Wii U – Is Price More Important than Power?

Prior to the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the biggest source of hype was coming from Nintendo. The reason for this is because Nintendo had said they would be revealing a new console, which was called the “Wii 2” by the media. But during the E3 show, most people were disappointed that Nintendo left so many questions unanswered about their new console, officially unveiled as the Wii U. This is particularly true in areas of pricing and hardware specifications.

In an interview with GameSpot, legendary game developer Shigeru Miyamoto has now made it clear Nintendo’s primary focus is price. This means the hardware specifications of the Wii U may be limited, depending on what price points and bulk deals Nintendo can negotiate. This news may be disappointing to hardcore gamers who want the best graphics, but from Nintendo’s point of view it makes more sense to release a product that is affordable.

Shigeru Myamoto said, "We're trying to find the right balance between the CPU and the GPU, and bringing all of that together with the ability to take advantage of the HD capabilities of the system.” Myamoto-san went on to explain "We're very sensitive, of course, to do all of this at an appropriate price. So I don't know that we would be able to sit here and say that it's going to necessarily dramatically outperform the systems that are out now. It's part of the balance that we strike in terms of trying to find entertainment that is new and unique."

Shigeru Myamoto has arguably the most impressive résumé in the history of the videogame industry to support his thoughts, but how do you feel about this? Over the course of time, the Wii U will drop in price. Should Nintendo release the Wii U at a higher price if it means releasing a better product? Maybe if enough people speak up, Nintendo will change their mind.