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How would the market react if WiiU price dropped to $199 ?.

The system would have 2-3x the sales cap for 2014. But with only a handful of AAA games scheduled for the entire year and few of the high profile indies, it would remain a niche product.

It would certainly become much more popular amongst the "core" crowd, but Nintendo needs much more than the few hundred thousand gamers who would buy a box just to play X or Bayonetta.
 
People will say "I'll buy one when it's $150." If it goes down to $150, people will say "I'll buy one when it's $100." And it'll only be $100 once Nintendo's next console appears. The Wii U is already effectively £200 in the UK, even cheaper if you look hard enough (the Basic was recently offered at £150 on clearance, but the Premium's usually around for £190 with some well-timed searching) and it hasn't made a blind bit of difference to the console's fortunes, at best elevating it from 'total disaster' to 'one small step up from total disaster'. Sad fact is, Nintendo have screwed virtually every aspect of this console up in sales and marketing terms, and now they're going to have to live with it for a few more years at least.
 
If the price drop happened at the same time as a rebranding and more aggressive courting of third party developers it would have a good chance.

I love Nintendo, but they just don't have the resources to output enough exclusives on their own to support a console
 
I keep saying I'd buy it at the $200 and lower price point, but when I really think about it...I still don't know that I would. It would certainly be more tempting, but there will soon be lots of games on Ps4 I want, and Titanfall and others on PC.

Could I really justify a console I know I won't play all that much, even at $200?

Add in that I STILL don't own a 3DS (was gonna stay away but that library is becoming too much to ignore) and I think the Wii U is still a while away for me, $200 or not.
 
H_Prestige said:
Wait, I thought you said nobody knew of its existence?
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You can't say 'everyone' or 'no one' where you are talking about 100 million people, you cannot be that general. 'They have all moved onto tablets' is one of the most stupid mass statements I have ever heard tbh. Sure a large portion might have moved on but I don't accept that the 95 million people who bought a Wii but not a WiiU now no longer game or have moved onto mobile devices.

How do people also explain the Wii software attach rate or the Wii software sales still outselling WiiU's software sales in most countries in 2013 ?. A large amount of people are still playing and still enjoying Wii and if Nintendo can get word to them that there is a completely new Wii out there and if they can get the price down to $199 I feel sales could easily take off esp as I said they time the price cut / marketing blitz with the release of MK8 one of the Wii's biggest sellers.

H_Prestige said:
Ok, let's assume people know of it, but mistakenly believe it is a tablet controller for the Wii. Guess what, they're still not buying it. So how would clarifying that it also comes with a brand new system make them want to buy it? Whether people know exactly what it is, or whether they think it is an add on, either way they don't give a crap.
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A tablet add on to an old system they already own is a far different proposition to a whole new exciting system with an already large library of exclusive games they can't play anywhere else.
 
I also think IGN's Game Scoop made a good point with how terrible the Wii U name is in light of the 2DS's also terrible name (though that one is fortunately selling great I hear).

Grandma: "I can't buy this game for my grandchild, it says 3DS but he only has a 2DS"

Store Clerk: "Oh don't worry, the 2DS can play all 3DS games!"

Grandma: "Wonderful! Well he also has a Wii, so I'm going to buy him this new Mario Game"

Store Clerk: "Well that is only for Wii U, does he have a Wii U?"

Grandma: "huh?"


So much unnecessary confusion.
 
I'll consider it when it hits less than $150. It's not worth it to me when the only "must-play" games are SM3DL and Earthbound.
 
Apophis2036 said:
You can't say 'everyone' or 'no one' where you are talking about 100 million people, you cannot be that general. 'They have all moved onto tablets' is one of the most stupid mass statements I have ever heard tbh. Sure a large portion might have moved on but I don't accept that the 95 million people who bought a Wii but not a WiiU now no longer game or have moved onto mobile devices.

How do people also explain the Wii software attach rate or the Wii software sales still outselling WiiU's software sales in most countries in 2013 ?. A large amount of people are still playing and still enjoying Wii and if Nintendo can get word to them that there is a completely new Wii out there and if they can get the price down to $199 I feel sales could easily take off esp as I said they time the price cut / marketing blitz with the release of MK8 one of the Wii's biggest sellers.



A tablet add on to an old system they already own is a far different proposition to a whole new exciting system with an already large library of exclusive games they can't play anywhere else.
Click to expand...

People are happy with the Wii and don't see the need to buy a new system. They sure as hell aren't spending 199+ the money it takes to buy new games on prettier looking versions of the games they bought. Nintendo needed something new to appeal to this audience and instead they are cranking out Wii sequels
 
Randolph Freelander said:
You can comfortably pigeon-hole software, which fell off a cliff for Wii. I can't account for every consumer, but buying habits don't lie. I am not going to blame promotion for Wii U's ills, either, because that's a cop-out. Either a product is desired, or it isn't. Word of mouth is the best publicity of all, and Wii U just doesn't have it.
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But don't you accept that the marketing for WiiU has been possibly the worst excuse of marketing in the history of videogames ?.

You have a mix of people who either don't know the console exists, know it exists but think it's a tablet add on for the Wii or know it exists but don't know what exclusive software is available for the system which would tempt them to buy it. Also again there will be a group of people who know it exists, like the look of it but feel $299 for a Nintendo box is far too much. A large price drop to $199 and a marketing blitz would fix a great deal of those problems.


The marketing for WiiU is a complete and utter cluster **** and I personally think that the whole marketing team behind WiiU (which probably includes the clowns that had a say in naming it) should be fired. I have a feeling WiiU will be taught in marketing classes for a great many years to come as an example of what you don't do to an incredibly successful brand.
 
Apophis2036 said:
You can't say 'everyone' or 'no one' where you are talking about 100 million people, you cannot be that general. 'They have all moved onto tablets' is one of the most stupid mass statements I have ever heard tbh. Sure a large portion might have moved on but I don't accept that the 95 million people who bought a Wii but not a WiiU now no longer game or have moved onto mobile devices.

How do people also explain the Wii software attach rate or the Wii software sales still outselling WiiU's software sales in most countries in 2013 ?. A large amount of people are still playing and still enjoying Wii and if Nintendo can get word to them that there is a completely new Wii out there and if they can get the price down to $199 I feel sales could easily take off esp as I said they time the price cut / marketing blitz with the release of MK8 one of the Wii's biggest sellers.



A tablet add on to an old system they already own is a far different proposition to a whole new exciting system with an already large library of exclusive games they can't play anywhere else.
Click to expand...

Here's the thing, even though Wii software sales have been often better than Wii U in 2013, they are still terrible. Most of the active users have moved on, whether it's to other competing consoles (you seem to have ignored this possibility, even though Move/Kinect sold some 40 million units between them) or phones is irrelevant. They aren't buying Nintendo console games any more.

The people buffering the current sales of Skylanders and Just Dance can't save a console.
 
I think a $200 Wii U would sell like hotcakes. At that price it would turn into an impulse buy for those that want to play Nintendo's first party games. Another price drop could save the system. More Wii U owners would mean more third party support.
 
metalslimer said:
People are happy with the Wii and don't see the need to buy a new system. They sure as hell aren't spending 199+ the money it takes to buy new games on prettier looking versions of the games they bought. Nintendo needed something new to appeal to this audience and instead they are cranking out Wii sequels
Click to expand...

Isn't this also the case for a massive percentage of the 160 million people who already own PS360's aswell then ?, except they need to shell out $400 and $500 instead of $200 for 'prettier looking versions of the games they already have' yet people seem to think PS4 and Xbone are going to sell 20 million consoles inside their first two years of release.
 
I'm gonna have to echo all the negative responses. There's just no interest in the Wii U hardware or software.
 
Apophis2036 said:
Some have mentioned software but I don't think that is an issue. In it's first twelve months on the market the console has had Nintendo Land, NSMB U, NSL U, ZombiU, Lego City Undercover, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Game & Wario, Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101, Sonic Lost World, Wind Waker HD, Mario 3D World, Wii Sports HD, Wii Party U and Wii Fit U and DKC Tropical Freeze are set to arrive in the first two months of next year.
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Outside of ZombiU, Monster Hunter, and Wii Fit, all of those games appear to the mass market consumer to be children's games. I'm not saying they are not good games for adults, but that is the outward image they project. W101 may have a very deep combat system, but it still looks like it is a game for 5-year-olds to someone who just looks at the box or some videos.

There's a large swath of people out there who are not going to take notice of games with cutesy characters and cartoon graphics, and the existing library does very little to capture the attention of this audience.

Also, on a bit of a tangent, but do people actually see Wii Fit U as being a major title? I understand that the original sold a lot of copies during the Wii's hype explosion period, but I really wonder who still cares when you can get things like the FitBit now.
 
tokkun said:
Outside of ZombiU, Monster Hunter, and Wii Fit, all of those games appear to the mass market consumer to be children's games. I'm not saying they are not good games for adults, but that is the outward image they project. W101 may have a very deep combat system, but it still looks like it is a game for 5-year-olds to someone who just looks at the box or some videos.

There's a large swath of people out there who are not going to take notice of games with cutesy characters and cartoon graphics, and the existing library does very little to capture the attention of this audience.

Also, on a bit of a tangent, but do people actually see Wii Fit U as being a major title? I understand that the original sold a lot of copies during the Wii's hype explosion period, but I really wonder who still cares when you can get things like the FitBit now.
Click to expand...

I get your point but the console has also had Splinter Cell Blacklist, Batman Arkham Origins, Assassin's Creed IV and Call of Duty Ghosts in the second half of this year alone so there are more 'mature' games on the system if that's what you want on top of exclusive games.
 
Is it just wishful thinking on my part in thinking that the Wii U will be fine? I know they are not selling gang busters but for some reason I think they will be ok.
 
I would consider a WiiU Deluxe @ $199 if it came bundled with Mario 3D World or DKC, but only if there was literally nothing on the PC/3DS/Vita/PS4 to occupy my time. Otherwise, I'll buy it when it's officially a dead system and enjoy its best games at a much lower price.
 
tokkun said:
Outside of ZombiU, Monster Hunter, and Wii Fit, all of those games appear to the mass market consumer to be children's games. I'm not saying they are not good games for adults, but that is the outward image they project. W101 may have a very deep combat system, but it still looks like it is a game for 5-year-olds to someone who just looks at the box or some videos.

There's a large swath of people out there who are not going to take notice of games with cutesy characters and cartoon graphics, and the existing library does very little to capture the attention of this audience.

Also, on a bit of a tangent, but do people actually see Wii Fit U as being a major title? I understand that the original sold a lot of copies during the Wii's hype explosion period, but I really wonder who still cares when you can get things like the FitBit now.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone expects high numbers for Wii Fit apart from a few people on NeoGAF who also thought that Zelda, Mario 3D World, and Wii Party would do big numbers.
 
Apophis2036 said:
How do people also explain the Wii software attach rate or the Wii software sales still outselling WiiU's software sales in most countries in 2013 ?. A large amount of people are still playing and still enjoying Wii and if Nintendo can get word to them that there is a completely new Wii out there and if they can get the price down to $199 I feel sales could easily take off esp as I said they time the price cut / marketing blitz with the release of MK8 one of the Wii's biggest sellers.
Click to expand...

Wii sold 50.6 million units of software in FY3/2013, which is a rate of 0.5 pieces of software per Wii console in the wild. For FY3/2014, Nintendo projects 20 million units of software for Wii, which is 0.2 units per console.

If Wii software is outselling Wii U software, believe me, that's not telling you that Wii software sale are good, nor is it telling you a lot of people are still playing it. It's telling you that Wii U software sales are terrible. For what it's worth, Nintendo projects 38 million units of Wii U software for the fiscal year, which is a number probably not attainable because that forecast was made in conjunction with the forecast to sell 9 million Wii Us, which nobody believes is going to happen.
 
Apophis2036 said:
The marketing for WiiU is a complete and utter cluster **** and I personally think that the whole marketing team behind WiiU (which probably includes the clowns that had a say in naming it) should be fired.
Click to expand...
I think the clowns at the top need a good, hard kick up the arse to be honest. Everyone from Miyamoto and Iwata and all of the other senior heads. No doubt they had the final say on the name.

You know you fucked up big time when you're still releasing videos over a year after launch trying to educate people that it's a new system and not just a tablet add on:

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/th...heral-nintendo-reminds-shoppers/1100-6416840/

Especially after the 3DS debacle. What a joke.
 
I think the real question -- regardless of price drop -- is how would the market react if the WiiU started selling strongly?

A simple price drop doesn't mean anything in and of itself. But if sales suddenly become brisk AND if a AAA 3rd party release or two hit a million in sales AND if the acceleration for the One and PS4 show signs of slowing...perhaps we'll see the WiiU included in more multi-plats.

I wouldn't expect a PS4 or One price drop anytime in the next 12 months unless one those systems begins to fall meaningfully behind the other.
 
Apophis2036 said:
Isn't this also the case for a massive percentage of the 160 million people who already own PS360's aswell then ?, except they need to shell out $400 and $500 instead of $200 for 'prettier looking versions of the games they already have' yet people seem to think PS4 and Xbone are going to sell 20 million consoles inside their first two years of release.
Click to expand...

No, you don't seem to get it. The core audience that bought the PS3/360 care about better graphics and they were also interested in games to begin with. As the Wii proved, the casual audience doesn't give a crap about how good these games look. That's why the Wii was so successful in the first place, so thinking that better graphics would be some big selling point to the same franchises was crazy
 
Their mistake is bundling a game in along with the Wii U.

They can easily drop the Basic to $199 (Skylanders) and the Deluxe to $249 or less by not including in a game.
 
With a few more interesting exclusives, I would react by buying one. That is a good deal and about where it needs to be, in my opinion.
 
My guess is lots more people would buy it, Nintendo would lose money on each unit, and 3rd party publishing would not pick up for a very long time if ever. So, not ideal. Honestly I don't know what the solution to the WiiU is if there even is one at this point.
 
metalslimer said:
No, you don't seem to get it. The core audience that bought the PS3/360 care about better graphics and they were also interested in games to begin with. As the Wii proved, the casual audience doesn't give a crap about how good these games look. That's why the Wii was so successful in the first place, so thinking that better graphics would be some big selling point to the same franchises was crazy
Click to expand...

Well, games like NSMB U, DKC:TF, Wii Party U, and Wii Fit U don't even look significantly better.
 
Hip Hop said:
Their mistake is bundling a game in along with the Wii U.

They can easily drop the Basic to $199 (Skylanders) and the Deluxe to $249 or less by not including in a game.
Click to expand...

Er..you do realize the game they are bundling costs Nintendo nothing (well I'm sure they paid Activision something to get one of their games bundled for no extra costs). But Nintendo is losing money on the hardware of Wii U (or at least they were a few months ago) and some game they pack in isn't the reason they can't drop the price
 
Hip Hop said:
Their mistake is bundling a game in along with the Wii U.

They can easily drop the Basic to $199 (Skylanders) and the Deluxe to $249 or less by not including in a game.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. Last I heard is that they're still making a loss on the Wii U at $350, so a $50 price cut to $300 with a bundled game isn't likely to be helping. It's not like they've sold so many systems that they're in a place to negotiate a manufacturing discount. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there's a significant number of the initially shipped 4m still hanging around on shelves and in warehouses.
 
See it was already 200bucks once in Australia and everyone including myself still don't give a shit about the Wii U. No one views it as a next gen system.
 
Pancakes R Us said:
Not necessarily. Last I heard is that they're still making a loss on the Wii U at $350, so a $50 price cut to $300 with a bundled game isn't likely to be helping. It's not like they've sold so many systems that they're in a place to negotiate a manufacturing discount. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there's a significant number of the initially shipped 4m still hanging around on shelves and in warehouses.
Click to expand...

Considering how dismal the performance is across Europe, I wouldn't be surprised either. It's probably why the discounts have been so heavy
 
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