U consoles during its fiscal year, which ends in March.
While the reduction from $ 349.99 should entice consumers, a stronger lineup of games might be equally as important to how the Wii U performs this holiday, says Lewis Ward of IDC.
“We saw with the 3DS that the combination of a price cut and more compelling first- party software really led to a turnaround,” says Ward.
Sales of Nintendo’s 3DS handheld gaming device took off following an $ 80 price cut introduced months after it launched in 2011.
Nintendo will launch a new version of the DS called the Nintendo 2DS on Oct. 12. At $ 130, the device is aimed at “entry- level consumers,” says Fils- Aime.
“We need to have a strong entry price point proposition for consumers,” he says. “There are consumers out there where the base 3DS ... might be a little out of reach.”