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Nintendo is raising the trade price of its Wii console by between £18 and £20, and this could have a knock-on effect at retail. Will you pay the extra?
Surely your average retailer can soak up the additional costs for the sake of the punters? Not so, apparently: "I don't think any retailer can take that sort of squeeze," according to Don McCabe of UK retailer Chips.
Nintendo says the price increase is necessary, owing to "sustained depreciation of the Pound" and "extreme currency fluctuations that are a symptom of the global economic situation." We can't imagine why Nintendo would make such a move were this not the case. However it is curious to note that neither Sony nor Microsoft is taking similar action for their respective PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.
Until we see Wii prices affected on the high street, or indeed online retail, this could remain a none-issue for UK consumers. However smaller retailers may have their hands forced. If every Wii console sold hurts your profit margin and Wii has helped pay the bills in recent years it's lose or lose for the little guys.
A couple of questions here, really: Is Nintendo Wii still worth it if the price goes up? At £179.99 RRP it's already pricier than the mid-range 60GB Xbox 360. Secondly, what are your thoughts on Nintendo literally passing the buck?
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Posted by: waynekfryer on Tue Mar 17 08:37PM | Report abuseMaking £2 less per sale will not kill the shops. How much profic must they already be making? A hell of a lot more than £2 thats for sure!
Posted by: waynekfryer on Tue Mar 17 08:38PM | Report abusePrice hike??? Microsoft has just dropped the price of the Elite to £199.99 and Sony are set to announce a price reduction soon! Nintendo are trying to cash in on a console that must be mega cheap to produce compared with the other two machines. The WII has never been worth the money, its the same technology as the Gamecube with some fancy controllers throw in as a gimick. Be sensible, buy the 60GB xbox or wait for the PS3 to come down in price!
Posted by: leshatton2000 on Wed Mar 18 12:08AM | Report abuseI'm glad I got my Wii and accessories last year!
Posted by: rhiannabaldi on Wed Mar 18 07:23AM | Report abuseanother greedy company they will kill them selves every body say no we will not pay not only to wii but to every businesss and keep prices down or they die greed killed woolworth so SAY NOT TO HIGH PRICES.TELL THEM AT THE SHOPS IAM NOT PAYING THAT
Posted by: grandd15 on Fri Mar 20 07:06AM | Report abuse