Nintendo Wii News
Nintendo Wii bundle: New Year, new Costco shipment
By Stevie Smith
Dec 31, 2007, 7:29 GMT

Are you still searching for the Nintendo Wii in an attempt to appease the need of sobbing offspring as the seasonal sales surge finally begins to subside? If so, then you may want to scamper hurriedly over to the nearest Costco outlet where you might just be lucky enough to curb the sobs of (spoilt) little Johnny thanks to a fresh shipment of sexy Wii bundles.

According to a reader of videogame blog Kotaku, who sent in the above snapshot by way of proof, Costco’s latest tantalising Wii bundle includes the Wii itself, an extra Wii Remote and Nunchuk controller, and also a copy of popular edutainment title Big Brain Academy. And, all of this can be yours for a mere $345 USD, which is around $95 USD more than the standard $250 USD that the standard issue Wii usually retails for.

While news of this new bundle shipment will probably provoke a mini-stampede of consumer interest that sees Costco stores swamped by a flurry of post-Christmas spending, it might also ruffle Nintendo’s corporate feathers somewhat in light of recent comments it issued regarding retailers and Wii bundles.

"Retailers have already been given feedback that we are not big fans of that [Wii bundles]," outlined Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime in a recent Reuters report.

In terms of regular pricing at retail, the Nintendo Wii easily stands out as the most consumer-friendly option when placed against rival videogame hardware on offer from Microsoft (Xbox 360) and Sony (PlayStation 3). However, Fils-Aime believes that inflated prices attached to bundle offers hurts the Wii’s placement.

"We think it masks some of the price advantage we have versus our competition and, frankly, the consumer should decide what they want," he added.

When asked whether retailers selling Wii bundles had been threatened with fewer shipments, Fils-Aime offered that Nintendo does not need to remind retailers of the market strength it is currently enjoying, and that the company is "simply making an observation that reinforces our point quite nicely with retailers."

Threats or reinforced observations aside, Costco clearly isn’t paying much attention to Nintendo’s bundle guidelines – which is something likely to be mirrored by those fevered consumers presently strapping on riot gear before heading out the door to once again compete for a unit of Wii.