Nintendo Wii Drops to $129.95

OCT. 15, 2012 • In anticipation of the Nov. 18 launch of the Wii U, Nintendo of America is reducing the price of the original Wii to $129.95 from $149.95. The new package should be shipped-in to retailers by Oct. 28, includes a black console, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, a Wiimote Plus, and a Nunchuck controller. The package replaces the existing $149.95 bundle that included New Super Mario Bros.  Nintendo has made no similar price reduction announcement f.....

Wii U Priced

SEPT. 13, 2012 • Nintendo Co. Ltd. announced official prices and release dates for two Wii U launch SKUs. The Basic version features a white 8GB Wii U while the Deluxe package sports a black unit, boosts memory to 32GB and bundles in a copy of Nintendo Land. North America will be first to get the Wii U on Nov. 18 with MSRPs of $299 and $349 for the Basic and Deluxe models. The console arrives in Europe on Nov. 30, but Nintendo would not release overall European .....

Nintendo Preps Larger 3DS XL

JUNE 22, 2012 • Despite having very little to say about its 3DS products at the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Nintendo Co. Ltd. was holding back on a major announcement.  On July 28 the gamemaker will launch a new version of the handheld, the 3DS XL in Japan and Europe. The new unit is .....

Nintendo Summer Bonuses is Cut

JUNE 11, 2011 • The Nikkei business daily reported that Nintendo summer bonuses to its employees will be cut by 20% this year as a result of poor performance that culminated in the company’s first annual operating loss of ¥37.3 billion ($470 million). Japanese workers typically receive bonuses in su.....

Nintendo Operating Loss First Ever

APRIL 27, 2012 ● Nintendo Co. Ltd.  reported its first ever Nintendo operating loss, ¥37.3 billion ($460 million) for the fiscal year ending March 31. Although its Wii system has been a big hit in recent years past, the move by consumers to embrace smartphones and tablets as mobile game devices has hit the gamemaker’s business. Instead of selling 13 million Wiis Last year as originally expected, Nintendo saw only 9.8 million sold. Similarly, 13.5 million.....

Nintendo Network for Console Platforms

JAN. 30, 2012 • During a financial conference call, Nintendo Co. Ltd. announced it would launch its own console network platform.  The new Nintendo Network will support the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U. Unlike the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, which has been focused upon specific functions and concepts, the Nintendo Network will provide a fuller selection of services  to consumers including competitions and communication between users, as well as the sales of digit.....

3DS MSRP Price Cut

JULY 28, 2011 • Only five months after releasing its 3DS handheld system, Nintendo Co. Ltd. announced it was significantly cutting the 3DS MSRP on Aug. 12. The 3DS drops to  ¥15,000 in Japan from ¥25,000, and from $249 to $169 in North America. Wholesale prices in Europe would be r.....

Australia 3DS Fastest Selling Handheld Ever

APRIL 14, 2011 • Nintendo Co. Ltd. Reported that after four days of release, its new Australia 3DS platform was the fastest selling handheld in the country’s history, moving 31,000 units. The best console launch previously was the Wii in 2006, which sold 32,000 units during its first week on sale. In the U.S., Nintendo reported for the month of March that the DS sold 460,000 units, while 3DS sold 400,000, and the Wii sold 290,000. .....