Post by: ThanksMK on October 04, 2006, 04:09:34 PM
Post by: ThanksMK on October 04, 2006, 04:11:02 PM
Post by: Neodymium on October 04, 2006, 04:13:51 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: ThanksMK
Matt over there at IGN said 50 bucks to expensive and 3 weeks late? Do you guys agree?
Upon seeing it, I said (before Matt) "A month too late and 50 dollar too expensive."
That's the case because it's completely true. Nintendo, you missed a golden opportunity to short-supply, get hype running crazy, then follow-up with a flood of hardware. At $200, everyone would go for it. You've instead blown your chance to sell thousands of units to disappointed people going to the store to buy a PS3.
Post by: KnowsNothing on October 04, 2006, 04:17:38 PM
Post by: Strell on October 04, 2006, 04:28:18 PM
That's the better question.
Post by: ThanksMK on October 04, 2006, 04:36:53 PM
Hey I'm just saying...
Post by: willie1234 on October 04, 2006, 04:45:55 PM
what Matt means is, $50 and a month late for him...
Nintendo will sell out it's first run and then bring down the price soon after to bring in the non-gamers. Assuming the library comes together in q1 or q2 of 2007 (crosses fingers), I think we'll see the DS playbook in full effect. By that time they'll be a nice set of games for the casuals & nongamers, plus the production will have fully ramped up. I would hope for a price reduction and some type flashy new set of colors around summer 2007.
Launching after Sony with a (relatively) high price shows confidence on Nintendo's part. I tend to think that will help Nintendo over all create a perception of strength going into the 2007 season which is where the real match up with the ps3 begins.
Post by: Dirk Temporo on October 04, 2006, 04:46:36 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Strell
Why does the Internet think it is smarter at business than a company that has been doing it, profitably, for over 100 years?
That's the better question.
Because, being the consumer, we know more about what the consumers want.
Post by: Neodymium on October 04, 2006, 05:05:22 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Dirk TemporoQuote
Originally posted by: Strell
Why does the Internet think it is smarter at business than a company that has been doing it, profitably, for over 100 years?
That's the better question.
Because, being the consumer, we know more about what the consumers want.
Burninated!
Nintendo is notorious for sticking to old-style Japanese business guns in a changing world.. if Yamuchi were still in charge they'd really be mean to consumers.
Post by: NWR_pap64 on October 04, 2006, 05:19:50 PM
I told you people, this is what happens when you speculate too much on something.
Post by: Kairon on October 04, 2006, 05:29:05 PM
Thus, $250 is a fine price.
~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com
Post by: BigJim on October 04, 2006, 05:40:11 PM
Matt's comments are the same ones we've heard for the last 2 weeks.
Wii will sell out. PS3 will sell out. There is no quantifiable stealing of sales through price undercutting at this point. Supply is already effectively gone for both. If one person doesn't buy it, someone else will. Net difference = none.
That being said, I don't think Nintendo will quickly drop the price either. That bait and switch would piss off early adopters, as well as imply the product is having problems. If people are buying it at $250, and they will, there's no reason to drop the price. Would more people buy it at $199? Yes, of course, but they're not even close to a price race yet. It will probably stay at $250 at least until next fall, or unless 360 core drops in price (which itself is not expected for a while yet either).
While most people expected something much closer to $200, they also have to get over the knee-jerk "freak out" reactions. It's STILL cheaper than the other systems by $50 to $350. $199 is a good mainstream price but it's not a magic bullet. It didn't help them in previous generations. If anything, they are still in better shape because last gen there was only a $100 difference between all of them.
What do I personally think of the price? A bit sucky but tolerable. The controller prices are what really suck. (But I also remember Nintendo dropping the price of their controllers from $35 to $25 soon after GCN launch...)
Post by: Strell on October 04, 2006, 05:55:26 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Dirk TemporoQuote
Originally posted by: Strell
Why does the Internet think it is smarter at business than a company that has been doing it, profitably, for over 100 years?
That's the better question.
Because, being the consumer, we know more about what the consumers want.
Exactly.
Thank you for proving my point.
Post by: SixthAngel on October 04, 2006, 06:03:02 PM
The time arguement is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. They will still sell out all of their units and the number will be the same, production doesn't drop because of a later release date. Releasing it before the ps3 is idotic because it is not necessary and sends out a message of weakness because your company felt it needed to be released early to grab attention. Advantages of releasing early = 0.
Post by: Adrock on October 04, 2006, 06:05:34 PM
Post by: Infernal Monkey on October 04, 2006, 06:26:25 PM
Post by: Blue Plant on October 04, 2006, 06:29:28 PM
Post by: Mario on October 04, 2006, 07:05:59 PM
Post by: jasonditz on October 04, 2006, 07:24:08 PM
I don't know for sure, so I have to rely on what other people say. People like Miyamoto. He says it's a Gamecube with a new controller. And I think to myself wow, I have a Gamecube... there are lots of Gamecube games I still haven't played. I'm not enamoured of the idea of the new control system. I like the Gamecube controller.
And then I start thinking: do I want to pay $250 for a console that I for all intents and purposes already own, simply so I can play the handful of new titles that will be available for the new controller? Not particularly.
Maybe somewhere along the line the new controller will have enough games available for it, and the price will drop enough that I can justify the purchase, but it feels a long way off right now.
Post by: wandering on October 04, 2006, 07:36:07 PM
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But here's the thing: Nintendo is a business, and selling Wii for $249 through the holiday is a smart business move. As much as I'd prefer it were cheaper, even I recognize that. The Big N will ship four million units through December and the hardcore crowd will devour the supply in no time. Nintendo's leaders have said that Wii will turn a profit from the start, which is something that neither Microsoft nor Sony could hope to do with their respective consoles. And when the competition finally does make an aggressive move to lower the price of their systems, Nintendo can drop the price of Wii to the magic sub-$200 point and go from there.
Post by: ThePerm on October 04, 2006, 08:09:59 PM
you know, for as much as gamers spent on psx,ps2, and xbox, verses the combined total of what they we are spending now..its not a big deal. Gamecube + Wii only 450
ps2(300) + ps3(w accesories) = 900, xbox(300) + xbox360(400)= 700
Post by: Jensen on October 04, 2006, 09:08:21 PM
I was disappointed because she misled me to believe the price would be lower. She was probably just thinking of it being low in price compared to the other sytems... I doubt she even knows much about the hardware.
Post by: Jensen on October 04, 2006, 09:16:39 PM
I was disappointed because she misled me to believe the price would be lower. She was probably just thinking of it being low in price compared to the other sytems... I doubt she even knows much about the hardware.
I think the biggest dissapointment for me is that they are bundling a party game with a console that comes with one controller.
Post by: KDR_11k on October 04, 2006, 09:22:31 PM
While at Circuit City, browser for some new electronics just for the heck of it, I overheard a potential consumer speaking to a customer rep, asking, "why this brand is cheaper than that brand if it does the same thing". So you get the idea that a lot of people that don't normally pay attention to tech look at the price and convert it into "quality".
People must have a lot of spare money to throw around where you live, I always take the cheapest one that does what I want since I assume quality is identical between all products unless I have read a review saying something else. But then again in electronics most products are just the same chip in different casings. Hm, could this be caused by ads? I don't watch TV so I don't see most ads, advertised products are always more expensive so maybe the ads got people the impression that expensive = better. Or is it just a regional way of thinking? People consider Aldi to be lower quality where you live, don't they?
Nintendo is notorious for sticking to old-style Japanese business guns in a changing world.. if Yamuchi were still in charge they'd really be mean to consumers.
Well, they are adapting to change. They are seeing that their competition has raised console prices across the board so they're raising their own prices to snag more of a profit.
Post by: Michael8983 on October 04, 2006, 09:47:29 PM
I mean the first few shipments of consoles will be snagged by hardcore gamers anyway so might as well make them pay since you know they will.
But as soon as the Wiis are starting to appear regularly on shelves, it's time for a price drop to 200 to go for the casuals and non-gamers.
As far as it being too late. It makes no real difference.
The PS3 is going to have so few units at launch (and I bet half will be faulty too) and will sell out regardless.
Post by: ThePerm on October 04, 2006, 10:06:02 PM
Post by: Mario on October 05, 2006, 03:08:26 AM
Post by: Plugabugz on October 05, 2006, 03:35:06 AM
Post by: Infernal Monkey on October 05, 2006, 04:55:04 AM
Post by: Ceric on October 05, 2006, 04:56:36 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: BigJim
Well I am a consumer AND on the internet. So I'm like super important here. I want it for $99. Will Wii crash and burn if they don't cater to my demands? That would be interesting, but no.
Matt's comments are the same ones we've heard for the last 2 weeks.
Wii will sell out. PS3 will sell out. There is no quantifiable stealing of sales through price undercutting at this point. Supply is already effectively gone for both. If one person doesn't buy it, someone else will. Net difference = none.
That being said, I don't think Nintendo will quickly drop the price either. That bait and switch would piss off early adopters, as well as imply the product is having problems. If people are buying it at $250, and they will, there's no reason to drop the price. Would more people buy it at $199? Yes, of course, but they're not even close to a price race yet. It will probably stay at $250 at least until next fall, or unless 360 core drops in price (which itself is not expected for a while yet either).
While most people expected something much closer to $200, they also have to get over the knee-jerk "freak out" reactions. It's STILL cheaper than the other systems by $50 to $350. $199 is a good mainstream price but it's not a magic bullet. It didn't help them in previous generations. If anything, they are still in better shape because last gen there was only a $100 difference between all of them.
What do I personally think of the price? A bit sucky but tolerable. The controller prices are what really suck. (But I also remember Nintendo dropping the price of their controllers from $35 to $25 soon after GCN launch...)
I agree with BigJim. That being said. I will also add that you can't buy a consumer ready to go right out of the box piece of hardware that does just what the Wii-Channels do alone. Without even taking the game playing into account. If we weren't getting the channels and if we weren't getting the browser for free because of being earlier adopters/guinea pigs then I might be a little dismayed. Since we are I think its a Super Deal. Especially as a replacement for my defective Cube.
(Though I do hope for a price drop for the controllers soon. Even though I know that out of the whole system the Wiimote has been stated as the most problematic piece to produce.)
Post by: Athrun Zala on October 05, 2006, 05:48:19 AM
Post by: Requiem on October 05, 2006, 07:35:48 AM
I have yet to play a Wii, but from what I've read and seen, my percieved value for this machine is at least $300 (without WiiSports).
Why you ask?
Well, the Xbox 360 can get away with a $300 price tag because of HD graphics and crap. So why can't the Wii do the same except with a new immersive way to control videogames?
First off which one would you rather have more? HD or Wiimote? If you said Wiimote, than wouldn't you pay more for it than HD?
You guys are getting way ahead of yourselves.
Post by: EasyCure on October 05, 2006, 08:00:20 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: Athrun Zala
this topic is 5 minutes too expensive, and 2 weeks too late
quote of the day
Post by: Ian Sane on October 05, 2006, 08:21:58 AM
The controller price is the bigger issue. $60 is completely f*cking ridiculous.
Post by: Kairon on October 05, 2006, 10:12:57 AM
But yeah... the controllers... Why is NOA charging $5 more for each than Japan? In Japan the total price comes to about 5600 yen... which is cheaper than the $60 we pay. Why NOA why? Just drop the prices for $5 for each item and you'll be in good territory!
~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com
Post by: King of Twitch on October 05, 2006, 10:14:54 AM
Post by: Kairon on October 05, 2006, 11:55:21 AM
~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com
Post by: Mario on October 05, 2006, 12:21:37 PM
Quote
The price was deceptive because Nintendo said "under $250" and then set the price to $249.99. The price has been upseting because Nintendo pretty much tricked us.
...
You've GOT to be joking. "Under $250" wasn't something they pulled out of their arse for fanboys to "pleasantly surprise" them with a cheaper price, it was the only realistic possibility Nintendo could give investors.
Post by: IceCold on October 05, 2006, 02:08:09 PM
Post by: Kairon on October 05, 2006, 02:12:28 PM
Either way, it's interesting to see that this was an announcement that had to suit Business concerns AS WELL AS be viewed under the scrutiny of raving internet fanbois. I really don't think we have ANYONE to blame but ourselves, since cooler heads know that when a business man says "less than $250" they really mean "$249.99."
This is what every non-fanboy I told the Wii ceiling price news to responded with immediately, that it's basically $249.99. I'm sorta happy now that I didn't argue with them.
~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com
Post by: BigJim on October 05, 2006, 02:13:48 PM
It wasn't entirely above board, but in any case it's not that bad.
Anyway, what's sorta funny is how people complained about GCN being so cheap it was disregarded as a toy. Well there's the price increase they wanted. Congrats.
Post by: IceCold on October 05, 2006, 02:47:30 PM
Post by: Strell on October 05, 2006, 02:55:42 PM
So I think it was meant to be $200 for a long time, but someone pointed out "we can make it $250 and make a profit off the bat."
If anyone else had insider information prior to the price release, they should speak up. I'm just carrying on the information I had prior to that point, and I was very, very surprised it wasn't $200.
Post by: Infernal Monkey on October 05, 2006, 03:03:22 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
The price was deceptive because Nintendo said "under $250" and then set the price to $249.99. The price has been upseting because Nintendo pretty much tricked us. I think in Canada the price is good. It's lower than the Cube was. I think it probably should be a little lower in America. They apparently are making a profit on it and considering they're selling us a Gamecube with a new controller I think they should break even on the hardware and make money off of the games. Gimping our hardware so that THEY can make more profit isn't very nice.
The controller price is the bigger issue. $60 is completely f*cking ridiculous.
Don't buy it then. Pretty simple!
Post by: Kairon on October 05, 2006, 03:09:16 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Strell
My insider told me until the day the price got revealed that it would be $200, and that once it was $250, he told me that night that "it must have changed in the last few days."
So I think it was meant to be $200 for a long time, but someone pointed out "we can make it $250 and make a profit off the bat."
If anyone else had insider information prior to the price release, they should speak up. I'm just carrying on the information I had prior to that point, and I was very, very surprised it wasn't $200.
Given that Japan went ahead with $215 tax included, that sounds very likely. NOA must've felt that a higher price for "value perception" and a pack-in game was of importance, hence their version of the bundle... wait, is Europe geting Wii Sports packed-in too? Yes, right?
~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com
Post by: BigJim on October 05, 2006, 04:03:52 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: IceCold
They said "if you look at the past, we have always had a reasonable price compared to our competitors"....
Iwata said, "What we've been repeatedly saying is that it's going to be an affordable price point, and when we say affordable, you may want to check our past records of price points, launching price points for any past hardware."
Post by: IceCold on October 05, 2006, 07:05:05 PM
Post by: BigJim on October 05, 2006, 09:20:07 PM
