Nintendo has cut the price of the Wii -- the world's most popular gaming system -- slashing $50 off the cost of the system. The move follows the recent price cuts Microsoft made to its Xbox 360 Elite and Sony to its PlayStation 3.
Since its introduction in November 2006, the Nintendo Wii has been priced at $250. The 20 percent price drop means the bare-bones system is now available for $199.99. The new price will take effect Sunday, Sept. 27, according to a Nintendo statement released this morning.
The uberpopular Wii has mass appeal because it is geared toward all ages. Its interactive remote makes it uniquely able to actively engage gamers more than other systems do. The Wii Fit for example, is an exercise "game." Nintendo hopes the drop in price will attract more consumers who may not currently be gamers.
"Wii has reached more video game players than any game system before because it attracts everyone -- both men and women, and people of all ages," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing, in a statement.
"Our research shows there are 50 million Americans thinking about becoming gamers, and this more affordable price point and our vast array of new software mean many of them can now make the leap and find experiences that appeal to them, whatever their tastes or level of gaming experience," Dunaway said.
Reports note that sales of the Sony PlayStation 3 video game console jumped 300 percent in the weeks after last month's $100 price cut, so the Nintendo Wii -- which is now at the same price as the Microsoft Xbox Elite -- is likely to see sales rev up. Watch for scant supply at holiday shopping time.
|
18 Attention Grabbers From CES Opening Night OK, so the recession is still lurking like a hungry panther, but that doesn't mean people aren't still captivated by the latest gadgets. Although CES 2010 isn't as big as in previous years, exhibitors at a special opening night event Tuesday showed off products that were dazzling, intriguing, and often downright amusing. Here we offer a glimpse of 18 products that had onlookers jostling for a better look. |
|
Hot Products Ready For The 2009 Holiday Season At Pepcom's holiday preview event, we got the jump on many new and interesting products, some presented for the first time ever. Here are a few of our favorites. |
|
Clash Of The E-Book Titans: Sony Reader Vs. Amazon Kindle Vs. Plastic Logic Sony's three new Readers are set to challenge Amazon's Kindle dominance, so we size up Sony Readers, Amazon Kindles and the coming Plastic Logic reader to see who really has the e-reading goods. |
 More
Slide Shows |
