Industry analyst and macho man Michael Pachter has made his bi-monthly declaration that the Wii needs a price cut. Claiming that games likeSuper Mario Galaxy 2andMetroid: Other Maren’t big enough system sellers, the wiry fox believes that Nintendo needs to stimulate the market with a bargain.
“I still think that the Wii as a hardware SKU lacks catalysts,” explains Pachter. “I can’t imagineSuper Mario Galaxy 2orMetroid Other Mas system-sellers, any more than I would expectHalo ReachorSOCOMto be. The hardcore Wii audience already has a Wii console, so these game launches aren’t likely to be catalysts. This far into the cycle, the only thing that really gets consoles moving is price cuts, and Nintendo was reluctant to cut price last year.
“We saw declines in sales ofWii Fit Pluswith Balance Board andWii Play,suggesting that demand for the Wii and its products is on the decline. So as far as I can see, unless Nintendo decides to cut price, there is not much of a catalyst coming. I don’t see the Wii Vitality Sensor driving sales, but I suppose I could be wrong. I often am …”
I recently picked up a Wii, but it actually took a month to locate one. This far intoanyconsole’s life cycle, waiting a month to buy a system is f*cking ridiculous. The Wiiitselfis a catalyst, it hasn’t needed any single game to maintain its popularity and I think Nintendo is still doing just fine. When you actually get out of the armchair and go look at the real world, you’ll see that Nintendo is maintaining an absurd stranglehold, whether you like the fact or not.
Also,New Super Mario Bros. Wii, anybody?
Pachter’s Podium: Super Mario Galaxy 2, Halo Reach Not System Sellers[Industry Gamers]
