Nintendo hacks down Wii price and throws in Mario Kart

by Steven Mostyn - May 5 2011, 07:45

Following on from confirmation that 2012 will see Nintendo unleashing a brand new home-based videogame console, the Japanese electronics heavyweight has this week announced an official price cut for its groundbreaking Wii system.

Clearly keen to reverse steadily dwindling sales connected to its motion-sensing hardware, Nintendo has introduced a new $149.99 USD price point for the Wii and also bundled hugely popular racer Mario Kart and a Wii Wheel accessory into the mix too.

As various industry analysts predicted a few weeks ago, Nintendo’s price drop will come into force on May 15, enabling consumers to purchase either a black or white version of the console for a total saving of $20 USD on the current lowest retail price.

“There is quite a bit more volume to be sold on the Wii home console,” said Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime in a statement. “And the way we are going to get there is by offering the system at this low price and by including a key software title like Mario Kart.”

Adding further appeal for existing or prospective Wii buyers, Nintendo has also announced its ‘Nintendo Selects’ series, which offers up four first-party games for just $19.99 USD each.

The Nintendo Selects titles are The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Mario Super Sluggers, Animal Crossing: City Folk, and Wii Sports.

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