With Sony"s PlayStation 4 launching in the US on November 15th and Microsoft"s Xbox One coming out sometime that same month in the US, it was perhaps inevitable that Nintendo would lower the price of its current game console, the Wii U, in order to compete with this heavy competition.
Today, Nintendo announced that the deluxe version of the Wii U will get a $50 price cut to $299.99 starting on September 20th in the US. This version of the console has a black color, contains 32 GB of storage, the free game Nintendoland, a console stand, a Wii U GamePad tracking bar and an offer to sign up to the Premium Nintendo Network. Nintendo will also release a limited edition version of the Deluxe Wii U that same day that will include the free game The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, along with other extras, for the same price.
When the Wii U originally launched in November 2012, Nintendo also sold a basic version of the console, which was white in color, had just 8 GB of storage and no free game. There"s no word on if Nintendo has decision to discontinue the basic version. So far, sales of the Wii U have fallen well below Nintendo"s expectations; in the second quarter of 2013, the company only shipped 160,000 Wii U units worldwide.
Nintendo also announced today it will launch the Nintendo 2DS portable game console on October 12th. This version of the 3DS can play all of the games made for that system but only with a 2D screen. It will be priced at $129.99 and come in red and blue colors.
Source: Nintendo | Image via Nintendo