No Wii price cut, says Iwata

By Tom Bramwell Published 26 October, 2007

But: Wii Shop gift feature.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has once again ruled out a price cut for the dementedly popular Nintendo Wii.

"We're still focusing on how to meet booming demand," Iwata said today in comments reported by the Associated Press. "We're absolutely not considering a price cut," he added. "Stop nagging!" he didn't.

Apparently production is delivering 1.8 million consoles per month, but Christmas demand is still expected to outstrip supply. Good thing we all bought one last year.

Of more immediate interest to existing Wii owners, however, is news of a new way of getting your friends to try stuff out - a feature that allows you to send Wii Shop games as gifts to your friends.

It takes "a few clicks" according to AP's description. Once the recipient says yes, the Wii Shop launches and the download commences.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (51) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • quantumsheep #1 4 years ago

    makes sense

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #2 4 years ago

    Total Sense, in alot of other industries where demand outsrips supply, price goes up! :S

  • peterfll #3 4 years ago

    My nephew wanted a Wii for Xmas, and I was all blase about it until a couple of weeks ago. I said to my sister "leave it to me - there's plenty of time". And then discovered the Xmas rush on Wii's has already started.

    ps Did manage to bag one from Amazon last week during the 2 hours they were back in stock.

  • Loser #4 4 years ago

    yeah you can still get hold of the console but it's not a case of just being able to walk into a shop with 180 notes.

    Has there been a time this year when they were readily available?

  • jonsaan #5 4 years ago

    So this gift you send to a friend. You have to pay yes?

    After paying real money to downlaod Super Mario Bros 2 this week I still can't shake the feeling that I have been violated.

  • groovychainsaw #6 4 years ago

    They'll wait... until after xmas, when they have no big games and excess stock at last... ;-)

  • kangarootoo #7 4 years ago

    Of course they aren't going to cut the price. Why on earth would they do so at this stage.

    /waits for crazy accusations of greed from loony fantasists

  • lennon #8 4 years ago

    "Of more immediate interest to existing Wii owners"

    Nope as a wii owner I can safely say this is of no interest whatsoever. Why would I want to buy my "friends" a game? If they own a wii then they have enough money to buy their own games.

  • Carlo #9 4 years ago

    I've heard the wii has now sold 13 million :S

    It's crazy!

  • woodnotes #10 4 years ago

    Mine will be packed up in its box ready to go on eBay the week before Christmas. That is, if I have completely SMG by then. Happy days.

  • Danj #11 4 years ago

    It's crazy that a year after the launch of the console, you still have to preorder to be able to get one. Fortunately there's a handy site that keeps track of where the things are in stock - http://www.wiipreorder. co.uk

  • jamiscool #12 4 years ago

    Would make a good birthday present i feel. You could always give NES Volleyball to those you don't like as well :)

  • alimokrane #13 4 years ago

    "We're still focusing on how to meet booming demand," Iwata said today in comments

    translate above line to

    "We're still focusing on how to get deeper pockets to put all the money we're getting in!"

  • Xerx3s #14 4 years ago

    "We're still focusing on how to meet booming demand,"

    BS Translator:

    "There is still space left in our 5th money storage house."

  • gareth886 #15 4 years ago

    Makes total sense. The Wii is seeing like hot cakes. Why would you want to reduce the price. Non-issue really. I think the Wii is fairly priced too.

  • Freekmeister #16 4 years ago

    So in my gameshop there are staples of gamecubes. Lets all buy ducttape and produce some wii's for 40pounds/60euros. Nintendo, your Luck, that there isnt a unified gaming console, so noone hat to buy this massively overprized sh!t

  • cuppaTea #17 4 years ago

    @joonsan: Did you want to pay with golden coins collected from platforms suspended in mid air?

  • Kengro #18 4 years ago

    I've can't say i care...
    I have a 360 and i'm getting a Ps3, wich in turn will say that i got all the consoles i consider next gen. There's no way i'm getting one without HD, i did not buy a hdtv for that

  • Tonka #19 4 years ago

    Insecurity levels are rising.

  • smelly #20 4 years ago

    "After paying real money to downlaod Super Mario Bros 2 this week I still can't shake the feeling that I have been violated."


    Maybe you shouldve read the reviews?

    Why not send it to a friend as a "gift"?

  • Vin #21 4 years ago

    It's absurd that these things are still selling.

  • smelly #22 4 years ago

    *sigh*

    Yes it's absurd that people like to PLAY games for FUN, as opposed to sitting back and watching pretty visuals.

  • Bidermaier #23 4 years ago

    lol YEAH,

  • Der_tolle_Emil #24 4 years ago

    The idea of sending games is great. Don't think of really giving a game to someone as a present, think of swapping VC games!

    Only works of course if you can still send games you already played.

  • Razorus #25 4 years ago

    What about the bloody Stars for Points system!? GIVE ME THE NEWS NINTENDO!

  • chronom4n #26 4 years ago

    IMO, they should reduce the price by about £20. I am aware that the console is selling like proverbial cakes but, if they were to reduce the price than it would really sell like there's no tomorrow. Personally, Nintendo is a tad bit selfish when it comes to pleasing the customer.

  • smelly #27 4 years ago

    @chronom4n: Erm.. That's quite possibly the stupidest thing i've ever read on here. And trust me, i've read a lot of stupid things on here.

    Remind me never ever ever to go into business with you.

  • smelly #28 4 years ago

    @Frod : Okay, i'll agree with that (ditto to VC games)

  • smelly #29 4 years ago

    Yeah.. Because hmdi makes LOADS of difference to the output to justify the extra price.

    (sarchasm off)

  • BadBoyBonner #30 4 years ago

    IMO - they should put the price up by £20 - if supply is outstripped massively by demand.

    Then next year they could announce a price cut, to £179.99 lol


    For me it is when....
    ..... you realise that it costs about $100 for the two halves of one controller that you know Nintendo must be cocking themselves.




  • t8yman #31 4 years ago

    just wait till after christmas, there will be loads on ebay when the excited new owners get fed up after realising that its only a laugh when pissed with your mates.
    my daughter really wants one, she hasnt played on one, she couldnt name a single game for it apart from "that bowling one" or "that tennis one". and due to the amazing lack of use she has given her PSP and PS2, she will be getting an ipod. she's welcome to use the 360 or ps3 that sit under my telly anyday.

    its the new "must have chrimbo gift" thats all.

  • symbiote #32 4 years ago

    "*sigh*

    Yes it's absurd that people like to PLAY games for FUN, as opposed to sitting back and watching pretty visuals."

    You sir, are an arrogant fool.

  • ProtoformX #33 4 years ago

    I don't understand why the Wii lacking "true" HD is such a big issue and deters people so much. I got Metroid Prime 3 and Jericho (360 version) yesterday. When I started up MP3 I did notice how much like a Gamecube title it was graphically but I find that I'm enjoying it more than Jericho, which has received praise for its graphical engine. Surely it's how a game plays and not how it looks that's most important. I'm not gonna say the Wii is perfect, far from it as most of its games are developed by 3rd party people who haven't got to grips with the hardware yet and so end up as crap minigame compilations. But when a Wii game gets it right, boy does it get it right.

  • chronom4n #34 4 years ago

    @smelly, which part of my statement do you find stupid? Please expand.

  • TR421 #35 4 years ago

    I'd be more interested in exchanging my Stars for Wii points, but I guess that'll happen after they expire.

  • murphy245 #36 4 years ago

    just give us a hardrive please,i have no fucking space left and since i dont fancy deleting them and re-downloading them i refuse to buy any more vc games.

    your loss nintendo,well mine aswel so everyone's losing out :(

  • BadBoyBonner #37 4 years ago

    I'd say Metroid 3 is the best looking Wii title I have seen yet - and I am only about 2 hours in.

    For me it is not so much the resoloution (as the 600p PGR3 can attest to) but the lack of Antialiasing - on a machine that would have benefitted from it massively - which should of also made everyone happy - i.e. HDTV owners.

    n.b. RES EVIL comes a very close second.
    Edited by 1 at 27/10/07 @ 12:07

  • t8yman #38 4 years ago

    @chronom4n

    "@smelly, which part of my statement do you find stupid? Please expand."

    probably the same bit anyone with even half a brain would find stupid. All of it.

    you sell something

    demand currently outstrips supply

    do you

    a) reduce the price, so you get less money back for the limited number you can produce

    b) keep price the same, so you continue to make a return on your capital outlay.

    see you on dragons den mate, I'll go after you pitch.

  • WJF #39 4 years ago

    NEWSFLASH: Something everyone knew wasn't going to happen is, in fact, not going to happen.

  • Kryon #40 4 years ago

    Nintendo should give the Wii away free to tramps who smell of piss imo, they wouldn't mind about the crap graphics as they don't have televisions.

  • Pulsar_t #41 4 years ago

    Nope as a wii owner I can safely say this is of no interest whatsoever. Why would I want to buy my "friends" a game? If they own a wii then they have enough money to buy their own games.

    Best post so far. Go do some real deeds instead.

  • GingerNathan #42 4 years ago

    "just give us a hardrive please,i have no fucking space left and since i dont fancy deleting them and re-downloading them i refuse to buy any more vc games.
    "

    Although I think the 512mb was rather shortsighted by Nintendo, I would only welcome some kind of external storage device if it allowed me to use the content without having to swap it back into the internal flash memory. For now I just use a 2GB high speed SD card that I got of Play.com for about fifteen quid.

    "just wait till after christmas, there will be loads on ebay"

    What, like last Christmas?

    "its the new "must have chrimbo gift" thats all. "

    Except the demand started last year on launch and hasn't really subsided. I really don't know how long this demand for the Wii can continue at the pace it has been at, but to say it's just some passing fade is just ignorant. People are buying the Wii en mass, and they're being played and enjoyed by millions around the word. It's fair enough that the console may not be your cup of tea, but why be bothered that something you don't like is doing so well? For example my soup of choice would be Heinz, it would wouldn't fill me full of jealous hate if I read that Campbell's was doing well. Surely that would be nuts?
    Edited by 1 at 27/10/07 @ 17:57

  • escalinci #43 4 years ago

    Will this work across regions? Otherwise, can't beat cards or indeed money.

  • wattoo #44 4 years ago

    Maybe because it's the wii your average user can rely on actually working when you switch it on.

  • smelly #45 4 years ago

    >yet it's wii your average casual noob cares about.

    I've been playing video games for over 20 years.

    Give me mario over some generic boring over hyped shooter (mentioning no names) any day of the week

  • Xerx3s #46 4 years ago

    I don't understand why the Wii lacking "true" HD is such a big issue and deters people so much. I got Metroid Prime 3 and Jericho (360 version) yesterday. When I started up MP3 I did notice how much like a Gamecube title it was graphically but I find that I'm enjoying it more than Jericho, which has received praise for its graphical engine. Surely it's how a game plays and not how it looks that's most important. I'm not gonna say the Wii is perfect, far from it as most of its games are developed by 3rd party people who haven't got to grips with the hardware yet and so end up as crap minigame compilations. But when a Wii game gets it right, boy does it get it right.

    Because MP3 is a 9/10 and Jericho is a 7/10? Just a thought. ¬_¬

  • Xerx3s #47 4 years ago

    Anyway, I seriously doubt that the wii will ever drop in price and if it will, it will only drop when demand has seriously diminished. After all, this is ninty we are talking about. They still have the NGC in stores at an alarming price and ancient NGC games at prices higher than some next gen formats. They are not in the habit of lowering prices.

  • JayeM #48 4 years ago

    I can't be bothered to keep buying batteries and there's not really enough room in my new house.

    I guess Metroid can be played without moving much but then I didn't enjoy the first two anyway.

  • Kami #49 4 years ago

    I have a 360 and i'm getting a Ps3, wich in turn will say that i got all the consoles i consider next gen. There's no way i'm getting one without HD, i did not buy a hdtv for that

    You know... there aren't enough hours in the day to start on utter idiocy like this...

  • aabyssx #50 4 years ago

    It prints money! An almost Gamecube equal hardware for that price...

  • robson_wii #51 4 years ago

    I had an interesting conversation at the weekend with another non-gamer (He actually has a GBA, PSP, PS2 and Cube). He rarely plays games because he can't be bothered with button mashing or remembering button combos but he likes the idea of the Wii since tennis, bowling and golf are sports that he plays. He wants to do boxing as well since we had great fun trying this out. He knows that it will be value for money and doesn't care for FPSs or RPGs. The less buttons and the more accessible the game, the more likely he (and I'm sure a lot of other non-gamers) will play it. This is the demographic Nintendo has specifically targeted and it has worked.