7-11 contest divulges Wii price at $299?
News via gamespot
Source: The contest rules and regulations for a new 7-11 giveaway by way of Nintendo fan site Infendo.
The official story: See below.
What we heard: Gamers slurping down Big Gulps, Big Bites, or other economy-sized junk food may have noticed something peculiar at their local 7-11. The convenience chain is giving away 711 Nintendo Wiis as part of a promotion with its Slurpee frozen drinks.
Checking out the contest's official rules and regulations is likely to induce gamers to do their own big gulp. In the list of prizes and their values, the site shows the Wii as having an ARV (approximate retail value) of $299.99, or CA$399.99.
"November 1, 2006 through January 31, 2007 the following Instant Prizes will be available to be won: (711) Nintendo Wii, ARV: $299.99 USD ($399.99 CDN) each..."
Nintendo hasn't yet released an official price for the system, but it has gone on record as saying the system would sell for less than $250. In dealing with a contest such as this, it would seem that a committed partnership would be intact, and the lines of communication would be open. To grossly misquote a price by 20 percent seems a bit odd.
Infendo goes on to speculate that the Wii that 7-11 is giving away may actually be a package deal, bundled with a game. While that makes sense, it's unlikely. Contest rules and regulations have to be airtight, with prizes and rules written out plainly.
The other prizes in the contest appear to be spot-on with their "approximate retail value," including the 512MB iPod Shuffle at $69. Could Nintendo be planning on raising the price of the system now that it appears to be a hot-ticket item? Unlikely. The sub-$250 price announcement was made after E3, when the Wii's buzz swelled into mainstream media. Putting the console at just under $300 would cause an uproar among gamers.
It's almost certain that the Wii will come in under $250, lest Nintendo would feel the wrath of bitter consumers. The likely scenario can be summed up by a line from the chain-gang supervisor in Cool Hand Luke. "What we have here is a failure to communicate." Nintendo may have just suffered a case of brain freeze and didn't get the proper information to 7-11's corporate office.
Attempts to reach Nintendo for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.
Bogus or not bogus?: A Wii for $299? Likely bogus--7-11 is probably just inflating the total ARV of the contest's prizes.
