Nintendo cuts Wii price, offers cheaper game set

[May 05, 2011]  REDMOND, Wash. (AP) -- Nintendo is dropping the price of its Wii game system by $50 to $150 and introducing a new line of cheaper Wii games.

Starting May 15, the newly priced Wii system will come in either black or white with a "Mario Kart Wii" game and a Wii Wheel accessory, replacing the previously included "Wii Sports" and "Wii Sports Resort" games.

The price cut -- the second one since the Wii launched for $250 in 2006 -- comes less than a month after the Japanese company announced the console will have a successor next year. Nintendo Co. said in late April it will show off a playable model of the new system at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, which runs June 7-9 in Los Angeles.

The company said Wednesday that the "Nintendo Selects" collection of games will come with a suggested retail price of $20. The four games include "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess," "Animal Crossing: City Folk," "Mario Super Sluggers and Wii Sports." It's the first time "Wii Sports" will be sold separately rather than packaged with the Wii.

The Wii redefined gaming when it launched nearly five years ago, expanding video game audience by offering intuitive motion controllers instead of complex buttons. But the Wii isn't as technologically powerful as its counterparts from Sony and Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Unlike those two, it doesn't offer high-definition images.

Nintendo has not given details on the capabilities of the new console.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.