Nintendo Wii U Price Drop Coming This September

The Nintendo Wii U is expected to drop its price by $50 starting at the end of next month.

With the new batch of next-generation consoles looming on the horizon, the company might be a little worried about getting lost in the proverbial shuffle. In order to compete with Xbox One and Playstation 4, Nintendo is slashing the price of the Wii U by $50.

Folks who have yet to drop their hard-earned cash on Nintendo’s new console will be able to pick up the machine for $299 beginning September 20. Prospective shoppers will be able to choose between the regular version of the Wii U or the new Zelda model.

Nintendo of American president and CEO Reggie Fils-Aime said the purpose of next month’s price drop is to “drive Wii U momentum.” The company is still having a hard time finding buyers for the machine. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said earlier this month that a lack of software was effectively hurting sales. Fils-Aime is looking to turn this around.

Since Nintendo has a new batch of titles just around the corner, the company is hoping the $50 price cut will convince those sitting on the fence to take a chance on the console.

“We’ve been very clear that software is what drives hardware. And we feel very good about the line-up of software for Wii U. Taking the added step to improve the value just reinforces our commitment to make sure that Wii U has a strong holiday this year and is set up to be a strong platform into the future,” Fils-Aime explained in a recent statement.

He continued, “I will also tell you that the focus on making sure that this holiday — its second holiday — is really strong is actually quite consistent with the way we’ve always thought about our hardware launches.”

The Nintendo Wii U currently has an install base of around 1.5 million. Will a batch of upcoming games and a $50 price drop convince you to pick up the company’s console?

[Image via Barone Firenze / Shutterstock.com]