Wii now $170

Honestly the Wii should be about $100 by now they would still turn a profit as the CPU and GPU are nothing but overclocked new revisions of the Gamecube chips. Don't get me wrong I love my Wii (that sounds kind of dirty doesn't it), but at this point it can't cost them more than $50 to produce if that. If Microsoft and Sony had similar markups on their consoles the 360 would be about $500 and the PS3 would be over a grand.

Drop it to $100 and I might be tempted.

@eddyyodi12 I nominate you for fanboy of the year. All three are great systems but the wii has the weakest catalog of games. The first party games are great for the Wii and I've never missed a Zelda or Mario game going all the way back to the NES, but 3rd party titles for the Wii tend to be terrible. The Xbox360 has the strongest 3rd party library but the weakest first party catalog of games. The PS3 splits the difference with a lot of good first party games but not as many as the Wii and a really strong library of 3rd party games that is starting to rival the Xbox360. It all comes down to a matter of personal taste. Ideally you could be in a household like mine that has 2 PS3s, two Wii, and 2 Xbox 360s, but I know most people are not so fortunate. Personally I play the PS3 the most because I really like there first party games such a LBP 1 & 2, Killzone 2 &3, Uncharted 1 & 2, Resistance 1 & 2, God of War 3, Gran Turismo 5, and Heavy Rain. With the Halo and Gears of War franchise has some serious quality for their exclusive games but lack the quantity of the other systems. I can't imagine living life without my Mario Kart, Super Mario Galaxy and Zelda games though. Man I've been blessed. Point is fanatical fanboys like yourself are only hurting yourself by missing out on some serious gaming goodness.

Hmm, I may just get a Wii, since they're so cheap now.

sorry, but even if you can´t admit it, the wii has been the best console of all times, it was the first console that has motion sensors, but they comes sony with playstation move and the xbox 360, that sucks, with the kinect, that is a crap with crappy games, wii rules, sorry, but that´s reality

May well have been posted before but Walmart also reduced their Wiis to $169 too.

@chimpmeister "Bottom line, you like Nintendo products no matter how much they are rehashed/repackaged/sold-out on substandard hardware, thats fine for you but not for a lot of other people who care about the games, not the gimmicks." HA! Don't make me laugh! Have you seen the line up of "hardcore games" for both the 360 and the PS3? Sequel after sequel after goddam sequel. I don't understand what's so appealing about yet another WWII / Modern Warfare game. My point being that both 360 and PS3 see equal amounts of rehashing (and let's not forget Nintendo has ~10 years ahead of Sony and ~15 years of MS of titles to remake, etc. If either of those companies had such a long history as Nintendo, you'd better believe they'd be remaking/rehashing as many of their titles). For the record, I'm no fan boy - I've got a PS3 and a Wii. Admittedly, however, my Wii has been collecting dust for a long time. The biggest problem, for me anyway, is that there's no Player's Choice / Greatest Hits collection for the Wii. Like hell I'm going to pay $50 for Twilight Princess - which is essentially a GameCube game, or Super Paper Mario. As good as those games may be, why would I be interested in shelling out that much for them when, just last week, I picked up Uncharted 2 GOTY, new, for only $15? I really hope Nintendo does a much better job with 3rd party support with their next console, in addition to a more robust online service and more reasonable prices for their AAA games.

With all the accessories Nintendo makes money on, I figured they would have lowered the console price long ago and kept the price of accessories high enough to make to the difference (plus licensing fees on games). The long term money is there.

Now that Nintendo is finally joining Generation 7. The gaming industry will become better. The gaming industry has just went up a notch. PS3, 360 & Wii2 will be a good competition.

Oh.. the retails did the price cut, not Nintendo. Nintendo will drop the price to $150 at the E3. What's up with this Wii 2. Will that be shown at the E3? Is that why we haven't seen many Wii exclusives from Nintendo this year so far? Are they preparing all their exclusive franchise games for the Wii2 launch next year. I just gotta know. I already own a Wii. Not going to buy another one. I'll wait for Wii 2.

@ Wormkid_64 No offense, but it sounds like you're trying very hard to prove that the Wii has superior games to the PS3/360. Blanket statements like "Again,if shooters don't entertain you,you're out of luck" really show how little you know about games on the "big" consoles, both of which sport a HUGE variety of games in ALL categories, not just "shooters". Really most people agree that the Wii is a slighly upgraded Gamecube with motion controls; that makes it horribly outdated by all standards, and the games show that by all running in ugly low-res with poor visual effects. The Wii must cost less than $50 to manufacture, I can't believe Nintendo is still trying to charge $150 (WITH the price cut) for this ancient hardware. I have all the old Nintendo consoles too (NES, SNES, N64, GBASP) but I passed their latest generations of handheld and console hardware because the gimmicks of waggle and touch didn't reel me in. And I find it funny that you make this comment: "In fact,most of my games don't use motion as the main form of play." What does that tell you about how useful Wii motion controls are? Do you even care that the whole console is built around this gimmick, when most of the games you play, you don't use it? Does that make sense? Bottom line, you like Nintendo products no matter how much they are rehashed/repackaged/sold-out on substandard hardware, thats fine for you but not for a lot of other people who care about the games, not the gimmicks.

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY I didn't wait longer for this..!?!?!?!?!!?!?!!?!?!!???????!?!?!?!!?!

ColonelVodka@ lol that's funny because I said the samething to my friend today.

You know, considering the ancient hardware specs, and how much it costs to produce these things, they realistically only need to be about $99. The Wii has already sold over 80 million units, and the demand is going down. Wimpy price cuts will most likely not convince those that don't already have one to buy it. As has been said before, those who wanted one, already have one. At this point, there's no point in selling it at $150, but I suppose Nintendo knows better than I do. And why in the hell are their first party titles still $49.99? Do they honestly still sell well enough that they don't need to lower the prices?

@ chimpmeister My final note,is that you do not have to like the Wii.But don't try to tell me I'm not a true gamer.I've been gaming since the beginning of my memory,all the way back to the NES.A hardcore gamer is a person who loves games,not just a person who plays M games,or ones with good graphics,HD,3D,violence,or any of that.

@ chimpmeister Incorrect on several accounts. 1)"Truly great game" is an opinion.If you don't like shooters,or other violent,M,or "high-end-T" gritty games,you'll have trouble finding a good game on the 360.There are superb racers,but you can only have so many of those. 2)Power means nearly nothing.Gameplay is the important thing.Again,if shooters don't entertain you,you're out of luck. 3)The Mario,Zelda,Donkey Kong,and Metroid franchises span an piles of genres.These characters have puzzle games,2D and 3Dplatformers,adventure games,RPGs,and even FPS from Metroid.Far from being a rehash.Which I never said shooters were.I just said they are all the same.They vary in the reason for blowing up the "red" team,and some mechanics for moving around and doing it,but in the end it's,"Run to enemy establishment.Unleash violence.Run to next establishment...."I'm just not a fan of such violent games. 4)The argument that there are no good games for Wii doesn't work anymore.There is a massive library to choose from,and plenty of those games are good fun,without violence,and they're something you can't play elsewhere,hence,innovative.Different.I have many great games,and I still don't have all the ones I want.This is why I have a Wii,not any "wiggle" gimmick.In fact,most of my games don't use motion as the main form of play. My only disappointments are the poor online functions,and the fact that Wii Motion Plus has not been put to much use yet,but then neither have Move or Kinect so far.

@LoserMike thanks!you really helped

@gobbo00 thanks

maven_zer09, the ps3's blu ray player is not the only upgrade first of all okay and dont deny that cause your lying to yourself. The PS3 is constantly getting new ips and new first party games where as Nintendo keeps busting out mario and zelda. Nintendo is just awful at making new ips and they just dont care. The reason the xbox 360 is outselling the wii is because people are wising up and realising the 360 is the better buy with actual 3rd party support, solid games, a solid online community, and an all around entertainment system with the 360 marketplace and the many features it has. Most people would rather play cod than Wii Sports Resort or some other sub par, non creative games that the wii is constantly getting. Sony is changing and starting to realize good games, and with extra features like online, and a marketplace with other entertainment like movies and such has increased their sales. Their sales are only going to continue to increase this year with all the good games they are getting like infamous 2, resistance 3, the last guardian, and many other games on top of the third party games that people want to play. The wii is fading away, and Nintendo knows this, that is why they have to throw this new system out there fast. I wont be surprised if it is just a slight change in hardware and the same tired ass games over and over again from them.

If you love GOOD games, you CAN dismiss the Wii

@Philly1UPer - I didn't say the PS2 was released with shovelware. I meant in its entire lifespan. And I don't think anyone would call any of the games you listed shovelware.

@KieranCottrell Dont know what Shovelware you are refering to from when PS2 first started its life. I mean, yeah the first month was rough just like every other release of a console, but after the second month they started producing games, with great gameplay, graphics and, stories and hardly released any Shovelware mini games like Nintendo has been notorious for in recent years. PS2's first two years of living saw great titles like The Bouncher, Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City, Twisted Metal Black,Metal Gear Solid 2, Zone of The Enders and, Final Fantasy X come out. Just in the first two years. They were still making great PS2 games when the 360 first launched Games But those games I listed, I myself wouldn't consider shovelware.

come on nintendo, sort it out.. You can't sell cheap goods for double the price forever..

In my eyes, this thing is worth $100. I'm not paying a cent more.

good console, but $170 is still too expensive

Might just buy one now. With a Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on my shelf might as well buy the complete set.

collecting dust is the main function of my wii. AND I PAYED 200$ FOR IT! what a genius i am!

I could have sworn the Wii was $100 a while back. Is this version of the Wii a new hardware improvement over one of the originals that retails differently? Why is this $170?

It's still over $100 to buy? Wow!! For that money i would rather buy a back up for my 360, ps3.

PlayStation 2 Console now $99 =P Save yourself quite a bit of money AND get much better games and get that =)

@chimpmeister - I don't think it's fair to call the Wii an 'all-round failure for the true gaming community'. Video games haven't ever really been seen as a legitimate hobby. In the minds of that crowd we snobby hardcores call 'casual', video games were for boys or over-grown boys. No-one else. I don't want to big the Wii up too much, but it has (in my opinion) been the single biggest factor this generation in changing that preconception. The 360 released ahead of the PS3 and the Wii, but it didn't inspire anyone other than the reliable gaming crowd to buy it. The PS3 always had the PS2's massive install base, but even it had trouble taking off the ground, and has only been more successful in recent years with heavy price-drops and the fact that it NOW has a fantastic library of games available for it. 360 and PS3 put 'non-gamers' off buying because they were technical and expensive. And because HD TVs weren't as prevalent as they are now, the customer was usually forced to upgrade even further to get the most out of their systems. In my mind, the Wii dealt with those obstacles, and has been reaping the benefit of the massively expanded audience since 2007.

The Wii was cheap at launch, and while motion control (sometimes fairly) has been called a gimmick (usually by Microsoft and Sony who, unsurprisingly, were quick to take on the technology), the ability to navigate interfaces by just pointing and clicking at it must have been a real attraction for people who find modern controllers a bit button-busy. So in the non-gamers head, the choice between pricey, pretty systems that seemed complicated, or the cheap, easy but unique alternative (even to me, using the Wii for the first time felt futuristic) can't have been a difficult one. The fact is that increasing a system's performance power appeals to no-one but the 'true gaming crowd' you mention. No housewife is disappointed with the Wii's graphics, nor calls it a failure. But no housewife pre-Wii was even considering gaming (this is a generalisation for example's sake - sorry to pre-2007 gaming housewives all over the world >.

A lot of the games released are pure shovelware, but that goes for all consoles (and will always be predominant for the most successful console - PS2 last-gen had a SERIOUS amount of shovelware). And yes, the attach-rate is poor (compared to the others), but the Wii's success has not been about making non-gamers into hardcore gamers; it's always been about the enormousmassivehuge growth of the 'casual' market, which has helped the video games industry to flourish over the past 5 years, both in terms of increased profits and in social acceptability. So, yeah. If you love video games, you just can't dismiss the Wii.

That's a good deal.

I'm gonna wait around for Nintendo's new console

consdiering the tech in there it should be priced even lower.

@dRuGGeRnaUt I totally agree with the second part of your comment and your second comment. Nintendo doesn't appeal to a lot of the crowd who used to own a PS2, and that is about 145 million people. Nintendo 3rd party support adds up to almost to NONE. And i believe if the new console isn't graphically enough advanced to separate itself from current HD and becomes close to the next HD generation, this will happen again, at most after the first or second year of release.

@dRuGGeRnaUt Conker's bad fur game was the exception I guess. On a more general note. Nintendo should just stop doing casual games.I mean Nintendo can keep doing what they have been doing without aiming at casuals and yet making games rated E for everyone. All they need to do is make games like before but with a real story and dialogues. I mean sure I also grew up Nintendo's game on the NES, Super nes, etc, but there is a point where they have to step up to the next level. Excellent gameplay is great. Excellent gameplay with an excellent (and ORIGINAL) story is better.

@dRuggeRnaUT then how do you explain 300K people who bought Wii last month in US alone? ahead of PS3 still, behind 360 by 140K Kinect is cool, but it lacks enough games and games that are released by 3rd parties are usually not responsive (EA active sports, Michael Jackson, Zumba Fitness) you can't make a judgment solely based on your store. and even 1st party games rarely chart, despite the lack of many choices (dance central has sold 1.5 million up to now, if we imagine that Kinect Sports, the second best selling game, has sold the same amount, it will add up to 3 million and of we add 1.5 million for the rest of the games it will amount to 4.5 million. considering that Kinect has sold around 10 million units, it will add up to a tie ratio of less than .5 if we exclude bundled kinect adventure and 1.5 if we include it, in any case, Kinect isn't as successful as you are trying to make it look)

Wii should be a 100 dollars tops.

i think this is the original price of the wii. :P

What I want to know though is, was nintendo EVER considered a "mature" game company? I mean I grew up on Mario, Zelda's, Metroids, Donkey Kongs, mario karts, etc. Nintendo has never done anything but cater to "okay for everyone" games. No they arent kiddy games, but they are acceptable for kids to see. Remember when nintendo always refused to add blood to their games, even when the original Mortal Kombat came to SNES? They have always catered to the mass appeal-market. Is it right for nintendo to switch focus and start doing adult or "mature" rated games? The only way i can see this, is with entirely new IP's.. However how badass would it be to have a dark-alt-universe marioworld that was m-rated? or a gritty retelling of zelda[obviously with different character models] :)

I don't know about everywhere else, but in my corner of the world, wii's just simply are not selling. everyone that wanted one, pretty much has one. Now at the local Zellers/EB i see 60+ year olds buying the kinect bundles. I spoke with a Trade n Save owner, and they said their wii sales numbers are almost non existant, all the little kiddies and "casual" adults are flocking to the kinect now. My bet is nintendo will have to do something to lure the "casual" crowd again. But honestly, i think they have realized just how much money is in the hardcore crowd(after all we are the ones that end up with 50+ games in our console collections).

@Atc4life so an added blueray player is a HUGE upgrade? that's why some people paid 600$ to buy a ps3 at launch, a huge value i guess? your comment is made up of this, and name calling and the fact that ps3 can process more, which I DID mention. you may motion control a gimmick, but this gimmick was so important that made microsoft and sony release their gimmicks, at prices that are more than half the price of wii, if you are interested in value vs price just deal with it, microsoft and sony didn't make even 5% of the profit nintendo made on Wii and their games. call it crap, call it gimmick, call me an idiot, but it won't change the fact that Wii is not gimmick, that it is the best selling console, that Move is a rip off of wiimote and that 2 of the 3 highest rated games of all time were released on wii. and talking about adding a little, nintendo released only 1 mario kart and 1 2d mario game for wii, both their best selling titles, and how many CoD were released? and how many were bought?

I want zelda more than wii 2

3 things the next nintendo system need 3rd party support better online and please please please give the system an actual hard drive with at the least 4 gig space like the 360 cuz the wiis space was a complete joke. love how theres like so many spaces for channels yet you could barely fill one page without running out of room.

Hmmm I am really wondering what Wii2 will be? If its just a half step up like just adding HD to the Wii but its still playing all the same games then no real reason for me to spend money on it, I know some people really want HD though. If its a small step up and some new games cant be backwards compatible i think they are going to split the market and not sell a ton, (like Kinect or Move level numbers), although barely any games use motion plus and that sold well. And if its a whole giant step forward to a new system i feel like the Wii did not have a long enough lifespan for the amount of consumers that bought it. Either way i don't see how the Wii2 will sell as much as Wii unless they add some crazy "gotta have" gimmick? I am very curious what they will do!?

I really hope Nintendo makes a powerhouse machine that launches itself into the next decade of technology. Seriously, I enjoyed past Nintendo systems, (not the GameCube so much) but it's time they stepped up their hardware power and not just 'a new way to play'. That's what they used to be all about: "Now you're playing with POWER!" then "Super POWER!" and then "Portable POWER!" Where have the times gone!?

@Wormkid_64 Its funny how people say the XBox 360 and PS3 only have boring generic shooters (not true), then go on to say that Nintendo consoles have unique and different gameplay, when all Nintendo does is rehash the same old few franchises OVER AND OVER (Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Pokemon). I'll have to totally disagree with you about the shooter thing; Crysis 2 and Bulletstorm are two great examples of FANTASTIC new shooters that are a blast to play. And I am not an online player, so I'm not talking about mindless multiplayer fests, just the regular games offline. The Wii was sold with the "waggle" gimmick as its big attraction, but they completely failed to design a console that actually had any power at all . . . its just a Gamecube with motion controls! While Nintendo did hit a gold mine in getting millions of casual gamers to buy the Wii, those people soon realized that there were very few playable games for the system, and most of the tons of games on the shelves were just shovelware garbage. The 360 and PS3 offere a TON more great games, and not just generic FPS shooters, they have fantastic games in ALL categories, and in real HD with fantastic graphics, sound, and controls. The Wii is just an all-around failure for the true gaming community, great for casuals but since very few of those people actually go back to the store to buy the games (Wii attach rate, or the amount of games sold per console, is dismal), it is truly a failure.