The Wii U Deluxe Set is selling quite well, and that makes Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales believe its $350 price point is just about spot on. Scott Moffitt spoke with GamesIndustry International about the console’s impending November 18 launch and how the company is trying to avoid a repeat of the Wii’s infamous holiday shortages.
“All I can say is that the response has been phenomenal and we’re getting, especially in the higher priced deluxe set, that one’s selling out incredibly quickly,” Moffitt said. “That seems to indicate that the pricing’s in a good spot and the proof is in the consumer response.”
The Wii U Deluxe Set includes a black version of the console, a copy of Nintendo Land, and 32 GB of storage, as well as access to the Digital Deluxe promotion. The basic white version of the console costs $300 and has 8 GB of storage.
Moffitt expects more consumers to be able to get their hands on Wii U consoles early, and after the initial rush he doesn’t expect shelves to remain barren for long.
“[O]n opening week we will have more systems on hand for the Wii U than we did for the launch of Wii,” Moffitt said. “And, second, our replenishments will be more frequent this holiday time than during the Wii launch.”
He noted the company cannot precisely predict demand, so shortages are certainly not out of the question, and customers who did not secure a pre-order may have to be a “little patient” as new shipments hit distribution centers.