UK Retailers Want Low Price for Nintendo Wii U

Quite a few retailers from the UK want Nintendo to price its upcoming Wii U home console as low as possible, some even speculating that a price below £249 (around $388/€300) is possible.

Nintendo is set to finally release its long-awaited Wii U home console this holiday season and, while it did unveil quite a lot of its features and plenty of games at E3 2012, it has yet to mention anything about its price and its actual launch date.

After hearing quite a few rumors on the matter, several UK retailers have talked about a potential price for the Wii U, saying that it’s entirely possible for Nintendo to price the console below £249, which should translate into $300 or €300, given current pricing strategies.

Retailers, via MCV, believe it will be crucial for Nintendo to avoid repeating the mistake it did with the 3DS, which was priced high and only began selling after an aggressive price cut.

“It’s important we don’t go down the 3DS route of retailer-led discounting both pre- and post-launch,” said Play.com games buyer Keith Sharpe. “I’m really impressed with Wii U, it’s got a good mix of insanely addictive mini-games and traditional ‘gamers’ titles.”

Some retailers even hope that Nintendo will be able to get the message across to consumers that the Wii U is a completely new device and not just some add-on.

“The software looks fantastic, but Nintendo needs to press its messaging hard to ensure the public know this isn’t just an add-on for the Wii. Some don’t realize it’s a standalone machine. Hopefully, lessons have been learned from 3DS and pricing sits between £200 to £250. Then we’re onto a sure success,” said The Hut Group’s Sarah Jasper.

Just like with Sony’s PlayStation Vita, games will play a huge role in the success of the Wii U, so many shops are hoping that big titles will be available for the console as soon as possible.

As of yet, however, Nintendo is still silent in regard to the Wii U’s price and release date.