System Price

Nintendo announced that their new console would launch at the price of $250 with one one Wii remote, one nunchuck attachment, and Wii Sports. When compared to other “next gen” console prices this sounds like a great deal. But factor in that this is just slighter better than a Gamecube that is currently selling for < $100 I don’t think its such a great price.

Controllers

I thought that Xbox 360 controller were pricey. In order to control a game like Metroid you will need a Wii remote and a nunchuck attachment. These are sold serperately at $40 and $20. $60 total for a stinking controller. The whole point of the system if you ask Nintendo is to get people playing together, but in order to do it you have to drop an arm and a leg.

Game Prices

Games are shipping at $50 each from Nintendo. Considering all they can use the same game engines from the Gamecube this seems like a lot to me. If they really wanted to set themselves apart they would have priced them at $40.

My Launch Day

• Nintendo Wii, $250
• Wii remote, $40
• The Legend of Zelda, $50
• Metroid, $50
• Cable for my HDTV?
• Other games?
• Virtual console games?

When looking at the other “next gen” consoles, Nintendo has the weakest hardware but are making a lot of the same mistakes with pricing. $60 for a complete controller is the worst of them all.

Looking at it now, it doesn’t seem as outrageous as I make it out to be. I would just rather be smiling rather than cringing when I fork over my credit card in November.