Nintendo Drops Wii Price In Advance of New Hardware Release

Nintendo is slashing the price of the Wii by up to $50 starting May 15, reports Gamasutra. The console will now cost $150 for a package that includes one remote and a copy of Mario Kart with steering wheel accessory. Some games will also be cheaper at $20 apiece. It was expected that Nintendo would cut the price of the Wii in order to energize weak sales ahead of a Wii successor, which will launch in 2012. This is only the second price drop for the system, which originally launched in 2006 at $250. Nintendo plans to announce specifications of the new system at E3 Expo in June.