So seems the Uk is getting screwed on the price once again.... £112 in japan £133 in USA and £179 in the Uk. http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/732/732732p1.html
And as usual we europeans are getting fucked over. Does anybody know if the Wii is region protected ? because i'm seriously concidering a usa version
its aparently region free but nintendo will give 3rd parties the option to region protect their games.
Its only 50 euros cheaper than an xbox 360 core. Actually less, since ive seen cores here for 289 euros. For a partygame-console 1 controller is also not enough, and the games are too expensive. 49-59 euros? Thats hardly a difference with Xbox360 games here... I'll wait this one out, no wii for me just yet.
Apperantly NOA had it wrong and the wii WILL be region-locked... http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=19686
The Xbox 360 core is a joke though. No one wants a 360 core system. You can't save. If you buy a memory card, then you're a fool because they are tiny and way over priced. That why I don't even bother considering that the 360 can cost only 300$. It costs 400$ plus games and taxes. The PS3 actually will cost either 500$ or 600$ plus games and taxes. As far as the Euro pricing goes, you guys always get screwwed. Why did you think that would change? ;p
Ehm...does this make sense? I mean, Wii is region-free. You can import from us and japan without problems. Why not set a global price? EDIT : http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=19686 Whooops!
Does the wii package include a memcard then? I agree about the memcard though, although i'd think the core was a pretty good deal if it included a memcard. For me personally, i'd need a VGA card anyway (not included in the deluxe thingie) and well i dont need wireless controllers...
Yes the Wii has 512MB flash built in for game saving and other use. I agree the Xbox 360 Core system would make more sense if it included a memory card. Without one and considering the cost of one, it's a joke.
Wii is region locked after all? ...Somebody kill me NOW. Or tell me how long until Freeloaders are developed.
I imagine Datel will be working on that the day Wii is released. =) As well as Action Replay. And GC homebrewers will probably be looking into other fun possibilities as well. And I'm sure someone will be looking into making something so you don't have to buy VC games. Although since the are linked to your account and not your console, there is the chance that it could find out you have bootlegged games if you are connected to the net, or something like that.
Import season is on, I had had it with nintendo of europe up until the n64. From there on, I just went american and I m fine with it. Besides,he 60hz display instead of 50 fits monitor refresh rates better, since i don't use a tele.
Welcome to the Global Economy. *Everything* is more expensive in Europe and the UK right now. This leads to increased costs all around (including shipping, advertising, salaries, etc.). Of course, those working there also make more (relatively speaking) so it tends to equalize out. Then there is also the concern of market reversal. From a business operations perspective Nintendo is much more heavily invested in the US and Japan than in Europe. So a large (not all but large) chunk of its costs are fixed on that. When setting a MSRP it has to look at what it takes to be profitable in Europe given the additional costs it is going to bear there (the aforementioned salaries being a big one) but also what it is going to take in case the Euro reverses course (or the dollar strengthens) and the two once again equalize. If the MSRP is set at $200 Euros and then the Euro ends up matching the Dollar as it has prior, there would be a huge amount of money lost and no way for it to be made up (not to mention the price couldn't rise). Ultimately the cost perspective has to be done from a relative point of view (instead of an absolute) as exchange rates are fluid. For example, according to official UK 2005 Yearbook (put together by National Stastics) the average weekly wage in England is £483.40, for Great Britian it is £475.80. These stastics are from April of 2003 and are the latest available. Now the average weekly non-farm wage in the US in Aug 2005, according to the US Dept of Labor, was $544.43. To equalize the numbers (and the US numbers are already higher than they would be in a straight comparison because of the 2+ year time gap) you've got: Average weekly wage: US: $544.43 (£289.96) GB: $893.36 (£475.80) In short, the average weekly wage in GB is more than 64% higher than it is in the US. If you want to compare minimum wages you've got: US: $5.15 (£2.74) GB: $9.11 (£4.85) The minimum wage is a whopping 77% higher in GB than in the US. With a higher mandated minimum wage and higher average salaries the cost of goods in the country in question is going to be higher all around. After all, salaries have to be paid somehow. If you compare the straight cost of the US Wii at $250 dollars (£133) to the MSRP of the device in GB (£179) you'll see a net increase of less than 35%. That's much lower than the difference in wages, so it's more than offset by the increased money that someone living in GB is making. Relatively speaking a Wii at £179 is cheaper for a GB resident to buy than a Wii at $250 is for a US resident to buy. The chap living in GB is going to spend less of his paycheck on the Wii then someone living in the US will. That said, the absolute cost is still higher in the UK because of the higher average salaries that all the Nintendo employees are making out there. Someone has to pay for it after all. Oh, and incidentally, the continental cost of $250 Euros breaks out to £168, so if you live in GB but can make it over to the mainland and buy from a shop in Euros the marginal cost increase over a US unit is only 26% higher. Not bad when your wages are anywhere from 64-77% higher. Oh, but wait! There's one little tidbit that everyone's forgotten about. And that's taxes. UK and European prices are nearly always quoted as VAT-inclusive while US prices are quoted as tax-exclusive. Once we figure that in, you get a breakdown of: UK MSRP: £179 = £152 (base cost) + £27 (VAT) So, doing straight price comparisons you've got a US unit selling for £133 and a UK unit selling for £152. That's a difference of £19 which can be attributed directly to the higher base costs for doing business in the UK. It's a price difference of 14%. When wages are anywhere from 64-77% higher, an increase of 14% on the goods sold in the shop is a drop in the bucket. So, in short, no Europe isn't getting screwed. If you boys in the UK are going to whine about paying £19 more for your Wii, well maybe you'd like to take a massive paycut and move across the pond to the States? Suddenly paying that extra £19 doesn't sound so bad now does it? -hl718
Don't blame the messenger. As stated, those numbers come directly from the Office for National Stastics. If you have a complaint about the data, take it up with the Crown. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=5703 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/yearbook1104.pdf Check the numbers on page 156. With 52 weeks in a year, £475.80/wk works out to a bit under £25k yearly salary. According to the stats, the highest average weekly wage is held by Londoners at £636.90. Course it costs a bit more to live in the city than it does out in the suburbs. -hl718
Salary figures aside, there are more taxes we have in the UK for import etc, also there is the regionalisation cost, extram printing of multi language instructions, lot`s of other hidden costs that aren`t or rather aren`t as apparant as those for the US and Japan So we will always get stiffed!
Most of that is BS. Average wage for the typical audience of the Wii is far lower than the figures you quoted (http://www.tuc.org.uk/welfare/tuc-11982-f0.cfm). Let me put it this way: Would you be happy paying an extra $40 for no good reason? Didn't think so. As far as I can see, Nintendo only put English manuals in UK game boxes. So the costs there are practically zero when compared to the USA. The old fashioned high import tax is not levied on games consoles anymore, so that is cut off the list. Also, Nintendo almost never advertise their products here, nothing like the scale they do in the USA anyway, so marketing budgets are a lot lower. Also don't kid yourself on the Nintendo Europe employees. They have an organ grinder and a couple of monkeys, and that's about it. A much lower scale production than NoA
Nintendo doesn't advertise in the US that much really. Only when a new product or game other theirs is on the way. Like when a new Zelda was coming out, general advertising of the GBA or DS. I still would see far more PS ads or Xbox ads on TV. Although I suppose it depends on the time of the year and the time of console life cycles. I rarely have seen any gaming commercials lately. A couple for Lego Star Wars but that's it.
