Wii Price Hikes Coming to U.K.?

[Andy Chalk]

Wii Price Hikes Coming to U.K.?

Gamers in the U.K. may be in for a bit of sticker shock in the near future as Wii [http://www.nintendo.com] hardware will be going up and that new software prices could follow.

The company said the depreciating pound sterling has forced it to increase the price it charges retailers for the hardware, a jump predicted by GamesIndustry [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/wii-price-to-rise-for-uk-trade] to be in the range of ₤18-20 ($25-28). The increase won't force retailers to raise their prices but it will significantly reduce the already extremely tight profit margins on game hardware. The Wii currently carries a recommended retail price of ₤179.99 ($250) in the country.

"Due to the severe and continuing depreciation of the pound, we are, unfortunately, having to raise our trade price to U.K. retailers of Wii hardware. The price that they then offer to consumers is, of course, up to the retailers," Nintendo said in a statement.

"We are only - reluctantly - raising our trade price now to retailers due to unprecedented and sustained depreciation of the pound," the statement continued. "This is a problem brought about by extreme currency fluctuations that are a symptom of the global economic situation."

While the price of the Wii will almost certainly be going up, Nintendo said costs for the handheld DSi [http://www.nintendo.com/ds], which will hit the shelves on April 3, will remain untouched. "The present exchange rate was taken into consideration when we announced the trade price of DSi to retailers across Europe. At this time, we do not expect to have to change the trade price we charge to retailers for the DSi or DS price in the UK in the foreseeable future," the company said.

And while the cost on current software will remain unchanged, the company said new releases could also see a bounce as a result of the exchange rate. "We will not be increasing the trade price of existing Wii or DS software," the company said. "However, the trade prices for new titles yet to be released may rise as a result of the depreciation of the pound."


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[NeedAUserName]

*Inhales sharply*

Double thread! I guess not even the employees are perfect...

On topic, it was inevitable really, stuff costs money, and with everyone needing to make money, people are charging more, and so along the trail, the price hike meets us.

 

[Volucer]

Is this really neccissary? Nintendo have enough money to buy a small country...or teach me how to spell...

 

[Brotherofwill]

They were "forced" to raise their prices? Ahem....
It's true that the pound is currently garbage, but saying that Nintendo is forced to raise prices is just stupid. Imagine Sony saying something like that, people would be going mad.

 

[fix-the-spade]

It's true that the pound is currently garbage, but saying that Nintendo is forced to raise prices is just stupid.

The pound isn't really garbage at all (despite the press, Gordon Brown and Alaster Darling's best efforts), it's still worth about 1.4 dollars and a bit more than 1 euro and has been for a while.
The problem is the Yen has jumped up in value relative to the rest of the world, so Japanese companies are getting much less out of the export market, hence they need to charge more.
Nintendo has been good enough to announce it, a few Japanese companies (notably Shimano) have just done it without telling anybody.

 

[KDR_11k]

A bit more than 1 Euro IS pathetic for the pound. It used to be at least 1.5 Euros, a few months ago I was still buying UK imports at a rate of 1.25:1. Google currently lists the GBP at 1.07 Euros, that's really, REALLY pathetic. If you want a comparison for the prices, a Wii costs 250 EUR in continental Europe, at 179 GBP that puts the british one at around 20% cheaper.

 

[chimmers]

I can barely afford many games as it is, this does not bode well for my future gaming habits. Hopefully the prices aren't raised too much, or I'll have to just rely on old PS2 games instead