We have 4 things coming out on November 7th from Nintendo.
First is the 25th Anniversary Red Wii bundle.
It will have the Red Wii,Red Wii remote plus and nunchuk,New Super Mario Bros Wii and Wii Sports.It will be $199.99
Second is the Red Anniversary DSi XL with Mario Kart DS for $179.99
Thirdly Wii Remote Plus will be in bundles and in hardware packaging from now on.Also it will be avalable without the hardware for a price of $39.99. Colors comes in White,Black,Blue and Pink.
Last but not least is the Wii remote Plus and Fling Smash bundle for $49.99.
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Well with all this standard is anybody going to go back and grab any Wii motion + games to try them out that you missed out on and if so what games?
Thursday, October 21, 2010
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12 comments:
The DSi comes with Mario Kart Wii? How bizarre! ;)
Nintendo really need to increase the value of the basic Wii package, and what do they do? They decrease the value by $10. They really don't care about the slowing Wii sales, and that may come back to hurt them in the end.
Sigh I messed that up Mop it up. I went back and corrected it.
As for the value of the Wii package presented here I think it is a good fit for the US market.Its got Wii Sports which most new gamers like alot. It also has a 2D Mario game which is a great game with 4 player multiplayer which will get lots of people to try out the Wii and then tell their friends.
Mop -
I disagree. I wouldn't classify these releases as attempts at changing the baseline Wii value. To me, these are unrelated "special editions" and if that means losing $10 in street value I'm sure certain people will be quite fine with that.
Plus, based on my knowledge of previous generations, aren't hardware sales supposed to become irrelevant around this stage of a console's life?
Aren't software sales the golden eggs while hardware was just the goose?
These aren't special releases, only the red Mario edition is. The normal Wii package will now have a Wii Remote Plus in it as opposed to a normal Wii Remote, and the Wii Remote Plus retails for $40 like the old regular Wii Remote does. This means that the package has essentially lost $10 in value.
You can't sell software without the hardware first. Why not increase your install base when you have easy means to do so? Correct me if I'm wrong, but there have been no previous system that was still being sold at 80% of its original price four years after its launch. The Wii costs too much. If Nintendo were concerned about selling more software, they'd either lower the price of the Wii to $100-150, or increase the value of the bundles.
Furthermore, look at the the games that are packed-in with the systems. They're all multiplayer games, yet they can't be played with multiple players right outside of the box. Nintendo really should at least include a second controller.
A) I thought we were just talking about the red Mario editions. I apologize for the miscommunication!
B) I guess I'm confused on the $10 loss in value. If the customer gets the WiimotePlus for the same price as what was previously just a Wiimote - isn't that gaining value?
I'm honestly asking - not trying to be rhetorical/snarky =)
C) I think Nintendo is pretty happy with the size/pace of the install base. Of course, like any business they have to publicly say "we're never satisfied" so the stockholders don't get ticked. But, also like any business, if they can sell at 80% then they'll do it. When it makes sense to cut price, they'll do that too. Aren't PS2s still $99.99???
Regardless of where the install base is at, don't you agree the real aim is usually software? Especially for a company like Nintendo that actually has a strong 1st party presence.
D) More controllers would always be nice. But I can't remember the last time I got a 2nd controller in a system I bought. Probably the NES.
Sega Saturn - 1 (yay NiGHTS!)
PS2 - 1
PS1 - 1
32X - 0 (yay Kolibri ... ?)
Genesis - bought from friend so, 2, but they had to buy a second.
NES - bought from same friends, so like, 6 (not kidding), but I think it came with 2 originally.
A) S'alright, it happens.
B) The old system package came with a Wii Remote and a Motion Plus, the new ones will come with a Wii Remote Plus, which combines the two. The Wii Remote Plus will retail for $40 like the regular Wii Remote does now, and the current Wii Remote that's packed in with a Motion Plus accessory retails for $50. So technically, even though you get essentially the same items, the monetary value is $10 less, but the system price wasn't reduced to $190. It's nitpicky I know, but it is done to prove a point that the package still hasn't gained any value.
C) The DS still tops the sales charts and it's been out longer than the Wii. Why can't the Wii duplicate that?
One reason slower sales is an issue is because it isn't every system seeing slower sales, it is only the Wii. The XBox 360 is currently seeing some of the best sales it has ever had. It is about perception, and clearly, consumers currently see the XBox 360 as a better overall value than the Wii. Why should this concern Nintendo? There are several reasons. For starters, people's perceptions that the Wii is not a good value could carry over to other Nintendo products, such as the DS line and the upcoming 3DS. Furthermore, Microsoft is about to launch a new piece of hardware (Kinect) with a billion-dollar ad campaign, and Sony just launched a controller that is similar to the Wii controller. Now the other systems can do virtually everything the Wii can, plus a lot more. Yes, I realize they cost more, but again, it's about perception. Consumers will soon see all of the buzz about the XBox 360 and PS3, and they will buy into the hype. Nintendo needs to do something to make the Wii a hot-ticket item once again. Also, retailers would likely stock less Wii systems, which could lead to stocking less Wii software, which of course leads to less software sales. Shelf space for all those hot-ticket items needs to come from somewhere.
Nintendo's real aim is to make a profit, which they will do using any product they can. You might be surprised to find out how much profit they make on hardware sales; the markup on Wii hardware is massive.
Now, should those of us who already have a Wii care? Probably not, it isn't likely to affect us. It's just fun to analyze the market.
D) Did those other systems come with a pack-in game that's designed for multiplayer? A selling point of the Wii is that it has everything you need for fun right in one box -- by yourself. It actually doesn't have everything you need, and consumers may be picking up on that by now.
A) *fist bump*
B) ahhh. See, again, we were not on the same page. As I have not shopped for a Wii in a long time (ever), I did not remember that they included the M+ recently. Now I getcha. Thanks for the explanation.
C) The DS is a massive global phenomenon. The Wii is a less-massive global phenomenon. I think that's good enough and I'll bet Nintendo does too. =)
As far as perception and slowing sales. I bet there is a segment of the population that will look at Move/Kinect and say "hey, that's like the Wii but with more polygons! I love polygons!"
But I think most consumers, even gamers, look at the current Move/Kinect offerings and think: "haven't I played this already?" or "that's exactly why I didn't buy a Wii" or "what are polygons!?" (Seriously. I think Iwata has a point when he says gaming is no longer about graphical horsepower).
Now, """hardcore""" gamers? Yea, they may always think more horsepower = better, regardless of the experience (it's still Table Tennis!) But again, I think many of them are scared of motion control anyway.
It's true on the profit of the Wii. Apparently most consoles LOSE money with every unit sold, which again leads me to my point about the value being in software sales. However, I remember hearing that not only is the Wii one of the first consoles to PROFIT at retail, it profits considerably.
I hope Nintendo puts all this money to good use. And, call me an optimist, but I think they will.
D) The ONLY reason why I will grant you the local multiplayer makes sense in this case is because it is the "Wii." The whole thing was marketed/designed to make local multiplayer fun again. Thus the name that implies "we" and the two "i"s that are supposed to look like two people... together.
But still, you and I know that the business side of things says if you market a console for $X dollars, people will make their purchase decision based on that number and are then more likely to cough up the money for more controllers.
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Good discussions, Mop!
Where's Ben? I'm sure he'd have a novel or two to contribute on these points ^_^
Why is the Wii a less-massive global phenomenon? Because Nintendo have not been as aggressive with it as they have the DS. When DS sales started to slow, they introduced the DS Lite to boost them back up. Once things slowed down again, they introduced the DSi and soon after the DSi XL to keep things flowing. Now, I'm not saying they should release new models of the Wii, because that kind of thing works better with handhelds. The equivalent thing to do would be to release new and better bundles than what the current ones offer. The 25th Mario bundle is a good step, and it will probably help sell the Wii this holiday, but it alone is not enough.
No one cares about polygons, but that's because they aren't a feature listed on the box. HD is. Everyone who has an HD television set -- which is an ever-increasing number of people -- would rather have a game system with HD if given the choice, regardless of whether or not they understand what HD is. Before, they didn't have a choice; if they wanted motion-controlled games, they'd have to get them without HD. Not so anymore.
HD isn't the only thing the other systems offer. They both have DVD and/or Blu-ray playback, better online setups, and a host of other features. The one thing they didn't have was motion control, but now they do, even if it's an add-on device. But the new system bundles will negate that issue, since they'll have everything one needs right in one box. The type of consumer is irrelevant, anyone looking at the feature list on the box will see how much more the PS3 and XBox 360 offer, and they'll choose it over the Wii. They've already started, seeing Wii sales are as low as they've ever been, and PS3 and XBox 360 are about as high as ever.
Nintendo systems have been sold at profit ever since the days of the NES, the only system they ever sold at a loss was the Virtual Boy (and this was due only to its poor sales that caused it to fall to $99 to get rid of all remaining stock once it was discontinued). It's only a recent trend that systems are sold at a loss -- remember all those early CD systems that sold for $700? Of course you don't, they bombed. And if you look at the amount of money both Sony and Microsoft have lost this generation, it goes to show that taking hits on hardware sales and making it back on software is not a viable strategy. Nintendo figured this one out over 25 years ago.
Let's have this conversation again after the Holidays. And again a year from now after the Move/Kinect really has a little time to feel the market out.
I just think the death of the Wii (and subsequent rise of the PS3/60) has been proclaimed too many times over the years to believe "this time it's for realsies!".
I think you're making 2 baseless assumptions.
1. The first is that consumers would care more about system capabilities than software. Nintendo could probably make new, compelling Game&Watch titles if they tried hard enough.
This is not to say the PS3/60 does not have quality titles. But what good is the potential if the more interesting experiences are still being offered on Nintendo's platform?
2. I know people love pointing to higher current PS3/60 sales and lower Wii sales as proof of a sea change. However, that kind of ignores the more than 2-to-1 sales ratio that's been going on for, what, 3+ years?
I don't know why if we're going to emphasize the numbers of the console wars that we wouldn't consider ALL the numbers.
Even if the current trends continue indefinitely (which last year proved they often do not) and the PS3/60 ends up selling roughly as many units as the Wii (a tall order) ... so what?
So they all tied? Good. Who cares. It means everyone made money and everyone played fun games.
But until that happens, if someone needs to proclaim a winner the generation it has been Nintendo ... no matter how many dozens of proclamations to the contrary have come and gone.
I never said anything along the lines of "Wii is doomed," just that it's currently being outsold by a substantial amount for the first time, and it would seem Nintendo is taking that lying down. I don't think it's anything major or will change the tides of the generation, but it still isn't a good thing.
1. When a system (or add-on) launches, this is usually how things go. A lot of people are likely going to buy the Move and Kinect hardware based on the assumption that good games will soon be following. People did this with the launch of Wii, PS3, XBox 360, etc.
The Wii offers less unique software than it did before. The Move and Kinect have their own sports compilations like Wii Sports, and the type of consumer who buys games off shelves without doing research (which I believe is a pretty large number of consumers) will likely not see a difference in the software offered. I know you think people pay more attention than that, and you may be right, but I'm not that optimistic.
But like you say, we'll see where things are in a year's time. Heck, I say, give them until the summer. If people haven't figured out the Move and Kinect are a cheap gimmick by then, they never will. It'll be interesting to find out!
2. Prior sales are mostly irrelevant to the current discussion. I'm analyzing why the sales of the Wii have dropped so heavily, and why sales have greatly increased for the competition. It doesn't matter what Nintendo sold previously, they should still be concerned with selling more.
But, the fact that the trends changed does mean that people no longer see the Wii as a worthwhile product. I think this should concern Nintendo, and I think they should research why this change happened and try to turn it around, but I can't think of anything else to say on the matter that isn't repeating myself. So I think we just have different viewpoints on this, and there's nothing wrong with that.
My concern here is that now that Nintendo is back to being number one, they are no longer going to put forth effort. If Nintendo truly hopes to wait at least two years before launching their next home system, they need to keep it selling. If their next system were right around the corner, these slowed sales wouldn't natter. So I see this as a sign of Nintendo beginning to coast, and I hope that it does not become something much bigger.
I posted a blog post from Malstrom on the forums that goes into the reasoning for the decline in Wii sales and the way they are going to fix it.
Basically it comes down to software. I would imagine that most veteran gamers bought the Wii because of the change of gameplay from what it was last gen.Basically make more games that use the Motion Controls in new ways for games.A recent game for the Wii is Flip's Twisted World. It is a great idea that I don't think has been done before.
As for the sollution it is in part this Wii Bundle because of the integrated Motion + into the Wii remote. Why would Nintendo put in Wii Remote + into this bundle if they weren't going to use it sometime down the line?
Nintendo have a good software lineup this holiday. I truly hope they advertise that. Their software sales are down too so it isn't just Wii hardware they aren't selling.
I hope Nintendo does have something more planned for 2011 besides what we know about, but there's no reason to take a break for a holiday season. How could it hurt to sell more systems? Get more systems into the hands of consumers and they'll buy even more copies of whatever's to come.
The idea for Flip's Twisted World was done before in And Yet It Moves on WiiWare, I have no idea if there is an earlier example.
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