Those secretive unnamed sources have been gossiping once more and this time the topic is the Wii U.
A lengthy post over on Forget The Box estimates the manufacturing costs for the new console to be around $180 (£114) and that the public will be able to buy the hardware at around $300 (£189).
“Cutting production costs to maximize profits is Nintendo’s main concern with the Wii U. They are cutting costs in the Wii U’s hardware to build back confidence in investors. Nintendo wants investors to view Wii U as a less risky proposition,” said the mysterious source.
Nintendo are likely to bundle the console with a game which will increase the price, but would you be tempted by a £200 Wii U?
Source: Forget The Box
teflon
Depends on the hardware’s capabilities for me. Sure, there’ll be the exclusives, but if it’s not powerful enough to enjoy the same releases as the next generation MS and Sony consoles, then it’ll be the exact same deal as with the Wii: Core titles and crappy side-game ports.
JesseDeya
This.
It sounds like they are designing to a price point rather than to compete directly with MS/Sony. Good news for the mums and dads looking for stocking fillers, bad news for gamers wanting a truly next gen console.
KeRaSh
I’ll buy it when the first wave of Nintendo 1st party titles hits the market.
PoorPaddy89
I can’t see this faring well in the long term. Wii fans will buy one if it’s a reasonable price (and these prices are), but it doesn’t seem to have the killer USP that will make it as popular.
From what I’ve heard it’s supposed to be a bit more powerful than the PS3. So by the time MS and Sony release their next consoles, the WiiU will be lagging behind considerably.
EviesDaddy Too
Waiting and seeing. It looks like I’ll have to sell a kidney just to get a Vita though… Chances are I’ll wait to get a Wii-U until the Zelda comes out, so I’m hoping it’ll be a while after launch…
Kreisash
This low price actually makes me more wary. I was so on board to get one, but a low price usually means a compromise somewhere which I had hoped wouldn’t really happen this time around. I’m still excited, but really hope that this doesn’t translate to severely limited hardware for developers.
CarBoyCam
I think if the next PlayStation and Xbox are announced/released anywhere near the Wii U, they’ll have trouble. It will only be about as powerful as current gen consoles, which are about the same price these days… Then the next gen offerings from Sony and M$ will blow the U out of the water.
CarBoyCam
Nintendo will have trouble, that is…
stage1
Sounds a bit too cheap and nasty to me and I’m not a fan of any of the nintendo franchises so that’s me still out.
Mike
If Nintendo make a Mario game similar to Mario 64 or Sunshine then it’s an instant purchase for me.
3shirts
I’ll wait and see on this one. The fact it can run games like AC3 is interesting but that only brings it equal to current gen so until I see something I can’t get on PS3 (aside from the frankly ridiculous tablet controllers) I’ll hold on.
Zephyre
Bet the $300 doesn’t include those tablet controllers which look like this versions USP. Haven’t brought a Nintendo console since the SNES, can’t really see that changing with this console.