Nintendo and Retailers on Wiis success and outlook down under

The shopping season is heating up and retailers are tipping the Wii to be the big seller this Christmas as it continues to open up the market to casual players. Business manager for Myer, Neil Merola, had this to say “”The Wii appeals to all ages and it really opens up gaming to non-gamers. We actually see people in our stores testing it out and it is not the really young gamer who is using the PlayStation or Xbox, but Mums and Dads and their kids. More inside. With the demand for the Wii exceeding supply last year at stores, Myer says that “”What we are seeing early in the piece for our business is a real acceleration of Wii sales in recent weeks.

Director of stores at EB Games, Brad Harker, has also come out and said that “”The technology is not necessarily advanced but it is unique and highly innovative. Nintendo has looked outside the square at what is going to make people laugh and have fun – and what is going to be so easy to play,””. He continued by praising Nintendo for its impact on gaming saying “”I take my hat off to the company. They had a few years with the GameCube where sales were nowhere near where they are now but they re-evaluated and reinvented themselves creatively.

As we know, price has been an important part of the Wiis success, but even with recent price drops for the PS3 and Xbox 360, Nintendo wont be cutting prices any time soon. “”We don’t need to reduce the price because of the amount we are selling – it’s already at a price for everybody anyway,”” adding that, “”We’re not competing with Xbox 360 and PS3. Some of the other consoles really target gamers, but we’ve created our own market. We have our loyal gamers but rather than targeting one group we are providing games that everybody can play. says Nintendo’s Rose Lappin.

Source: The Age