Just six months after Nintendo launched the Wii U supermarket chain Asda has slashed a total of £100 from the price of the console. The Wii U Basic 8GB pack can be purchased for £149 whilst the Wii U 32GB Premium pack is now £200.
The console has sold just 390,000 units worldwide since Christmas and many have blamed the lacklustre sales on the absence of new titles for the console.
Games such as Pikmin 3 have suffered delays due to production whilst the Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines seems to have vanished completely. The console also lost an an exclusive when Rayman Legends was delayed so Ubisoft could create Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.
In related news, Kotaku are reporting that Nintendo have been contacting Wii owners and urging them to upgrade. The message is being sent directly to gamer’s consoles and reads:
“It’s time to discover Wii U,” says the message sent to the Wii itself. “Wii U is the all new home console from Nintendo. It’s not just an upgrade – it’s an entirely new system that will change the way you and your family experience games and entertainment.”
Interesting to note that Nintendo are keen emphasise that the Wii U is a new console and not an “upgrade”. This may be an indication that consumers are confused by the name, after all the 3DS XL is an upgraded 3DS so it would be easy to assume the Wii U is a tarted up Wii.
Kennykazey
No Mario, no Zelda, no Mario Kart, no Smash Bros, no Pikmin, no nothing.
I might buy a Wii U next year, but I’m still using my Wii (only got it last year) as a secondary console and there’s still more games that interest me for it than for the new U. No reason to upgrade it yet.
Jumping Monks
£200 eh…? It might just be worth it. Then again, until there are any games out that I want (ie, Wind Waker HD) what’s the point? I really wish Ninty would give some more details on what’s happening with Wind Waker, I would hope their next Direct presentation would offer some more information. Until then, I won’t be buying one, as there literally isn’t a single game I would want. Wii U has no games.
Klart
Rather painful.
hazelam
even if i had the money, which i don’t right now, there’s not enough on the machine to make it a must buy yet.
maybe when that Monolithsoft RPG comes out, but for now, not so much..
wick15
Might get this now. Working at Asda means at get 10% off everything. So I could get that 32GB version for £180. That’s a reasonable price. Could wait and see if it falls even more though.
wick15
Forgot to say. I’d be even more tempted if they actually got some New IPs. I have zero interest in play all remakes they keep pushing.
wick15
“I have zero interest in play all remakes they keep pushing.” What? My brain farted there. I meant to say, I have zero interest in playing any of the remakes they keep pushing. My bad and I’ll stop posting now.
HywelWJ
If the price crept down a little more I’d be tempted just for the first party titles. Even though they’re just rehashes of the same 20+ year old games, but I’m shallow and they’d be pretty in HD.
scion_tc1
The Wii U was overpriced at the get go that much is obvious. £300 for a console isn’t crazy, but it is when that console has little to no support from outside sources. I’ve read a fair few of the other comments about how its still over priced. The hardware may be good, but its no use if there are no games to play on the damn thing. The Wii U and its controller was a brilliant idea (not the first to do it mind you) but just a lack of support to actually make the console worth buying.
At its heart the Wii U is a party console and at that £150 IMO is still too high for a party console. £100 for the 8GB would be ideal for what it is.
Peter Chapman
The Wii U has sold roughly similar numbers to the same time period that the PS3 did after its launch, based on all reliable reported figures (most of which don’t include Europe). It outsold the Wii’s launch in its first month in Japan.
It’s a slow-ish start because Europe (especially) and the US aren’t as active as they could be but it’s by no means out of the ordinary for console launches and if anyone is expecting significantly better from the PS4 or next Xbox then they should prepare for disappointment…
That said, it’s always nice to see a price cut and with some great 1st party games coming, the Wii U is looking a more attractive proposition at this price point – if you’re a fan of Nintendo’s games.
The Avenger
http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu/features/compare/
The Avenger
I’m not sure even thinking about comparisons is a good idea. Clean slate and all.
The Avenger
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nintendo-Wii-8GB-Basic-Pack/dp/B004Y59P3A/ref=pd_sim_vg_h__3
An interesting turn, I wondered when others would start to compete.
srslyawesome92
Uhh… I think you’ve got your numbers kinda wrong. A quick Google search brings the number of worldwide sales as 3.45 Million, and probably slightly higher than that by now. Is that a deliberate attempt to make Nintendo look bad, because it seems like quite a hard mistake to make?