The Nintendo Wii could well rise in price in the UK, in the coming months, despite selling over 50 million consoles worldwide. The trade price of the Wii console will go up nearly £20 “due to the unprecedented, severe and continuing depreciation of the pound”, according to a Nintendo spokesperson. How much of that will be passed on to consumers, though?
According to videogame trade newspaper MCV, if the full cost of the price hike is passed on from retailers to consumers, then the new Nintendo Wii could cost £200; up from its current asking price of £180. Retailers failing to increase the price by that much will effectively make no profit on Nintendo Wii consoles they sell – which may be viable for big box retailers, but is less likely to be possible for independent games stores.
Nintendo’s DS Lite and DSi handheld consoles are apparently safe from any painful price increases, for now: “The present exchange rate was taken into consideration when we announced the trade price of DSi to retailers across Europe,” a Nintendo spokesperson told MCV. And the DS trade price is set to remain the same for “the foreseeable future.”
Games consoles, as with other technology, should constantly fall in price – as the technology gets older, and economies of scale make it easier and cheaper to manufacture. But the Wii’s popularity, plus low current price, plus the recession have apparently killed that rule.
Out now | £180 (for now) | Nintendo Wii (via Game.co.uk)
