X

Amazon cancels £200 Nintendo Wii U July pre-orders

Amazon seems to have slipped up with its ambitious pre-orders for Nintendo's next console.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
See full bio
Joe Svetlik
2 min read

When Amazon listed the Nintendo Wii U as costing £199 with a UK release pencilled in for 14 July, it certainly sounded too good to be true. It now appears the retailer has scrapped the listing, and is refunding anyone who laid down their cash, MCV reports.

The release seemed wildly optimistic. Nintendo showed off the next generation console at games show E3, with an autumn release expected. I'm think sometime between October and December sounds like a realistic estimate for the actual release.

And the price? Nintendo does traditionally offer its consoles cheaper than others, though that touchscreen controller could well bump up the price. The company had to drop the price of its 3DS handheld to kickstart sales, so hopefully it'll be able to stay under the £200 mark for the Wii U. But my guess is somewhere nearer £250-280

ShopTo has also opened pre-orders for the console, with an estimated price of £279.99 for both the white and black versions. But the price is subject to change, as the disclaimer makes clear, and there's no release date given. It sounds very much like it's reading the tea leaves on this one.

Nikkei estimated the Wii U would sell for £250 in Japan, although Nintendo stayed mum at E3 concerning the price.

Reception of the Wii U at E3 was mixed to say the least. CNET's own Luke Westaway for one is sceptical about how things will pan out for Nintendo's console, predicting troublesome games development and knock-on negative effects from the shrinking of the casual gaming market that made the Wii such a success.

Certainly Microsoft's Kinect has outdone Nintendo's consoles technologically, and mobiles seem to be catering quite nicely for those in search of a quick gaming fix. But this is Nintendo, and it always pulls out a stellar launch line-up. The mere mention of a new Mario game is enough to have fanboys salivating.

Are you excited about the Wii U? How much would you pay for one? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.