Topic: Wii U Price and Release Date Guess Thread

[Ceric]

What if there were two SKUs fpr this thing that included the Umote for $349.99 and the second one featured an upgraded Wiimote without the Umote for $299.99. I would be game for this if it were to happen.

Not Happening.  Every Sku will have the uMote.  Though I don't see Nintendo doing Multi-Sku except for maybe a different color and pack-in game.  Like the Hardcore one and the Casual one, MW3 or Wii Sports for a current gen example.

Also do not believe Nintendo will release a controller that it will sell for more than a game.  That's sort of a glass ceiling you don't want to cross for non-super niche controllers.

[Adrock]

Considering Nintendo is positioning Skyward Sword as the Wii's last hurrah and has nothing to release afterwards, I'm sticking with my original guess. I really don't think they can afford to launch past June. In fact, they should probably launch earlier but they only need to launch before July 1 to be within Q2.

I assume the screen is the most expensive component of the tablet controller and I would wager it costs like $25-$30 (that may even be too much). All the other parts are relatively cheap. In raw materials, it'd probably come out to $40 tops. If Nintendo were to sell it separately, they could be nice and charge $60 and STILL turn a profit. They'd probably charge $80 to be profit serpents. This is the same Nintendo that could have launched 3DS at $180 like DSi and made about $30 and sold bajillion units.

That said, what I think is going to drive the price upwards of $349.99 are the chipsets Nintendo commissioned from IBM and AMD. Nintendo will absolutely not sell at a loss. Depending on excactly how powerful the hardware is, Nintendo could probably sell for less and literally break even or make a minimal profit (like $11 if that, just to even out the price at $350), but we all know they won't. If they can afford to launch at $299.99, they'll sell it for $50 more. The mental image I have is of Satoru Iwata licking his lips in anticipation of money.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Ok I am going to say April 2012, launch price 299.99. It will be bundled with a demo disk of sorts.

[Bman87301]

$249.99 USD, August 12 2012

[alegoicoe]

Personally i think nintendo is aiming at a price between 299.99 and 349.99, since the tech that they are using is not that ground braking by today standards.

[Quadran]

I don't think there will be a simultanious world wide release of the new console. So I guess the Wii U will launch in Europe on june 12th, 2012 with a price tag of €299.99.

[Mop it up]

Considering Nintendo is positioning Skyward Sword as the Wii's last hurrah and has nothing to release afterwards, I'm sticking with my original guess. I really don't think they can afford to launch past June. In fact, they should probably launch earlier but they only need to launch before July 1 to be within Q2.

Can they afford to launch before June though? We didn't even see any actual Wii U games at E3 so I have my doubts that they could have any games ready for the first half of next year. The only one we know exists is Pikmin 3 and that alone doesn't seem like it could carry a console launch. Nintendo doesn't seem to have much issue going months without releases since they're not releasing a Wii game of any real substance until 9 months into this year (Kirby in September). Next year, they'll probably release Dragon Quest X in March and consider that enough for 8 months.

[Adrock]

Can they afford to launch before June though? We didn't even see any actual Wii U games at E3 so I have my doubts that they could have any games ready for the first half of next year. The only one we know exists is Pikmin 3 and that alone doesn't seem like it could carry a console launch. Nintendo doesn't seem to have much issue going months without releases since they're not releasing a Wii game of any real substance until 9 months into this year (Kirby in September). Next year, they'll probably release Dragon Quest X in March and consider that enough for 8 months.

Nintendo made a conscious choice not to show any real WiiU games even from 3rd parties (Vigil Games apparently had Darksiders II running on WiiU hardware but Nintendo insisted on showing PS3 footage), but they're all in the works. All 3rd party games will be ports from PS3/360 and Nintendo should work with 3rd parties to have those games launch simultaneously on WiiU. It would also be wise to negotiate some big name 3rd party games that came out Q4 2011 such as Final Fantasy XIII-2 to be available at launch. There are plenty of devout Nintendo fans who only own a Wii who are itching to play those games.

Nintendo's teams have been especially quiet. Poor planning led to the 1st party drought we've seen this year. I wouldn't say Nintendo has no issues going without a major release because their stocks are taking a beating and sales have slowed down because there's nothing for people to buy. And unlike last year, there were no surprises like Donkey Kong Country Returns. The only known major console game in the works is Skyward Sword. Every other known title is being developed for 3DS while the rest are being developed in secret for WiiU. The average development time for modern games is something like 18-24 months. I wouldn't be surprised if development on several games started over a year ago. So, certainly, I think they could launch in April 2012 if they wanted, but I'm still sticking to that June launch date.

[Mop it up]

If they have anything in development then why not show it? This is the kind of thing that needs to have a good demonstration in order to show its capabilities and worth, and they didn't really do it with what little they had.

[Adrock]

Why didn't they show Donkey Kong Country Returns before E3 last year? It was released like 6 months later. I'm sure they have their reasons. It's possible that the hardware isn't finalized. It's possible that they're trying to deter Sony and Microsoft from ganking their ideas for as long as they can. Nintendo did have demonstrations of what the controller can do. In some cases, I can see why they didn't show actual games. Nintendo had a Twilight Princess inspired HD Zelda boss fight demo and you could switch from night to day, you could stream the directly to the controller etc. Cool stuff. It looked oh-my-gawd! However, they had a Zelda game to show for the Wii and they want that to be the focus.

I would have liked to have seen some real titles, but with the console launching in like a year, does it even matter at this point? Nintendo showed what the controller can do and I was pretty happy with that. I expect to see more around TGS or if Nintendo holds their own conference etc.

[Mop it up]

Then why bother showing it at all if they can't show anything of substance? That's what I don't understand, it felt like Nintendo weren't actually ready to show the system yet since all they had were demos that don't look like they will end up as actual games. But I guess they didn't have much choice, it was going to get leaked eventually by developers (and pretty much did before E3) so I guess Nintendo wanted to make sure they were the ones to officially unveil it. And I s'pose it's also so people know a new system is coming. It doesn't make sense to me, but such is life.

Oh right, this thread is about the release date. Even though I'm sticking with my prediction of November, I hope you're right about June. That way I'd be able to see the games sooner and find out if the system is of any value. June might actually be a good time if they can manage it; they could show off all the games at E3, then say "And it's all in stores next week!"

[Oblivion]

Releasing a week after E3 2012 would be so badass.
 
Or it would end up like that one Sega console launch.

[Adrock]

Then why bother showing it at all if they can't show anything of substance? That's what I don't understand, it felt like Nintendo weren't actually ready to show the system yet since all they had were demos that don't look like they will end up as actual games. But I guess they didn't have much choice, it was going to get leaked eventually by developers (and pretty much did before E3) so I guess Nintendo wanted to make sure they were the ones to officially unveil it. And I s'pose it's also so people know a new system is coming. It doesn't make sense to me, but such is life.

Oh right, this thread is about the release date. Even though I'm sticking with my prediction of November, I hope you're right about June. That way I'd be able to see the games sooner and find out if the system is of any value. June might actually be a good time if they can manage it; they could show off all the games at E3, then say "And it's all in stores next week!"

Thinking back to some previous hardware announcements/unveilings, how many of them showed actual games? Gamecube had that demo reel at Spaceworld 2000. None of those were real games, at least not when showed. I don't remember if any of them were playable though I don't believe they were. The only thing I remember of the PS2 unveiling was Sony showing off the CG dance scene from Final Fantasy VIII and claiming that their GPU could produce games that looks anything like that (not even close). PS3 showed CG of Killzone 2 (the final product looked good, but not that good) and a remade intro of Final Fantasy VII.

The WiiU announcement was pretty standard affair. I guess that's why I wasn't upset about it. Sure, it would have been awesome to see some real games, but I wasn't expecting them to.

[Mop it up]

I wasn't expecting much either. And I know past systems didn't show much show much either; this was actually more than what they first showed of the Wii, then known as Revolution. I just don't understand the point of it, for any of those systems, but that's just me. I've never been one to buy into hype.

[ThePerm]

i say 80 tops because

the handheld is not a console its a controller with a screen in it, the most expensive component will be the screen, all other components were mass produced to such an extant for other systems that they probably cost no more than a dollar each, so the screen is probably 50 or so dollars for now, but then again Nintendo could get a great deal from their supplier considering they buy 100s of millions of screens. If sold seperately i expect it to sell for 80 dollars with a profit.

[SixthAngel]

i say 80 tops because

the handheld is not a console its a controller with a screen in it, the most expensive component will be the screen, all other components were mass produced to such an extant for other systems that they probably cost no more than a dollar each, so the screen is probably 50 or so dollars for now, but then again Nintendo could get a great deal from their supplier considering they buy 100s of millions of screens. If sold seperately i expect it to sell for 80 dollars with a profit.

Nintendo should already have all kinds of connections to get screens thanks to their handhelds so if anyone can get a good deal it should be them.

[BlackNMild2k1]

i say 80 tops because

the handheld is not a console its a controller with a screen in it, the most expensive component will be the screen, all other components were mass produced to such an extant for other systems that they probably cost no more than a dollar each, so the screen is probably 50 or so dollars for now, but then again Nintendo could get a great deal from their supplier considering they buy 100s of millions of screens. If sold seperately i expect it to sell for 80 dollars with a profit.

I  would guess no more than $20-$35 per screen at the most.
It think the 3.5" 3D screen was only costing them about $30.
The uSceen is larger and higher res, but it's pretty common in lots of GPS units to have a very similar screen.

[Caliban]

$399.99 - November 2012

I would be willing to pay up to $399.99.

[Mop it up]

Perhaps a more interesting question would be: How much would you be willing to pay for a Wii U?

[alegoicoe]

i just hope they dont release it next xmas, thats too long, i hope they release it during the first quater 2012

[NWR_insanolord]

They've pretty much confirmed it won't be Q1. That would be current fiscal year, and they specifically said it wouldn't be coming out this fiscal year.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Nintendo Rep on GT (look in the WiiU thread) said it will come out anywhere between April 1st & December 31st of 2012.

[alegoicoe]

i really think its a mistake to wait such a long time to release the console, between now and december next year, alot of games that could come out on wii u are going to be missed, or people would just play them on ps3 or 360.

[ThePerm]

i would be willing to pay no more than 300, I think 3ds is over priced, and until its price goes down I will try Stack Up machines.

[Chozo Ghost]

Perhaps a more interesting question would be: How much would you be willing to pay for a Wii U?

Well, if it had a better name, built in HDD, and compatibility with more than one Umote at a time I would have been willing to pay up to $350 for it....

But since none of that is the case, I probably wouldn't pay more than $199.