Asda has given the Nintendo Wii U a well-deserved price cut, shaving £50 off the new console’s RRP for the Basic and Premium bundles.
Nintendo fans can now buy the Nintendo Wii U Premium Pack with Nintendo Land for just £249.99 from the Asda Direct website, complete with 32GB of internal storage and the cradle and stand for both the Nintendo Wii U console and 6.2-inch display GamePad controller.
The price of the 8GB Basic Nintendo Wii U version has also been slashed by £50 to £199.99, in an attempt to help stimulate sales of the console, which first hit UK stores in November last year.
Nintendo Wii U Sales
Since its launch, the Nintendo Wii U has struggled to reach sales targets, with projections for this year already slashed by 27 per cent. In fact, the console failed to sell 100,000 units during January in the US, with estimates suggesting the Nintendo Wii U sold somewhere in the region of 45,000 to 59,000 units. Somewhat concerning sales figures for the world’s largest video game market.
Despite these worrying sales figures, Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata revealed at the end of January that there would be no Nintendo Wii U price cut at the end of January.
“With Wii U, we have taken a rather resolute stance in pricing below its manufacturing cost, so we are not planning to perform a further markdown,” said Iwata.
However, with this price cut from Asda, the Nintendo Wii U could follow in the footsteps of the Nintendo 3DS handheld console in 2011. When the 3D handheld was released it experienced similar disappointing early sales, forcing Nintendo to slash the Nintendo 3DS’ RRP six months later.
The supermarket chain’s Nintendo Wii U discount may just spark a reaction in other UK stores wanting to match Asda’s offerings, perhaps revitalising sales for the struggling console.
What do you think of the Nintendo Wii U console? Is the price offered by Asda more realistic for the console? Give us your thoughts on the matter via the TrustedReviews Facebook and Twitter feeds or the comment boxes below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
