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WiiU

Wii U Price Drop Announced Alongside Wind Waker HD Bundle

by Justin Baker - August 28, 2013, 8:58 am EDT
Total comments: 26

Also, Wind Waker HD will be available digitally on September 20, before the October 4 retail release.

On September 20, the Wii U Deluxe system will drop from $349.99 to $299.99. The rumored limited edition The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD bundle will also release on the same day at the new $299.99 price point.

The Wind Waker HD bundle will allow gamers to get their hands on the game ahead of its October 4 retail release date, and will include a GamePad with a Hyrule crest, a download code for the game and a download code for the digital version of Hyrule Historia.

Talkback

Do_WhatAugust 28, 2013

So does this mean everyone can buy Wind Waker HD off the eShop on Sep. 20th? Or does the bundle just include the digital version on it?

SorenAugust 28, 2013

The game will be on the eShop on September 20.

ShyGuyAugust 28, 2013

That design along the border of the gamepad looks nice.

Ian SaneAugust 28, 2013

The silly posturing is over and Nintendo has finally come to their senses regarding the price.  Two initially overpriced systems in a row.

Leo13August 28, 2013

I hope this really sparks sales. Too bad all these people will miss out on the 30 cent VC games!!!

Luigi DudeAugust 28, 2013

Iwata must have seen the terrible Japanese sales for The Wonderful 101 this morning and went fuck it, drop the price now.  Even though they have a pretty solid lineup for the holiday, the price tag was still a huge problem.

$300 is basically the highest the general gaming audience and especially families are willing to pay for videogame systems.  There a reason the 360/PS3 got their best sales when both systems hit the $300 mark.  Now the Wii U should finally start to get out of the gutter.  Yeah it'll never hit Wii levels of 800k a  month but at this point, just selling over 100k a month would be a huge improvement from what the Wii U is doing.

jglonekAugust 28, 2013

The problem here is that Nintendo announced a $50 price change almost a month in advance. So now they are going to have sales drop to practically nothing for a month, and anyone who does buy it wasted money.

Now that the Wii U has dropped to a more competitive price, they just need a more robust offering of Nintendo titles to make it a more appealing value proposition. 

Good for Nintendo to do this in advance of the new consoles dropping.  No way it would have seemed like competitive pricing next to the Playstation 4.

MagicCow64August 28, 2013

So is this also confirmation that the Basic model is extinct? I got me a collector's item!

toddraAugust 28, 2013

Yeah price has been one of the biggest things holding me back, along with lack of compelling games. With this price cut and a good holiday line up I might get one if I can find a good black Friday deal or something. Also that new lower cost 2DS has me at least a little more excited for Nintendo again. Hey a price cut was one of the things I suggested some folks said wasn't in the cards. This is bigger news than some people realize because shows that they are aware of the situation and they see that they do need to be more competitive.

Quote from: jglonek

The problem here is that Nintendo announced a $50 price change almost a month in advance. So now they are going to have sales drop to practically nothing for a month...

Isn't that where they are NOW?

nickmitchAugust 28, 2013

Doesn't that always happen with price drops?

With Nintendo, who give warning for their price drops, yes. Though usually they throw a carrot (like the Ambassador qualification) beforehand so as not to tank sales beforehand.

With the other guys, they usually go into effect immediately, so they go right to the boost point. Usually there's signs from retail beforehand (see: Vita going to $200 everywhere before the Gamescom announcement).

azekeAugust 28, 2013

Quote from: nickmitch

Doesn't that always happen with price drops?

Companies should always announce price cuts a bit in advance. It's to prevent people who bought it literally day before the announcement from having a sever buyer's remorse.

Mop it upAugust 29, 2013

I was already considering getting a Wii U when Super Mario 3D World hits, and this makes that more likely now. I was starting to wonder if Nintendo really would lower the price, so it's nice to see that they are.

I won't be getting the Wind Waker bundle though as I'd much rather have Nintendo Land.

toddraAugust 29, 2013

What would be even better is a console only package that is even cheaper that would move some units. Wind Waker is not the worst game ever but it really isn't a system seller considering it is a decade old already and it wasn't the most popular Zelda either.

Leo13August 30, 2013

I know a lot of people that don't have a wii U but heard about this bundle and have already pre-ordered it

SundoulosSeptember 01, 2013

Quote from: Mop

I was already considering getting a Wii U when Super Mario 3D World hits, and this makes that more likely now. I was starting to wonder if Nintendo really would lower the price, so it's nice to see that they are.

I won't be getting the Wind Waker bundle though as I'd much rather have Nintendo Land.

I decided to pull the trigger on pre-ordering the Wind Waker bundle.  At least on Amazon, used (or even new) copies of Nintendo Land can be obtained on the cheap. 

ThePermSeptember 05, 2013

I think the way it should work is if the price was cut within 60 days of your purchase you should be able to get a refund of the remaining difference or a free game with receipt.

Leo13September 06, 2013

The early announcement worked with the 3DS because buying early for $250 got you the ambassador games so people were continuing to buy before the price cut, but since there will be no Ambassador program with the Wii U it just means very few people will buy the Wii U over the next 2 weeks then it will sell like crazy

So, Hyrule Historia is a Wii U app. What are you going to do now, UncleBob?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOv88uAbWmQ

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorSeptember 21, 2013

A) Hug my Limited Edition copy that I managed to score.
B) I have the bundle in layaway at work, waiting for us to do the eventual "gift card with purchase" promo.  The system is $270 after discount.  I figure I'm in for a second gamepad if they ever release games that use two anyway, so there's $100 off.  They'll probably do a $50 or maybe a $100 gift card - so that leaves me paying $120 or $70 for the system, the Wind Waker download (which, if it's a separate code, I'll probably see about reselling, since I want the GS Exclusive version) and the Hyrule Historia code.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorSeptember 21, 2013

Hm.  Just watched an unboxing video... The Game and Book are both download codes... yay!  Who wants to buy a Wind Waker download code off me? :D

BlackNMild2k1September 22, 2013

How much?

you can PM response if you want.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorSeptember 22, 2013

A) I don't know 100% that I'm going to buy it at this point, or when that will be... so I'd hate to tell you I'll sell it to you without knowing for sure...

B) I have no idea...  $70? :D  Teasing, of course... What's a $50 download code that is tied to one specific game worth?

nickmitchSeptember 22, 2013

The retail price of the game in question or lower.

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