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Nintendo trims DSi and DSi LL prices in Japan, adds new color options for bigger console (updated)
Good news for Nippon-based handheld lovers: from June 19, Nintendo will be selling the DSi at a new reduced price of ¥15,000 ($165), accompanied by a more affordable DSi LL, which lands at ¥18,000 ($198). That will make the jumbo portable console cheaper than the regular-sized one costs today, while the whole effort seems clearly aimed at maintaining the market for Nintendo's classical wares after it blows all our minds with its 3DS debut at E3 in a couple of weeks. We look forward to it, we just wish this price cut would go global -- Europeans need love too, you know. Update: We've also just learnt Nintendo is bringing out a trifecta of new color options for the Japanese LL: blue, yellow and green jumbo DSis will be available on June 19, right alongside the price trim. Come past the break to see the other two hues.
Walmart officially cuts iPhone 3GS to $97, potentially clearing out inventory for the iPhone 4?
Well, this is intriguing: Walmart just officially announced that it'll be selling the 16GB iPhone 3GS for $97 starting Tuesday, a full $100 off the regular price. Given the high probability that Steve Jobs will introduce the thoroughly-leaked next-gen iPhone when he gives the WWDC 2010 keynote on June 7th, the price cut seems like either an attempt to clear out remaining inventory or a way to slide the 3GS down the line to replace the $99 8GB iPhone 3G -- a move which would corroborate some whispers we've heard today that the 3G is no longer being shipped to stores. Either way, the 3GS just got a lot cheaper, which is never a bad thing, but we'd still say potential iPhone owners should wait a couple weeks and see what's coming next. [Thanks, Ryan]
64GB Zune HD launching April 12th for $350, current models reduced $20
Let's just be nice and feign surprise, okay? Good. With that out of the way, Microsoft has announced a 64GB version of Zune HD, due out April 12th via the Zune online store (and later via other retailers) with a handful of color options and a strapping $349.99 price tag. Not to be outdone, the 16GB and 32GB will each receive a $20 cut on the MSRP, to $200 and $270, respectively -- whatever Amazon and Newegg slash beyond that is up to them. It seems "as soon as possible" is the motto for when the price drop is taking place, so if your favorite online / brick-and-mortar retailer isn't yet honoring the extra Andrew Jackson in your pocket, have patience. So now we're left with a v4.5 firmware release date as the remaining piece in this puzzle, but Microsoft promises to solve that riddle wrapped in an enigma "in the coming days." Right. Press release after the break.
Pre drops to $79.99 at Walmart
Hey, thought that $99.99 Amazon deal for a Palm Pre was really snazzy? Well today, Walmart appears to go one better by cutting the smartphone's price down to a staggering $79.99 (on contract and with mail-in rebate). If prices keep going this low, you can probably expect the Pixi to show up for about nothing (zero, zip, zilch) sooner rather than later. If you've been looking for a deal to get into the Pre, this is it... but too bad if you dropped $200 a few months ago.[Via everythingpre]
Sony hacks 15 percent from PSP's price in Japan
While Sony seemed more than willing to show off its new PSP Go Converter and even more willing to gloat about its one millionth PS3 Slim sale, this little tidbit was pushed away in some neglected corner of the Tokyo Game Show. Thankfully for you, we're dedicated to leaving no stone unturned, and now we've discovered that the outfit is fixing to cut 15 percent from the PSP-3000's price tag... but only in Japan. Starting on October 1st, the UMD-friendly handheld will be offered in The Land of the Rising Sun for ¥16,800, or just over $185 using current conversion tables. So Sony -- any plans to hook the rest of the world up? You don't want to see us pout.
Nintendo finally confirms new $199 Wii price
After being stuck so long at $249, we can hardly believe the Wii is "pulling a PS3" and going down in price at last -- outside of the insurmountable mountains of evidence we had of the price drop before Nintendo could get around to confirming it, of course. The console will begin retailing for $199.99 (~$200 for us math types) on September 27, which is this Sunday.Update: The Wii will fall to ¥20,000 in Japan, which represents a 20 percent drop.Update 2: Looks like those of you getting paid in Euros will be asked to shell out €199.99. [Via Joystiq]
Nintendo confirms $199 Wii for September 27?
It might sound confusing at first, but it all makes sense, we promise. The folks at Nintendojo were apparently on a retailer conference call where Nintendo "confirmed" the new $199 Wii price, which will supposedly go into effect on Sunday September 27. Only problem is that we have to take Nintendojo's word for it -- not that we have any reason not to, but for now we'll have to just call this an "unconfirmed confirmation" until Nintendo can summon the courage to fess up to the $50 price cut to a couple of corroborating sources. It's not like those multiple flyer price leaks are knocking anybody off the trail, but we usually to hear these things from the horse's mouth -- or at least from a retailer's shelf -- before we go into all-out celebration mode. [Via GoNintendo]
$199 Nintendo Wii spotted in Best Buy ad?
First there was an alleged Toys R Us ad, and now we've caught wind of what's claimed to be a Best Buy spot showing the Nintendo Wii getting that long-desired $50 price drop, down just below the two Benjamin mark. Easily Photoshopped image? You betcha, so we'll just have to play wait-and-see as the evidence seems to mount up -- it's been a long time coming, after all, we wouldn't be that surprised given the oncoming holiday season and the recent downward trend in demand.
Wii getting $50 price drop this month? One Toys R Us ad seems to think so
Of all the fakeables in consumer electronics, the weekly newspaper ad has to be one of the easiest marks. Still, this one looks pretty legit, and if it's real it means either we're getting a much overdue Wii price cut on September 27th, or someone on the Toys R Us ad team has been severely misinformed. If it's not true and we have to wait another holiday season for the Wii to break the $200 mark, we're not getting Nintendo that Snuggie we promised it for Christmas -- everybody knows only good little boys, girls and multinational game companies get presents. [Via Joystiq]
iPod touch prices slashed dramatically before today's event (nano and classic too)
Seeing is believing and we're seeing price drops across each and every iPod touch on Apple's on-line store front. The 8GB model is now $189 (was $229), the 16GB model is $249 (was $299), and the 32GB model is just $279 (was $399). Now what could Apple be making room for?Update: And now the nano and classic have fallen under the axe. The classic has been cut to $229 (was $249) while the nano now starts at $129 (was $149) for the 8GB model or just $149 (down from $199) for the 16GB nano.[Thanks, Max H.]
Sprint now offering $100 service credit to Pre buyers who port a number
We were expecting a Pre price cut today, but it looks like Sprint has slightly different plans -- instead of lowering the outright price of the handset, the carrier is offering new Pre customers a $100 service credit if they port a number from a different carrier. Yeah, that's a little odd -- especially since the credit is spread out over three months, instead of applied all in one go. We're guessing Sprint and Palm are just trying to lure new sales without having to openly cut prices on the Pre and undo its "premium" image, but as far as psychological marketing tricks go, parceling out a discount over 12 weeks might be the least effective one we can think of -- we're pretty sure most people would rather take a $100 price cut at the top end of the deal. Still, the end result is that the Pre is now $100 cheaper for switchers -- anyone running out to buy one? [Via Everything Pre]
Palm Pre rumored to be dropping to $150 on September 8th
We've already seen the Palm Pre dip below its $199 list price during a few limited, occasionally inadvertent sales, but it looks like it could soon be dropping well under the $200 mark for a slightly longer period of time -- at least if a purportedly legit leaked document is to be believed. According to PreCentral, the doc comes from someone working at a Sprint "indirect partner retail dealer," and quite clearly indicates that "indirect partners" will be able to sell the Pre for $149.99 (after a mail-in rebate) between September 8th and October 31st, 2009. Presumably, Sprint itself would also be offering the Pre for the same price during that time and, if the HTC Hero's $179.99 price tag on Sprint is any indication, there seems to be at least a decent chance that the price drop could eventually become a permanent one. Either way, we won't have to wait too long to see how this one pans out.
Xbox 360 Pro and Elite price cuts confirmed in Target ad for next week
We just received a pair of pics from "next week's" Target Ad. As has been heavily rumored, the Xbox 360 60GB Pro system will be cut to $250 while the 120GB Elite will drop to $300. Knowing that Target's weekly ads run from Sunday to Saturday we fully expect to see the new pricing go into effect on Sunday the 30th. One more image after the break.[Thanks, Tyce]
NPD expects PS3 sales to jump 40-60% post-price cut
It doesn't take a whole lot of analysis to figure out that a $100 price cut will result in a boost in sales, but market research group NPD seems to think that the PS3's new $299 price point could have a particularly big impact on Sony's numbers once next month's sales are tallied up. While it's obviously not a sure thing, NPD expects sales of the PS3 to jump between 40% and 60% over the course of September, noting that "the USD 299 price point is important to getting to a point where the next segment of price-conscious consumers can jump into the market and it most certainly will re-energise sales of the platform." It's also quick to point out, however, that those sales might not be enough for Sony to take the lead in US console sales for the month, adding that "other systems might too take a price cut," and that "content is still the key motivator of a hardware purchase decision." Update: Joystiq offers a clarification from the original quote that, historically, price cuts tend to lead to a 40 to 60 percent increase in sales over the previous, higher priced month. The group is not specifically predicting PS3's sales, just pointing out what's happened in the past -- it's a subtle but important difference. [Via gamesindustry.biz]
Xbox 360 Elite in white package in the wild, Pro SKU missing on back-of-box chart
Can't say we're all that surprised given other sightings, but one anonymous tipster has sent us pics from a local Walmart of the 120GB Xbox 360 Elite in a shiny white package with a back-of-box chart that neglects to mention the Pro models, essentially striking it from the records. It's still scanning at $399 for now, but having seen multiple retailers' print flyers -- including Walmart's own -- quoting $299, the computers very well may be updating just after some official Microsoft announcement, which wouldn't surprise us at all if it happen sometime this week, just ahead of the PS3 Slim launch. Peruse the pics in higher-res format below. Update: As several readers have pointed out, the back-of-box chart shows the Elite as having standard, presumably non-HD cables only, and there's no mention of bundled HDMI cables anywhere. Also of note is the wording for Xbox Live has changed from "Silver Membership" to "Free." Before you go thinking the premium Gold membership is going away, however, there's a superscript '4,' and if it's like the older box, it leads to a longer explanation on the Xbox Live's tiered plans -- not to mention there's an ad for buying into XBL Gold just under the chart. %Gallery-70770%
EA, Ubisoft execs applaud PS3 price cut, also like things that are good
Well, this one doesn't exactly come out of left field, but it looks like gaming industry execs are starting to sing a decidedly different tune now that Sony has finally cut the price of the PS3. Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Ubisoft bigwig Yves Guillemot said that "it's exceptional news, actually," adding that "I think the machine is a great machine, with the Blu-ray." EA Games president Frank Gibeau was also apparently more than happy to back up that praise, saying that, "I think it's awesome," and that "it's an old line, but it still rings true for us: 'We make the ammunition for the hardware wars.' So the lowest priced hardware possible is a good thing for us." Still noticeably mum on the matter, however, is Activision's CEO, who once threatened to pick up his ball and go home if Sony didn't drop its prices. [Via Joystiq]
Did Microsoft delay its price drop announcement to avoid Sony's Slim Storm 2009?
You may have seen a post or three (or eleventy) over the past few days about Sony's newer, skinnier, cheaper PS3 Slim. Microsoft apparently did, and that might be partly why it chose to delay its own re-pricing announcement, a move it was apparently set to reveal yesterday at GamesCom -- but opted not to. Big Redmond is said to be killing off the Xbox 360 Pro and replacing it with the Elite at the $299 price point, a move it will want to make quickly because, for the first time, it's now the most expensive gaming console on store shelves. Whether the supposed delay was to let the dust settle on Sony's big news or was just to clear out some additional Pro inventory remains to be seen, but either way MS had better get a move on -- and maybe think about knocking an extra couple bucks off for good measure.[Via 1UP; thanks, jeremy23j]
European retailer hacks €100 from PlayStation 3 in run-up to gamescom
If you know anything about European retailer Fnac, you know it's not the go-to place for bargains. However, it's this very outlet that's now selling an 80GB PlayStation 3 bundle (which includes the console, a single controller and inFamous) for €100 less than its "everyday low price" as of yesterday. Of course, one major French retailer slashing the price on a system that's long overdue for a break isn't reason in and of itself reason to believe anything's on the horizon, but pair this up with everything else we've heard over the past few weeks, and we'd say all the vague omens are pointing to a leaner, cheaper and altogether more dashing PS3 on August 18th. In our magical fantasy land, anyway. Update: Our friends at Engadget Spanish just let us know that there's been a price drop in Spain as well. Getting warmer... [Thanks, Nelson]
Xbox 360 Elite replacing Pro at $299 price point August 30th?
We've already had a pretty clear indication that the Xbox 360 Elite would be replacing the current middle-of-the-road Pro model as Microsoft winnows its SKU options down to two, and a new Meijer ad obtained by Kotaku has now further backed up rumors of the switchover, and seemingly confirmed that that, as expected, the Elite will also be occupying the Pro's $299 price point. Of course, all of this is still far from official, but the ad does also peg the date for the price drop as August 30th, so it seems likely we'll hear something from Microsoft before then -- perhaps at a conveniently timed major gaming conference.[Via Daily Tech]
PS3 manufacturing costs down 70 percent? Strange, it doesn't feel that way
We understand that Sony has a long way to go in making up the losses it's incurred by selling the PS3 at a loss -- even if it was commanding the highest price in the industry the whole while -- but if this latest word on manufacturing costs is correct, we'd say Sony has some room to get the console under that dastardly $400 mark. During an overseas call with investors over Sony's Q1 financials, Nobuyuki Oneda, Sony's CFO and Executive VP, apparently stated that manufacturing costs for the PS3 are down 70 percent, which is right "on schedule." While there's no official cost published by Sony, those in the know estimate the console originally cost around $800 to produce, and should be down to roughly $240 at this point. Maybe a holiday price cut is in the cards? Boy, we sure hope so. Either that, or he's already spouting off the PS3 Slim's production cost, which is a win for everybody. [Via Joystiq]
