The updated Wii from Nintendo which will hit UK retail stores this year, could be available at the super low price of just £80 in the final quarter of 2011. It is expected to be a promotional price so it remains to be seen what the cost will be in 2012. This is expected to be the last festive period the current console is relevant so the retailers look set to have one last push.
For the existing model the current price on Amazon is £124.99 (at time of writing), however the black version which was released in 2010 is currently available at a slightly cheaper price. Despite this the new price would still be dramatically lower percentage wise.
So what has changed? The design is the same, and it remains the same dimensions. However it now sits horizontally instead of vertically which may make it easier if you wish to keep it on top of a DVD/blu-ray player. The company say it has been ‘reconfigured’ though and the updated version will not have GameCube support but will come with Wii Sports and Party (which contains 80 mini-games) as standard. In the pack you will still only get one controller and Nunchuk, so you will have to purchase more separately to ensure all the family can join in the fun and games. This is worth considering as once you have purchased a couple more games and controllers it can become quite expensive, especially with a fun hungry child hanging off your arm.
In terms of updates this has to be one off the biggest anti-climax’s! But the low basic price is fantastic news as many family’s continue to struggle with the economic situation remaining uncertain.
If this incredibly low price is realised it could grab the makers and retailers some good sales figures over the period. However competition remains strong from Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move, will customers decide to go for the low price over the newer offerings? Only Santa will know!
If you are unsure of what console is for you take a look at this comparison page for more help.
Source: the price data in the article has came from the MCVuk website here: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/retail-prepared-to-reduce-new-wii-to-pound-79-99/083711. Image copyright owned by their respective owners.
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The original Wii was made to stand or lay horizontal so all they have done is removed the stand, removed the Gamecube game player functionality, put Wii Party game in and lowered the price? Who still hasn’t got a Wii anyway!?
Agreed MutantMonkey, it is certainly just an attempt to give it one last push as it comes to the end of its life in its current guise.