As expected, Nintendo has dropped the Wii’s price in both the US and Japan, with European details pending. The cut brings the Wii in line with Microsoft’s $200 entry-level Xbox 360 Arcade in the US, and about $220 (¥20,000) in Japan. The new pricing takes effect on Sunday, September 27th.
Both Sony and Microsoft recently slashed the prices of their respective high-end video game consoles by $100 (See “Sony Reveals PS3 Slim, Slashes PS3 Price to $300” and “Microsoft Pronounces Xbox 360 Price Cut Official”). In the US, Sony’s slim-line PS3 goes for $300, and Microsoft sells a rough and ready version of the Xbox 360 for $200, alongside its higher-spec’d “Elite” model for $300. Microsoft’s also selling its discontinued Xbox 360 Pro for $250 and running a $50 rebate promotion on the Xbox 360 Elite through October 5th.
While the US video game industry slumped from March on this year, analysts have predicted it’ll recover as early as this month, possibly breaking even or returning to year-over-year sales increases. After the price drop mania subsides, it’ll depend primarily on consumer enthusiasm for big-leaguers like Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360), Uncharted 2 (PlayStation 3), and New Super Mario Bros (Wii).
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