Nintendo Wii console drops to $130 in two-game bundle

Nintendo Wii console drops to $130 in twogame bundle

With both the holidays and the Wii U fast approaching, Nintendo has decided to drop the price of its older Wii console to $130 when sold with Wii Sports Resort and Wii Sports. The cheaper package should arrive in the States by October 28th and will ship in black (alongside black Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk controllers), thereby replacing the current New Super Mario Bros. bundle that sells for around $150.

Filed under: ,

Nintendo Wii console drops to $130 in two-game bundle originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 08:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  sourceNintendo  | Email this | Comments

Nintendo Wii under $130 in holiday price slash

Nintendo has slashed the priced of the Wii ahead of the holiday shopping season, bringing the motion-tracking console down to under $130 to keep sales ticking until the Wii U arrives. Now down to $129.99 complete with two classic games, the black version of the console is offered with Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort (squeezed onto a single disc, no less).

The new bundle will replace the existing black Wii package, currently offered with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and help fill the entry-level segment while the new Wii U takes on the more premium end of the market. That new console, complete with its tablet-style GamePad, will hit the US on November 18, priced from $299.99.

Nintendo’s Wii may be old, but its had impressive sales and managed to kick-start a new segment of motion-tracking gaming. That went on to inspire systems from Microsoft, with Kinect for the Xbox 360, and Sony’s PlayStation Move for the PS3.

The new black Wii package will be broadly available by October 28 across the US. No word on international launch plans at this stage.


Nintendo Wii under $130 in holiday price slash is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Satoru Iwata talks Wii U design, guts a console for context

Satoru Iwata talks Wii U design, guts a console for context

Nintendo’s top dog Satoru Iwata recently sat down with some of his R&D crew to talk about designing the Wii U, and unfortunately, a console was sacrificed in the process. The discussion focuses on what changes they’ve made this time ’round, including the new multi-core CPU and GPU module, and how they fitted more cooling gear in a body smaller than the Wii as a result. In addition to some nice teardown pics for illustrative purposes, they muse on moving to HD, part testing, case design and how the GamePad is more of a companion than a controller. We don’t want to spoil the whole bit, so head to the source link for the full transcript, or check out the gallery below if you just want the visuals.

Filed under: ,

Satoru Iwata talks Wii U design, guts a console for context originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceIwata Asks (Nintendo)  | Email this | Comments

Wii U pre-orders fetching up to $750 on eBay

While hype for the Nintendo Wii U may not be as substantial compared to other consoles, pre-orders for the Wii U went quickly and eventually sold out. Now, console scalpers are looking to make bank on their pre-ordered Wii U consoles by selling them on eBay for almost a quarter as much as they originally paid for the console.

It turns out that the 32GB “Deluxe” Wii U system is selling for an average of $517, which is almost 50% higher than the $350 retail price. However, the margin is a lot less for the 8GB “Basic” console, which is averaging $348 on eBay when the retail price is only $300. Then again, one lucky eBayer was able to sell his 32GB Deluxe system for a whopping $750.

Selling sold out devices on eBay is nothing new. It’s been happening with the iPhone 5 just recently, with people spending as much as $800+ for the basic 16GB model. I also saw this kind of thing back in 2006 when Sony launched the PlayStation 3. They were easily selling for over $1,000 on eBay at the time when they sold out.

Seeing as to how a lot of people are willing to spend this much on a Wii U console says that Nintendo still must be doing something right at least. The lone fact that the Wii U sold out is a sign that the Wii series still has momentum. We’re excited to see how launch day goes for the Wii U — it’s happening on November 18 and there will be 23 games to choose from that day as well.

[via Ars Technica]


Wii U pre-orders fetching up to $750 on eBay is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Nielsen says game consoles get men to use TV more: hurray, we think

Nielsen says game console use gets men to use TV more hurray, we think

We’re not sure if we should always cheer figures that reflect sedentary behavior. Still, chalk one up for greater (if superficial) gender equality. Nielsen finds that, as of this past March, men who owned a modern game console like the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or Wii were using their TVs almost as much as women: while males in the broader population typically spend 37 fewer minutes in front of the big screen every day than females, that gap shrank to a negligible 11 minutes when console use came into play. Unfortunately, the agency doesn’t say just what’s getting men to tune in for that much longer. Gaming is the most likely culprit, but a raft of streaming video options could have some of those refined couch potatoes watching Hulu or Netflix instead of playing one more round of Gears of War. If consoles have people of all genders spending more time together, we’re in favor of it; given that men still spend over twice as much time on consoles as women, though, it’s clear there’s still a bridge to cross if we want more of a balance in the kinds of TV activity we enjoy.

Filed under: , , , , ,

Nielsen says game consoles get men to use TV more: hurray, we think originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNielsen  | Email this | Comments

Wii U pre-orders going fast at most online retailers

Nintendo‘s incoming Wii U has only been up for pre-order for a few days, but already it seems that some retailers are having issues keeping the console in stock. This is immediately reminiscent of the original Wii, which was a rare find for quite some time after release. Could the Wii U be headed for the same post-launch stock issues? That’s hard to say for sure, but it certainly seems that way.


At the time of this writing, retailers like Best Buy, GameStop, and Sears have all sold out of the Deluxe Wii bundle, which costs $349.99 and comes packed with a 32GB hard drive. GameStop and Best Buy still have the basic version – $299.99 with a 8GB hard drive – in stock, but those will probably go quickly as well. It’s also worth pointing out that Walmart is offering a “Wii U solution bundle” for $400 that allows consumers to pick which version of the Wii U they want (choosing the Deluxe edition adds $50 to the price of the bundle), one of 13 Wii U launch titles, and a Wii remote for some multiplayer action. Those bundles are still in stock, and it looks like that’s the only way to get a Wii U console from Walmart (at least online).

So, it would appear that the Wii U is pretty popular with consumers, but the question now becomes: is this an artificial shortage implemented by Nintendo to increase demand, or are customers truly going crazy over the Wii U? With that question posed, other questions inevitably pop up – just how much stock will retailers have to work with? If the console really is this popular, will Nintendo be able to keep up with demand? Does this mean that the Wii U will become as popular as the original Wii?

Of course, it’s far too early to answer most of those questions, but the Wii U does seem to be on the right track. Nintendo has an excellent launch line up going for it, and the Wii U houses some solid hardware, so it’s very likely that some core gamers who felt a little alienated by the original Wii have returned for the Wii U. Whether Nintendo can get both the core group and casual group to go nuts over the Wii U remains to be seen, but it will be very interesting to see how this pre-order shortage plays out in the lead up to the Wii U’s launch. Stay tuned.

[via IGN]


Wii U pre-orders going fast at most online retailers is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Nintendo Wii U now available to pre-order in the UK from Amazon

Nintendo Wii U now available to preorder in the UK from Amazon

People here in the US of A have been able to pre-order Nintendo’s latest gaming console since shortly after the Japanese company wrapped up its NYC event yesterday, and now it’s time for UK folks to do the same — at least through Amazon. The online retail giant’s now offering both the Basic and Premium units on its site for £249 and £299, respectively, or there is also a top-of-the-line bundle which includes ZombieU that’s priced at £329. Regardless of the Wii U route you choose to take, be sure to mark November 30th on your calendar as the date to expect that trademark brown box to show up at your doorstep.

Filed under:

Nintendo Wii U now available to pre-order in the UK from Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAmazon (Basic), (Premium)  | Email this | Comments

Nintendo sees next opportunity for Wii success in Latin America, Eastern Europe

“We will continue to sell the Wii,” Nintendo America president and CEO Reggie Fils-Aime told investors today in a Q&A followup to the company’s big Wii U event in New York City. “In the US, the Wii has sold about 40 million units. We believe that there continues to be an opportunity with the Wii.” However, where Fils-Aime sees the most opportunity may not be where you expect. “I’m responsible for Canada, and Latin America as well,” he said. “We think there’s opportunity in both of those markets, especially Latin America.” The Wii is currently offered by Nintendo in North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe, but not Latin America. The Wii ranges from $140 to $250, depending on what it comes with.

“You can reach price points, you can reach consumers that, candidly, we won’t be able to reach with the Wii U. That’s gonna continue to be an opportunity,” he said. Fils-Aime and Nintendo also have their eyes on Eastern Europe. “On a global base, certainly there are markets in Eastern Europe. There are a number of other markets where if Wii has an attractive price point, it’ll do well.”

He also stood behind the console continuing to sell in its currently available markets alongside the Wii U after the new console launches this November. “We do believe there’s still opportunity for the Wii, and we will continue to sell the Wii side-by-side for some period of time.” Unsurprisingly, he didn’t say exactly how long Nintendo is planning that support, nor would he say if we should expect a price drop for the aging console, but if we had to guess, we’d say “The Wii will drop in price” and “soon.”

Filed under:

Nintendo sees next opportunity for Wii success in Latin America, Eastern Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Wii U launch titles revealed with Capcom, Donky Kong, and LEGO in tow

It’s time for the first big official list of Wii U games to be brought to light, and with the pricing for the USA, Europe, and Japan already set alongside a November store date, the fun can begin! Starting with such giant titles as The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, LEGO and Donky Kong, it’s looking like Nintendo may still have some magic under their belt. Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime seems to think so too, noting that “the new system also creates extraordinary new possibilities for game developers, bound only by the limits of their imaginations.”

This system has been detailed several times in the past half year with our own hands-on experiences spanning the distance. You’ve got a Wii console and several different ways to control the system including the classic stick and nunchuck, a Pro controller that’s closer to a traditional console controller than any other, and the next-generation GamePad with integrated second screen. This system will be working with two set releases, each of them with different amounts of excellence inside – and different hardware, too.

As for the games, you’ll be working with the following relatively massive list – and note, some of these titles had already been announced before now, but most have just popped up this week:

Funky Barn
NBA 2K13
007 Legends
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
TRANSFORMERS PRIME
Wipeout 3
Skylanders Giants
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013
Rapala Pro Bass Fishing
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game
Ben 10: Omniverse
Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
Mass Effect 3
Madden NFL 13
EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer 13
Trine 2: Director’s Cut
Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
Majesco Entertainment
Zumba Fitness Core
Jett Tailfin
TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2 Wii U Edition
TANK! TANK! TANK!
Nintendo Land
New Super Mario Bros. U
NINJA GAIDEN 3: Razor’s Edge
SiNG PARTY
LEGO City: Undercover
Wii Fit U
Game & Wario
Pikmin 3 
The Wonderful 101
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Nano Assault Neo
WARRIORS OROCHI 3 Hyper
Darksiders II
Wheel of Fortune
JEOPARDY!
Toki Tori 2
Assassin’s Creed III
Just Dance 4
Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth
Rabbids Land
Sports Connection
Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
ZombiU
Rayman Legends
Scribblenauts Unlimited
Game Party Champions
Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition

awgwweg
wgwe
qge3e
h3we
erger
whre
games

Each of these games has been confirmed by Nintendo – and/or their publishers – as being ready for in-store action either at launch day or inside the launch window for the console. The Launch Window in this case is sitting in-between November 18th 2012 and March 31st 2013. Have a peek at our timeline of Wii U news bits below to see the other items revealed this week – and stay tuned for the big launch later this year!


Wii U launch titles revealed with Capcom, Donky Kong, and LEGO in tow is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


LG preps 21:9 aspect ratio EA93 and WQHD EA83 series IPS LCD monitors for debut at IFA 2012

LG preps 219 aspect ratio EA93 and WQHD EA83 series IPS LCD monitors for debut at IFA 2012

It’s tradeshow season and as is its custom, LG is bringing monitors packed with its latest and greatest display technology to show off. Just announced ahead of IFA 2012 are the EA93 and EA83 IPS LCDs, with the former aimed at entertainment / multitasking and the latter targeting graphics, video and photography pros. The EA93 is a 29-inch 21:9 aspect ratio ultrawidescreen (2560 x 1080) display with a thin bezel designed to immerse the viewer in the content. It can handle a 4-way split screen and connections via DVI Dual Link, DisplayPort, or HDMI with MHL support. The 27-inch EA83’s claim to fame is its 2560 x 1440 WQHD resolution that brings four times the pixel count of 1280 x 720 panels and 99 percent Adobe RGB accuracy. There’s no word on the price tag for either of these, but they should start shipping in November.

Continue reading LG preps 21:9 aspect ratio EA93 and WQHD EA83 series IPS LCD monitors for debut at IFA 2012

Filed under:

LG preps 21:9 aspect ratio EA93 and WQHD EA83 series IPS LCD monitors for debut at IFA 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 23:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceLG  | Email this | Comments