Pachter: Wii ‘lacks a sales catalyst’, needs price cut

Industry analyst and macho man Michael Pachter has made his bi-monthly declaration that the Wii needs a price cut. Claiming that games like Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M aren’t big enough system sellers, the wiry fox believes that Nintendo needs to stimulate the market with a bargain. 

 “I still think that the Wii as a hardware SKU lacks catalysts,” explains Pachter. “I can’t imagine Super Mario Galaxy 2 or Metroid Other M as system-sellers, any more than I would expect Halo Reach or SOCOM to be. The hardcore Wii audience already has a Wii console, so these game launches aren’t likely to be catalysts. This far into the cycle, the only thing that really gets consoles moving is price cuts, and Nintendo was reluctant to cut price last year.

“We saw declines in sales of Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board and Wii Play, suggesting that demand for the Wii and its products is on the decline. So as far as I can see, unless Nintendo decides to cut price, there is not much of a catalyst coming. I don’t see the Wii Vitality Sensor driving sales, but I suppose I could be wrong. I often am …”

I recently picked up a Wii, but it actually took a month to locate one. This far into any console’s life cycle, waiting a month to buy a system is f*cking ridiculous. The Wii itself is a catalyst, it hasn’t needed any single game to maintain its popularity and I think Nintendo is still doing just fine. When you actually get out of the armchair and go look at the real world, you’ll see that Nintendo is maintaining an absurd stranglehold, whether you like the fact or not. 

Also, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, anybody?

Pachter’s Podium: Super Mario Galaxy 2, Halo Reach Not System Sellers [Industry Gamers]