Gamecube price drop to $99 looming

[mikeetler]

According to a post on fatwallet.com this is from the 10/7/03 Wal Mart ad.

[Raedon]

well, that WOULD sale more Gamecubes

[Achika]

This begs the question: will they be removing the "Buy a New Cube get one of these games or GB Player free"?

I see no note of it in the ad, but then, the GB player is pictured right there on "sale" too.

[mikeetler]

This begs the question: will they be removing the "Buy a New Cube get one of these games or GB Player free"?

I see no note of it in the ad, but then, the GB player is pictured right there on "sale" too.

I think the "official" end of the free game promo was the end of August but was extended indefinitely. I think Nintendo had planned a price drop after the promo ended but didn't want to make the first move.

[punkoffgirl]

Yes, yes, YES! I knew that I was blessed with that third, extra payperiod in October for a good reason, and here it is! My patience has paid off!

[Oobgarm]

This begs the question: will they be removing the "Buy a New Cube get one of these games or GB Player free"?

I see no note of it in the ad, but then, the GB player is pictured right there on "sale" too.

I believe that the "get something free" promotion ended with this month's marketing. But honestly, with that promo, weren't they already selling the system for $99?

[hezeuschrist]

This begs the question: will they be removing the "Buy a New Cube get one of these games or GB Player free"?

I see no note of it in the ad, but then, the GB player is pictured right there on "sale" too.

I believe that the "get something free" promotion ended with this month's marketing. But honestly, with that promo, weren't they already selling the system for $99?

Yes, but the stupid consumer doesn't take that into account. They see $149, with... and stop right there. Now they see $99!

[SoulBlazer]

Could'nt this just be a sale by Wal-Mart alone for a week or so?

And if the GC drops to $99, will that force Microsoft and Sony to respond?

[Duncan]

Couldn't this just be a sale by Wal-Mart alone for a week or so?

Even if it is, you can expect the rest of the competition to do the same or similar for as long as Wally's price drop lasts. Wal-Mart is just that powerful, in truth. (You could call them the "PlayStation 2" of mass-market retailing. ) And if I'm not mistaken, I believe Wal-Mart runs two-week advertised prices.

And if the GC drops to $99, will that force Microsoft and Sony to respond?

I would definitely expect the Xbox to slip to $129, but it's hard to say whether Sony would do the same. If the PS2 -- the unquestioned market leader, for Pete's sake -- does go that low, I'd begin to think twice about the health of the video game market on the whole. x_x

The same goes for the Game Boy Advance SP -- if it ever drops below, say, $79 in the next year or so, then you'll know something's wrong.

Duncan

[Lady Jaye]

There was no major price drop from Nintendo regarding the GCN. That's the kind of info I would see at work since I translate most software and hardware in-house communiqués as well as work on CompuSmart and Compucentre flyers and posters.

Of course, if there really isn't a price drop, then it means that Wal-Mart is selling the GCN at a deficit (ie. no profit) price point. You see, consoles are sold in stores almost at the same price as the cost the chains pay to the console makers.

AFAIK, Nintendo's free bundled game or Game Boy Player promo ended recently. Again, we didn't work on any updates of the poster (which was the second one since the first version didn't have the GBP listed). However, I'm sure Nintendo will have some other bundle announced (or maybe that price drop we're talking about) in time for the Christmas season.

[digitalpress]

It also seems possible that Wal-Mart is simply repackaging the GameCube and Game Boy Player combo, selling them separately and really not losing anything in the process. If the Game Boy Players are selling well then this would be a good strategy to both continue selling them AND show a price drop on the console itself.

[GrandAmChandler]

Yes, but the stupid consumer doesn't take that into account. They see $149, with... and stop right there. Now they see $99!

I agree, by dropping the price point to under a hundred dollars they will sell more. This is the main reason why I haven't bought one yet. because I can get any one of those games elsewhere for under 20 dollars (excluding GB player and Zelda WW) maybe not necessarilly new, but still in great shape!

[icbrkr]

It also seems possible that Wal-Mart is simply repackaging the GameCube and Game Boy Player combo, selling them separately and really not losing anything in the process. If the Game Boy Players are selling well then this would be a good strategy to both continue selling them AND show a price drop on the console itself.

If there's a Rollback, it usually means there's a cost reduction from the vendor. It also normally means it's a permanent price, not a 2 week sale, hence why it's on "Rollback" and not on "Sale".

As for the splitting up of items in a package, it's doubtful unless something major happened with a vendor and we decided to pull our weight and have them create a package especially for Wal-Mart. This does happen, but usually not on something like this.

Oh.. did I say We? Well given my location, I guess that sort of gives away where I work, eh?

Brian

[jaybird]

And if the GC drops to $99, will that force Microsoft and Sony to respond?

I seriously doubt either will drop their price. The last price drop, when the Xbox & PS2 went from $199 to $179, Nintendo stayed at $149 - so Nintendo's just now catching up, albeit with a bigger drop.

And sadly, I don't know if Microsoft or Sony are concerned with the GameCube anymore.

[Achika]

This begs the question: will they be removing the "Buy a New Cube get one of these games or GB Player free"?

I see no note of it in the ad, but then, the GB player is pictured right there on "sale" too.

I believe that the "get something free" promotion ended with this month's marketing. But honestly, with that promo, weren't they already selling the system for $99?

Ooops, shows how much I know. Sunday was the first day I worked since August and of course we didn't sell any cubes. Besides, I only sold one cube as a budle during the entire promotion.

[Flack]

While being somewhat of a response to the XBox/PS2 price drops, it's probably equally as much of a response to the recent news storys of developers dropping development for the Gamecube (first Acclaim, shortly followed by Eidos).

As far as marketing goes, it's a pretty good idea. I would place the Gamecube in DEEP third on my next-gen console interest list, and I've already been thinking about buying one at $99. As a huge Star Wars fan, I've been known for buying consoles just for the SW games (I still have my N64/Pod Racer package box up in the closet.

Flack

[Alex Kidd]

Wal-Mart may also see that the GameCube IS the least popular of the 3 consoles and considering not stocking it anymore...

I got my Dreamcast with Sonic Adventure, Sonic Shuffle, a controller AND VMU for only $95 bucks and 8 different games for 5 bucks each when they quit stocking the DC back in July 2001.

EDIT- By the way, thats in CDN dollars too!!

Alex Kidd

[NoahsMyBro]

I'm not looking to get any of the consoles right now, but if I was, I think the Gamecube would be my first choice. Of course, I've often had out-of-the-mainstream tastes, so I guess that figures. I loved the 5200 and the Dreamcast, almost always vote for losing candidates, worked in and loved college radio, and don't like SUVs. It stands to reason I'd like the Gamecube.

[Deathstar]

I cannot see how Nintendo is making any profit at all with this Gamecube console, how can you sell a console that cheap and make profit, let alone the money invested in the console back?

I have supported Nintendo always, but I really think they need to pick up their act if they want to be a serious competitor in the console wars.

[GrandAmChandler]

Okay, I walked into Target tonight, and stared at the console, still at $149.99 I have determined that if it does drop, it's mine. Games are pretty cheap, and I think there will be a lot of rarities in the future, I played Cubivore at a friend's house once, never seen it since.