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Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has pledged that the firm won’t repeat the pricing blunder of the 3DS with Wii U, saying that the console will launch at an “appealing” price.
Speaking to Japanese website Yomiuri Shimbun (reported by Andriasang), Iwata said that the firm “won’t make the same mistake that [it] did with the 3DS, which was considered relatively high by consumers”.
The website quotes an analyst as saying that 30,000 Yen (GBP £241) would be the break-even point for the Wii U in Japan. Expect that figure to be even higher in the UK following distribution costs.
Nintendo was criticised for releasing 3DS at too high a price point. The machine originally launched at £229.99, but quickly fell in price following slower than expected sales.
However, Nintendo typically doesn’t set recommended retail prices for its hardware, instead letting retailers set the price based on trade cost.
Wii U has already been priced by a handful of online outlets. ShopTo was the first to price it, listing the Wii U at £279.99. Amazon UK later followed, setting a price point of £199.99.
Nintendo UK chief David Yarnton later told us that the prices were “only speculation”.
A release date for Wii U has yet to be announced by Nintendo.
