General Nintendo sales/business discussion topic (previously: The Wii U Thread)

[Blue Blood]

Zavvi and The Hut have knocked their prices down a notch. They now have the cheapest UK prices for all three variations.

Zavvi

Basic: £229.99

Premium: £274.99

Premium ZombiU bundle: £299.99

You can get an extra 5% discount if you use a referrer code for you first order with Zavvi! The catch? You have to make a new account. And I suggest you use a different address and card if possible. With it you can get the Premium Pack for £261.24.

Because of how expensive this is turning out to be, I think I'm going to pass on Rayman Legends for the time being and just stick with NSMBU and Nintendo Land. I'll get the ASRT Limited Edition pretty much ASAP, but I just need SEGA to will clarify the European release for it on Wii U. Rayman will likely get a price cut after a few months, but NSMBU won't.

Edited September 17, 2012 by Blue Blood

[Badnik Mechanic]

Thing with Zavvi, Zavvi is amazingly cheap, and they're pretty good, I've only ever had one order go wrong... in my favour, they sent me 2 copies of Arkham City when I only ordered and was charged for 1.

However, Zavvi do this thing called 'Mega Monday' They've done it every monday since... since they first went online. Mega Mondays are basically an epic sale on tons of stuff, and we're not talking about old stuff either. Often I've been able to snag new games for less than half price what I'd have to pay at retail.

And you know what I've noticed? They include consoles in this too, including pre-orders. Chances are Zavvi will also heavilly discount the Wii-U in the run up to it, or when it's released if you can wait a week or two after it comes out. They did it with the Vita, the 3DS, both lite, and XL and they often do it with other forms of hardware too.

Zavvi are definate ones to watch out for. Oh and, sign up for their newsletters, usually you get a 'you havn't ordered for a while.. here is a 10% off code' if you don't order for a month or two.

Edit: In fact I've just checked, that price on Zavvi is their Mega monday offer, chances are it'll go up come tuesday... but it'll definately go down again come next monday.

[Detective Shadzter]

I'm hoping Sainsbury's will cut the price pretty cheap on launch day, I'm the second name on my wife's discount card, so I'll already get 10% off or maybe more if they increase it to 15-20% for Christmas.

[The Kid]

Based on the probable manufacturing cost differences between the two, if one of the models is going to get dropped it would probably be the normal one.

[Thrippa]

Who's calling it a limited edition? I've only seen them listed as Basic/Deluxe - or White/ Black. Anyone calling it a 'limited edition' has misunderstood something . . . again. Which seems to be par for the course for this new Wii accessory.

[Carbo]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=491752

The built-in webkit-based internet browser for Nintendo's upcoming Wii U system will have a host of new features, including HTML5 support, Nintendo revealed last Thursday during a Japanese Nintendo Direct that aired simultaneously with the North American Wii U Preview Event. HTML5 is an up and coming web standard that is slowly being adopted by the latest browsers and websites. For example, Youtube (which Nintendo made sure to feature support for in their video demonstration) has an experimental HTML5 version for users with browsers that support it and the necessary video codecs.

However, this HTML5 support is contrasted by the Wii U browser's lack of support for Flash, the latest versions of which are also not supported in the Wii, DS, DSi, or 3DS browsers.

Nintendo also revealed that when players pause their Wii U games and access their internet browser, they will have access to images of the tv and GamePad displays from that paused game. Player-created game screenshots are already known to be used in Nintendo's MiiVerse functonality. However, many details regarding using and saving the images are still unknown. When users pause a game and access the internet browser, the software will remember the paused game's name and prepopulate search queries with it to help users look for relevant information.

Nintendo also showed video footage of other features of the browser, like tabbed browsing that lets users keep track of several web pages at the same time. The video shows another multitasking scenario where a Youtube video is opened to play on the TV screen, but the GamePad continues to browse the internet as usual even while the video continues to play. One final example is that Wii U owners can simply just browse the internet on their GamePad while the television displays regular programming.

Gamers can even simply tilt the GamePad forward or backward to automatically scroll up and down through long web pages.

[PSI Wind]

What the fuck? No updated Flash? Are you fucking serious?

[Blue Blood]

What the fuck? No updated Flash? Are you fucking serious?

Kinda makes HTML5 feel a bit pointless. Flash is eveywhere, and you can't help but notice and be annoyed by the lack of it.

[Detective Shadzter]

Retailers discuss 'phenomenal' Wii U pre-orders, Premium SKU most popular

http://www.videogame...st_popular.html

Sounds good.

This bit in particular from HMV is making me tempted to pre-order there for possible midnight fun.

"We're hopeful interest will continue building, and we're currently in discussions with Nintendo in terms of how we can best support the launch, including through the likes of midnight openings, instore samplings and demos and other activity."

[Conando]

The same thing is going on in the US. When I went to get Kirby's Dream Collection at GameStop yesterday, the guy at the desk and I were discussing the Wii U announcement. He said they ran out of pre-orders on day one.

[Wraith]

Alright, who honestly expected this thing to be such a hit? Seriously, there wasn't even that much advertisement.

[Conando]

I had an inkling, considering how the Wii hype reached Tickle Me Elmo levels in '06. I'm surprised the pre-orders are already gone, though. I thought it would take more than a day or two.

[Detective Shadzter]

Alright, who honestly expected this thing to be such a hit? Seriously, there wasn't even that much advertisement.

Stores have been advertising it and hyping it up for a long while before Nintendo announced launch details. Stores started taking pre-orders a few weeks before those details were announced. Anyway, I think it's the way Nintendo goes and announces these things long in advance and then drip feeds info every few months that drives people crazy and keeps the excitement going.

EDIT:

Oh, and it's coming off the back of the Wii's success. The Bayonetta 2 thing caused some free advertising online, too.

[Carbo]

What the fuck? No updated Flash? Are you fucking serious?

Flash is an obsolete format that's laggy, buggy and very unwieldy. It's dying out now that most websites are starting to support HTML5, and there's no reason to use it nowadays.

[Scar]

Flash is an obsolete format that's laggy, buggy and very unwieldy. It's dying out now that most websites are starting to support HTML5, and there's no reason to use it nowadays.

[Doctor MK]

This has been causing a bit of controversy today...

Hilariously bad British tabloid The Sun gives 5 reasons NOT to buy a Wii U

And in retaliation, NintendoGamer has published an article countering The Sun's claims. I think it's fair to say that from the "numchucks" comment alone, The Sun's article is pretty craptacular. They'll cost 340, will they? 340 what exactly?

Forget numchucks, The Sun is just full of numbskulls.

[Solly]

Forget numchucks, The Sun is just full of numbskulls.

To quote Jerry Seinfeld: “People who read the tabloids deserve to be lied to.”

[-blank-]

I would not take The Sun seriously. Just sayin'

[Cola]

Geez, I'm really worried.

I haven't preordered yet, and I don't know where to.

[Detective Shadzter]

Grainger Games

Basic: £258.99

Premium: £298.99

Premium ZombiU bundle: £328.99

Woolworths

Basic: £249.00

Premium: £299.00

[Solly]

Geez, I'm really worried.

I haven't preordered yet, and I don't know where to.

Sometimes they stock more systems at launch than what was pre-ordered. Other times they have a second round of pre-orders. I'm sure you'll get one if you keep looking.

[SonicHOG]

I really don't know what to tell you, Cola. Apparently, Wal-Mart's site is the only place that still has them (as part of a bundle, but it seems to be the only way at the moment). =/

EDIT: Or take Solly's advice. ^^;

Edited September 17, 2012 by SonHOG

[Conando]

Keep at it, sometimes manufacturers increase the amount they're going to send to suppliers. There could be a second round of pre-orders, and some stores WILL get non pre-order units, they can't actually sell every bit of stock as a pre-order. If you're worried, there is Walmart selling bundles but, if you want to wait and keep looking it's possible you can find something. My problem, with the Wii, was that I wasn't diligent with my search before launch.

Edited September 17, 2012 by King Of Awesome

[The Kid]

Keep at it, sometimes manufacturers increase the amount they're going to send to suppliers. There could be a second round of pre-orders, and some stores WILL get non pre-order units, they can't actually sell every bit of stock as a pre-order. If you're worried, there is Walmart selling bundles but, if you want to wait and keep looking it's possible you can find something. My problem, with the Wii, was that I wasn't diligent with my search before launch.

Or you could do what I did with the Wii, and completely blow it off until the night before, stay up late, and wait in front of a Wal-Mart at 3 am.

Good times...

[Blue Blood]

Grainger Games

Basic: £258.99

Premium: £298.99

Premium ZombiU bundle: £328.99

Woolworths

Basic: £249.00

Premium: £299.00

Gosh, these prices are so much more than Zavvi and their Mega Monday. Right now they're almost 40 quid better than everyone else. That's a whole games worth.