It’s believed that Nintendo will finally announce the price of the Wii U in September.
The console is due out for the holiday season but we still haven’t received an official launch date or price, which is leading many to be rightfully worried that it could be more expensive than gamers are expecting.
It’s very uncommon for those critical details to be withheld so close to the launch of a new platform, and Nintendo has nothing to gain by not announcing the price point unless it knows it will draw some sort of backlash.
EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich said, “It is tough to pinpoint any type of expectation when Nintendo themselves are being incredibly vague about it. Considering the potential for PS3/Xbox 360 price cuts this holiday, it is understandable that they are keeping their cards close to the chest.”
He said he expects an official announcement in September, around the time of the big Japanese trade show, the Tokyo Game Show.
Estimates of what the Wii U will cost have ranged anywhere from $300 to $500. Regardless of where it is in that wide range, if it is more than $250 it will be the most expensive Nintendo console ever.
The problem is the touchscreen tablet-like controller, which is practically another video game system in and of itself. So you’re paying for not one console but two, which is driving up costs for Nintendo.
And Nintendo likes to be able to turn a profit for its hardware, unlike industry convention which is to sell the console at below cost, hoping you’ll make that money back through high-margin software sales
