Wii U will have a "reasonable" price
Iwata talks up Nintendo returning to profitability this year
While a suggested retail price for the Wii U is still absent, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told the Yomiuri Shimbun (translated via Andraisang) that the new system's price would be "reasonable." Iwata explained that Nintendo is not looking to repeat what happened when the 3DS launched at its original price of $250.
"We won't make the same mistake that we did with the 3DS, which was considered relatively high by consumers," said Iwata.
He also commented on the Nintendo's financial state, with the company posting its first loss ever this year. Even with ongoing problems due to the strength of the Japanese yen, Iwata believes Nintendo's problems have been fixed.
"We've fixed the 3DS profitability issue, and pledge to turn profitable by the end of this fiscal year," said Iwata.
1) Nintendo make a profit on everything they sell. They do not run a razor/razorblade business model like Sony and Microsoft do.
2) Nintendo's aim is to make profit from entertainment. To them technology is just an intermediary.
3) Nintendo build their products to a price that people can afford. They don't incorporate a silly wish list that is unaffordable by most.
4) Of the three main home platform holders Nintendo have proven to have their finger best on the pulse of the majority of the game playing public. It will be interesting to see if this holds going into the upcoming platform generation.
Posted:11 months ago