Topic: Wii U's launch price(s): Is it worth it?

[tendoboy1984]

Now that we know the Wii U is launching at $299 (Basic Set) and $349 (Deluxe Set), do you think those prices are a good value, considering all the extra stuff you get for $349?

[Oblivion]

Couldn't we talk about this in the Wii U thread?

[nickmitch]

No, because that would make sense.

[BranDonk Kong]

Need to hijack this thread before tendoboy1984 does...

[BranDonk Kong]

The PS3 was $299 at launch, I think it was overpriced.

Why don't they just make the whole plane out if the black box?

[tendoboy1984]

The PS3 was $299 at launch, I think it was overpriced.

Why don't they just make the whole plane out if the black box?

Uh, I think you mean the PS2. Cause the PS3 was $599 US Dollars!

[Adrock]

Why don't they just make the whole plane out if the black box?

Because the plane would be too heavy and wouldn't fly. Believe it or not, I didn't google that or search Wikipedia. I heard it from an episode of The Fairly Odd Parents and everything on that show is true.

[Kytim89]

What I see Nintendo doing is keeping the basic white model of the Wii U that is $299.99 on the market long enough for the casuals to buy as many as they are willing to buy, then Nintendo will cease production of that model and create a white version of the black pro Wii U once production costs are lowered enough to justify it. What we would have then is two colors of the same console. Once production costs are lowered further then we will get a price cut of say $299.99 for the Wii U that is currently $349.99 in America. This would also be done in antipation of Sony and Microsoft's next home consoles, which I fighure will be in the $349.99 to $399.99 range.

[ShyGuy]

Yup it is.

[Kytim89]

Is the Wii U too expensive? Depends on how well the Wii U can go toe-to-toe with the PS4 and Xbox 720. The weak CPU that the Wii U both has me worried and slight not surprised. The Wii U is also supposedly more powerful than the PS3, and it is stll selling pretty high, then no, the wii U is not expensive. I am more worried about actually aquiring one than the price for it.

[tendoboy1984]

Is the Wii U too expensive? Depends on how well the Wii U can go toe-to-toe with the PS4 and Xbox 720. The weak CPU that the Wii U both has me worried and slight not surprised. The Wii U is also supposedly more powerful than the PS3, and it is stll selling pretty high, then no, the wii U is not expensive. I am more worried about actually aquiring one than the price for it.

I'm not talking about how expensive it is. I'm talking about the total value, what you get for your money. $300-$400 is the standard launch price for consoles, and the Wii U fits nicely within that range ($300 and $349).


I think the Deluxe Set is a great value. For $349, you get the console and controller, a game, a bunch of extra add-ons, and a subscription to "Nintendo Network Premium" (which is basically like a rewards program).

[Spak-Spang]

I think the price is actually quite fair for what you are getting.  Specially the $350.00 priced system...it is the real bargain, because you get a nice game and extra memory...it is the unit to get...and actually Nintendo should have never announced or had a cheaper one.

That being said...I see Nintendo keeping the two system units throughout the life of the system...however, Nintendo will continue to bump the internal storage.  And keep the price points similar.  Next year or 2014 is when I see the next revision of the new system becoming available launching at the same time as the new systems. 

I see the white system being launched with the extra memory...and then the Black model will get a nice bump to like 64GB flash drive and probably a different back in game.  It would probably be good to move Nintendo Land over to the White system as well. 

[Adrock]

I don't see Nintendo bumping up the internal storage. Why would they? They're already taking the stance that you can use an SD Card or external hard disk drive if you want/need more storage space. Nintendo could and probably should have bumped the internal memory of the Wii and chose not to. It's probably not worth the trouble, for Nintendo anyway.

By the way, I think both sets are fairly priced. For my money, only the Deluxe set is "worth it." That extra $50 goes a long way.

[Chozo Ghost]

I don't see Nintendo bumping up the internal storage. Why would they?

Because in a few years time the capacity and price of flash memory will have improved to the point that for whatever it costs Nintendo now to add the 8gb or 32gb internal storage of the Wii U, they could increase it to 64gb or 128gb or whatever and it wouldn't cost anymore for them to do that.

Just like how it wouldn't have cost them any extra to have revised the Wii's internal storage up from 512mb to 1gb or 2gb or whatever, even though they never actually did that. I believe what they did do with the Wii later in its life was they did actually go with larger flash capacity, but they disabled it to knock it down to 512mb even though they didn't need to.

[Spak-Spang]

I don't see Nintendo bumping up the internal storage. Why would they?

Because in a few years time the capacity and price of flash memory will have improved to the point that for whatever it costs Nintendo now to add the 8gb or 32gb internal storage of the Wii U, they could increase it to 64gb or 128gb or whatever and it wouldn't cost anymore for them to do that.

Just like how it wouldn't have cost them any extra to have revised the Wii's internal storage up from 512mb to 1gb or 2gb or whatever, even though they never actually did that. I believe what they did do with the Wii later in its life was they did actually go with larger flash capacity, but they disabled it to knock it down to 512mb even though they didn't need to.

Exactly, and add to that the fact that the new systems will be coming out...and they will definitely have more memory than Nintendo will have.  If you up your memory for storage you take that weapon away during comparisons.  It just makes sense to do that...or to drop the price..however Nintendo really doesn't want to drop the price.

[Pixelated Pixies]

As was said on RFN last week, whether or not you feel the Wii U is worth the price is really an individual matter. Of course we can look at statistics and say that the 'market' accepted or rejected the hardware at a certain price point, but really the important question is whether or not you feel it's worth the cost. The value you place on a console can be affected by any number of things: the amount you earn, the other systems that you own, the games already announced, the region you're in etc.
 
For me at this current point the Wii U is not worth the price. I don't own a PS3 or 360, so comparing the Wii U to those systems and factoring in the software librarys and the price, I'd be more inclined to purchase one of those before I purchase a Wii U. That's not to say that I'll never purchase a Wii U, but there's simply not enough enticing things at launch (for me) to make it worth my money.

[MrPhishfood]

Well if you break it down to its individual components then no. That's just junk.

As a whole what its worth is more ambiguous and comes down to personal choice. People were willing to shell out big bucks for the PS3 at launch because it was new technology. The Wii U uses existing technology to let us play in new and interesting ways and I'm willing to pay for the premium bundle.

Its not an easy call to make because there isn't anything out there that offers you a similar experience including whatever unique games Nintendo releases in the future. Just trust your intuition.


To me its worth it. I have a gaming PC, Wii, 3DS, 360, PS3 and PSP. I'm pretty bored of standard buttons controls and motion controls from the current generation are mostly empty promises. The Wii U offers new ways to play, that's what draws me in as an early adopter. I don't particularly care about HD first party games because Nintendo generally makes excellent games regardless of hardware.

[NWR_insanolord]

I'm going to take the position that the basic model is overpriced, but the deluxe model is a good value.

[Adrock]

Exactly, and add to that the fact that the new systems will be coming out...and they will definitely have more memory than Nintendo will have.  If you up your memory for storage you take that weapon away during comparisons.  It just makes sense to do that...or to drop the price..however Nintendo really doesn't want to drop the price.

New consoles will have more powerful chipsets yet Nintendo remained conservative regarding hardware with Wii U. Everything you're saying applies to the console as a whole. However, Nintendo made very conscious choices. What people think Nintendo should do and what they actually do are 2 entirely different things. I don't disagree that the price of flash memory will decrease over time. Rather, I'm doubting Nintendo's desire to change a part they know they don't have to. The cost of 64GB+ will drop over time and so will the parts they're currently using. Unless they find a way to way to pay less for 64GB+ than 8GB/32GB, I don't see them changing anything. And like i said, Nintendo have stated repeatedly that the choice for extra storage is left to the consumer. This doesn't seem like priority for them. Honestly, I'm surprised there's a 32GB model at all.

[nickmitch]

Why don't they just make the whole plane out if the black box?

Because the plane would be too heavy and wouldn't fly. Believe it or not, I didn't google that or search Wikipedia. I heard it from an episode of The Fairly Odd Parents and everything on that show is true.

It's like asking why don't I just live inside of a safe?

[tendoboy1984]

As was said on RFN last week, whether or not you feel the Wii U is worth the price is really an individual matter. Of course we can look at statistics and say that the 'market' accepted or rejected the hardware at a certain price point, but really the important question is whether or not you feel it's worth the cost. The value you place on a console can be affected by any number of things: the amount you earn, the other systems that you own, the games already announced, the region you're in etc.
 
For me at this current point the Wii U is not worth the price. I don't own a PS3 or 360, so comparing the Wii U to those systems and factoring in the software librarys and the price, I'd be more inclined to purchase one of those before I purchase a Wii U. That's not to say that I'll never purchase a Wii U, but there's simply not enough enticing things at launch (for me) to make it worth my money.

Why would you compare a new console that hasn't been released yet to a group of consoles that have been out for over 6 years (with established sales and game libraries)?

[Ceric]

All my thoughts on the price are on NFR Episode 4.5.  Suffice it to say I'm sort of dismayed on what people are saying about the price considering that $300 dollars for even the basic model level of dedicated tech and software in anything else that offers that would be considered a deal.

[Pixelated Pixies]

Why would you compare a new console that hasn't been released yet to a group of consoles that have been out for over 6 years (with established sales and game libraries)?

Why wouldn't I? I don't own any of them and they're pretty comprobable systems as far as I can see. The year they were released has nothing to do with it. The question I was responding to was one of value. From a purely utilitarian standpoint I would (at this point) gain more value from purchasing a 360 or PS3 because the systems are cheaper, the games will be cheaper, the systems are ubiquitous and easy to obtain, and the software libraries are excellent.
 
The Wii U does of course have it's own 'value-added' services and features, but I personally would not place much value in them. The Miiverse stuff, the Gamepad, etc. They're not all that appealing to me. The most appealing aspect of any Nintendo system, I'm sure most would agree, is that they play Nintendo games. Once again, though, the question was one of actual value and not potential value. It was a question of whether or not we thought the Wii U is worth it's launch price. For me neither the system nor the launch games justify the price. Hence my answer.
 
All of which is of course subject to change.

[Sarail]

The most appealing aspect of any system, I'm sure most would agree, is that they play Nintendo games.

You know, mate, I look at my Wii, 'Cube, N64, and even SNES games sitting on my bookshelves, and I don't even think that statement holds true for me - nor has it ever. When I buy a Nintendo console, it's not for the prospect of being able to play fantastic, future-releasing Nintendo games. It's for the whole experience all uniquely tied and woven together. The majority of my games on each of those systems are all third-party games. Yes, even the N64. I realise that I may be a rare case, but Nintendo's games, for me, are an additional bonus on top of the already great third-party releases. And stamping Nintendo's innovative controllers on top of that whole package is what entices me the most - it's why I look forward to a Nintendo console.

Sure, we all anticipate seeing what the new games on new hardware are going to look like, but I go crazy wondering what Nintendo's new controller will look like and how it will operate. I always have. I don't get that same excitement with other guys' consoles, simply because I know they're just going to mimick what Nintendo do.

So, it's that experience tied into all of those third-party games with Nintendo's releases that makes me crave a new console from them.

You may see a boring and drab launch date release list, but I see an exciting launch day with the potential to be absolutely brilliant over the next several years. That's why I'm excited about the Wii U.

[Pixelated Pixies]

The most appealing aspect of any system, I'm sure most would agree, is that they play Nintendo games.

So, it's that experience tied into all of those third-party games with Nintendo's releases that makes me crave a new console from them.

That's fair. However, I think most people (there's that term again) would accept the premise of my argument. Which is that since the SNES, Nintendo systems have not been known for their outstanding third party support. They have certainly had some fantastic third party games (some of the best in fact - Resident Evil 4, Rogue Squadron, Monster Hunter Tri etc.) but compared to their competitors it's been pretty slim pickings for Nintendo fans (just to reiterate, I'm speaking about the console front).
 
This is one of the few times you'll hear me say this, but I agree with Michael Pachter. Nintendo lives and dies by their software. Which given their talent for making great games is a good thing. However, Nintendo's last three home consoles are not exactly reknown for having been thriving hotbeds of third party support.