Havok83
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http://www.t3.com/news/nintendo-wii-price-rise-incoming?=38361
Nintendo Wii price rise incoming
Will Sony and Microsoft follow suit?
Nintendo has given gamers a stark reminder of the scale of financial mess were in by announcing that its going to increase the price of the Nintendo Wii console bundle.
The system currently sells for £179.99, but the price Nintendo sells it to retailers for is going to be increased by £18 - £20. Obviously, its up to retailers to decide how that affects the end retail price, but with many of them selling at minimal profit on the console, we may soon see the Wii pushing the £200 mark.
"We are only reluctantly raising our trade price now to retailers due to unprecedented and sustained depreciation of the pound," Nintendo explained "This is a problem brought about by extreme currency fluctuations that are a symptom of the global economic situation."
There's still some hope though - Ninty told CVG "if the pound were to recover and demonstrate signs of remaining at a stronger value in comparison to other currencies for a sustained period, then we would re-examine our prices to trade." Hey, who knows - perhaps this whole recession blip will just blow over in a couple of weeks and it'll be back to business as usual. Yeah, maybe.
Because Nintendo stands out for being the only console maker that actually makes a profit on its hardware (Sony and Microsoft subsidise their console prices) this decision is a very significant one. It may even inspire its rivals, who face the very same economic difficulties after all, to raise their prices in a similar fashion.
Actually, Sony has already stated that it wont raise PS3 prices, although the weakening pound has already resulted in the stock price of Bravia HDTVs being hiked. It looks ever more likely that the long-awaited price cut simply wont happen though.
Nintendo Wii price rise incoming
Will Sony and Microsoft follow suit?
Nintendo has given gamers a stark reminder of the scale of financial mess were in by announcing that its going to increase the price of the Nintendo Wii console bundle.
The system currently sells for £179.99, but the price Nintendo sells it to retailers for is going to be increased by £18 - £20. Obviously, its up to retailers to decide how that affects the end retail price, but with many of them selling at minimal profit on the console, we may soon see the Wii pushing the £200 mark.
"We are only reluctantly raising our trade price now to retailers due to unprecedented and sustained depreciation of the pound," Nintendo explained "This is a problem brought about by extreme currency fluctuations that are a symptom of the global economic situation."
There's still some hope though - Ninty told CVG "if the pound were to recover and demonstrate signs of remaining at a stronger value in comparison to other currencies for a sustained period, then we would re-examine our prices to trade." Hey, who knows - perhaps this whole recession blip will just blow over in a couple of weeks and it'll be back to business as usual. Yeah, maybe.
Because Nintendo stands out for being the only console maker that actually makes a profit on its hardware (Sony and Microsoft subsidise their console prices) this decision is a very significant one. It may even inspire its rivals, who face the very same economic difficulties after all, to raise their prices in a similar fashion.
Actually, Sony has already stated that it wont raise PS3 prices, although the weakening pound has already resulted in the stock price of Bravia HDTVs being hiked. It looks ever more likely that the long-awaited price cut simply wont happen though.
