Friday, December 15, 2006

Upgraded Wii to be released in spring?



Nintendo may be readying an upgraded Wii to be released in spring, which will cost $50 less and feature more colours, new rumours suggest.

eSports site GotFrag has apparently been given word by a store manager in a 'Toys "R" Us' outlet:

After talking to him a bit, the manager revealed a few things in light of the Wii consumer frenzy. He would go on to state that if they [the customers] would "just listen," they could get a "better system" in a few months.

A "better system?" As he would soon explain, Nintendo will be "relaunching" the Wii console sometime before or at the beginning of Spring 2007. The launch, which is said to see many different colors for the Wii system (as seen at E3), will also be accompanied by a hefty price drop from $250 to $200. (...)

Also note that it is undetermined if the "better system" statement includes technical upgrades to the Wii, as recent rumors have suggested.




While a DVD-enabled Wii has been confirmed for Japan, I seriously doubt that we will see an upgraded console for a reduced price so soon after launch. Also, a store manager would not be in on this, while the big news outlets appear to be clueless.

Perhaps there was some confusion here with Nintendo's recall of wrist straps. Most convincingly, though, I believe that Nintendo - still struggling to meet demands - will not burden itself with releasing more colours, further exaggerating the shortages for everyone who insists on matched accessories. And, finally, previous purchasers would surely feel cheated if they could have gotten a much better deal less than half a year later (remember the Xbox launch debacle).

Source: GotFrag
Thanks to: TheSmashMan

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

There won't be a price drop until Summer. I doubt we'll see any improvements other than maybe the DVD playback and even that won't happen until the end of next year and probably Japan only.

There won't be any system upgrades. The only part i think may be true is the colours.

As for store managers, they wouldn't know this if it was true.

What fanboys don't realise being that they are 15 years old is that Nintendo does not share it's future plans with the likes of Best Buy!

So when they make up lies these small important details get overlooked.

Oh and don't report the recent free upgrade offer as a recall, it's already been reported as that by far too many people already.

Falafelkid said...

Hi Shaun.

Thanks for your comments. I agree wholeheartedly.

Don't report the recent free upgrade offer as a recall, it's already been reported as that by far too many people already.

You raise a valid point - one, which I considered before posting. But in my opinion, a recall is not too different from a free upgrade, since the manufacturer has no means of contacting the consumers directly (unlike with, say, cars). I believe we shouldn´t beat around the bush here. This pretty much amounts to a recall.

RGB said...

Agreed.

Falafelkid said...

Just a brief update about the recall issue. Shaun appears to have been right, after all. Nintendo just told me that the story has been grossly exaggerated.

They claim that it is not a recall but a replacement offer. The straps are perfectly safe as they are, Nintendo Germany said. Also, the number of straps mentioned (3,2 million) is unfounded.

Of course, that is an official company statement. But it appears that the term recall is out of place, providing that Nintendo guarantees the original straps to be perfectly safe.

Anonymous said...

there very well might be a black wii and a price drop just as ps3 lournches in europe BANG GAME OVER SONY

Anonymous said...

I think it may be able to play DVDs, but it would be later than Spring. They will probably begin manufacturing new colors at the same time as this, but they wouldn't fuck over their loyal customers who bought a Wii early.

Anonymous said...

Wahoo i was right :)

I see what you're saying though it is technically a wiistrap free upgrade. Which allows them to get away without a recall.

I don't think there is any need for a recall (or whatever we call it) personally though since the strap is not and was never intended to stop 80mph controllers.

But it's good to see Nintendo offering the service.

I apologise for making it sound like you were purpetuating bad journalism, my comment was rushed earlier. It just seemed to have got out of hand across the internet this morning.

I think Nintendo have a lot of tidying up to do now.

Keep up the good work!

Falafelkid said...

Hi Shaun.

I apologise for making it sound like you were purpetuating bad journalism, my comment was rushed earlier. It just seemed to have got out of hand across the internet this morning.

No need to apologize, you were quite correct to point this out and you were most polite about it (and correct).

Anonymous said...

Something that's been bugging me these past few weeks became more worrying with the recent "Legend Of Dragon" press release.

This bit in particular:

"While the Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 next-gen consoles have really captured the imagination of the more mature gamer, at Game Factory we’re really excited about the potential impact Nintendo's Wii will have on the children's market, as this is obviously our forte."

With the knowledge you have of the gaming industry i'm interested to get your take on it.

I understand with a mass market product you have to cover all ages with games, and obviously there will be more childrens games than the PS3 will ever get. But with these comments, especially in press releases i get the distinct impression this is how most developers see the Wii.

We all know the Wii can only be a failure in a few ways now, since it's captured the imagination of both consumers and mass media. The biggest pitfall is lack of 3rd party games, and when we get so many ports, minigames and childrens titles it doesn't look too promising.

What impression are you getting from developers and publishers alike?

Also, one idea i had was involving Wii Sports. I love tennis and especially bowling, but it struck me today that Nintendo could patch it to make it online, or maybe it's even got online built in but needs the service to be there before they flip the switch. Do you think it's a possibility? It would certainly be a massive success if they could pull it off.

Anonymous said...

...a black Wii is was I was waitng for. If it will come out I have high hopes that it will come along with Metroid. I'll get my Wii then ^^*

/silver

Anonymous said...

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