Buzz has been building for weeks that Nintendo is preparing to lower the price of its Wii console for the first time since it debuted in 2006, from $250 to $200. Now it’s reaching fever pitch, with the tech blog Engadget dating the drop as this Sunday, Sept. 27. The report, picked up by The Associated Press, cited a leaked Best Buy memo.
Sony and Microsoft cut the price of their PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles last month, and gaming blog Kotaku has since posted purported leaked images of ads showing the lower Wii price.
UPDATED: Nintendo confirmed the Sept. 27 price drop tonight, and announced a Nov. 15 release date for New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which the company is calling “the first truly multiplayer Mario title ever.”
They’re also rolling out a “World of Nintendo” consumer sampling event that will be held throughout October in Long Beach, Calif., Philadelphia and New York. Players will be able to test-drive Wii games like New Super Mario Bros. and DS titles like The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.
Incidentally, as Wired’s GeekDad blog points out, today is Nintendo’s 120th birthday. Yes, folks, the company is older than video games, having been founded in Japan to produce playing cards.
