Upon looking for a Wii at a regional Toys-R-Us store (which has been a constant effort), we happened by a very friendly, very chatty undisclosed manager. After talking to him a bit, the manager revealed a few things in light of the Wii consumer frenzy. He would go on to state that if they [the customers] would "just listen," they could get a "better system" in a few months.

A "better system?" As he would soon explain, Nintendo will be "relaunching" the Wii console sometime before or at the beginning of Spring 2007. The launch, which is said to see many different colors for the Wii system (as seen at E3), will also be accompanied by a hefty price drop from $250 to $200. For those that believe such a drop would be too radical, keep in mind Miyamoto's own statements that the original plan was to develop a system under $100. Also note that it is undetermined if the "better system" statement includes technical upgrades to the Wii, as recent rumors have suggested.

Currently, this is just word of mouth as it has yet to be confirmed by Nintendo, and no one should realistically expect any sort of confirmation until after the Holiday season (which was said to be the reason behind the original $250 tag). Though it does indeed deserve further investigation, especially considering we have yet to see the black, red and green Wiis shown off at E3, making the absence of color diversity very conspicuous during the Holidays; begging one to ask: "Why else would Nintendo hold them back?"

Many have speculated how well the Wii would do post-Holiday launch, and the idea of relaunching the system with more colors and an even cheaper price tag sounds like Nintendo's game. Coincidentally, this also coincides with Nintendo's already confirmed plan to kick-start WiiConnect24, the Wii's online service, with the release of several multi-player online games around Spring. Also coincidental (this one perhaps more unintentional), is the fact that the Halo 3 public beta test will also start around the same time.

We're not exactly chalking this one up as farce, but we've definitely called the rumor patrol in. These are still unsubstantiated claims by a source that is only human, thus not immune to misinterpretation and bad information... and even greed amidst the Holiday rush. Though as if it had to be said, the prospect of a $200 Wii and expanded color selection would be more cause for celebration among Nintendo fans.

Nintendo was unable to be reached for comment by press time.

Update #1: Wii Dissected; $158 Unit Cost - As it has been pointed out in light of recent discoveries, Nintendo could theoretically drop the price of the Wii to $200 and unbundle Wii Sports to make a profit margin for each unit that is relatively the same, albeit with more units sold, leading to the possibility of more games and accessories purchased. An interesting thought, for sure. But merely a thought.

Update #2: David Light weighs in on the latest rumor, and explains how a Wii price drop could result in MORE profit for Nintendo, not less. Check out the editorial Smarter Than The Average Console.


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