Nintendo Wii U Costs Around $300: Sources

[btarunr]

Sources associated with the manufacture and distribution of Nintendo products gave ForgetTheBox their estimates of the "Bill of Materials" of its upcoming Wii U game console, including that of its swanky-looking controller. The Bill of Materials of the entire package is estimated to be around US $180, despite its interactive screen, the controller's Bill of Materials is no more than US $50. Taking these figures into account the street price of Wii U is estimated by the source, is "no less than $300."

The same sources told ForgetTheBox, "Cutting production costs to maximize profits is Nintendo's main concern with the Wii U. They are cutting costs in the Wii U's hardware to build back confidence in investors. Nintendo wants investors to view Wii U as a less risky proposition." They went on to mention interesting tidbits such as "The cameras in the Wii U controller are an estimated manufacturing cost of $6. They are slightly better quality than the 3DS and DSi cameras. The touch screen has a manufacturing cost estimated at $14."



The sources also touched on the processing horsepower in use, which a recent report, citing sources among game developers, claimed to be less powerful than that of current-generation Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. "Nintendo chose an economical GPU and CPU that could keep up with the performance of today's current consoles, but keep hardware costs down to maximize profits," said the sources. "Nintendo got a bargain price on the custom GPU and CPU that the Wii U uses. There is a bigger focus on downloadable content, applications, video content, digital distribution, and services to create a stream of revenue. Investors will be ecstatic with the news," they added.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Super XP]

How did the Wii succeed? By not competing with the XBox360 & PS3. They let them two battle it out.
Nintendo in the mean time targeted audience other than just gamers. This is how the Wii was very successful.
Reading up on the WiiU as of late, can Nintendo be using the same or similar strategy that made the 1st successful? If so, I think it will be a big mistake, MS & Sony will also now try to target none gamers too, but this time with better graphics.

Nintendo better prepare with and this time better have competitive graphics.

 

[damric]

All of this cost cutting is probably wages for those sweatshop workers at FC.

 

[MilkyWay]

$300 = £188 so take into account inflation and higher prices in Europe that will be about £250. The hardware speculation is boring me, i want to see some solid software.

 

[dieterd]

I don know if it is good that newest pohnes has more graphic potential than newest consoles... and what about tablets - isn't those useless devices only good forsurfing and gaming? why would someone buy crap, no matter how new and how cheep it is?

 

[NC37]

I have lived to see the day when consoles became PCs...and now...I have lived to see the day consoles became cheap PCs. Thank you DICE, Epic, and indie devs for starting a renewed effort in deving on PC first. I have a feeling this next gen is going to be a bit of a snooze.

 

[TheMailMan78]

Everyone trashed the Wii. Now they will trash the WiiU. Nintendo has made some mistakes but they always get it right in the end.

 

[digibucc]

and what about tablets - isn't those useless devices only good forsurfing and gaming? why would someone buy crap, no matter how new and how cheep it is?

yeah, they are basically ONLY for what about 80% of people do ALL THE TIME on a computer, web surfing, email, and little silly games. not to mention music and video, as well as vnc control of your pc/mac, networking, etc.
why sit at a desk or even carry a laptop around to do those when a thin light tablet does it for you?

since i got mine (Asus Transformer), i only have to sit at the desktop to play intensive games or do serious work, everything else can be in the recliner or even outside, at the park!
crap? in your opinion maybe.

 

[TheMailMan78]

yeah, they are basically ONLY for what about 80% of people do ALL THE TIME on a computer, web surfing, email, and little silly games. not to mention music and video, as well as vnc control of your pc/mac, networking, etc.
why sit at a desk or even carry a laptop around to do those when a thin light tablet does it for you?

since i got mine (Asus Transformer), i only have to sit at the desktop to play intensive games or do serious work, everything else can be in the recliner or even outside, at the park!
crap? in your opinion maybe.

Exactly. This is something I have been preaching. Desktops are gonna be dinosaurs here soon. There is a reason Apple stopped making them and AMD/Intel are pursuing APU's with low power draw. When they create a tablet with a full version of the adobe suit on it that I can use my wacom on wireless in my living room I'm done with desktops.

 

[digibucc]

i remember you mentioning it a few months ago, and i gave it little thought - but sure enough you are right imo

 

[TheMailMan78]

i remember you mentioning it a few months ago, and i gave it little thought - but sure enough you are right imo

Its sad to think in a few years we won't be building PC's like we used to. But its also cool to think of all the possibilities tablets with powerful hardware will do for us.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

How did the Wii succeed? By not competing with the XBox360 & PS3. They let them two battle it out.
Nintendo in the mean time targeted audience other than just gamers. This is how the Wii was very successful.
Reading up on the WiiU as of late, can Nintendo be using the same or similar strategy that made the 1st successful? If so, I think it will be a big mistake, MS & Sony will also now try to target none gamers too, but this time with better graphics.

Nintendo better prepare with and this time better have competitive graphics.

The Wii targetted children and the elderly as well as everyone in between that enjoys more classical games (side scrollers). Xbox 360 and PlayStation only targetted the tweens-30 year olds. I highly doubt those demographics are going to change in the next generation. WiiU will continue to struggle getting sales away from the Microsoft and Sony and they will try to break into the demographics the Wii cornered.

 

[ZoneDymo]

The Wii targetted children and the elderly as well as everyone in between that enjoys more classical games (side scrollers). Xbox 360 and PlayStation only targetted the tweens-30 year olds. I highly doubt those demographics are going to change in the next generation. The area the Wii is weak is the demographic Microsoft and Sony have cornered. I can't see that changing going forward.

That demographic that MS and Sony have "cornered" have only been "cornered" by them in the current gen.
The gamecube played along with them just fine, the problem with the Wii was the older hardware that made porting games over to it hard for 3rd party devs.
The WiiU will get many more 3rd party game support so if all goes well the WiiU will keep the kids and the elderly crowd and take some of the MS/Sony crowd as well.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

WiiU is going to have a signficant hardware disadvantage to the next gen Xbox and PlayStation--not unlike the hardware disadvantage the Wii has compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The GameCube is lacking in good titles. Super Smash Bros Melee, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 1 & 2, and that's about it. Xbox sold around 24 million units, GameCube shipped 21.74 million (Nintendo was expecting 50 million), PlayStation 2 sold 127 million units. Of that generation, only the PlayStation 2 was a run-away success. GameCube was considered a failure as was the Xbox but Microsoft expected as much entering the market so late with few titles.

 

[illli]

i hate that controller. it really seems something terrible to use.

 

[ZoneDymo]

WiiU is going to have a signficant hardware disadvantage to the next gen Xbox and PlayStation--not unlike the hardware disadvantage the Wii has compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The GameCube is lacking in good titles. Super Smash Bros Melee, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 1 & 2, and that's about it. Xbox sold around 24 million units, GameCube shipped 21.74 million (Nintendo was expecting 50 million), PlayStation 2 sold 127 million units. Of that generation, only the PlayStation 2 was a run-away success. GameCube was considered a failure as was the Xbox but Microsoft expected as much entering the market so late with few titles.

1. You have no idea about the hardware difference between the future consoles and it does not really matter as already a lot of 3rd party titles have been announced for the WiiU.
2. The Gamecube had TONS of good titles, seriously where have you been?
The Gamecube shared in pretty much every 3rd party title the other two had and in 1st party it had arguably the strongest line up, the bad sales mostly where a result of the PS2 having the the time lead on the Nintendo and MS console by quite a bit.

 

[ZoneDymo]

i hate that controller. it really seems something terrible to use.

Well thats purely ignorance talking right there Im afraid.

 

[NC37]

Its sad to think in a few years we won't be building PC's like we used to. But its also cool to think of all the possibilities tablets with powerful hardware will do for us.

I'm sure its going to shift even more into the tablet form. But PCs I doubt will completely go away. Got way too many businesses out there still using them. Will still be need for power user machines. Then laptops likely still be needed. Some users don't like keyboards on screen.

I would like to see more implementation of touch screen monitors. Sure you'd have to clean them more but it would be a nice way to interact with the system. Would be helpful for elderly and kids. I have an aunt in her 80s that keeps on wanting to touch her monitor. She isn't that savvy with the mouse.

 

[Mega-Japan]

I'm fed up with all this speculation crap. Not, not the $300 price tag, I'm fine with that, but just about everything else that is being speculated about the system. Before the Wii was released, and when it was known as "Nintendo Revolution," I remember people being super optimistic on the console. Just about everyone wanted one, even if they knew the system had no HD. People wanted Zelda, Smash Bros, and most certainly, try out the new controller. But now the controller simply seen as "gimmicky" when it was the most praised tech back in 2006. Before the Nintendo DS came out, people did nothing but talk how bad and lame the idea of two screens was, and touch screens were stupid blah blah. Today, it is the world's best selling handheld. Everybody and their mom has one.

My point is, Nintendo knows wtf they're doing. If they pull out a console with the processing power of a leapfrog handheld, surely they must have a reason. But I seriously, seriously doubt that will be the case. I mean, they've only been in the console market the longest, dominating both consoles and handhelds this current generation, owning the must iconic series, etc... They learn from the mistakes, and if the next generation of Zelda, Pokemon, Metroid, and Mario disappoint, I would be the first to ditch Nintendo and keep playing my PC games. But until then, whether you like the company or not, you should know better. Just sit and wait until E3 for actual, official, and most important of all, NOT ANONYMOUS announcements before making further assumptions. Just a thought.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

1. You have no idea about the hardware difference between the future consoles and it does not really matter as already a lot of 3rd party titles have been announced for the WiiU.
2. The Gamecube had TONS of good titles, seriously where have you been?
The Gamecube shared in pretty much every 3rd party title the other two had and in 1st party it had arguably the strongest line up, the bad sales mostly where a result of the PS2 having the the time lead on the Nintendo and MS console by quite a bit.

1. Developers said the Wii U is less powerful than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Expect the Wii U to be 5-6 years behind the next Microsoft and Sony offering from a hardware standpoint (just like the Wii was when it came out).
2. The numbers speak for themselves. Remember, the Wii was Nintendo's last ditch effort at making a console. If it flopped like the GameCube, Nintendo was only going to make portable consoles (Nintendo DS and sons).

 

[illli]

Well thats purely ignorance talking right there Im afraid.

gosh. i'm sorry. i thought i was entitled to my own opinion.

and my opinion is that it looks like crap and i dont want to be using some gimmick controller

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Doing some research, they considered to use DS-like controllers on the Wii and ruled them out as making the platforms too similar. Look at what they're doing with the Wii U--bringing the old idea back to life...

 

[Super XP]

The Wii targetted children and the elderly as well as everyone in between that enjoys more classical games (side scrollers). Xbox 360 and PlayStation only targetted the tweens-30 year olds. I highly doubt those demographics are going to change in the next generation. WiiU will continue to struggle getting sales away from the Microsoft and Sony and they will try to break into the demographics the Wii cornered.

You forgot to mention married women regardless of age Also bought the Wii. This alone was a massive market never touched before by a video game console. Another reason why Wii outsold both XBox360 & PS3.

Once again, it looks like Nintendo will is going to let both Sony and MS fight each other.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Hence "everyone in between." But you're right, the entire Wii concept was answering the question of "what would a mother buy?"

Nintendo knew that Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were going to be fighting over graphics and Nintendo decided that if they got into that slugfest, they weren't going to win. That's why they focused on revolutionizing the controller.


It sounds to me like Sony is going to be more of the same (better graphics, same old controller), Microsoft is moving in the direction of Kinect, and Nintendo is moving towards a synergy of handheld and traditional consoles. I think it is very likely the Wii U will win again selling on name and demographics alone. Microsoft will likely win in North America again and Sony will win in Japan.

 

[digibucc]

my opinion is that it looks like crap and i dont want to be using some gimmick controller

that's what they said about the wiimote, and like it or not that brought about a new style of control in video games. it still hasn't matured but it surely isn't going anywhere.