Rumor: First-party Wii games $59.99

Nintendo's not going to out-right lie about it, GameStop and EBGames are pretty stupid when it comes to pricing and about everything else. Hell, they had the descriptions of Wii games on the PS3 games.

That's all BS. The games are already $59 here in Canada which means it'll be $49 in the U.S. It's already confirmed in all the preorders, from Zellers, to Toys'R'Us, to Rogers Video, etc.

Why do folks believe these crappy placeholder prices? Do you believe the crap that's posted at Best buy as a placeholder too? C'mon guys, you know better than that!

EB and Gamestop always price games as high as possible before the actual price is released. It's their way of squeezing as much money from consumers as possible through pre-orders.

Are you guys blind? It says $49.99 on the EB site...

Well, keep in mind that $49.99 is the manufacturer *suggested* retail price. The only thing that would stop them from pricing games higher is good business sense. Of course, should they lack that sense, which seems to be the case, then you can always go to where the store listens to the MSRP.

The games should be $39.99 if PS3 and 360 games are $59.99.

Yeah, I am not sure where that image on the front page came from, but it says $49.99 at ebgames.com right now....

http://www.ebgames.com/default.asp?sect=1285

"The games should be $39.99 if PS3 and 360 games are $59.99."

Don't tell me. Is this because they are just GameCube games.

OHHHHH!!!! How original!!!!

PS3 and 360 games don't offer motion control gaming, they should cost 39.99 if Wii games cost 59.99.

and apparently, the prices already have been changed on EB games website, so you can update this post alex.

@ Martin

I didn't mean that exactly....but for less game content with xbox graphics and with developers using gamecube dev kits...yes it should be $39.99.

Intangible Fact,

Why do you think that Wii games are going to have less game content? The new Zelda is supposed to be the largest one ever.

I've seen no indicator that content is going to be scaled back for the new Wii. Other than perhaps the fact a Wii-exclusive title won't need Hi-Res textures, and it might take less programming work since programmers are familiar with the architecture, all the other costs associated with the game are the same no matter which console you choose.

In the end, it seems we get Wii games for about $50 or lower, and 360 and PS3 games that will utilize Hi-Def for an extra $10. I may not like inflation, but those are prices I can live with.

Nintendo confirmed in September that all first party games will be sold for $49. They also confirmed that this is not a regulation that third-party publishers need to follow though every first-party game will be capped at $49. It probably already is around $59, $69, or even $89 in Canada or other places in the world but where America stands it is certain that it is $49.

Kotaku reported this article YESTERDAY. Do you guys not have brains either. Look at the Mario Galaxy release date...it says on launch day but we all know it comes out in 2007.

C'mon, you report news, you should be able to look into stuff a TINY bit. I mean BestBuy says Red Steel is coming out the 2nd of November, are you saying thats true to? Well it seems like you should report it since you are reporting this is true.

This is going to kill thrid party support for the Wii.

First, the wii demographic is predisposed to buy Nintendo franchised games. ie..how many of you guys are buying Wii for COD3 or Sonic?..nada its for Zelda, or smash bros..etc.

Second, they price their games lower than third party games ...which need to be priced higher because theyre (a) not Nintendo and (b) have to pay licensing costs.

I say, third party support is gonna drop after 1.5 years ..or when all the previously originally-meant-for-GameCube launch titles are released.

The Intangible Fact


if you are talking about the original x-box u are sadly mistaken.
dual layered xbox 360 disk 9 gigs
wii dual layered disk 8.5 gigs
PS3 dual layered disk 50 gigs( only 4 gigs will be used for games. LOL)
the extra 500Mb is the space needed for HD.

trust me, they wil have the same amount of content. if anything MS will rip you off w/ mircotransactions, make you pay for stufff that should be included.

"I didn't mean that exactly....but for less game content with xbox graphics and with developers using gamecube dev kits...yes it should be $39.99.

Posted at 8:41AM on Oct 13th 2006 by The Intangible Fact"

Hahahaha, Madden 07 on the Wii has been confirmed, by the DEVELOPERS, to be the most feature-rich version of them all. The 360 version can't seem to pack in all the stuff that's on the XBOX, let alone the Wii. Seems to me that $59.99 pricetag just gets you more of the "graphics>gameplay" mentality.

LoZ, which is now almost exclusive to the Wii, boasts 70+ hours of gameplay. I'm not worried about being bored with Wii. I can't really say that about my 360.

I'll go on record predicting that 98% of all Wii games, 1st or 3rd party, will retail for $49.99.

RE: >


sonic sold best on cube, SC2 sold best on cube,any monkey ball sold best on cube, RE4 sold best on cube. developers have nothing to worry about(unless thier game sucks)

EBgames had most of the Wii games listed at $59.99 up until a week or two ago. You'll notice that now all the first party launch games are $49.99. I'm guessing that since SSMB:Brawl and SMGalaxy didn't get updated release dates that they didn't bother to update their prices with the rest of the games.

Milk that cow, spank that monkey :)
Whatever a madman will give for a game..

And the strange thing is, we are the guilty party. Because of the popularity of games, prices will go up!


Thats marketing for ya' !

Nintendo has a good record of keeping its promises this time around. I am shocked that anyone would even take this rumor seriously. The only promise Nintendo broke (in recent memory) is the promise that Twilight Princess was not going to be on the Wii....and the Wii (revolution at that time) wasnt the reason for the TP delays, etc. But those promises came around 2003-2004...i'd say its a good record that the past 2-3 years no overstatements, overestimates and no broken promises...

your a bunch of morons if you think the wii games will have more features and content than 360 and ps3 games. dotn compare ea games becase ea is the devil and should be shut down for ripping us off with madden and live. the games should be lower because of the piss poor resolution(480p) and the graphics are 5 years old. if the wii graphics look just ok now how will they look towards the end of its 4-5 year cycle? Sure the wii might be fun(first party only...youll see), but anyone who plans on owning it as their only system is loosing out on "true next gen" gaming. a new control method on a 5 year old system does make next gen so shut up.

George, a new control method is the only thing "next-gen" about any of these consoles. I've had the kind of graphics and AI you'll see on the 360 and PS3 for years, on my PC. I even use a ps2/360 gamepad on PC. The only system doing things that CAN"T be done on other systems right now is Wii.

You are a blinded sony fanbot. Go wash your eyes in the mud, and maybe God will give you sight.

I just got back from GameStop and made my Wii reservation. They only getting 14 at my local gamestop and one of them is going to be mine.... all mine.

and there u have it. george the xbot, has left the building!

My wife is currently 1 of 2 people out front of the EB where we live. They are only getting 12.

@#18

>>>>RE4 sold best on cube

not the case;

http://www.vgcharts.org/worldtotals.php?name=resident+evil+4&console=&publisher=Capcom&sort=Total

GCN 1.44 million
PS2 1.81 million

Didn't you guys at Joystiq kind of pre-debunk yourselves by writing this post? Twilight princess was listed as 49.99, with a 9.99 mark up in the CompUSA/Target end cap post from last week. Do you guys know what Google is? It sounds arrogant, yes, but come on.

Fun Fact: Yesterday, EBGames had them listed at $60 before lunch and $50 afterwards. They also had many titles listed as November launches that are now pushed back to January or March. So you're both right. Kind of.

Hey; I wrote in to joystiq just the other day about this. I also saw that Amazon.com had the 59.99 price point. There are millions of people out there that don't visit blog sites like joystiq and that's all that they have to go by. There are also those of us that do visit joystiq throughout the day/evening for the latest news and shop at sites like ebgames/gamestop, Amazon.com and say what the hell is going on here?

Joystiq is doing the right thing in reporting this because if Nintendo states something to the press and makes worldwide announcements and the retailers report conflicting information (prices in this case) then somebody has to bring it to their attention (Nintendo) as well as the public that they serve with this blog site.

Again, I saw this information on the ebgames/gamestop website and amazon.com just two nights ago. Perhaps this information was changed because of the lead up to this blog post.

Whatever the reason; I am glad that Nintendo is sticking to their word; 49.99 for first party games.
IT SHOULD BE 49.99 for all games.

The Pc platform for gaming is looking better and better each day and the price margin between owning a pc and a dedicated gaming console are becoming smaller and smaller. Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft have borrowed many ideas from their pc bretheren (online gaming, expansion packs, marketplaces etc...)

I wish that the big three would just make PCI or PCI-X or PCI-E graphics cards or whatever form factor is popular for PC motherboards these days so that I can enjoy games from all three.

My pc is now hooked up to my television and I've gotten my fill of arcade and console emulators (no need for marketplaces) and have been playing online for over a decade.

Paying in excess of 600 and 700 dollars (for the PS3 and Xbox 360) (1300 dollars for both systems) is becoming a hassle; when it comes to space; both the PS3 and xbox 360 with HD-DVD drive take up way too much space!

I think this will be my last round for dedicated consoles. At these prices; it's better for me to just stay PC.

I agree with the people that are saying that the games should be 39.99. Nintendo is looking for the mass market appeal, especially the people who would not usually pick up a system and games. 49.99 is just a little too high for last generation games with just a gimmicky controller.

PS3 games should be 40 dollars for lack of rumble and same 10 year old crappy uncomfortable controller.

The Wii Remote and the X360 controller are much superior to the PS3 SIXAXIS POS.

Let me save any SDF arguements: PS3 motion sensing sucks. Sony has tweaked the controller here and there for all its past consoles but it still sucks because its uncomfortable, especially for FPS games. If you dont believe me, google all the PS3 SIXAXIS hands-on impressions from E3. The guy demoing that PS3 motion sensing for WarHawk at E3 seemed like he was having a seizure cuz the SIXAXIS control was terrible. Rumble has been the standard for the last 10 years and games like MGS4 and GT, which rely on rumble for gameplay are going to suck on the PS3. Imagine playing GT and when your car gets off track you dont feel anything. Imagine playing MGS4 without the rumble feature present in past MGS games which was crucial to gameplay.

SDF go nuts.

BlindsideDork: "Well it seems like you should report it since you are reporting this is true."

I suggest you do yourself a favor, invest in a dictionary, and look up the definition for the word "rumor." You're just making yourself look silly.

Nintendo touted the low, low cost of development for the Wii ...well, this is BS..they are using GC dev kits and GC game assets ...the savings are being kept as profits by Nintendo and developers ...where are the real saving to the consumer? NONE..

EB and Gamespot have had Wii games (like Smash Bros) marked at $59.99 since day one. This is the first week I've noticed the change down to $49.99. My guess? They finally caught wind of people being bothered by it and decided to update the information.

Richard, and others,

Nintendo said their games would be 49.99 and under. They didn't say all games will be 49.99. And games with low dev. costs will be less expensive. Think of all the time and effort that went into LOZ. That game was not cheap to make. Look at all the XBOX and PS2 games still coming out that go for 49.99. Why should Wii games be cheaper than XBOX and PS2 games?

Games like Wii Sports would probably go for 19.99 or 29.99 (ie the games that are marketed toward the general public) just like games like brain age and big brain academy were 19.99 on DS when Nintendo prices most of their games 34.99.

Yes just because Nintendo wants to get other groups into gaming, doesn't mean they are going to leave out gamers by not providing huge expensive games like LOZ, Metroid, Mario, Smash Brothers, etc...

Futureshop in Canada seems to be listing the Wii games at $69.99 Canadian, which would be $59.99 American.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/class.asp?logon=&langid=EN&catid=24294

Once again bad info spreads faster than the real thing. Just cam eback from EB for my pre-order and the game list they gave out CONFIRMS no launch games are more than $49.99, with a couple actually less. This site needs to stop spreading every rumor some 13 yr old posts.

"they are using GC dev kits and GC game assets ...the savings are being kept as profits by Nintendo and developers"

1. You're an idiot. They used GC dev kits for initial development until the hardware was finalized. Everyone is using a Wii devkit now.

2. If savings are kept by the developers, doesn't that mean developers stand to make more profit per unit sold on Wii vs. 360 or PS3? That being the case, doesn't that mean that developers will flock to support wii due to more profit potential, especially after it sells out this christmas?

This guys comment hits the nail on the head! I liked it soo much I had to repost it.

"21. your a bunch of morons if you think the wii games will have more features and content than 360 and ps3 games. dont compare ea games becase ea is the devil and should be shut down for ripping us off with madden and live. the games should be lower because of the piss poor resolution(480p) and the graphics are 5 years old. if the wii graphics look just ok now how will they look towards the end of its 4-5 year cycle? Sure the wii might be fun(first party only...youll see), but anyone who plans on owning it as their only system is loosing out on "true next gen" gaming. a new control method on a 5 year old system does make next gen so shut up.

Posted at 9:39AM on Oct 13th 2006 by George"

Moron, the only thing the wii can't do that the others can is HD graphics. And I wouldn't be suprised if that changed in the future. It has the same amount of space (for content) as a 360 has.

Additionally, wii gives you something that neither of the other two consoles can, a new experience in gameplay.

BTW, see my response to george. i'll repost it here for you:

"George, a new control method is the only thing "next-gen" about any of these consoles. I've had the kind of graphics and AI you'll see on the 360 and PS3 for years, on my PC. I even use a ps2/360 gamepad on PC. The only system doing things that CAN"T be done on other systems right now is Wii.

You are a blinded sony fanbot. Go wash your eyes in the mud, and maybe God will give you sight."

Now go away.

"1. You're an idiot. They used GC dev kits for initial development until the hardware was finalized. Everyone is using a Wii devkit now."

Why would you call me an idiot? You dont even know me? You must be 10 years old posting from your parent's basement.

"2. If savings are kept by the developers, doesn't that mean developers stand to make more profit per unit sold on Wii vs. 360 or PS3? That being the case, doesn't that mean that developers will flock to support wii due to more profit potential, especially after it sells out this christmas?"

Nahh..aside from first party games, Wii releases will always be compared to the current gen. offerings (PS3 and 360)... and Wii games will always be considered last gen (this will become MUCH more apparent a year from now). This limits how much a developer can charge for the game; eg. when SNES came out..you couldnt charge SNES prices for NES games. ..like i said this will be very apparent a year from now if not sooner.

Soo, although development is cheaper..its still not cheap (red steal is 12+ million) and you can never charge as much for the game as PS3 or 360 games because people will laugh at you.

After this intital launch, the most profitable Wii games will of the gimmcky, casual party type games that are 'FUN FUN FUN" and where graphics dont matter. How many party games do you need?

Oblivion will always look better on PC that it does/will on console. I've had HD graphics on my PC since XGA became standard, what 10 years ago? My dual core Athlon combined with a powerful GFX card (pick your ATI/Nvidia favorite) is as capable or more capable than the 360 and PS3 for physics. And if not, I can upgrade my rig with a physics only card. Does the 360 have one of those? How about the PS3? Didn't think so. PC's will ALWAYS be more capable than consoles.

You say PC's follow consoles? You have that backwards. Consoles might be cutting edge for about a month after their release, but after that PC tech has already outstripped it. See the upcoming Intel and AMD quad core chips, and the reported 80 core chip Intel has in prototype stages.

The PS3 is already obsolete. So is the 360. The difference is, when my PC goes obsolete, I can buy one part to bring it back to current. The single most expensive part to buy on a PC is the video card, and you can get one near top of the line for $350. A midrange card costs half that, and is usually more than enough to run all the software at "HD" resolutions. Console gamers have to wait for the next gen.

I'll go back to my original point. The only thing a PC can't do that consoles can (and only 1 console can) is true 3d motion controlling with a widely adopted software base. Thus, wii is the only true next gen console. See my blog on myspace for my argument about the current state of consoles and their respective positions as far as generation and paradigm shift go.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=104848566

Okay...I'll bite with a little sarcasm here for any of you new to blogging.

How to Write a Good Post:

"your a bunch of morons if you think the wii games will have more features and content than 360 and ps3 games."

- Here we show that it's important to insult those whose opinions are different from you. Also, one should try and twist others words around since no one actually said that they expected all Wii games to have additional content, only that one game is confirmed to.

"dont compare ea games becase ea is the devil and should be shut down for ripping us off with madden and live."

- If a company can be considered 'evil', they should be taken out of all dicussions. Even if they are one of the largest video game companies in the world, they're evil. Of course, this also means that Microsoft and Sony should be removed from all discussions.

"the games should be lower because of the piss poor resolution(480p) and the graphics are 5 years old. if the wii graphics look just ok now how will they look towards the end of its 4-5 year cycle? Sure the wii might be fun(first party only...youll see), but anyone who plans on owning it as their only system is loosing out on "true next gen" gaming. a new control method on a 5 year old system does make next gen so shut up. "

- Remember that as a poster, you are 'God' and can ignore facts. Even though the Wii has a brand new processer and GPU, we all need to remember that it's still just a 'Gamecube'. The Next-Gen war has nothing to do with Joe Public and what THEY consider "True Next-Gen" because you are 'God' and does anyone else's opinion even matter?


-Lastly, remember that the best posts don't provide any insightful information or even informed opinions, they should only serve to insult, deride, and confuse other posters on the Blog. So I suppose TIF is right, the post really 'Hit the Nail on the Head'.

chrono: no one wants to see your blog

Have fun upgrading your system every 6 months. Other people just want to put in a disc and knows that it works; today and 5 years from now.

And, the Wiimote is not a 3d sensing remote; its an onscreen pointer and has motion sensors .. combine the two and you have a quasi 3d type interface..but, you're dreaming if you think its a 3d controller. Oherwise RedSteel would be freestyle, one-to-one mapping of wiimote to onscreen gun/sword...its not.

49.99 should be the cap for all games. PC games can stay at this price point and there are a zillion different configured pc's out there.

59.99 is just riduculous. PC games are the way to go and MAME for my fill of retro gaming.

This last round of console wars just may destroy the market. This same thing happened with Colecovision, Atari, Commodore until the famicom (Nintendo) came on the scene.

Nintendo's system seems to make the most sense as far as price (for the console) the 49.99 cap is a bit high though for the Nintendo games; especially when you have most pc games @ 19.99 - 39.99 and 49.99 for the newly released titles.

Microsoft is out of their mind with 59.99 and above for games and 5.00 - 10.00 for retro games with xbox live arcade. The subscription to Xbox Live should allow you to play all the titles with no extra charges. What's to stop anyone from going to gametap etc... or just using MAME tht will work on their pc or laptops?

I'll be the first to thank Microsoft and Sony for Killing the market this time around! Let's hope history repeats itself; Nintendo is the glimmer of hope but the PC platform that started all this (online gaming, extra maps, characters, expansion packs, retro gaming etc...) is here to stay!

"Oherwise RedSteel would be freestyle, one-to-one mapping of wiimote to onscreen gun/sword...its not."

Red Steel now has the option of freestyle. Its been added since E3, when everyone was bitching about it not being there. Check out the developer blog. Everyone in the know about the controllers capabilities have said 1 to 1 controls are possible with Wiimote.

And I do have fun upgrading my system. I've never run into the problem where I put a disk in and it doesn't work. Ever.

And its "crono".

where the heck is the post about the Wii pre-order...?

I was 5th in line... and they only took 7 of us. This was the Gamestop on Street Rd... the one on Cottman Ave told me the night before that they'd take over 30 pre-orders. So why only 7 at the other one..?

Supposedly they received an email last night confirming they could sell pre-orders the following morning... but could only take a limited supply.

About 10 people behind me in line were turned away...

anyone else have wii pre-order tales to tell...?

"Red Steel now has the option of freestyle. Its been added since E3, when everyone was bitching about it not being there. Check out the developer blog. Everyone in the know about the controllers capabilities have said 1 to 1 controls are possible with Wiimote."

No it doesnt; the gun animation is determined by the location of the on screen cursor; like any other FPS. If you point the wiimote at yourself; does the onscreen gun do the same? NO. If you spin the wiimote on the floor, does the onscreen gun do the same? NO. Its not 1-1 mapping. Tilting the gun side ways with the wiimote is part of that quasi-3d control i was talking about ... it aint 3d.

The sword play is all gesture input; draw an x to do this type of slash..draw a T do this ...etc..

Wiimote: Full 3D movement. BS look up the definition.

PS3 controller: Sixaxis. BS look up what six axis is.

They say the controllers have these technical specs because the average person don't understand the true definition. Easy way to sell to the general public.