EA exec: Wii to retail for around $170 US?

Saywha? The Wii -- yes, the Wii made by Nintendo, not to be referred to as the Nintendo Wii -- is going to retail for way less than $200 clams? Well, we wouldn't have given it a moment's thought if it wasn't a source so high and mighty in the industry as EA's EVP / COO of worldwide studios, David Gardner; then again, even here we've got a bit of rumor and speculation going down. Apparently Gardner said, "I've heard in Japan that the price is about $170, but I don't know if the price has been set in Europe yet." We know that the device will go for less than $250, but typically when these guys say "less than x amount of dollars," that value is a something closer to a single red penny below the bespoke price. Still, a $170 Wii? You'd really have to hand it to Nintendo for having the chutzpah to so severely undercut the competition on price you'd almost be obligated to buy their console out of sheer value alone. Then again it's a bit hard to imagine the Wii costing only $40 more than their hottie hot DS Lite, so something tells us we might have to file this one back on the rumors-not-to-come-true shelf.

[Raider @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:26AM]

How about bringing it back to the old school. $250 with a bundled game (maybe a demo disc also).

[Wanax @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:32AM]

As promising as the Wii looks, let's be realistic, it's really just an overclocked Gamecube. Although unique with the controls and huge back library of games, it doesn't have the raw and expensive power that the PS3 or 360 has. I think it's very possible this price point could be achieved and Nintendo could still make a profit off of hardware.

The only problem is that at that price point, you'd have some consumers thinking its "cheap" (in a bad way). I don't see it going for less than $200 though.

[iain @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:35AM]

Doesn't "bespoke" mean custom made?

[David @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:35AM]

No way - currency conversions from other markets never work out. I can't see it being lower $199.99, with the max being $249.99. They are already so much cheaper on price I don't think $50 either way will make much difference to the early adopters anyway. That said anything around $199 will be great.

[sycks @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:41AM]

This rumor has already been nullified:

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3153015

[Pedro @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:43AM]

For the price... it is the best deal around... hands down. If the price really is around 170 then you could get the Wii and a DS Lite for the price you would get a 360 for (and maybe a PS3)... two systems for the price of one... way to go Nintendo... put me on the pre order!

[Smeagol @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:46AM]

Wii is basically GameCube 1.25 ... so that price is possible. There's really nothing high tech about it at all:

- overclocked processors based on old designs
- 512 flash mem
- WiFi
- Wii controller (prob the most $$ component)
- DVD drive
- minimal power supply
- no HD chipset
- no digital video OR audio out

I may pick up a used GC to play ZTP. But, i dont think im all too into Wii.

[bp @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:49AM]

i think Nintendo is doing the same thing they did with the handheld world. They have the a more interactive system that appeals to the 'gamer' and 'not yet a gamer group' that is cheaper than the other systems. so they have a more customers and it cost much less for them to make their system = much more profit. and they seem to have way more backing from other companies which was a problem in the past 10 years. With more than just Nintendo making games for a Nintendo system they are going to make a bundle. i am not a Nintendo fan boy, but i do recognize that they are pretty smart, they dont have the money like microsoft and sony to throw around. The 360 and ps3 have a longer shelf life, but with the money nintendo will make they will be able to invest and improve... maybe a wii lite in a year and half??

[Oddmanout @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:50AM]

I don't know...it's not impossible. When pops bought me my Game Gear for $150 I'm pretty sure the Genesis was still pulling in $180 to $200 ( for a $30 to $50 difference).
And for the longest time the original gameboy was $99...I don't think the NES could possibly have been more than $150 at that point (cause it too hovered around $100 for quite a while).

Sides, just imagine the final nail in the PS3's coffin that the ad campaign ascociated with such pricing. A simple white poster with these words...

"You could buy a PS3.

Or, you could buy the worlds most innovative video game console (Wii), plus the worlds most graphically powerful gaming machine (Xbox 360), and the worlds most popular portable (DS).

For the SAME price*

What more can Wii say ?"

Or something to that effect (as for the asterisk, some kind of mail in rebate wil be require to get the collective price below $600, but probably for only about $30). And it's true, "most popular handheld" and most "graphically powerful" are subjective (so don't freak and and bombard we with specs/stats), but aside from specific franchises, those three consoles together offer pretty much everything a gamer could want. Not to say the PS3 won't be an enjoyable machine, but you do have more options with the Wii6DS combo. Portable gamplay and access to Live! are significant advantages in and of themselves. True Sony is working on a new online model, but at this point it could just as easily suck as soar.

Just have to wait and see...

[Zandriff @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:55AM]

"Wii is basically GameCube 1.25 ... so that price is possible. There's really nothing high tech about it at all."

Well, I wouldn't say its not high tech because it doesn't have the newest tech, but nintendo is on to something. Sony is trying to push the bleeding edge with their PS3, the Xbox is trying to be a media center for everyone else, but nintendo is trying to give everyone a chance to play a video game. It seems they are trying to make it for a family, now would grandpa or your little brother whose 7 really care about HD or 512 megs of flash memory? Nintendo's just selling what people need for simply playing games and I think thats commendable. Unlike most tech today, its not trying to cram everything in, because lets not forget, Nintendo is not a multimedia company, they just make videogames.

[Apple kills another small project @ Aug 22nd 2006 10:07AM]

Either way ... LONG LIVE THE WII360 ... Innovation + HiDef = The perfect blend :)

[Noshino @ Aug 22nd 2006 10:13AM]

mario~~! playing mario tennis will never be the same.....

[Smeagol @ Aug 22nd 2006 10:23AM]

Nintendo has consistenly messed up in the console market since the N64 ... which is COMPLETELY different than the handheld market, so making a direct analogy to the success of the DS is very misguided i think. Kind of like saying success in making motorcycles will automatically translate into success making cars.

And, its not like PS3/360 dont have unique input methods. The big one is the eye-toy like cameras. This generation it will be much more significant due to the increased image processing power of the new consoles (Wii wont be able to handle it).

[Jordan @ Aug 22nd 2006 10:38AM]

iain: It's also the past tense of bespeak, which I'm assuming he meant.

[Jason @ Aug 22nd 2006 10:43AM]

Wii60 here I come... As for the price, well I could see it, as the Wii is more or less a GC 1.5 That price would be killer.

[5ftassassin @ Aug 22nd 2006 11:17AM]

Well now this is interesting; I wasn't going to get one but if it's selling for $170 bucks its hard to pass that up. I'm interested to see how their on-line play works and what the games will look like on my HD tv. The lack of HD is really going to make or break this deal for me.

Are we going to have to buy a larger storage to store all of the old games you download from their service? Now I know most of the old games arent huge. But 512mb flash is for crap. Now I wouldnt mind if I could use flash drives I already own or an external HD to back up some of the content.

[georgedakota @ Aug 22nd 2006 11:20AM]

Ever heard the saying you get what you pay for? Im plenty happy with my 360, I dont need gamecube 1.1 now.

[Patrick @ Aug 22nd 2006 11:29AM]

if the thing is below 200$, I will be having myself a nice PS3ii combo i think. I like the 360 well enough, but I'm just more into Sony than Microsoft and their two consoles really arent that different in terms of gameplay--as it seems now at least.

[J41M3 @ Aug 22nd 2006 11:29AM]

Despite it's low price, I hope Nintendo learned their lesson and concentrate on also catering to young adults, who are the ones with the most disposable income. In the past, Nintendo has been so adamant about keeping its "family-friendly" image that it ended up shooting itself on the foot when the Playstation came out with titles that the late teens and early to mid-twenty crowd actually wanted to play.

Nintendo? Remember those kids that loved the N64? Well, they are now in their 20's and 30's and have money to spend. Cater to them.

How about you make interesting adult titles and not rehash and re-release the same crap with something like SuperMarioKartBrothers 25 for example? :-P

I want to be able to buy adult titles for my Wii darnit!

ps. I don't mean "adult" as in boobies and such. More along the lines of GTA and others.

[Zap @ Aug 22nd 2006 11:39AM]

That would be awesome if it retailed at that price.

To the people complaining it's just a GC 1.5, so what? POS3 and Xbox 180 isn't that much better ;)

[Frank781 @ Aug 22nd 2006 11:47AM]

If this is true, the $170 price point would make this a the BIG THING to buy this holiday. Sony is faltering on the PS3 ($$$Price, BluRay needs an HD panel, which makes the PS# at least a $3,000 investment to take advantage of it). X360 needs Halo 3 to compete and it, will be out until March 2007, and at $399 it is not exactly cheap either.

As someone else mentioned here, the Wii s a gemer console only. As a comparison, the iPod is mainly an MP3 player. Other MP3 players, have numerous add-ons (FM reception, expadability, etc). yet they only have 20% of teh market. Simplicity is the key here. Wii is only a game console, but unlike the Game Cube, it doesn't look like a toy that us older gamers would be ashamed of owning.

You will also have access to all the 25 years of legacy games.

The $170 price point makes this a 'no brainer' buy.

[Kamalot @ Aug 22nd 2006 12:06PM]

Not going to happen. My sources put the system at $199.99.

[jared @ Aug 22nd 2006 12:14PM]

The value in the wii has little if anything to do with the console hardware. It's about gameplay, and lots of it, in terms of both novel interfaces and an unmatched variety of retro titles (including cross-platform retro like stuff for Genesis and TurboGrafx).

I'll probably end up getting a PS3 for the same reasons I got a PS2 (Grand Theft Auto and media playback), but I imagine having more group-type (and maybe some indie-development) fun with the Wii.

[MC @ Aug 22nd 2006 12:19PM]

J41M3, you are right, it's really about the games. But I'm in my 20s and can't get enough of Nintendo's games. I'm gonna get the Wii as soon as I can for Zelda and Metroid alone. Plus, I think there will be some great original games also. There is some rehashing done but they always are different enough to be there own game, unlike GTA which you mentioned.

I personally have many more games for my ps2 than gamecube. I like them. I would definately buy a ps3 when there are games I want and when the price is cheaper. I would have bought a 360 by now if there were games I wanted. The only one there I would buy is Oblivion, but I can just get that for the pc. So right now, for me, its all about the Wii.

[Ryan @ Aug 22nd 2006 12:28PM]

I actually don't see this as too far-fetched. The Wii is really not a whole lot more than an upclocked GameCube with more ram and a newer version of the video chip. It's basically built from off the shelf parts. The PS3 and X360 are complete redesigns with ambitious new architectures (read: very expensive) while the Wii is just an upgrade to the GC. Nintendo realized they don't have the hardware R&D budget that Sony or MS do, so they're competing on game quality. Which is what gamers have been wanting for a long time.

Basically, if they can do a $99 GameCube, they can probably do a $179 Wii. That is, if they REALLY want to go for the jugular this holiday season...

[Glancing Aft @ Aug 22nd 2006 12:37PM]

I can't wait, this will be my first system I've bought in 5 years... I just hope extra controllers aren't too much...

[Codemaster @ Aug 22nd 2006 12:47PM]

I was already planning on buying a Wii, but this makes me so much more ready to buy it. As a college student, I currently have no care over HD support or not and the price costs are a big deal; also, the Wii has an online virtual console that, perhaps, might rival XBOX's LiveArcade and allow independent developers to release small games (as I am a hobbyist game programmer, currently).

I know that many people are concerned about the "kiddy-ness" of Nintendo's games, but they obviously have never played the GameCube if they say so. Metroid Prime definitely was not a "kiddy" game (it scared the pants off of my teenage brother) and Resident Evil 4 has made me mildly suspicious of any tired spanish-speaking person.

For < $200, the Wii will definitely win this Q4 (Winter), because parents and many teens will not accept a $400+ pricetag for a console and then add on the price for games, controllers, etc.

[Bryan @ Aug 22nd 2006 12:59PM]

hey!

[Bryan @ Aug 22nd 2006 12:59PM]

hey! guys...*whistle* over here:

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3153015

rumour denied. ok!?

[Evan @ Aug 22nd 2006 1:47PM]

Bryan, no one here actually cares about the rumour. It's just an excuss for fanboy to start pushing their opinions about processing power and HDTV support.

[Mark @ Aug 22nd 2006 2:01PM]

What's the old printer adage? "It's not the cost of the printer, but the cost of the ink cartridge that matters"

Maybe Nintendo will make it up on the games...

Mark

[Omega @ Aug 22nd 2006 2:03PM]

I disagree with those saying that the Wii is an overclocked GameCube. The PS3 is an overclocked PS2. The 360 is an overclocked XBox. But the Wii is the next leap in gaming, while the PS3 and 360 are basically just the same machines with prettier graphics. That's all. Period. The Wii will be completely different than anything else out there, and the PS3 and 360 are just an old formula that they are too afraid to mess with. Nintendo is trying out something new; and succeed or fail (and they will succeed if I have anything to say about it) I respect the dickens out of them for that.

[Martin Austin @ Aug 22nd 2006 2:11PM]

This console war has been the most disgusting display of fanboyism I've ever seen. I've heard of and experienced brand loyalty, but the majority of you take it way too far.

Ultimately, not one of these companies gives a damn about you, except to take your money for their product. And yet here you are (my apologies for the broad generalization), spouting their Marketing/PR crap as if it were your own thoughts.

/vent

[Joe Mario @ Aug 22nd 2006 2:43PM]

How can these remors be 'denied' when Nintendo has yet to announce the price?
I think it will be under $200. Nintendo would make a killing. $250 would get you the system and two controllers, add 150 for three games and it's still cheaper than the next competitor with maybe one game and one controller.

[Andy Briggs @ Aug 22nd 2006 2:47PM]

"Well now this is interesting; I wasn't going to get one but if it's selling for $170 bucks its hard to pass that up. I'm interested to see how their on-line play works and what the games will look like on my HD tv. The lack of HD is really going to make or break this deal for me."

1. Online play is FREE out of the box, and connects you to everything that the Wii has to offer online. 2. The HDTV makes any transmission look better, but under a survey of 1000 people, nearly half said that could barely tell the difference between a HDTV's transmission compared to a standard TV. Make what you want of that (Wii's graphics will be a little bit better than the Xbox's, sort of a quarter of the way between Xbox and Xbox360).

"Are we going to have to buy a larger storage to store all of the old games you download from their service? Now I know most of the old games arent huge. But 512mb flash is for crap. Now I wouldnt mind if I could use flash drives I already own or an external HD to back up some of the content."

1. Perhaps more storage, but a little extra memory should only cost a few $/£. 2. I suppose Nintendo think that 512Mb is enough for the main target audience, although the upgrade shouldn't be that hard as I said. I suggest you go to http://www.wiichat.com/nintendo-wii-articles/1471-101-most-commonly-asked-nintendo-wii-questions.html#faq11 3. In comment to your last remark, maybe they wi(i)ll? Who knows? Oh, and sorry for the (i). I just couldn't help myself...

~

And as for my views, the cheaper the Wii is in Japan and America the better. The UK's VAT is going to be a nasty blow to my wallet. I can't begin (want) to imagine how badly the PS3 will be affected...

[Wanax @ Aug 22nd 2006 4:51PM]

Omega,

We're talking about hardware here, not how its used. The PS3 and 360 have totally different hardware inside (think multi-core processors), making them a whole different animal. The Wii does not. It is by all accounts, an overclocked GC. Nothing wrong with that as long as the games are good and "pretty" enough. That's why it's possible that they can sell it at such a lower price. There's no new and expensive technology to pay for, unlike the PS3 and 360.

[daddycool @ Aug 22nd 2006 7:37PM]

Damn, I was planning on a PS360 setup, but if I'ts actually this cheap, I might get on just to play with the girlfriend and guests who come over. I'm too old/lazy to play those silly ass kiddie games by myself, but I'd play them with my girl. For $170 it would kind of be worth it.

PSWii60? Or is that too much?

[Jayayess1190 @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:19PM]

Wii has Opera internet browser...

[x23 @ Aug 22nd 2006 9:44PM]

"I'll probably end up getting a PS3 for the same reasons I got a PS2 (Grand Theft Auto and media playback).

Posted at 12:14PM on Aug 22nd 2006 by jared"

pretty sure the Xbox 360 does the whole "media playback" thing... unless you mean bleeding-edge non-standard media playback.

the next GTA isn't an exclusive PS3 title either. PS3 and 360 are released the same day last i heard. so unless you are going horndog for Blu-Ray it sounds like a 360 would meet your needs for a couple hundred less.

- - -

"ps. I don't mean "adult" as in boobies and such. More along the lines of GTA and others.

Posted at 11:29AM on Aug 22nd 2006 by J41M3 [ ! ]"

i'll be 30 in a few months and "adult" titles such as GTA really don't appeal to me at all. they are sort of fun in spurts... but for the most part i find them highly immature... and something that "pretend adults" like. sort of like professional wrestling.

they are more or less marketed to aspirational adults... ie. 15-18yo who don't yet grasp what actual real adults like or think is mature. and then to immature young adults that have only recently got their first taste of being a real life "adult" and thus overdo it.

there was all sorts of crap i thought was "mature" or "cool" or "adult" from 15-22. when in fact... it was real close to actually being the opposite.

i am personally looking forward to the Wii. the other 2 systems are still on my *shrugs* list. a lot of my friends in the 24-32 age range are talking about the Wii... people that aren't really even gamers. male / female ... with kids / no kids ... techy/non-techy ... seems like the Wii is the only thing i've really heard any of them talk about gaming-wise. hell... my *dad* even was asking about the DS the other day... and i don't think i've seen him touch a controller since a 5 minute stint with Mario 3 in early '90s.

[Evan @ Aug 22nd 2006 10:29PM]

"i'll be 30 in a few months and "adult" titles such as GTA really don't appeal to me at all. they are sort of fun in spurts... but for the most part i find them highly immature... and something that "pretend adults" like. sort of like professional wrestling."

I'm with you! I'm 31. I enjoy "kiddie" games (Katamari, Klonoa, etc) just as much as "adult" games (Grand Theft Auto, etc).

[reid296 @ Aug 23rd 2006 1:04AM]

Yeah, I think it's quite obvious that the Wii will be the console to beat this generation. It has a HUGE library of actually fun games, having been around far longer than either Sony or Microsoft. Sure, the 360 and PS3 might have a few jewels in their collection of games, but higher costs will ultimately seal their fates. I think I'd rather have less power with better games than better power with lesser games.

[Juan Carlos @ Aug 23rd 2006 3:14AM]

That $170 price the EA exec mentioned comes from a Merill Lynch report quoting the price for the Wii at 19980 yen (I think) in Japan which when converted to dollars at the approximate current exchange rate of about 115 yen to the dollar gives $172 dollars. However, it's unlikely Nintendo will use a 115 yen/dollar conversion rate. They'll likely use a 100 yen/dollar conversion rate as they usually do when converting prices for their product for sale in the U.S.. That puts the Wii at about $199 if the Merill report is to be trusted which seems about right.

C'mon guys the Meryl thing was reported at joystiq.

[HMan @ Aug 23rd 2006 7:49AM]

I'm 25 and I too don't care that much about "adult" games, the same way I don't care about having the console with the fastests processor or the best graphics out there... I just want to have fun! And I think the Wii is the way to go for this. I'm loving my DS and all the "kiddies" games (New Super Mario, WarioWare, etc.) and all the friends I have shown it to are considering buying one, if they didn't already.

[Quadrius @ Aug 25th 2006 1:16PM]

Lemme think... A 360 and a Wii for 500 bucks, or a PS3 for 600. I'll take door number one, plzkthx.