Author Topic: So what does everyone think of the 250 price tag? (Read 11295 times)

ThanksMK · « **on:** October 04, 2006, 04:09:34 PM »

Matt over there at IGN said 50 bucks to expensive and 3 weeks late? Do you guys agree?

ThanksMK · « **Reply #1 on:** October 04, 2006, 04:11:02 PM »

ooh here's the link for his thoughts: http://blogs.ign.com/Matt-IGN/

Neodymium · « **Reply #2 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.

KnowsNothing · « **Reply #3 on:** October 04, 2006, 04:17:38 PM »

Seriously, Neo's right. I mean, if people can afford that extra $50 they might as well go for the PS3, it's only another $300 passed that.

Strell · « **Reply #4 on:** October 04, 2006, 04:28:18 PM »

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.

ThanksMK · « **Reply #5 on:** October 04, 2006, 04:36:53 PM »

Just a thought, 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". If its too cheap, they might question themselves...,"why is this cheap, might be because its cheap quality" In this case maybe the 50 dollars less then an x360, which currently has a rep for bad ass graphics and latest cool tech, is a psychological marketing approach. Rep, "The Wii looks awesome exterior wise, it has a cool remote!!" Mom, "What about the graphics?" Rep, It's not that bad, it doesnt have the raw power for the x360, but it has other features to make up for it! Mom looks at the price of x360 core pack, looks at the Wii's price. Mom, thinking to herself, "yeah it's only 50 dollars cheaper, must be as good...plus I would be saving 50 bucks" Mom: okay I'll take one!! Big win for Nintendo!!!

Hey I'm just saying...

willie1234 · « **Reply #6 on:** October 04, 2006, 04:45:55 PM »

whine whine whine ...

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.

Dirk Temporo · « **Reply #7 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.

Neodymium · « **Reply #8 on:** October 04, 2006, 05:05:22 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Dirk Temporo
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.

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.

NWR_pap64 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 04, 2006, 05:19:50 PM »

I thought this topic was already burned to the ground and everyone decided to move along...

I told you people, this is what happens when you speculate too much on something.

Kairon · « **Reply #10 on:** October 04, 2006, 05:29:05 PM »

The "mainstream" "non-gamer" argument for a $200 price point is ludicrous because non-gamers, mainstream gamers, and casual gamers don't buy a system at launch, only hardcores do.

Thus, $250 is a fine price.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

BigJim · « **Reply #11 on:** October 04, 2006, 05:40:11 PM »

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...)

Strell · « **Reply #12 on:** October 04, 2006, 05:55:26 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Dirk Temporo
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.

Exactly.

Thank you for proving my point.

SixthAngel · « **Reply #13 on:** October 04, 2006, 06:03:02 PM »

Everyone wants a lower price for everything. I would buy more dvds if they were cheaper and want them cheaper but it is not the correct business decision for a company. Also how does being a consumer of videogames show you what current nonconsumers of videogames want in a price?

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.

Adrock · « **Reply #14 on:** October 04, 2006, 06:05:34 PM »

$250 with an extra controller would have been worlds better.

Infernal Monkey · « **Reply #15 on:** October 04, 2006, 06:26:25 PM »

I wish I got paid to say what the rest of the internet's been saying since these facts were first revealed. What's next, Matt thinks the 32X was a dumb idea?

Blue Plant · « **Reply #16 on:** October 04, 2006, 06:29:28 PM »

Life seems so easy and content when you're a critic on the 'net.

Mario · « **Reply #17 on:** October 04, 2006, 07:05:59 PM »

3 weeks too late for what, his birthday?

jasonditz · « **Reply #18 on:** October 04, 2006, 07:24:08 PM »

I'm not averse to paying $250 for a console. The question is what manner of console am I buying?

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.

wandering · « **Reply #19 on:** October 04, 2006, 07:36:07 PM »

I, too, must agree with Matt here. Specifically when he says:

Quote
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.

ThePerm · « **Reply #20 on:** October 04, 2006, 08:09:59 PM »

from a macro-historical perspective
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

Jensen · « **Reply #21 on:** October 04, 2006, 09:08:21 PM »

In Matt's interview with Perrin Kaplan, she said it would be priced low enough to make it a mass market device, to draw in new users, and that Matt would be happy with the price ( or something to that effect) The price would be as unexpected as the name of the system.

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.

Jensen · « **Reply #22 on:** October 04, 2006, 09:16:39 PM »

In Matt's interview with Perrin Kaplan, she said it would be priced low enough to make it a mass market device, to draw in new users, and that Matt would be happy with the price ( or something to that effect) The price would be as unexpected as the name of the system.

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.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #23 on:** October 04, 2006, 09:22:31 PM »

I remember my mother was amazed that the console with the new kind of controller will be the cheapest. Different people have different perceptions of what can drive the price up.

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.

Michael8983 · « **Reply #24 on:** October 04, 2006, 09:47:29 PM »

I'm ok with the price if a drop is coming soon.
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.

News:

Author Topic: So what does everyone think of the 250 price tag? (Read 11295 times)