Nintendo Drops Wii Price, Introduces Nintendo Select Line

After nearly 4 1/2 years on the market, Nintendo has finally dropped the price of the Nintendo Wii for the 2nd time. Not only has the price been dropped but they have shuffled around the content of the core SKU. For the first time since its launch in the States (and Europe), the Wii won’t come bundled with Wii Sports. Instead, new owners can look forward to hopping online with Mario Kart Wii and the included wheel. Though the bundle still retains a Wii Mote Plus, even if the bundled game doesn’t use it.

In addition to the lowered price, Nintendo has finally introduced a budget line of games dubbed “Nintendo Selects”, which sounds classy, but a bit more random than a Player’s Choice line. The games will cost 19.99 and be headlined by two prominent Wii launch titles The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Wii Sports. Animal Crossing: City Folks and Mario Sluggers rounds out the initial wave of Nintendo Selects title. We hope that they decide to expand the brand rapidly over the course of the year. Nintendo Selects Super Smash Bros Brawl? Punch-Out!!? Super Mario Galaxy? We can only hope for now!

Don’t take our word for it, check out the press release below:

Nintendo Unveils New Wii Package at $149.99, Launches ‘Nintendo Selects’ $19.99 Wii Games

Having Fun with Family and Friends Just Became More Affordable than Ever With New Suggested Retail Pricing

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nintendo is dropping the suggested retail price of its Wiiâ„¢ system to $149.99 and including a Marioâ„¢ game with the Wii hardware. Starting May 15, the newly priced Wii system will come in either black or white with the Mario Kartâ„¢ Wii game and a matching colored Wii Wheelâ„¢ accessory, replacing the previously included Wii Sportsâ„¢ and Wii Sports Resortâ„¢ games.

Also on May 15, Nintendo launches the new Nintendo® Selects collection of Wii games, a set of popular games that millions of people have already experienced, at a suggested retail price of $19.99. The four must-own games in this collection are The Legend of Zelda™: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing™: City Folk, Mario™ Super Sluggers and Wii Sports, which is available for the first time as a separate software purchase. Parents and video game fans can now easily expand their library of fun, family-friendly Wii games.

“From the day it launched, Wii has let players of all ages and experience levels have fun with one another,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The new suggested retail pricing for both the hardware and select games will help create more of these magical moments for even greater numbers of people.”
With Mario Kart Wii now included with the Wii hardware, players will be able to enjoy fun go-kart racing with Mario and all his Mushroom Kingdom pals right out of the box. The Wii Remoteâ„¢ Plus controller, Nunchukâ„¢ controller and Wii Wheel included in the package will all match the hardware, meaning they will be either black or white. The new black Wii Wheel will also be available separately at a suggested retail price of $9.99.
Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://wii.com.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wiiâ„¢ home console, Nintendo 3DSâ„¢ and Nintendo DSâ„¢ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment Systemâ„¢, Nintendo has sold more than 3.5 billion video games and more than 577 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSiâ„¢ and Nintendo DSi XLâ„¢, as well as the Game Boyâ„¢, Game Boy Advance, Super NESâ„¢, Nintendo 64â„¢ and Nintendo GameCubeâ„¢ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Marioâ„¢, Donkey Kongâ„¢, Metroidâ„¢, Zeldaâ„¢ and Pokémonâ„¢. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.