A number of high-profile retailers in the United Kingdom have told MCV that while they think Mario Kart 8 looks like a fantastic game, the Wii U drastically needs a price cut to be able to compete against the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. The Mario Kart 8 bundle retails for £250 in the UK.
“The market needs a sub-£200 Wii U proposition and the Mario Kart 8 at £250 RRP is going to be a tough one to drive extra sales,” said ShopTo purchasing director James Rowson.
“To get the same kind of weekly sell through that PS4 and Xbox One are seeing a sub-£200 price is needed.”
The head of games at a major retail chain added. “£199.99 would be when Wii U would get interesting. Nevertheless the fact this is the first high res Mario Kart game and is very exciting.”
Speaking about Tesco’s £200 price point for the bundle, Xbite’s CEO Steve Thomas added: “It’s a step in the right direction, but it would have been better if all retailers were involved. Nintendo needs support from the wider industry rather than one retailer.”
But Games Centre’s MD Robert Lindsay plays down pricing concerns, and believes software is key to Nintendo’s success: “[The Mario Kart 8 pack] is a fantastic bundle at an attractive price which should see a nice sales spike over the coming months.
“Will this continue through to Christmas? That really depends on the strength of additional software which is the key to ongoing sales, not the price point.”
The Mario Kart 8 bundle is great, particularly given the extra free game you get with Mario Kart 8, but I agree that if it’s to really launch Wii U sales they should be looking at around £200. They also need to advertise it heavily.
agree and it includes a wii remote plus, don’t forget it, marketing is the key
No kidding man. I’m never buying any nintendo console at lauch again. Spent 350 for the wiiU and an additional 40 for the luigi wiimote
They just need to push the free game angle harder. It’s easy for consumers to miss that they are getting two full, AAA games and a console.
even if it’s just mario kart that’s included.. this is still a good price considering the premium model retailed at £300 at launch
Of course no !!! The wii U doesn’t need a price cut it already had it. I payed for my wii U us$350 last year and I think it was really worth it the money. This is a console that no one really knows its real power it’s just starting to show. Most of their games run at 1080p 60fps and their competitors doesn’t. Competitors consoles cost double the price of the wii U, that’s insane!!!!!
Wait… Double the price? The ps4 is 399
Uh no. Nintendo has no games that run at 1080p. All of their games, INCLUDING Kart, run at 720p.
Mario Kart actually runs at 1080p 60fps even in 2 player mode. This is a fact.
Why are numbers important. I think Nintendo should go for profit over loss.
First! One to say the price is okay as it is.
These sort of comments always irritate the hell out of me. “It’s ok that PS4 and XBO are charging $400-$500 for the exact same experience you’re getting on your PS3/360 but Nintendo? They should reduce their price that’s already half what the competition is asking for.” smh…
^this. I don’t get it either. Nintendo still has the best exclusive IPs out there, which already justifies the price tag…
not really. nintendo games are not great imo
unfortunately your opinion doesn’t concern those people who enjoy nintendo games
i know this must be a real shocker to you
Nintendo, and there blind fanbase with shit games :p
What’s even the point? If you don’t like someone’s opinion, then DON’T REPLY!
And yet your hypocrite ass still buys them retard or is it your mother buying for everything..broke ass bum.
Somehow people think that because the games are prettier, that they’ll have more fun. As though when they were playing PS3 two years ago, they were sitting there thinking “Mass Effect is okay, but it’d be great if the graphics were marginally better”.
Graphics have reached a sort of critical mass point where improving graphics offers diminishing returns on the fun you’re having. But idiots don’t realise this.
graphics improvements always offered diminishing returns
graphics advancements today are less spectacular than they were in the 2000’s than they were in the 90ies than they were in the 80ies…
still good graphics can add significantly to a games atmosphere and thus immersion.. but it’s not the alpha and the omega of gaming
pretty graphics don’t make a crappy game any less crappy..
but pretty graphics can make an already great game even better :)
Nintendo should take any chances and lower the price. Since they’re not losing money off the Wii U they can afford dropping the price. They really need sales of the hardware rather then getting money off it. Software is where the money is at but they can’t do that if the Wii U is not selling.
So you want them to go from losing money to not losing money to losing Money again?
they are just loosing money at the begin. after that and when they are sold many consoles, the make money with the games.
sony looses always money at the start. the ps3 was the best example, a real prisecut and then they sold alot of ps3.
in the first 2 years nobody would belive you, when you say in the end ps3 sales more 85 000 000 pieces.
if there are no wii u sales, they will not sales games, without selling consoles there will not be a 3th parties support.
its the same story like the 3ds.
You misspelled ‘lose’
It’s ‘lose’ not ‘loose’
Yeah, because the first price cut made the console sell like hotcakes, right?
They are now making money of the WiiU, greedy UK retailers just want a cut. Nintendo can now afford to sell 3 WiiUs a year in the UK, so no. From now onwards nintendo should bolster the WiiU and advertise the Fuss Pot out of the 3DS. It’s a great time to be a Nintendo gamer.
only a price drop doesn’t guarantee sales.. look at europe.. the wii u is already heavily discounted in many european countries (vendor’s discount)..
now take a guess as to whether those price drops significantly boosted sales or not
the wii u needs compelling games and good marketing.. and if it has both it will sell even without a price drop
yes the price of the system is a key point and I always say that £180 is the price to pay for the premium bundle. Now we have the PS4 and Xbox 1 out, I don’t see Nintendo UK or Europe lower their price.
I also learnt that retailer make 40% margin on the Wii U. Why retailer put THEIR price down cause in UK like in Europe, retailer are free to set their price. Tesco and that greedy pic everyone would like to see failing.
Anyway £499 for an Xbox one and £370 for a PS4 while the Wii U is £240 (premium and some bundle like Zelda ) or £250 for other bundles at the moment.
The PS4 I can understand why the retailer won’t ask Sony for a price reduction but MS should really get their system @£300 max if they want to succeed.
Nintendo really needs to consider a Game Pad free Wii U bundle. I know a few people love the Game Pad and Nintendo has promised more games that rely on the Pad, but how many people are going to get a Wii U for MK8 and Smash Bros. only? I’d say a few.. And if those people want a Game Pad later on, Nintendo can sell it separately.
they should release it without the gamepad. the only game i used it for was nintendoland and 3d world for the levels that needed it. the rest of the time i use the wii mote or pro controller.
I don’t understand you people. Why rid the pad? Explain to me so I can explain why its not a “GIMMICK”. Want a gimmick, I’ll give you one, the NFC.
The gamepad is a critical piece of the tech. It’s like selling a car without wheels, it’s just stupid. It was designed with the game pad and it would take an OS redesign to make it work without it.
the game lad is fucking awesome if you don’t want one, buy a PS4. And how about that xBox with it’s connect? Or what if I want a PS4 with controllers that don’t have the stupid touchpad? Yeah. Double standards.
Because the gamepad is a joke of a controller. It adds nothing to the experience of the game. Oh look I can blow air into it to make the platform fly or hey look, I have the game running on the same screen on the tv and gamepad. I’ve gotten to the point where I only buy games the have pro controller support. The gamepad is was the worse idea Nintendo has ever had. So yes tell me why the over priced, terrible battery has done nothing but make me look at a 4in screeen gamepad is awesome.
Your prejudice makes your brain cells dwindle to almost obscurity. The Game-pad had off television play. In COD ( blops 2 sigh! ) it worked wonders for two player local co-op. Deus Ex is a charm on the WiiU, that’s is Deus Ex the directors cut. With more companies taking what nintendo dual gaming e3 2014 shall unveil you our friend shall be a believer as well.
No, the gamepad was an awesome idea. I like using it in awesome ways like in NintendoLand and The Wonderful 101, and it’s useful and nice to use in games like Wind Waker HD, because it makes things much more accessible.
I love the gamepad, it’s one of my favorite controllers.
“The gamepad is was the worse idea Nintendo has ever had.”
I’m not even going to argue with you, cause you pretty much nullified you point, yourself, Mr. Anon.
How about off tv play without the tv. May I also add that it adds ALOT of the gaming experience, Point of an example? Try Monster hunter with the pad via chat, Zelda wind waker HD (hey look, NO PAUSE MENU, JUST DRAG AND PRESS BUTTON OF COMMAND), Zombie U (great horror game for the main thing for the gamepad), Ninja Gaiden 3 (2 player, hands down with chat), Orichi hyper 3 wii u (the multiplayer)…Have you tried those with the game pad? How about taking a shit while playing Super Mario 3d world or having someone that can’t be in the room and you want to play with others, EVER THOUGT ABOUT THAT?
I think not if you say “Oh look I can blow air into it to make the platform fly or hey look, I have the game running on the same screen on the tv and gamepad”.
You need to think before opening the mouth sir, I call it “Exploring the system first hand”, you should try it…maybe then you’ll see the “experience” you were looking for.
“Because the gamepad is a joke of a controller. It adds nothing to the experience of the game.”
it does :)
have you played zombiU? or game and wario? or rayman legends? the gamepad can add a lot and if you haven’t figured that out yet i’d recommend playing some of the games that actually use it for more than off TV play
if you’re not content with the gamepad then there’s a simple solution: buy another platform
you don’t see people buying a samsung smartphone and then complain that it doesn’t run iOS do you?
Unepic and Wind Waker HD would not be the same without it. I just crave for that quick menu access! I hope Nintendo makes RPGs that utilize the gamepad for inventory, maps, stats, etc. That is what it was made for. Quick select potions at the touch of the screen in the middle of battle! No need to pause.
the gamepad is an out dated tech.
PAH, good one…
So is your beloved Kinect.
One thing which is a big pity is that due to the Gamepad, no one will develope a great shooter which utilizes the Wiimote+Nunchuck anymore. That is by far the best way to play such games on a console, but didn’t really come through…
I know you said “great”.
But Wiimote works pretty well on CoD’s.
I hope any FPS game will have it as an option.
Gamepad-free bundle? You know that would break functions in the Wii U and a ton of games, right?
Or are you just too stupid to think reasonably?
Sorry but that’s just stupid if they get rid of the gamepad then it will just be a Wii.
If u don’t like the game pad don’t use it!!!! You can se the wii U pro controller !!! But you don’t even know about its existence !
How will you contact Miiverse without a Wii U Game Pad? Without the ‘Pad is a complete waste of time.
when they lower it people are still going to say its too much money. they would be insane to drop the price when mario kart isn’t even out. im sure some of the 34 million plus mkwii fans will buy the wii u when they find out the game even exists.
you mean 4 million out of 34m. remember causals dont give a shit about wii underpowered. they love their tablets and beats haedphones.
If you check the GAME uk website it’s already £199,99 so it doesn’t seem to affect sales that much.
Link: http://www.game.co.uk/en/black-wii-u-premium-console-186643?categoryIdentifier=722630&catGroupId=
Price is fine. Cheap fools! Hugs!
The cheapest console with the best games needs to be less mhmmm sure a 500 paperweight is fine right
So they want a system that’s already lower than the competition in price to get lowered even more? And they don’t complain when the other two consoles are selling with a higher price with barely any games.
All they do is read what people online say and take their words. Retailers don’t know nothing.
Hopefully, Nintendo would advertise Mario Kart 8 strongly.
Actually i’m scared about it, nintendo marketing sucks and they need to improve their marketing if they want to success
Obviously mario kart is kicking so hard, powerful software doesn’t make games any good if the developers aren’t creative, check those reviews of kinect sports: (yep, gamespot said is mediocre)
kinect sports rivals the miracle of current gen. hahahaha
i think the admin deleted the links and it’s cuestionable, why sickr deletes this such of content while it let people like sasori and the other guy posts hating videos and memes.
there’s a difference between a youtube video and a nintendo website. its competition. this is why i love my nintendo news. they never let you down, the admins are perfect. no bais opinions, just post all news whether good or bad.
but your hate videos are sick, darling you should keep your opinions for yourself…the bad ones, actually all your opinions about ninty are bad
Actually if you look at the timeframe and the Europe number breakdown (not just UK), the Wii U is doing ok (not great), as with Japan or better term its turning in expected or realistic numbers for a console doing ok.
Its the US where the numbers are horrendous, its like 2-3 mil off what they should be, turning in less sales then Japan, where it should be double or triple based on what previous Nintendo consoles sell.
Also, these ultra negative headlines are contributing to the Wii U’s problems.
There’s no reason to cut the price just advertise better and put out more games. Kneel to third-parties since they seem to sell consoles than real first-party IPs ( and I mean the good ones not the odd ball Indies and Thirds) It’s not too hard for them to sell consoles, they’re simply making it that way.
yet, they’re okay with an Xbox that cost half a thousand
£250 is fucking great deal!
I’d buy another Wii U for that price!
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What they need to do is advertise better, stop the bullshit of “direct” and get back into E3 where EVERYONE CAN SEE THEIR ASSES!!! Better advertisement and fix their markets…It’s not the price, its the games!
Dude e3 is only for the press everyone else watches it online. Having a direct changes nothing. The press wants you to believe it changes things because if nintendo tells us everything, the press doesn’t get exclusive stories to put on their website so they won’t make money of the info.
But your missing my point, not everyone looks online still…TV is the best way to let those so called “casual gamers” see what Nintendo has to offer, We, the real gamers, know where to go and look we can see it on our pc HELL even our gaming consoles…but when you get right down to it, they won’t tune in to see it on the PC if they got no idea where to go, Direct does change it…If Nintendo wants casual gamers, they would be smart to be at e3 fully not partly and do a “digital event”. 10 to 1, most are gonna miss the digital event and you would be surprised if you say to a casual “have you seen the Nintendo Digital Event”? Most likely you’ll get the response, “What digital event”? THINK MAN, you’re dealing with stupid people, not gamers.
It’s not a Nintendo direct…
Again…you missed my point…read above.
I think the pricing for the Wii U is perfect, it’s the Xbox One that needs a price reduction
I don’t understand, if Sony can be #1 with a console of $400 and Xbox #2 with a console of $500, why Nintendo can sell even more with already a console of $300 dollars?
I know it’s not as strong, but the PRICE IS NOT AN ISSUE ‘CAUSE IT’S ALREADY CHEAPER THAN THE OTHER TOO, and it’s not as powerful BUT IT’S STILL WAY MORE POWERFUL THAN THE WII, HAS HD, BRAND NEW CONTROLLER, AND TONS OF EXCLUSIVES!
What is killing the Wii U is the lack of games, games, games, games, 1 every 3 months is killing it, all these retailers only want it to die.
Games are the issue.
Yet the Ps4 managed to sell like hotcakes barely any games, and up to now, still barely any games. Games is not the problem, its the consumers idea of an “ideal” console.
while its because people trust sony and like what they offer as for wii u, people dont care about nintendo offers because they barley anything their offer. what kind of games is way wii u getting….. just the typical nintendo franchises everyone must have gotten tired of. sony has a variety franchise, high 100% third party support,powerful console but not as powerful as 2014 pc apu’s and processors, great online inferstructure, blue ray support with usb 3.0 and next ten graphics.
next gen or current gen? in other words ps4 is advanced tech from the future? you’re crazy
Sigh, your no fun to destroy anymore…this was going to be the 1,000,000th time…Seriously, if everyone got tired of Nintendo, they would have been dead long ago. The fact that you kiss microsofts ass is getting akward. You DO realize that the xbox one is creaming the 360 too while wii u is second right? I mean its like your trying to have sex with your own system’s company. I’ve heard and seen suck ups and kiss assers but you take the cake…with icejudgeeater in second…both of you knocked iceazeama off his crown.
A strange ass slanted designed Blu Ray player with hardly any games ATM is a better value or more advanced when graphics in it aren’t any different or better? Better than that DRM XBetamax DOne of course but as for Wii U, its a debatable situation.
I agree to this. Guys, remember this is in the UK. The Wii U only got a price cut in the US, it never had one in Europe, so its understandable people want it cheaper here. I know, because in Denmark it costs £275/$460 so it DO need a price cut here! :P
The Wii U is priced just right, if they do their job properly they can profit with add-on games and accessories.
And they should never let a sonyan or xbot employee handle Nintendo shelves. Those employees who knows everything about the PS4 or XBOne but tells people the Wii U is just the same as the Wii.
If people can shell out that dough for PS4 or XBOne, the Wii should be easier on the wallet.
That’s Wii U not Wii… he he he typo my bad…
There was a huge price cut in the UK last year, it did NOTHING. Nintendo is no longer taking a loss on the Wii U and now they want Nintendo to take a loss again. And say it went to $250, people would say its not able to compete since its so cheap. If you can buy an Xbox One or PS4, you can buy a Wii U.
Exactly. They’re all hating Nintendo for the same exact opposite of reasons they’re buying other consoles as well: Being pricy, having “repetitive” games and lacking originality but use cheap gimmicks.
Even PS4/X1 are doing exactly what Wii U did last year that caused it some trouble but for PS/Xbox its okay for them? Are people seriously this fucking brain dead these days?!
the price tag is ok now because you are getting a free game, its a way to reduce losses from the console, it may not reduce a lot but every bit counts
The price cut argument is just like the new console argument; equally stupid.
What evidence is there that a price cut will make the Wii U sell more? Plus including all thr things you get in the bundle, no price cut is necessary.
Another price drop now isn’t necessary but Wii U requires more compelling games and shittons of ads. That’s it.
ALL WII U NEED RIGHT NOW IS GAMES, NOT ANOTHER PRICE CUT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
they need a price cut, but its impossible because of the GAMEPAD and that it costs to make almost like another second console.
Cheap asses!