Several major retailers have told Tech Radar that the demand for the Wii Mini has been virtually non-existent in the United Kingdom. One of GAME’s flagship stores told the publication that it wasn’t even stocking the console due to underwhelming interest, despite having pre-orders up on the site beforehand. HMV also told the publication that it is not stocking the Wii Mini at this moment in time, however it may sell it in the future if demand picks up.
Newly-designed Nintendo eShop cards were spotted on Amazon UK. Want to spend £15 in Nintendo’s online marketplace? Puchase the Toad card. Pick Luigi to get a £25 card. And, of course, the most expensive card – £50 – features Mario on it. The new cards, which aren’t available for purchase just yet, can be used on Wii, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DSi. Which design appeals to you most?
Nintendo UK has released a TV advert for Luigi’s Mansion 2, also known as Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, which launches in the U.K. on March 28th, exclusively for Nintendo 3DS. The action-adventure game will cost around £35, and it will arrive at retail and Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. Who’s ready to help Luigi capture ghosts with the new and improved Poltergust 5000?
Troubled UK retailer HMV has decided to take action against declining Wii U sales in the United Kingdom and has slashed the pricing of the Wii U 32GB Premium Console with Nintendo Land and ZombiU to £199.99. That’s a £140 saving on the recommended retail price. Nintendo said earlier this week that it plans to meet with UK retailers to help boost sales of the console.
ShopTo’s purchasing director James Rowson has revealed in the latest edition of MCV magazine that the price cut they issued for the Wii U hasn’t driven sales enough. The company discounted the 8GB Wii U Basic console to test the market and see how it fared. ShopTo is selling the Basic package for £189.95, which is 24 per cent cheaper than the initial £249.99 asking price. ShopTo wasn’t alone as Amazon, GameStop and Asda also reduced the pricing. Another top buyer at one of the UK’s biggest games retailers says that Nintendo has to do something otherwise it’s the Gamecube all over again.
“[We've] taken the decision to reduce the price of the Basic Wii U to test the market and assess the impact of a price change for a short period of time.”
- ShopTo
“[We are] looking to reduce [Wii U space] slightly but must admit [Nintendo's] silence on strategy is deafening at the moment.”
“They’ve got to do something otherwise it is GameCube all over again.”
- Anonymous UK retailer
Asda has announced today that it has slashed the price of the 32GB Wii U Premium Pack with Nintendo Land and the 8GB Wii U Basic Package. The 32GB Wii U Premium Pack which comes with Nintendo Land bundled in is selling for £250 and the 8GB Basic Package is now available for £200. The offer is now available from the Asda Direct website.
VoucherCodesPro have conducted a survey which consisted of 1,003 British consumers to see what they thought of the Wii Mini which is coming to Europe on March 22nd. Interestingly, 76 percent of those who were surveyed thought that the Wii Mini wasn’t a very exciting prospect. The poll asked, “Are you excited about the Wii Mini announcement?” 76 percent said no, while the remaining 24 percent said yes. Those who said no were asked to give a reason, here’s the results:
1. Don’t see the point – 74%
2. No advance in graphics – 56%
3. Just rehashing an old console, not a technological advancement 49%
4. Small size not a big enough selling point- 47%
5. Already own an original Wii – 42%
Those who were surveyed were then asked “Would you be likely to purchase a Wii Mini once it’s released?” participants replied:
“It seems that despite the release of the Wii U and with the recent announcement of the PS4 and the anticipated Xbox 720, Nintendo still felt the need to get in there with another release. Unfortunately for them, gamers just aren’t bothered; according to our poll at least.”
“It’s an exciting time for gamers who’ve been waiting several years for the next big console release. But the Wii Mini doesn’t carry the same gravitas. With no anticipation of improved graphics and no real advance on the original console, is it the case of flogging a dead horse?”
- VoucherCodesPro’s George Charles
UK retailers have already begun pricing the Wii Mini which was announced for Europe yesterday. Both Amazon and GAME have the system listed for £79.99. The pricing for the console is significantly higher than the $99 Canadian price, which would put the machine at around £65. As usual Nintendo has left the pricing up to retailers. The Wii Mini lacks Gamecube compatibility and does not support S-Video or Component video cables. The console also lacks an SD card slot, and doesn’t have Wi-Fi support.
Online UK retailer Zavvi has decided to slash the pricing of the 32GB Wii U Premium package with Nintendo Land to £225. The bundle normally retails for £299.99 so this is clearly a good buy for those of you who are thinking about purchasing the Wii U. Zavvi did hold this deal before, but it was via the retailers eBay channel. I would expect other retail outlets to follow suit as they clear excess stock.
Thanks, Jordan
Sega’s disappointing Aliens: Colonial Marines has managed to beat EA’s Dead Space 3 to claim the number one position in the UK top forty all-formats charts. Once again Wii U exclusive titles such as New Super Mario Bros U and ZombiU are noticeably absent from the charts. No Wii U exclusive has charted in the UK all-formats charts in 2013. Here’s the top ten games this week.
