Report: Wii to see $50 price reduction in September
Leaked ad suggests retail price will drop to $199.99
Nintendo could be about to reduce the price of the Wii to USD 199.99, according to reports that stem from a leaked Toys R Us catalogue advert.
The price cut would see USD 50 slashed from the price of the console, which comes bundled with Wii Sports, reports Kotaku. This new price point is expected to take effect from September 27.
At its current price of USD 249.99, the console retails at more than the Xbox 360 Arcade, priced at USD 199.99, and slightly below the newly priced 120GB PlayStation 3 at USD 299.99.
NPD figures for August showed a 39 per cent year-on-year decrease in Wii sales - a trend which analyst Michael Pachter has predicted will continue until Nintendo either changes its bundles or lowers price.
Without a price reduction, the console is likely to suffer from "price fatigue" predicted Pachter - the same problem that had been restricting Sony and Microsoft sales in the region until their recent price cuts.