Monday, September 28

Nintendo fears a PS3 comeback, slashes price of Wii from $249 to $199 plus free $25 gift card


If you thought the games console war has been abating in recent months, think again. With the newly redesigned PS3, Sony has drawn the line; they're ready for battle, and in just three weeks since its release, the PS3 slim has gone on to sell over 1 million units. Nintendo on the other hand has seen a sharp decline in sales for its flagship console the Wii, with PS3 outselling it three times over in Japan, and by a very wide margin in the US & UK. So how does Nintendo respond? By slashing the price of the Wii from $249 to $199 plus upon purchase, a free gift card worth $25 is added to sweeten the deal.

And by the look of things, it's working out. Nintendo is now dominating amazon's best sellers list, sending everything else down while it shot for the top. Question is, will sales keep up this momentum and hold Nintendo ahead of the bunch, or is this just a temporary jump? Since it launched in 2006, the Wii has been a runaway success for Nintendo, leaving Sony and Microsoft to duke it out while they took the highroad. But now, it seems fortunes are turning. If Sony can keep this level of sales consistent, its feasible to see the PS3 back to the top of the fray in 2012, something Nintendo wants to avoid by all means.

Microsoft has had two price cuts in one month of its own for the Xbox 360 Elite, now retailing at the affordable price of $249 with a special mail in rebate of $50 until October 5, then it'll be back to the regular new price of $299. Confusing eh? Look at it this way, Microsoft wants to put an Xbox 360 in your hands, plus as the Redmond company stated at the start of this generation, their goal is to beat Sony. And the war continues.

09/29/09 Ernice Gilbert

No comments:

Post a Comment