Last week Microsoft announced a new round of price cuts for its Xbox 360 gaming console, right on the heels of Sony slashing the price of its PlayStation 3 and announcing a cheaper, slimmer model. But Nintendo, which has never budged on its Wii pricetag of $250, still refuses to play along despite flagging sales and lackluster game lineups.
Today the company announced an Oct. 4 launch date for Wii Fit Plus, the sequel to Wii Fit, as well as a black Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus bundle and a black Nunchuk. In fact, Wii Fit Plus with the Wii Balance Board accessory will actually cost $10 more than the current Wii Fit. (If you have the board already, the game alone will cost you $20.)
But no price cut, unless you count the sudden return of the Wii Internet Channel as a free download. The application, which was free for the first few months after the Wii’s debut, was priced at 500 Wii Points (or $5) until today, when it was made free again and received upgraded Adobe Flash support.
What’s interesting is that while Japan got a black Wii system in addition to the black controllers, Nintendo has yet to announce a new hardware color in the U.S. What gives, Big N?
Here are the details of today’s announcements from Nintendo:
Wii Fit Plus: This enhanced version of the top-selling game offers a range of new features, along with new exercises, yoga activities and balance games designed to keep workouts fun. For the first time, users can customize their workouts to target specific areas of their bodies or to fill specific intervals of time. Wii Fit Plus will replace the current Wii Fit configuration at retail, and will be bundled with the Wii Balance Board accessory at a suggested retail price of $99.99. For people who currently own Wii Fit and want to add the expanded options to their fitness regimen, the Wii Fit Plus disc will be available on its own at a suggested retail price of $19.99.
White and Pink Nintendo DSi colors: The two new colors give consumers even more options to personalize their experiences. All models of the Nintendo DSi hardware come with two cameras and interactive options to let users create and manipulate pictures or sound in fun and creative ways. All versions of Nintendo DSi are available at a suggested retail price of $169.99.
Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus Black bundle: The Black bundle is the first new color for the Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus.- Black Nunchuk: The Black Nunchuk will be available as a standalone purchase.
- Wii Sports Resort Facebook application: Nintendo has enhanced the social experience of Wii Sports Resort and made it even more
immersive by creating the Wii Sports Resort Facebook application.By adding the Wii Party Time Generator application to your personal Facebook page, you will have the ability to invite all of your Facebook pals to friendly Wii Sports Resort competitions. You can set up parties, host tournaments, post scores and results, view medals and trophies, share photos from your Wii Sports Resort tournament and even do some trash talking. Wii Party Time Generator will allow you to spread the fun, social gaming experience of Wii Sports Resort. To learn more about the Wii Party Time Generator, download it to your Facebook profile page and start setting up your own Wii Sports Resort events, visit http://apps.facebook.com/wiisportsresort/.
