Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Networking
    • Small Business

    Nintendo Follows Sony, Microsoft in Console Price Cut

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    September 27, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Video game giant Nintendo is gearing up to keep its popular Wii console competitive, announcing this week it will be reducing the price of the Wii by $50, to $199.99 on September 27. Still included in the price is the motion-sensitive Wii Remote controller, Nunchuk controller and Wii Sports game. The announcement came after rival console maker Microsoft lowered the price of its gaming platform, the Xbox 360 $100, to $299.99, and Sony’s PlayStation 3, which saw a price cut of $299 for the 120GB version, while the price of the PS3 with a 160GB hard disk drive was reduced to $399.

      As the industry gears up for the competitive holiday shopping season, there are signs the price reductions are working. Sony of America CEO Jack Tretton said in an interview with Reuters the price cut spurred a sharp rise in PS3 sales. “We are up about 300 percent over where we were pre-price drop,” he said, bullishly suggesting shortages were possible. “We are up significantly versus last year.”

      In late August, NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier predicted the price cut is likely to spur sales, suggesting Sony could see sales rise as much as 60 percent in the United States in September. “The $299 price point is important to getting to a point where the next segment of price-conscious consumers can jump into the market and it most certainly will re-energize sales of the platform,” she explained. “We would expect to see in the range of a 40 percent to 60 percent unit sales increase when September sales are reported.”

      For an industry once regarded as largely recession-proof, console price cuts couldn’t come soon enough. Hampered by a weak economy and few breakout games, the industry has posted sales declines for six months straight. In the month of August, NPD reported sales falling 16 percent, to $908.7 million. With the company predicting the worst of times is behind the industry, Frazier said the proactive move to drop console prices made an impact.

      Microsoft took its price cut for the Xbox 360 global, announcing consumers in the Asia-Pacific region can expect lower-priced Xbox 360 models starting Sept. 10. The company also revealed new pricing for the Xbox 360 Elite console in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, which translates into a roughly 25 percent reduction, or around $305, depending on exchange rates.

      Sony’s price cut was coupled with the unveiling of a sleeker, less bulky console design and revamped interior architecture. Sony said the internal design architecture of the new PS3 system, from the main semiconductors and power supply unit to the cooling mechanism, had been completely redesigned in order to craft a more compact console. Compared with the very first PS3 model with a 60GB HDD, the internal volume as well as its thickness and weight were trimmed down by approximately two-thirds.

      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×