At the end of the life of the GameCube, just before the Wii came out, Nintendo started to offer up some big price cuts. They also started to package the system with some free games. This is normally the company’s last attempt to sell as many of their systems as they can before their next system comes out. Well, according to new reports, the life of the Wii is coming to an end, and Nintendo is going to try to move a few more units with a price cut.
If there is anyone out there that still does not have a Wii, they can now get one for just $149.99 starting May 15. This will make it the least expensive option when it comes to buying a home gaming console. It will undercut the cheapest Xbox 360 by $50 and the PS3 by $150.
Now, the Wii already comes packaged with two games – Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. However, this new low price bundle is going to have another game thrown into the mix. Just like the most popular bundle for the GameCube (which featured Mario Kart Double Dash), this new Wii bundle will contain a free Mario Kart Wii game and a steering wheel peripheral. Some other bundles will include games like Twilight Princess and Animal Crossing.
This big price drop comes as Nintendo confirms that it will be announcing its next system at this year’s E3 in June. Apparently this next system is suppose to offer better graphics, new controllers, and a much “improved” online experience. The president of Nintendo said that they are aware that the online play with the Wii was not up to par with other systems. This is something that they aim to fix with the new system.