Game developer Nintendo revealed in its financial results that pricing for its forthcoming Wii gaming console will be priced at Â¥25,000 or less in Japan, and $250 or less in the United States. The price point would put the Wii in the market at costs substantially lower tha Microsoft’s $299 Xbox 360 and Sony’s anticipated Playstation 3, which is expected to carry a base price of $499 when it goes on sale in the final quarter of 2006.
Nintendo also revealed it believes it can sell six million Wii consoles by March 2007, which would be a remarkably solid launch, since the Wii isn’t expected to hit shelves until November 2006.
The Nintendo Wii walked away with a good bit of the “Wow” from this month’s E3 Expo gaming confab, upstaging Sony’s über-expensive Playstation 3 with innovative controllers and a friendly attitude which may appeal to non-traditional gamers. A strong Wii launch would be good news for Nintendo, which posted a 19 percent drop in annual profits and warned results for its current financial year would fall below previous guidance.
