Wii Price cut? Not likely says Nintendo

Nintendo marketing boss Cammie Dunaway says that high demand means she cannot see the need for a Wii price cut in the immediate future.

Wii availability still low

Dunaway claims that Wii availability is so low that " If we hit 100 stores in the area, we would find Wiis in only 20 per cent of them today". Presumably she means North American stores, as Wii availability in the UK is far better than that.

The lack of Wii consoles on the market at this time of year can usually be attributed to the Xmas effect. Anticipating the increased demand at Xmas time, Nintendo can deliver consoles to the UK overnight by air rather than by boat, which can take weeks. The stock that comes in by air would have arrived in the UK by boat in January or February, so we're effectively getting the stock for January and February in December.

UK Stores doing their own Wii discounting

Nintendo may be reluctant to drop the price of their flagship console, but UK stores have been doing their own discounting. Last year saw some UK supermarkets selling Wii consoles for up to £40 below the RRP. These loss leaders are unsustainable, but for those heard about these special offers and missed out, it may prompt them to hold back on buying a Wii console until the next Wii deal comes along.

Wii facing stiffer competition

Industry pundits have forecast tough times ahead for Nintendo. The impending arrival of Microsoft's motion sensing camera, Natal and Sony's Motion controlling wand could sway people away from the Wii platform. It would seems logical then that Nintendo would hold onto their 'price cut trump card' until these two new products are in the marketplace.