US Wii sales set for sixth month of decline

Sales of the Nintendo Wii in the US are likely to continue to decline in September while rival consoles from Sony and Microsoft enjoy the benefits of the newly implemented price cuts, according to industry analyst Michael Pachter.

Wii sales were 227,400 during August, down 39 per cent year-on-year, and the downward spiral is set to continue next month, unless Nintendo offers fresh deals or lower prices to consumers.

"With the core PS3 and Xbox 360 models priced only USD 50 higher than the Wii, we expect year-over-year sales of Wii hardware to continue their annual declines until the company either changes its bundle or lowers price," said Pachter.

"Wii unit sales are 50 per cent below last year’s level over the last five months, and we think that September sales will repeat the pattern."

With no price cut on the Wii, the console is likely to suffer from "price fatigue" said Pachter, the same problem that had been restricting Sony and Microsoft's sales in the region until recent price cuts.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...nth-of-decline