Nintendo Announces Red, Will See Green This Holiday Season

Okay, so once I got over the initial lust for the little red console, I noticed little nuances that I know will have no bearing on what actually will happen in real life, but I thought worth mentioning.

New Wii-mote   Fling Smash bundle

First, we start with the most obvious: the new Wii-mote. Almost four years after the original launch, the consumers will finally receive the controller they should have had all along. Yes, we've had the Wii Motion Plus add-on for a while now, but that made the Wii-mote too long and oddly weighted. If I didn't already have four Wii-motes, I would want to purchase a new controller just based on those size and weight issues. As an aside, Nintendo's marketing department receives another gold star by packaging the new controller in a game bundle, which will inevitably stay at the top of the NPD game charts as Wii Play once did.

DSi XL Bundle

Second, is the new DSi XL bundle. Besides being sexy and having the pre-loaded software the DSi XL currently comes with, you also have Mario Kart DS packed in. What irks me is that a month after lowering the price of the DSi XL from $189.99 to $169.99, Nintendo is increasing the price for this SKU to $179.99. I understand the increase for the cost of the game, but seriously, they didn't increase the price of the Wii bundle (more on why that was below) and simply put, this will only confuse consumers. The $10 increase is just greedy.

Wii Bundle

Lastly is the new red Wii bundle. I'll say it straight out right here: if there are still households without a Nintendo Wii, that trend is over with this. Nintendo brilliantly kept the price at the $199.99 price point, added the newly redesigned Wii-mote, made it all red and packed in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. While I still think the value you receive for the price is excellent, I immediately noticed that Wii Sports Resort is missing from the bundle. It is still packaged in with the newer black Wii bundle, but has been removed from the new red bundle. Again, you want to sell holiday bundles and reclaim your place at the top, I don't think adding your glorified Wii Motion Plus tech demo will necessarily hurt you - though I freely admit this is not does not ruffle my feathers half as much as the DSi XL price increase.

Bottom line is that Nintendo has set itself up for another solid holiday season. Relying on traditional Christmassy colors, their strategy may look red on the outside, but once again, Nintendo will be printing green.

NINTENDO ANNOUNCES RED-HOT BUNDLES, NEW WII REMOTE PLUS CONTROLLER

The Best Video Game Value for the Holidays Just Got Even Better

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 21, 2010 - Nintendo has everyone's holiday shopping list covered with an array of great new products. These include Mario™-red, limited-edition Wii™ and Nintendo DSi XL™ system bundles that celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros.™ game on the NES™ and a new Wii Remote™ Plus controller that has Wii MotionPlus™ motion technology built right in. Nintendo already offers tremendous video game value, and these products will make it even easier for shoppers to find fun at a great price. All new products go on sale in North America on Nov. 7, and the limited-edition products will be available while supplies last.

"Whether shoppers want to add a cool new look to their gaming setup or expand their supply of controllers with an exciting game, Nintendo offers a great value for the holidays," said Marc Franklin, Nintendo of America's director of Public Relations. "For anyone who is still on the fence about whether to join the world of video games, we're offering many fun, easy, economical ways to get involved."

The lineup of products launching Nov. 7 includes:

  • Red Wii Bundle: This limited-edition Wii hardware comes in beautiful red to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. game. The bundle includes New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii and a new red Wii Remote Plus controller, in addition to all the other included items, like Wii Sports™ and a red Nunchuk™ controller. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just 199.99.
  • Red Nintendo DSi XL Bundle: This special-edition Nintendo DSi XL bundle is also red in honor of the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and features three iconic Super Mario Bros.-themed graphics. The bundle comes with Mario Kart™ DS, which looks gorgeous on the extra-large screen. That's in addition to the pre-loaded software of Brain Age™ Express: Arts&Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock. It will be available while supplies last at a suggested retail price of just $179.99.
  • Wii Remote Plus: This new controller combines the original, iconic Wii Remote™ controller with built-in Wii MotionPlus functionality. The compact Wii Remote Plus controller offers players precision motion controls all in one unit. It becomes the new standard Wii controller, and will be available from now on in all Wii hardware packages and bundles, as well as sold separately at a suggested retail price of $39.99.
  • FlingSmash™ Bundle: The new Wii game combines the hands-on fun of tennis with the nonstop action and instant gratification of pinball. It requires use of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, so it seemed natural to bundle it with the new Wii Remote Plus controller. For a suggested retail price of $49.99, shoppers get to enjoy both the game and the controller in one package.

Remember that Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://wii.com or http://www.nintendodsi.com.