Wii U Price Cut Isn't Happening, Nintendo Says

Yesterday, we heard that Nintendo was revising its Wii U sales forecast, bringing the number of consoles it plans to sell in the year ending in March 2013 down to four million. Previously, Nintendo has expected to sell 5.5 million consoles, so this is suggesting to some that Nintendo is struggling on the Wii U sales front. Sorry to say, but if you were hoping for Nintendo to cut the price on the Wii U in a effort to boost sales, you're not going to get your wish.

In a presentation to investors after Nintendo revised its sales forecast, president Saturo Iwata said that the company isn't planning to drop the price on the Wii U any time soon. Some were expecting a price cut if Nintendo found itself in hot water with the Wii U, since it implemented a price cut when 3DS sales were lagging. Iwata said in his presentation that he "would like to make this point absolutely clear," so it seems Nintendo is holding firm on the issue.

One of the reasons Nintendo doesn't want to cut the price on the Wii U is because it's already offering the console at a loss. Dropping the price below where it's at now would definitely widen that loss, so it may not help that much. Instead of dropping the price, Nintendo says it will try to better communicate the value of the Wii U as we wait for the console's software line up to improve.

Software will also be a major focus for Nintendo moving forward. During the most recent Nintendo Direct livestream, Iwata revealed a number of exciting Wii U games, announcing an HD remake of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and informing us all that the company will have new Mario and Mario Kart games for the Wii U on display at E3 2013. We'll see how Nintendo addresses Wii U sales that are below expectations soon enough, but after today, a price drop just doesn't seem to be in the cards.

[via Joystiq]