Not nearly as cool as if they just take 10% right off the top.

Yeah, that's pretty much where I'm coming from as well.  This also sounds like a Japan-only program at the moment, as I have a hard time believing Reggie would go for this.  I also don't understand why this can't just be a membership you purchase, rather than something that just comes with the Premium model.  Still, we'll see soon enough.

So if I buy 100 games, I essentially could buy 1000 cheaper games with the points I earned? If I buy a game for $50 I get $5 to spend. So if I buy 100 games..$500 dollars worth I could essentially keep getting points in some crazy exponential fashion?

Yeah. This whole Nintendo Network Premium thing is the biggest reason I have right now to buy the Premium bundle... I really was planning on a white Wii U though... GAH

Hmmm maybe I should think of it as a "Buy 10 games get one free!" sort of deal... or maybe a "Buy $200 worth of games on the eShop and get something like Trine 2 for free!"

Gah... this whole eShop incentive deal is going to be rough on my intention to stick to physical media...

This is a good deal people, no matter how you look at it!
A $10 Wii U eShop game will get you $1 credit.
Buy 5 eShop games at that price to reach $5, then trade that in for a prepaid card and get real moniez off your next purchase!


Plus you'll be earning Club Nintendo coins for all those purchases, so you'll eventually be able to get even more games for free that way too!


But yeah, if you want a white Wii, and want to upgrade later....who knows..

You have to pay, to be allowed the chance to pay, to get a small discount, which would take you... spending lots of money in the digital store (which has way higher margins for them btw), for it to ever break even on the upfront amount you paid in the first go.

and having the service tied to the hardware. ugg. what is it about japan that makes them go full retard like this?

yah but you forget, nintendo is anti fan, those points will have an expiration date like the coins due, forcing you to use them or lose them, nintendo cheapness continues...

They should really allow people to 'buy' into the premium membership somehow.  I feel bad for anyone who really wanted a white Wii U, but are now being forced to choose black.  Oh well.

They might and probably will eventually. I think it's just a perk for getting the premium console. Maybe this is a test run to see how it does.

You are complaining because Nintendo will allow you to get free credit for every game you buy? Guess you don't like free stuff.

I wonder if by introducing this scheme Nintendo are seeking to address the incentive imbalance between retail and digital download versions of games. In Europe, for instance, NSMB 2 was £10 cheaper at retail than it was on eShop, making it a pretty unappealing prospect to download. Perhaps Nintendo has designed this premium program to redress the imbalance between retail and download without undercutting their retail partners.

There is only an imbalance in the UK because stores usually don't sell games at the MSRP. Even in the UK, the eShop version was the same price as the retail versions MSRP.

So in states the two versions were the same price?

Yeah, I paid $40 for my digital copy of NSMB2, same as I'd have paid if I'd walked into a store and bought a physical copy.


This seems pretty cool to me, and since I'll definitely be picking up the deluxe model day one I look forward to taking advantage of it. Still seems more complicated than it needs to be, but hey, that's Nintendo for you.

Ah, right.

Still, I feel my original point still stands. This should allow Nintendo to provide digital games cheaper without directly undercutting retailers.