Topic: Wii compare!

[iMoron]

Now that we know the price, I wanted to make a thread that focuses on the prices among the next-gen consoles. Just for kicks... ... If anyone can find more details about the other systems, mainly PS3, add the info (copy and paste this list and add the info). Forget the technical spec mumbo jumbo.

Wii $249.99

- Wii Console
- One wireless Wii Remote controller ($39.99)
- One Nunchuk™ controller ($19.99)
- Wii Sports
- vertical stand
- HD AV cable (included?)
- WiFi support

360 $299.99

- XBOX 360 console
- wired controller ($39.99)
- standard AV cable
- white faceplate
- Live Silver Service

360 $399.99

- XBOX 360 console
- 20 GB Hard drive
- wireless controller ($49.99)
- HD AV cable
- ethernet network cable
- wired XBOX Live headset
- white faceplate
- Live Silver service

PS3 $499.99

- 20 GB Hard drive
- Controller

PS3 $599.99

- 60 GB Hard drive
- WiFi support
- Controller

Now... Am missing lots of details on the PS3 but am sure some will clarafy that info.

For the important part of this thread, price comparations... What does the price includes?

The Wii controller cost $40 same as the wired controller for the 360. The wireless 360 controller is $50... Of cource that will be compared against the Wii controller in conbination with the $20 Nunchuk... Now, one interesting bit we don't know yet, the other atachments? Will they be in the $20 range?

Games will be on the $50... for the Wii. I wonder if third party games will be the same, but I think not... This leaves game prices simillar to the 360. Sony on the other hand will most likely be at $60 minimum. That make me wonder about profit margin on games for the PS3 will be. Am sure third parties, the small ones atleast, will have a hard time... Hopefully they will see the Wii as a viable platform. I read that Microsoft take a big chunk on royalties from each game so maybe the profit marging on the 360 (per game) is not as high as with the last generation. Again the Wii is said to cost the least to develop for and as such the games should make a hiegher profit marging than the 360... All of this from a developer's point of view, not the customer/gamer's point of view...


All am trying to start in this thread is the economical aspect of each console for the developers and the gamers...

What do you make of my cheap analissy of a post?

Edit: I type sllowww... Now I see a post were I could have posted this... oh well... lets see what will happen with this.

[ThePerm]

good research!

[BigJim]

Well even at $250, it's half the cost of the gimped PS3. And seeing today's videos and screenshots, what we're getting visually seems to be anywhere from adequate to awesome. So PS3 is not a good value no matter how it is diced, IMO.

For the 360, the benefit is not as obvious. There's a premium there, but at least in this case there is some validity to the argument of value. There's more power out of the box, and for $50 more it's not a hard pill to swallow (speaking in terms of value for the gamer).

Hard to say what the real-world value is to the developer. If 3rd party sales crash and burn like they did on the Cube, there's no value no matter what the development expenses are. And there is validity to the argument that Wii projects may have to get their own separate budgets from the other games they develop, so some of the benefit of cheaper development is lost. We'll have to see what happens here. This is a big question mark. If 3rd party games actually sell, then that changes everything.

[Caterkiller]

Glad you posted this, my cousin just asked about the prices for the 360's controller.  After reading that I don't feel so bad about 60 dollar "complete" controller. Though I think it really needs to come down 10 dollars or so.  

[hudsonhawk]

Well said Jim.  I think they're now going to have to convince people that the value proposition actually rivals the 360, since the total cost of ownership really isn't that much lower:

Wii: $250
2nd Controller: $40
2nd Nunchuck: $20
Component cables: $40
2GB SD Card: $30
TCO: $380

Xbox 360: $400
2nd Controller: $40
TCO: $440

$60 isn't a huge difference.  But, you really have to throw in an Xbox Live Gold membership, which you'd realistically want, and that brings the 360's TCO up to $490.  

If you want to split hairs, a more apples-to-apples comparison might be:

Wii: $250
2nd Controller: $40
2nd Nunchuck: $20
2GB SD Card: $30
TCO: $340

Xbox 360: $300
2nd Controller: $40
Memory card: $50
TCO: $390

...since both of these have solid-state memory and no component cables.  That slices the difference down to $50.  Again though, the Live membership would bring the difference back up to $100.

Neither of these includes the 360's ridiculously overpriced wireless adapter, which is a ridiculous $100.  Did I mention how ridiculous that is?

[wandering]

...You're also not taking into account $60 games.

Quote
Though I think it really needs to come down 10 dollars or so.

Yeah, I think the sweet spot would be $35 for the wiimote, $15 for the nunchaku.

[vudu]

What wandering said.  Take into account 10 games and you're looking of an additional price difference of $100.

[King of Twitch]

The nunchuk is the new Memory Card 59

[wandering]

Quote
Take into account 10 games and you're looking of an additional price difference of $100.

Yes, but that extra $100 goes towards the latest technology that is required to ensure the text is unreadably small or the game is unplayably dark on a standard television.  

[iMoron]

hudsonhawk, I think that the 2GB SD card is not nesesary... But as you see, the 360 wireless adapter is pricy...

It is hard to compare... untill we get to experience the games.

I feel that the Wiimote might end up at $30-35 by next year... The nunchuk? Well... it has an analog stick and acelero... thingies?!?! ... and a wire... short wire. Now that I think of it... The Wii-mote has many things in it, acelerometers, rumble, speaker, pointer... wireless... If you take all that in consideration, I makes the Wii-mote and Nunchuk conbination a well price... Compare to what the others have, last gen controllers but wireless... and in one of them, acelerometers (thingies) and no rumble...

I nead to reasearch a bit more to make a better statement on all three...

The price game!

[hudsonhawk]

Quote
Originally posted by: vudu
What wandering said.  Take into account 10 games and you're looking of an additional price difference of $100.

All we know is that Nintendo's first-party games will be $50.  That's the same price as Microsoft's first-party games (though it looks like Gears of War may launch at $60).  We still don't know if 3rd-party developers will follow suit with the pricing or charge $60 like they do on the 360.

Granted, Nintendo's first party games will probably be greater in both number and quality, but since there's a lot of unknowns I was trying to remove that from the equation.

Like iMoron said though, it's going to be hard to compare the overall value of the systems until we get to play the games.  I was simply bringing up the cost of ownership thing because, frankly, I'm surprised how high it is for the Wii.  I was hoping that it would be much more budget friendly.

[Kairon]

Cost of ownership will always be very high during a launch period. Early adopters will pay top dollar for the privelege.

BUT... consider this:

NOA said that the Opera Browser Internet channel will be free for download until June 2006. After that you'll need to use Wii points to pay for it.

Could this possibly hint at a price drop mid 2007 once Nintendo is building up non-gamer hype and have cleared out all hardcore early adopters? Viral marketting will take time, so the Wii's price won't really become an issue (or a benefit) until 6 months to a year down the line, as that's the only time when casuals and non-gamers will hear enough of it to get curious and take the plunge.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Galford]

I thought the price was a little high.  
You do get Wii Sports, but still no DVD playback is kinda disappointing.

Also no GC Twilight Princess until Dec 11?  I'm a little angry about that.

[King of Twitch]

"NOA said that the Opera Browser Internet channel will be free for download until June 2006"

Then we'll need a time machine to get it for free? Another ripoff!

[wandering]

Ugg, once again people ripping into Nintendo for no reason. If you don't own a time machine that's YOUR fault, not their's. Nintendo isn't forcing you to buy a time machine, it's just an option that's there for those who have one.

[King of Twitch]

Look not all of us can afford plutonium prices, much less a Mr Fusion ok?

[RickPowers]

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
NOA said that the Opera Browser Internet channel will be free for download until June 2007 (Edited for Clarity). After that you'll need to use Wii points to pay for it.

Cite your source.  Everything I've seen states that the Opera Browser is not free, period.  Was there news that I missed somewhere?  

[Spak-Spang]

When comparing low level Xbox 360 with Nintendo Wii.

Remember to caculate a $60 price tag just to play the Xbox 360.  Where you can play Wii out of the box with the packaged Wii Sports.  That is a huge benefit, and to me personally brings the cost in my mind closer to $199.99.

The Wii graphics are very nice...and I have no problems with them.  Even Wii Sports which uses those cute models looks great.  I am beginning to love those models now, and I hope that the Wii Sports/ Wii lineup continues and new games continue to use that look, and my custom made models.

[ThePerm]

i think the Wii's 250 dollar price is an illusion...the initial adopters like the hardcore nintendo fans will buy it anyways regardless of the steeper than normal price, then when sales slow down..drop the price to 199..when they go down again 150...when they go down again 99. At that point the perceivence of how good it is that the price dropped will bring just enough fans each interval to keep the fanbase growing. when gamecube got lowered to 99 i remember it selling like hotcakes for a while. this was a temporary thing as Microsoft released halo 2 and then there became a long drought of gamecube games in 2006.

[Spak-Spang]

Perm:  I unfortunately have to agree with on one aspect.  The Wii will get a nice price drop next year to $199.99...and I think this is a play by Nintendo to make $50.00 extra dollars on the early adopters.  

I also think next year the Wiipointer and Analog attachment will be packaged together for $50.00...which is why I am only buying one extra controller, unless I find them on sale...and I am only getting 2 classic controllers.  Hopefully, Gamecube controllers will work with the Virtual console...then I may not get the controllers for awhile.

As it stands you have to pay $320.00 to have 4 controllers to play with...that is alot of money to invest.

[Donutt007]

Quote
Originally posted by: RickPowers

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
NOA said that the Opera Browser Internet channel will be free for download until June 2007 (Edited for Clarity). After that you'll need to use Wii points to pay for it.

Cite your source.  Everything I've seen states that the Opera Browser is not free, period.  Was there news that I missed somewhere?

I did remember seeing this before, so I went and did the research for ya!

Bloomberg.com

Quote
Users can also download an Internet-browsing software for free until June, said Iwata.

[Jonnyboy117]

Remote and nunchuk should be sold together for $50.  System should include two sets instead of one.

[RickPowers]

But they aren't.  You gonna cry now, Jonny?  Huh?  Cry-baby?  

[Kairon]

Uh oh, the staff are fighting amongst themselves...

Oh, and thanks Donut! So it wasn't NoA, but Iwata that said it. I hope NoA follows the same plan then.

I also suspect a price drop in 2007 that would mean Nintendo just milked early adopters for some extra 50 bucks a piece. *shrug* Thinking objectively, I'd do it if I had the option too.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Arbok]

Quote
Originally posted by: Jonnyboy117
Remote and nunchuk should be sold together for $50.  System should include two sets instead of one.

To that point, I wouldn't mind if they sold three packages:

- Just the Remote
- Just the Nunchuk
- Both in one package for a small discount (say $5 off or something)