AfterDawn: News

Nintendo refuses to "bundle" Wii console

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has stated that his company is not happy with retailers that have decided to "bundle" the Wii console with software and accessories in an effor to make higher margins.

File-Aime feels "bundling" lessens the advantage the Wii holds overs it more expensive competition, the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox360.



"Retailers have already been given feedback that we are not big fans of that," Fils-Aime told Reuters.

"We think it masks some of the price advantage we have versus our competition and, frankly, the consumer should decide what they want," he added.

He did note however, that the company would not take any legal action against the retailers but hoped that his company had built strong enough relationships that they would be mindful of bundling.

"We don't have to remind retailers of the strength we have right now. We are simply making an observation and that reinforces our point quite nicely with retailers," he finished.

Source:
GI.biz

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Dec 2007 18:17

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• 29 comments

• Allegro1

  Oh yeah, but the fact than none of these consoles are ever sold for less than the MSRP doesn't make you unhappy does it? (Is that a triple negative?)
  
  I thought that "fair trade" was illegal long ago.

  18.12.2007 18:27 #1

• emugamer

  Quote:
  "We don't have to remind retailers of the strength we have right now. We are simply making an observation and that reinforces our point quite nicely with retailers," he finished. Lol...Wii strength.
  
  Reggie Fils-Aime: "Someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. But, until that day, accept this justice as a gift..."

  18.12.2007 18:51 #2

• denzilla

  I'm rather pleased someone has finally called attention to this. I get sick of game shops trying to force these bundles down my throat. Just let me buy the console and the stuff I want and I'll be back for more dammit!

  18.12.2007 19:04 #3

• booga1134

  Nintendo held an iron fist in the late 80's early 90's over the price of the NES(99.95) and looks like they are tightening their grip again as the ps3 and xbox fall to the side.

  18.12.2007 20:06 #4

• vinny13

  I like bundles... As long as their fair anyways...

  18.12.2007 22:52 #5

• scorpNZ

  What a bunch of tossers Reggie & co are,reduces it's advantage pfffft,some pepole like to get the extra's,time that fella pulled his head out of his backside.
  
  
  EDIT: that's spose'd to be "people" in the 2nd paragraph,what can i say my brain types faster then my finger..lmao

  18.12.2007 22:54 #6

• pcrazy99

  I don't see anything wrong with the bundling as long as it is an available option. You should have the option to buy the bundle or just the console. The retailers shouldn't be forcing people to buy the bundle.

  18.12.2007 22:57 #7

• scorpNZ

  That's the whole point pcrazy they're not, when was the last time you looked in on major store the shelves are stocked with bundles or just the console or at least where i am they are,even so there are always stores that will only sell the consoles,there's always more than 1 shop to go too

  18.12.2007 23:28 #8

• josetjr

  Retailers wouldn't need to bundle them if there were more available. Unfortunately Nintendo can't keep up with the demand (or make it seem so). I work in retail and they sell as quick as we put them out. But the 40gb PS3 has done the same, yet we get constant shipments of those.

  19.12.2007 00:28 #9

• fitzm

  "We think it masks some of the price advantage we have versus our competition and, frankly, the consumer should decide what they want".
  
  If they are so fucking concerned about what consumers want...how about stocking the fucking shelves with A N Y fucking Wii's!!!

  19.12.2007 01:44 #10

• ripxrush

  Yes my local Retailer Fry's Electronics forces bundles and a Wii ends up being the same price as an XBox 360 Elite! Great i get a Wii with games & items that i do not want & still have t pay another $200 to get what i really want! I disagree with the comment of if they made more they wouldn't have to bundle because the bundles are all gone just as fast as the system sold alone! I was able to get a system by it self but i had to look & it drives the people away that cant afford the xbox or ps3 that just want a wii!

  19.12.2007 02:02 #11

• josetjr

  Originally posted by ripxrush: Yes my local Retailer Fry's Electronics forces bundles and a Wii ends up being the same price as an XBox 360 Elite! Great i get a Wii with games & items that i do not want & still have t pay another $200 to get what i really want! I disagree with the comment of if they made more they wouldn't have to bundle because the bundles are all gone just as fast as the system sold alone! I was able to get a system by it self but i had to look & it drives the people away that cant afford the xbox or ps3 that just want a wii!But the bundles make more money for the retailer. Systems alone make little to no profit to them. They make their profits on accessories and games. Those Wii bundles go really fast because those are the best option available.
  
  PS3 and Xbox are not that expensive now. It's that the Wii is really popular especially when considering for kids. Xbox is only $30 more, while PS3 40gb is the same price the 360 was a year ago.

  19.12.2007 06:12 #12

• SProdigy

  Quote:Originally posted by ripxrush: Yes my local Retailer Fry's Electronics forces bundles and a Wii ends up being the same price as an XBox 360 Elite! Great i get a Wii with games & items that i do not want & still have t pay another $200 to get what i really want! I disagree with the comment of if they made more they wouldn't have to bundle because the bundles are all gone just as fast as the system sold alone! I was able to get a system by it self but i had to look & it drives the people away that cant afford the xbox or ps3 that just want a wii!But the bundles make more money for the retailer. Systems alone make little to no profit to them. They make their profits on accessories and games. Those Wii bundles go really fast because those are the best option available.
  
  PS3 and Xbox are not that expensive now. It's that the Wii is really popular especially when considering for kids. Xbox is only $30 more, while PS3 40gb is the same price the 360 was a year ago.But it's illegal to force you to buy only that bundle, since it is not packaged that way by the manufacturer. I worked for Best Buy last year when some stores got in trouble for forcing the bundle upon people. It actually started with the 360.
  
  I know that retailers don't make much off the consoles, but they are just trying to cheaply rip off the consumer by passing along high margin, low quality accessories and games with a hot selling item. It's a load of crap and should not be tolerated.

  19.12.2007 08:38 #13

• Globe08

  MS is bundling the premium and the elite but it comes with 2 free games so you would imagine it would be selling hella good but i guess not. ANd why does the article say Nintendo "refuses" to bundle the wii then goes on to say they dont like it but will allow it. and why would nintendo care if its bundled or not its still selling and getting their crappy software sales up a bit.

  19.12.2007 09:02 #14

• maryjayne

  Hey, retailers need some way of getting rid of their Football 2007 and MDX Off Road Racing games...
  
  I have yet to see a reasonably priced bundle that made me want to rush out and buy the bundle over getting just the system.

  19.12.2007 10:06 #15

• emugamer

  Quote:Quote:Originally posted by ripxrush: Yes my local Retailer Fry's Electronics forces bundles and a Wii ends up being the same price as an XBox 360 Elite! Great i get a Wii with games & items that i do not want & still have t pay another $200 to get what i really want! I disagree with the comment of if they made more they wouldn't have to bundle because the bundles are all gone just as fast as the system sold alone! I was able to get a system by it self but i had to look & it drives the people away that cant afford the xbox or ps3 that just want a wii!But the bundles make more money for the retailer. Systems alone make little to no profit to them. They make their profits on accessories and games. Those Wii bundles go really fast because those are the best option available.
  
  PS3 and Xbox are not that expensive now. It's that the Wii is really popular especially when considering for kids. Xbox is only $30 more, while PS3 40gb is the same price the 360 was a year ago.But it's illegal to force you to buy only that bundle, since it is not packaged that way by the manufacturer. I worked for Best Buy last year when some stores got in trouble for forcing the bundle upon people. It actually started with the 360.
  
  I know that retailers don't make much off the consoles, but they are just trying to cheaply rip off the consumer by passing along high margin, low quality accessories and games with a hot selling item. It's a load of crap and should not be tolerated.Wow, I never knew it was illegal. I've actually never seen bundles in mainstream stores like Best Buy. But for many years I've come across price clubs (Sam's Club and Costco) that will only sell the console in a bundled package, as far as I remember dating back to the N64. And each bundle was a little different. And it didn't seem like a bundle that they put together themselves. It was a full hard plastic shell package. Seemed like it was from Nintendo and marketed as an official bundle. Maybe they fall under a different legal category.

  19.12.2007 11:51 #16

• m3_chris

  Quote:But it's illegal to force you to buy only that bundle, since it is not packaged that way by the manufacturer. I worked for Best Buy last year when some stores got in trouble for forcing the bundle upon people. It actually started with the 360.
  
  That's not true. They got in trouble because they had the consoles in their flyer as stand alone units, then forced bundles at the store. I bought my bundle then went home and called BB corprate office and complained of bait and switch.

  19.12.2007 12:09 #17

• SProdigy

  Quote:Quote:But it's illegal to force you to buy only that bundle, since it is not packaged that way by the manufacturer. I worked for Best Buy last year when some stores got in trouble for forcing the bundle upon people. It actually started with the 360.
  
  That's not true. They got in trouble because they had the consoles in their flyer as stand alone units, then forced bundles at the store. I bought my bundle then went home and called BB corprate office and complained of bait and switch.Yeah that's what happened essentially. They were not allowing customers to return the accessories and/or buy the console without them.

  19.12.2007 12:43 #18

• tester22

  Originally posted by Allegro1: Oh yeah, but the fact than none of these consoles are ever sold for less than the MSRP doesn't make you unhappy does it? (Is that a triple negative?)
  
  I thought that "fair trade" was illegal long ago.
  "Price fixing" was outlawed long ago too but we still see every frakkin' corner with 3 gas stations priced EXACTLY THE SAME.
  
  
  This world and the U.S. in particular SUCKS!! No kids for me............wouldn't do that to them.

  19.12.2007 14:06 #19

• phantasee

  Quote:Originally posted by Allegro1: Oh yeah, but the fact than none of these consoles are ever sold for less than the MSRP doesn't make you unhappy does it? (Is that a triple negative?)
  
  I thought that "fair trade" was illegal long ago.
  "Price fixing" was outlawed long ago too but we still see every frakkin' corner with 3 gas stations priced EXACTLY THE SAME.
  
  
  This world and the U.S. in particular SUCKS!! No kids for me............wouldn't do that to them....or maybe they all have the same price because if one raises, they lose business to the other two? And if one lowers, they lose money. Most gas stations set their prices based on what they can afford, and because of the competitive nature of the business, they cut the same costs and end up with similar profit margins.
  
  Please, continue with your policy of no children. The world wouldn't want them either.

  19.12.2007 16:11 #20

• oofRome

  Quote:
  ...or maybe they all have the same price because if one raises, they lose business to the other two? And if one lowers, they lose money. Most gas stations set their prices based on what they can afford, and because of the competitive nature of the business, they cut the same costs and end up with similar profit margins.
  Exactly. Plus, gas stations don't make a lot of money off gasoline sales in the first place. I have no idea why gasoline prices were even brought up. Is texaco only offering gasoline if you purchase a bag of cheetos and a red bull?
  Eh. Come to think of it not much of what he said made sense.

  19.12.2007 20:37 #21

• ZippyDSM

  I would like to see a WII and 2 games bundled for 350(Zelda/metorid)!
  
  other than that bundles suck :P

  19.12.2007 23:29 #22

• spydah

  I think bundles are great for parents that dont know nothing about the systems the kids ask for. On the other hand there should be standard packages of that system available for those that know what they want.

  20.12.2007 08:19 #23

• plutonash

  Originally posted by booga1134: Nintendo held an iron fist in the late 80's early 90's over the price of the NES(99.95) and looks like they are tightening their grip again as the ps3 and xbox fall to the side.Hmm I think my NES was 150 bucks at launch. Then again I was 4 years old so my memory is a little blurry.

  20.12.2007 11:21 #24

• tester22

  7 cents a gallon is TOPS for a station's profit. Not meant to be a lucrative industry for them. They make their money on smokes and mostly on SERVICE. So don't justify price fixing on the corners containing 3 gas stations. The prices are set by Mobile, BP, Chevron, etc and must not be deviated from by a significant amount. Price fixing is inexcusable.
  
  As for your meritless comment about "the world wouldn't want them", that does merit a kick in your bum. I only wish I could be the one to give it. Besides..............the world would be a better place if I raised kids. If I raised YOU (phantasee) you'd be a better man, woman or IT, whatever you claim to be. HA HA HA Happy Holidays!

  20.12.2007 13:38 #25

• chaos_zzz

  wii is so cheap that you'll start getting one at the supermarket for every 1000$ spent
  
  
  anyway they should sell the bundled one and the regular one, the fact of just selling only the bundled stuff sucks, what if u hate that game or just want one controller

  20.12.2007 17:37 #26

• wetsparks

  I remember hearing that the reason some retailers are bundling is to reduce demand a bit because Nintendo isn't making enough systems. Bundle it with stuff, raise the price, higher price = less demand.

  21.12.2007 17:19 #27

• borhan9

  I think that Nintendo does not need to bundle all you really need is to put in a game that comes with the console and that would be enough because the console is already cheap as chips :)

  28.12.2007 05:18 #28

• trendylad

  i think the wii is a good console but in ireland the mean retailers are at it again charging through the roof for consoles and games ,accesories

  5.4.2008 18:14 #29