Wed, Jun 22, 2011 | 01:23 BST
EB Games asking AUD $598 for Wii U
An Australian retailer has listed the Wii U for pre-order at AUD $598.00, which is about half the price of the moon in real money terms.
EB Games is asking the equivalent of $633 or £390 for the hardware, which Nintendo has said will not dramatically out-perform current consoles due to cost balancing issues.
No official pricing for the console has been set.
For comparison purposes, the Wii launched at AUD $400 and can now be had for under AUD $180. The 3DS is still sitting at around AUD $350.
The PlayStation 3 launched at AUD $999 (the full cost of the moon) as compared to the US’s $600. It has since dropped to $498, while the base model Xbox 360 currently goes for AUD $398 in a bundle.
Australian hardware prices are traditionally higher than international price points, even after accounting for currency conversions.
Thanks, VentureBeat.
11 comments
#1
revsouly
22/06/11, 1:31 am
“which is about half the price of the moon in real money terms.”
….Classic & Hilarious.. Good job there,
I hope it’s not that much when it retails b/c that’s Ps3 all over again. Using Economics 101 thinking, maybe they want to increase interest with hardcore gamers by increasing the price.
#2
The_Red
22/06/11, 1:50 am
Nintendo always makes more money from each sold console than the others so considering the cost of current gen hardware, they can’t charge lower than 300 bucks. Knowing Nintendo and their relative high prices compared to the actual cost of their hardware (250 for Wii!? A system simpler than sub $100 PS2?), the console will probably end up between $349 to $399 at best.
#3
nilo
22/06/11, 1:59 am
What a bargain!
#4
Robster1979
22/06/11, 2:13 am
Thank god its region free
Good luck EB, your going to need it.
#5
TVs Everywhere
22/06/11, 3:42 am
@The_Red:
This is where Nintendo’s pricing scheme becomes problematic. Their little “always make a profit, always” mantra puts them in a difficult position because they can’t possibly make high-quality hardware without having completely outrageous pricing. And since Nintendo seems to favor profit over quality when it comes to hardware it’s pretty obvious the Wii U’s technical specs will be nothing to be impressed at.
#6
Christopher Jack
22/06/11, 5:01 am
Rip off price, remember that our Aussie dollar is still higher than the US dollar so we’re still paying more for the Wii U then American’s payed for a launch PS3. I’d like some body to explain all these extortionate prices we receive =\
#7
JustinBoy24
22/06/11, 6:59 am
It really should be pointed out that when the 3DS was first announced, EB Games had put a “$498″ price-tag on it before the actual price of $349 was revealed.
But, like the 3DS, the site does say that $598 is the “estimated RRP”, and will be amended once an official price has been revealed.
Even so, EB Games is quite expensive, despite it being one of the biggest gaming franchises in Australia because of it’s extensive range of games and trade-ins, the only time I buy stuff from them is when they have a wicked exclusive pre-order deal, OR after price hunting, they have the cheaper option.
Having said that though, I remember a few years ago they got in trouble with Microsoft or Nintendo because they were selling the hardware at a much lower price than the RRP.
#8
Erthazus
22/06/11, 7:28 am
Cheaper then PS3.
#9
Dannybuoy
22/06/11, 7:57 am
Sounds a decent price. If you think it’s too much then maybe work harder and earn more money.
#10
muffinmn100
22/06/11, 7:59 am
Sorry Danny, we can’t all eat truffles and lobster every night.
#11
Blerk
22/06/11, 8:46 am
@4, region-free? Where did you hear that? I can’t imagine for a second that Nintendo will make a region-free home console – they’ve just added region-locking to their handhelds for a start.
Anyway, this will just be a placeholder price. Don’t panic yet.