REDMOND, Wash.– Nintendo is dropping the suggested retail price of its Wii system to $149.99 and including a Mario game with the Wii hardware. Starting May 15, the newly priced Wii system will come in either black or white with the Mario Kart Wii game and a matching colored Wii Wheel accessory, replacing the previously included Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort games.
Also on May 15, Nintendo is launching the new NintendoSelects collection of Wii games, a set of popular games that millions of people have already experienced, at a suggested retail price of $19.99. The four must-own games in this collection are The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folks, Mario: Super Sluggers and Wii Sports, which is available for the first time as a separate software purchase.
“From the day it launched, Wii has let players of all ages and experience levels have fun with one another,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The new suggested retail pricing for both the hardware and select games will help create more of these magical moments for even greater numbers of people.”
With Mario Kart Wii now included with the Wii hardware, players will be able to enjoy fun go-kart racing with Mario and all his Mushroom Kingdom pals right out of the box. The Wii RemotePlus controller, Nunchuk controller and Wii Wheel included in the package will all match the hardware, meaning they will be either black or white. The new black Wii Wheel will also be available separately at a suggested retail price of $9.99.
For anyone who has not picked up a Wii, this looks to be a great time to do it. Obviously this is ahead of the Project Café announcement at E3, but is definitely an affordable options for buyers looking to capture some Wii action in their living rooms. And for the ten of you who haven't played Twilight Princess (and that one guy who has been holding out for a price drop since launch) it looks like your time has arrived. Check out some boxshots below.
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