Gaming Forums => Nintendo Gaming => Topic started by: Chozo Ghost on November 23, 2008, 01:58:01 AM
Title: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Chozo Ghost on November 23, 2008, 01:58:01 AM
Anyone else agree with my prediction? The Wii is over 2 years old now, and all through that time its price tag of $249.99 has not changed, even though the PS3 and 360 have seen massive cuts over the same period. This is an amazing accomplishment for Nintendo, who had major problems getting the GC to sell, and had to cut its price early and repeatedly. But it also made sense for Nintendo not to drop the price, because of the unheard of prolonged shortage that was in effect and is only now coming to an end.
I checked on Amazon a few weeks ago, and for the first time ever I was able to see Wiis in stock and available for sale from Amazon rather than from scalpers at an inflated price. We are also beginning to see Wiis staying on store shelves more often, so I think it is safe to say that the shortage is finally at an end. And so now that the shortage is at last out of the way, Nintendo can now begin considering dropping the price.
I predict they won't drop the price until after the Holidays, because demand is naturally going to be very high this time of year, and the shortage may rear its ugly head again for the next two months, but after that things are going to settle down again and most people who were willing to spend $249 for a Wii will probably already have done so at that point, so I predict sometime between mid-January and March Nintendo is probably going to cut the price of the Wii down to (hopefully) $199, and they might also consider new colors for the console, or even bundling more stuff with it in order to boost sales.
I also think at some point they are going to come up with a revision to the Wii hardware, and I predict this "Wiivision" will have a beefed up internal memory, because people like to bitch about that. So instead of 512 mb like it is now, they may quadruple that to 2gb or go even higher. They may also finally include the ability to play DVD movies, and maybe even find a way to have the sensor bar built into the console so you don't need the sensor bar to be a separate component.
I also think at some point Nintendo is probably going to drop the GC controller and memory card ports. They are going to do that to save money on the hardware costs, and also to discourage people from owning and playing GC games, which they are no longer seeing any profit from. Everyone at this point who ever owned a GC has probably already upgraded to the Wii, so it makes no sense for them to keep this ability.
Instead, they will probably release "Wiimakes" of all the best selling GC games, to make them work with the Wii-mote so people will be forced to repurchase them all over again and no longer rely on backwards compatibility to play them.
Anyways, these are some of my predictions for what Nintendo is going to be doing next year. Do you guys think my predictions will end up being correct? And if not, how do you think things will be?
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: KDR_11k on November 23, 2008, 02:47:17 AM
Did the DS Lite see a price cut?
Wiis have been in stock here since a few weeks after launch and the price has not changed. The Blue Ocean Strategy dictates that you shouldn't drop prices because a pricedrop is just something you consider when the product's value no longer matches its price, instead you should increase the value of the product. More colors is something Nintendo does instead of a pricedrop, not in addition.
The sensor bar will remain separate since the bar has to be visible to the remote and near the TV while the console itself will be located in a simple storage spot. DVD playback IS POINTLESS. The license costs money and there is absolutely noone left who cares. The GC components are used for many things on Wii games, while Nintendo could drop them they haven't dropped features from their handhelds until the revision that came just before the EOL for the generation and they don't make hardware revisions on their consoles.
In short, the only thing I think you're right on is that Nintendo will release more colors.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Mario on November 23, 2008, 04:42:34 AM
I think the price will stay the same, but they will also throw in Wii Sports Resort and Motion Plus, or perhaps just replace Wii Sports with it.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: BeautifulShy on November 23, 2008, 05:05:18 AM
I think your comparison with this gen and last gen aren't really valid Chozo.The GC,I think, launched at 300.Compare that with the PS3 at 600.I believe when you are market leader there is less incentive to lower the price.PS2 was leader last gen. How many price drops did it get? How long did it take?
If you take away things like the backwards compatability customers will feel the price needs to be lowered. I think DVD playback is pointless.DVD players are cheap.
If you drop the price after Christmas than the customers that got it during Christmas will feel that they've got ripped off.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: KDR_11k on November 23, 2008, 05:40:27 AM
The PS2 got plenty of price drops, just always later than the other consoles. The DS, on the other hand, didn't seem to get even one pricedrop throughout its life.
MotionPlus and Resort is likely, the MP addon is going to be out next year and needs to see a lot of distribution so shipping it with the console makes sense, as well as updating the killer app/tech demo that ships with the system to use it. I hope they still include the old Sports games too though.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Chozo Ghost on November 23, 2008, 07:01:56 AM
They could probably merge Wii Play, Wii Sports, and Wii Resort into a single game on a single disc, but also tinker with them so that they work with MotionPlus, and yeah, include the MotionPlus too... And if they do include Wii Play like I suggested, then they should also throw in the extra controller along with it, and maybe another chuck to go with it.
Doing all that would increase the value of the console purchase enough that they wouldn't have to lower the price. I remember they did something similar to this with the original NES when it used to come with Mario Bros. but later on they included Duck Hunt and Mario together and also included two controllers and the light gun. There was even a bundle that included all of that, plus R.O.B. and Gyromite too, but R.O.B. wasn't a good idea to bundle because it wasn't supported at all.
But yeah, Wii Play + Wii Resort + extra controller + Extra Chuck + MotionPlus and some new colors beside white would really boost sales even if the price stays the same. Plus that makes sure the MotionPlus gets into player's hands by default, and that's important for peripheral support.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Mario on November 23, 2008, 07:07:30 AM
lol extra controller and Wii Play is going a bit too far, that'd be like a $100 pricedrop. Plus it's gotta be simple.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: BeautifulShy on November 23, 2008, 08:04:10 AM
Chozo I remember R.O.B was just a way for retailers to stock the NES.Retailers was wary of Video game consoles.Especially after the Crash of 83.So R.O.B was basically a trojin horse. After the Nes was selling well enough Mario took the torch and the rest is history. KDR the DS I think started at $149.It is down to $129 now.My point with the PS2 was that it got pricedrops after the GC and Xbox.Same situation this Gen with the Wii.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: KDR_11k on November 23, 2008, 08:07:31 AM
Yeah, 2x controller plus accessories and that many games is more of a late gen move. That much extra stuff would probably hurt the bottom line a lot. Throwing more games in doesn't cost much but Iwata said he doesn't like just throwing games at the console bundle because it makes people less willing to buy games, I think Wii Play will definitely remain separate.
The DS is still at 149€ here. Nice ripoff, eh, NoE?
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Monteblanco on November 23, 2008, 04:11:56 PM
I don't think Nintendo will cut the Wii price so soon. However, I belive they might add some value to the console if it start loosing sales momentum. I guess the first one will be incorporating motion+ and Wii Sport resort to the basic package. An increase of the internal memory is also a possibility in the future. Nintendo will probably wait till they are ready to announce the Wii sucessor to cut the price.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: KDR_11k on November 23, 2008, 05:07:20 PM
I think motionplus will be included ASAP to get it into circulation and resort might be added as the matching tech demo, independent of any value needs. Most likely there'll be new colors to push the value when needed.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on November 23, 2008, 05:38:23 PM
I agree with KDR. I would expect maybe a WiiSPorts/Resort single disc & Motion+ included with the Wii, single controller & nunchuck bundle. Even though I'm waiting for more colors, I don't actually expect any till sales start to slump and Nintendo wants a quick way to boost those sales again,.
People, STOP buying Wii's so I can buy a Jet Black one already!! w/ matching motion+ attachment, wiimote & niunchuck.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: UncleBob on November 23, 2008, 05:58:22 PM
There will never be a Jet Black Wii.
... it'd probably be "onyx" ;)
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on November 23, 2008, 06:11:18 PM
The 70 Wii units sitting overstocked at a local Best Buy indicates the price drop is THIS FREAKING FRIDAY, EVIDENCE NINTENDO IS IN TROUBLE.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: AV on November 23, 2008, 08:49:40 PM
maybe include a demo disk in the package with lots of new stuff and possibly a 1000 wiipoints card to get people to go online for some reason.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: stevey on November 23, 2008, 09:07:53 PM
no price cut till the 360/ps3 price come within $10 of the wii's price
Nintendo, please see sig for what I want to happen before I get a 2nd wii
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: oohhboy on November 23, 2008, 11:11:26 PM
I don't expect a price drop, but a new Wiimote that has integrated plus functions, effectively standardizing it. That would be far more useful for everyone than a price drop.
That's when I will strike and get a wii.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Dirk Temporo on November 24, 2008, 12:00:31 AM
I think you're an idiot if you expect a price drop. Price drops happen when sales go down. The Wii has been selling amazingly fast since it came out.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Smash_Brother on November 24, 2008, 12:05:09 AM
My GF manages a Gamestop and she has 40 Wiis in stock for like the first time ever.
It looks like they've finally found the market saturation point.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Mario on November 24, 2008, 02:30:11 AM
City Folk didn't work Nintendo, bupbow
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: KDR_11k on November 24, 2008, 03:48:19 AM
Wiis being in stock isn't enough of a reason to try boosting the sales, only if sales take a hit. Think about it, being in stock should be the default state for any product. If it's not in stock something went wrong and there's potential income being lost.
no price cut till the 360/ps3 price come within $10 of the wii's price
You mean like how the 360 Premium is already cheaper than the Wii in Europe? Why would Nintendo care? People who want a Wii don't care about the competition.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Chozo Ghost on November 24, 2008, 08:16:28 AM
I think you're an idiot if you expect a price drop. Price drops happen when sales go down. The Wii has been selling amazingly fast since it came out.
Sales will go down after the Holidays are over. That's an inevitability, and unlike in 2007 and 2008 the shortage is going to be over.
Let's do the math: No Wii shortage + Post-Holiday sales decline = stagnant sales.
For the first time ever, in February or March of 2009 the Wii is going to be sitting on store shelves and is going to need a boost. If not in the form of a price cut, then definitely with the introduction of new colors or bundles. Mark my words, the 1st half of 2009 will be the time when Nintendo finally needs to do something to help the Wii maintain its momentum.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Plugabugz on November 24, 2008, 10:53:42 AM
You mean like how the 360 Premium is already cheaper than the Wii in Europe? Why would Nintendo care about europe?
Fixed.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Ian Sane on November 24, 2008, 12:10:13 PM
Nintendo doesn't do Player's Choice anymore and they're actually smug enough to BRAG about this. In public presentations they actually make a big deal of how they won't throw us, the paying customer, a bone because they don't have to. They know their games will continue to sell at full price so no discounted price promotion is needed. The fact that they actually reveal this information publicly and not in some private meeting blows my mind. They are so damn arrogant that they'll present this to the very public that is negatively affected by it as if it's some key information we need to be aware of.
So why would the company that has this attitude about game prices cut the price of the hardware? 2009 will probably be the first time anyone can finally just walk into a store and buy a Wii on a whim. Why cut the price now? And again this is the company that cheaped out on the hardware to make a bigger profit on the console which has affected third party support in a negative away and AGAIN they bragged publicly about it to the very customers who are, more or less, jerked around by that decision.
If Nintendo could RAISE the price of the Wii they probably would and then devote 15 minutes of their E3 presentation to bragging about how we're all getting ripped off. No way in hell there's a price cut any time soon.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: bustin98 on November 24, 2008, 12:28:43 PM
Put me in the 'no price decrease' court. The only reason Nintendo will drop the price is when the system stops selling like gangbusters. I bet by now they have the cost per console down to near $100 or less though. And if a 'HDWii' is in the plans, when that releases is when the original Wii will drop in price.
So, a price drop in 2012. And we'll never see another black console from Nintendo again.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: KDR_11k on November 24, 2008, 12:56:41 PM
Ian, one reason they're telling us that is so we know there won't be a pricedrop and don't wait for one. Iwata once said people actually buy more games at full price if they know there won't be a price drop (I think he might have phrased it the other way around, they buy less games at full price if they expect pricedrops).
Third party support would have been just as bad no matter how much or little profit Nintendo makes from the Wii, in fact I think it would have gotten worse support if they tried to keep pushing the grapghics as Sony and MS really overstretched to get a jump in the graphical area, leading to massive losses. If Nintendo just went for break-even the graphics would still not be competitive with the HD consoles but they'd be too good to allow cross platform development with the last gen so a Wii game has zero cross-platformability. Getting cheap ports from the HD consoles was impossible anyway and all they could do was cut off the other port source. Additionally the increased graphics expenses would be wasted money since all better graphics do at this point is cost money on the hardware and on the software, they don't increase sales.
You want Nintendo to pay for PS3 hardware. Why don't YOU pay for PS3 hardware and buy yourself one?
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Ian Sane on November 24, 2008, 02:55:12 PM
Quote
You want Nintendo to pay for PS3 hardware. Why don't YOU pay for PS3 hardware and buy yourself one?
Stupid Blu-Ray junk increases the cost too much. Seems to have worked for Sony though since Blu-Ray beat HD-DVD. Their non-gaming plans for the PS3 actually worked. But it's too damn expensive still. But unlike the Xbox 360 there's no red ring of death which is a big deal to me and leaning the "Ian inevitably buys a second console because the Wii's super lame" decision in the PS3's favour. Need a damn price cut though.
My objection to the Wii's hardware is mostly that when you're sacrificing hardware to get the price down the least you can do is go for the absolute best hardware you possible can manage under that price point. But instead Nintendo went even further than that so they could make a profit off the hardware from launch. That's screwing the consumer. You deliver a new console it better be way f*cking better than the previous one. I swear if the Cube had a remote controller you could port every goddamn Wii game to it. So now my third party offerings consist of PS2 ports with sh!tty waggle control. They had the GALL to talk about how MS and Sony weren't offering noticable differences in their new consoles and then proceeded to be complete f*cking hypocrites and re-package last-gen hardware with a new novelty controller. They're borderline cheating us.
Lack of purpose in general is what has made this generation very meh. Nintendo is not the only one guilty of it.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on November 24, 2008, 02:58:55 PM
This is the best generation of all.
See above post.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Morari on November 24, 2008, 03:32:50 PM
Stupid Blu-Ray junk increases the cost too much. Seems to have worked for Sony though since Blu-Ray beat HD-DVD. Their non-gaming plans for the PS3 actually worked. But it's too damn expensive still.
It hasn't worked yet. There is still plenty of time for Blu-Ray to die off in favor of some other emerging format. The fact of the matter is that only a very small portion of the market even cares at this point. ;)
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Chozo Ghost on November 24, 2008, 04:23:30 PM
I agree with Morari. I've read up on some superior disc formats on Wikipedia involving holograms and the like... Blu-ray isn't going to have the life-span of DVD, that's for sure.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: KDR_11k on November 25, 2008, 03:58:17 AM
And you think throwing those, what, 19$?, at the hardware would suddently put it on par with the PS3 and 360?
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Ian Sane on November 25, 2008, 12:08:59 PM
Quote
It hasn't worked yet. There is still plenty of time for Blu-Ray to die off in favor of some other emerging format. The fact of the matter is that only a very small portion of the market even cares at this point.
Well yeah. I see Blu-Ray as the new Laserdisc. But they still killed off HD-DVD and I really didn't think they would. I mean Sony always loses in format wars, right? I think the PS3 previously clearly helped them with that. Not necessarily worth sabotaging your videogame console for but it's some sort of victory.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: ThePerm on November 25, 2008, 05:07:36 PM
blu-ray is awesome, it may be an optical disc, but not a fad like laserdisc.
on the other hand sd card technology is becoming cheaper every moth. I saw an 8gb sd card at Fry's Electronics for only $17.99, once they get into the 40gb territory for that price than they start looking like good candidates for making consoles cheaper(return to cartridge). Not to mention what future handhelds have to offer.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on November 25, 2008, 05:13:54 PM
blu-ray is awesome, it may be an optical disc, but not a fad like laserdisc.
on the other hand sd card technology is becoming cheaper every moth. I saw an 8gb sd card at Fry's Electronics for only $17.99, once they get into the 40gb territory for that price than they start looking like good candidates for making consoles cheaper(return to cartridge). Not to mention what future handhelds have to offer.
That would be hilarious if console gaming went back to cartridges. Shows that Nintendo was WAY ahead of its time with the N64 ;)
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: nickmitch on November 25, 2008, 05:18:41 PM
It'll be a solid state future.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Ian Sane on November 25, 2008, 05:41:22 PM
Quote
That would be hilarious if console gaming went back to cartridges. Shows that Nintendo was WAY ahead of its time with the N64
Nah, SNK were ahead of their time. They put huge CD-sized games on cartridges and charged a couple hundreds bucks a pop for them. If we got back to cartridges we'll pretty much get the same thing only it will be affordable.
I would love it though. Cartridges are just cool, you know? Plus cartridge consoles have no moving parts. No red ring of death or any crap like that. My SNES works flawlessly but I know that despite the quality of Nintendo products my Cube and Wii will likely not last as long. Solid state gaming is ideal for classic game collectors. Plus t heycan put custom chips and such in cartridges which was always fun. And special COLOUR cartridges like gold Zelda carts and such. Oh yeah and that no load times thing but cartridge colours! COME ON!!
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: EasyCure on November 25, 2008, 05:49:28 PM
I have burned cd's that are on black discs, those are pretty bad ass. Why cant they make a golden zelda disc :(
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Adrock on November 25, 2008, 06:43:27 PM
Price drop in May, failing that October. It'll happen next year for sure. If the Wii seems to be reaching a saturation point, a price drop and Wii Sports Resort will put and end to that.
My objection to the Wii's hardware is mostly that when you're sacrificing hardware to get the price down the least you can do is go for the absolute best hardware you possible can manage under that price point. But instead Nintendo went even further than that so they could make a profit off the hardware from launch. That's screwing the consumer.
That's good business. Taking a loss on hardware is too risky. Do you really think whatever you buy is worth exactly how much you paid for it? That includes the Dollar Menu at McDonald's. How do you expect any business to turn a profit? In hindsight, Nintendo should have considered more powerful hardware, namely hardware that could looked as good or close to what 360/PS3 can do on a standard TV, but then again, it's hard to argue that Nintendo made the wrong choice with the Wii selling so well.
In any case, I don't know why you're so baffled and/or appalled. Nintendo's business plan has always revolved around maximizing profits.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Ian Sane on November 25, 2008, 07:17:22 PM
Quote
Taking a loss on hardware is too risky.
Where did I say they had to take a loss? It isn't just profit or loss. They could aim to break even or make a smaller profit with the idea being to get the absolute best hardware they can out of that pricepoint to give their console enough legs to last five years without looking out of date. No one is suggesting they take a bath on the hardware or anything. Just don't sell me last gen hardware when I know you already make money on literally EVERY GAME ON THE ENTIRE CONSOLE. With Nintendo is just always feels like the rich wanting to be richer. They're always trying to squeeze that extra penny out of us.
And with the Wii it feels like they said to themselves "these non-gaming rubes we're targetting don't know sh!t. We'll just revamp our last console, which they didn't buy anyway, a little bit and they'll never know the difference. We can re-release some of our best Cube games as well. And our fans will buy our stuff anyway so we don't even have to worry about them noticing. And those that do can leave for all we care because we'll replace them with the rubes." It feels like Nintendo would never even attempt to make a console like the Wii for the old market because they know it would bomb but because they're targetting the mainstream they can cut as many corners as they like and get away with it. When presented with a situation where they had to very seriously consider addressing a lot of their unpopular policies they cleverly found a new audience too disinterested to care.
"I've driven away all my friends by being a prick but instead of turning over a new leaf and trying to win them back I'll just find a new group of dumber friends who will take longer to discover what I prick I am."
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: King of Twitch on November 25, 2008, 07:20:52 PM
The second paragraph made my head spin
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on November 25, 2008, 07:30:25 PM
Yeah those games like SMG, MP3, Zelda: TP, Super Paper Mario, and SSB:B sure did bomb and nothing more than stupid Gamecube ports. Also it is kind of funny that the reason the Wii was successful IS because it wasn't just another Gamecube, but a different way to interact with games.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Chozo Ghost on November 25, 2008, 07:43:02 PM
blu-ray is awesome, it may be an optical disc, but not a fad like laserdisc.
on the other hand sd card technology is becoming cheaper every moth. I saw an 8gb sd card at Fry's Electronics for only $17.99, once they get into the 40gb territory for that price than they start looking like good candidates for making consoles cheaper(return to cartridge). Not to mention what future handhelds have to offer.
It is possible. But while an SD card may cost $15 - $20 a piece, an optical disc format like perhaps Blu-ray would only cost about a tenth of that, or even less. And when you consider games cost 50 - 60 dollars each, that means if they were released on SD cards then about 1/3rd of the cost of the game would be in the medium alone, and that would mean much less profit for game developers. As a result, there would be fewer games because it would be less likely to make a profit, and companies would be more more frugal with the games they did publish. So it would basically be like the N64 all over again (and trust me, I remember that for a while N64 games were like $90 each brand new!)
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Chozo Ghost on November 25, 2008, 08:01:07 PM
I would love it though. Cartridges are just cool, you know? Plus cartridge consoles have no moving parts. No red ring of death or any crap like that.
Cartridges have their downsides. As I said in my previous post, the cost per MB (or GB) is much greater for any cart or card than it is for an optical format such as CD or DVD or Blu-ray. Even if Nintendo/Sony/MS didn't jack up the price for their cartridge based games, it would still be a problem for consumers because the profit margin for game developers would be much slimmer since more money would need to go towards the medium cost, and that means smaller game companies would be hurt really bad, and even the big game companies would probably cancel and choose not to fund risky new franchises which they otherwise might have done.
Also, at least in the case of the NES carts, they had a terrible problem of getting dust in them and not being readable in the system. Of course, the same could be said of Discs that if you scratch them they won't work, but at least you can keep your discs in working order for your whole lifetime if you take good enough care of them. The same thing can't be said for carts, because the contacts will corrode, and also the carts usually rely on batteries to keep saves. Eventually those batteries are going to die.
You say carts have no moving parts, but the act of jamming them into a console and ripping them out is movement, and it results in wear and tear on those contacts. A laser reading a plastic disc isn't going to wear it out at least.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: NWR_pap64 on November 25, 2008, 11:18:26 PM
A Wii price drop will happen sooner or later. I don't see the Wii ending its lifespan still priced at 250.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: KDR_11k on November 26, 2008, 02:52:02 AM
Also it is kind of funny that the reason the Wii was successful IS because it wasn't just another Gamecube, but a different way to interact with games.
I guess Ian is one of those tech fetishists who think if it has the same graphics it's the same console even though it had massive developments in the user interface sector. Some other important people said they consider the Wii the only real next gen console because the others are just the same old with more graphics while the Wii provides a real step ahead that the user will actually benefit from.
Also, Adrock, I don't think the bit of money they made from the Wii console itself would have bought enough hardware to compete with the HD consoles (even at SD since the hardware isn't taxed much by resolution changes). Especially when it comes to ports, the system would still be significantly weaker. Remember, the Wii does include new technology like the controller and whatnot and all that stuff costs money too.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Chozo Ghost on November 26, 2008, 10:44:04 AM
I guess Ian is one of those tech fetishists who think if it has the same graphics it's the same console even though it had massive developments in the user interface sector. Some other important people said they consider the Wii the only real next gen console because the others are just the same old with more graphics while the Wii provides a real step ahead that the user will actually benefit from.
Interface improvements aside, the Wii is more powerful than the GC. Isn't it supposed to be as powerful as 2.5 gamecubes, or something like that? Obviously, its not as much of a leap forward as the 360 or PS3 was over their predecessors, but it is an improvement nonetheless. Remember, the Wii and the GC share the same chipset and architecture, but Wii games would NOT run on the GC, because the Wii hardware is more powerful.
I suppose you could look at it like how an IBM compatible PC from a few years ago seems so similar to an IBM compatible PC from the current year. Sure, an older PC and a newer PC will be about the same to program for, and odds are 99% of new software will run on the slightly older PC as well, but that's not to say the newer one isn't faster and more powerful. So again, there IS an improvement, but understandably it might not be as much of an improvement as Ian and most gamers would like....
And even if graphics were EXACTLY the same, that would completely ignore the countless other enhancements the console introduced; including everything from the controller to the virtual console to the internal memory to the WiFi support. All of these and all the other enhancements are enough in my opinion to consider the Wii a successor to the GC, even if graphics are only incrementally improved.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: King of Twitch on November 26, 2008, 11:41:19 AM
PLUS THE GAMES WOULDN'T FIT IN THE GAME CUBE TRAY
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: EasyCure on November 26, 2008, 12:10:55 PM
That alone is better than your last few funhouse topics.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: King of Twitch on November 26, 2008, 12:13:17 PM
Hey, I put a lot of thought and heart into those topics
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Chozo Ghost on November 26, 2008, 02:36:40 PM
Who is that in your avatar, Zap?
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: King of Twitch on November 26, 2008, 03:50:09 PM
Start here Chozo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bJ7EmwNlyo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bJ7EmwNlyo)
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Ian Sane on November 26, 2008, 04:55:10 PM
Quote
Also, at least in the case of the NES carts, they had a terrible problem of getting dust in them and not being readable in the system. Of course, the same could be said of Discs that if you scratch them they won't work, but at least you can keep your discs in working order for your whole lifetime if you take good enough care of them. The same thing can't be said for carts, because the contacts will corrode, and also the carts usually rely on batteries to keep saves. Eventually those batteries are going to die.
You say carts have no moving parts, but the act of jamming them into a console and ripping them out is movement, and it results in wear and tear on those contacts. A laser reading a plastic disc isn't going to wear it out at least.
Isn't that NES thing a myth? The real reason NES carts aren't readable is because of the console itself. That springy tray the NES has bends the contacts in the cartridge over time (or something like that). Bend them back and it works. Notice that SNES or Genesis games don't seem to attract so much "dust" as NES games do even though all of them have the same exposed contacts. Hell a friend of mine found a SNES cartridge complete caked in dust that was just the circuit board without the plastic casing. He put in his SNES and it STILL worked. Turns out it was Super Punch-Out!
Optical disc readers don't die out because of the laser but the little motor that turns the disc. That thing is working hard every time you play a game and like all motors eventually it will wear itself out. And battery saves is an out-of-date method that is no longer used. GBA cartridges did not use batteries to save and neither do DS games.
I imagine any time we go back to cartridges permanently would be at some point where optical discs no longer have a significant cost advantage over cartridges. Cartridges are superior in every way except cost. Until then though no one is going to switch.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: Adrock on November 26, 2008, 06:52:29 PM
Where did I say they had to take a loss? It isn't just profit or loss. They could aim to break even or make a smaller profit with the idea being to get the absolute best hardware they can out of that pricepoint to give their console enough legs to last five years without looking out of date.
Really? You quote one sentence out of that entire post. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
So what is your point besides mindless b*tching? Microsoft forced people to consider a $400 console and Sony, a $600 console. You're complaining about Nintendo but look at the alternatives. Are the 360 and PS3 worth the price of entry or did MS/Sony force HD onto consumers? Keep in mind, how many people even had HD TVs 2-3 years ago?
All things considered, I'm having a hard time even seeing where you're even coming from. You're just promoting blatant consumerism but your argument is faulty.
Title: Re: I predict a Wii price drop will come after the holidays
Post by: IceCold on November 26, 2008, 07:19:45 PM
That alone is better than your last few funhouse topics.
Ouch. Don't listen to him MJRX - I happen to find those very funny.
i wasnt COMPLETELY serious ;)
i enjoyed them, but you didnt space them out well enough. Too many too fast, it hurt you. You cant expect us (me) to concentrate on one thread in the funhouse for that long, hence why no one replied (which in my mind means no one cared about the thread to begin with, which made it unfunny only by default)
