I know Nintendo are including an AC Adapter in the US but in Europe and Japan the system will not include one, this is apparently to reduce costs. What if this is a test by Nintendo to see how people react to this in preparation for the Wii U launch?

We all know Nintendo has a problem on its hands with regard to Wii U pricing, they had to have a major price cut shortly after launch of the 3DS due to its perceived cost and apparent lack of games, in my mind Nintendo has addressed the games issue but now it has to deal with the price.

A great many people have commented that they will not buy a Wii U at launch if its more that $300 and many more say they won't pay over $200 yet with the expense of marketing the console, the manufacturing cost of the Gamepad as well as the system itself this may be a tall order. What if Nintendo has two SKU's, one with everything you need to play right out of the box and another which had nothing but the system itself and maybe Nintendo Land. Targeted at Wii owners the system would not contain a Wiimote or Nunchuck, AC Adapter, Sensor Bar or AV cable, it would simply come with a GamePad and Console.

Personally I know which one I would buy, I own a multitude of Wiimotes and Nunchucks, Sensor Bar, Wii AC Adapter and have more HDMI leads than I know what to do with, I could certainly go for a reduced price console that features only the bare essentials.

So what do you guys think, would you be happy paying less for a system with a few less items in the box?

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This reminds of when Nintendo didn't include the headphone jack with the GBA SP when it first released. I wouldn't buy the system if it didn't come with an AC adapter. Quit being so cheap and treat your fans with some respect Nintendo. Ridiculous.

I do find it kind of strange that Nintendo made a point of including the charging cradle for convenience sake, but the XL doesn't even come with an AC adapter.

Honestly, I wouldn't be opposed to such a bundle for the Wii U, but I can't see leaving out cables shaving that much off of the price, especially if they're the same ones that were included with the Wii. How much can those cost to manufacture?

I don't see it happening. Not for a home console, anyway.

Wait, what!? That doesn't even seem like it should be legal.

I personally wouldn't mind if this were to happen but unless the consumers are all well informed as well as the employees at the store, which obviously won't happen, this would be a bad idea. It's already pretty stupid that they're doing it with the 3DS XL. We're so used to everything being included in the box that people won't think twice about just purchasing the system only to realize that half of the required items are missing from the box.

@VofEscaflowne Yeah, I remember when I first got a PlayStation and I was surprised you needed to buy a memory card to save. Imagine how confused people would be if it came with none of the required connections.

@rebonack
Keep in mind, this is the same company that did away with the component jack on the GameCube to save a few pennies. The internetz had a meltdown when they did it too.

@WrathOfSamus777
Ha, yeah. I bought a 4:3 EDTV for the CGN because it provided the absolute best possible picture for most games, it's resolution was exactly 640x480. I was super scared that my CGN would break and I wouldn't be able to buy a new one because it wouldn't support the component cables.

But this AC adapter thing, this is just bizarre, even for Nintendo. I mean the thing simply won't work without one. I don't even want to think about all the parents who buy one of these for their kids and then they get it home and can't use it, it seems like a PR nightmare for Nintendo.

For the Wii U, I think they have to at least include a power supply, a basic composite TV cable, and the tablet controller. I really doubt they include any Wii-motes or Nun-chucks or even a sensor bar, and they certainly won't include a Pro controller.

I wonder what will happen though if people who don't own Wii's start up the system and realize that in order to play most of the games in Nintendoland that you need not only the tablet controller, but 3 Wiimotes and 3 nunchucks, that's like an extra $180, and don't forget $10 for the sensor bar!

Well at least NOA has the good sense for once to do the right thing.

Guys, this is GOOD news that Nintendo isn't inventing a new adapter to sell us for each new device and passing the cost on to us.

I LOVE the fact that I can leave one AC adapter plugged in next to my bed and plug it in to my 3DS or DSiXL depending on what I'm using at the time.

These kinds of practices give us an option that I, for one, would appreciate... if I could save 10 bucks on my 3DS XL by foregoing a charger I already have 2 of? That would be really solid of Nintendo.

As the OP touched on, I would love the same option for consoles since I already have controllers, a sensor bar, power, component cables, etc. etc.

Keep in mind, the important thing is that it is just an OPTION. You can always buy the pieces separately if you need them. And for a new console, I think it would make sense to keep the number of SKUs to a minimum.... you obviously don't want to confuse new buyers who DON'T already have all that stuff.

@NinSage No; being forced to buy something separately that's required for the system to function is stupid. It's a terrible idea and I'm glad NOA isn't going with it. It would be far worse than what happened with the Playstation requiring people to buy memory cards in order to save their data. Tons of confused people would end up having systems that can't even function as intended without making another purchase alongside it.

@X-pert74

Agreed. I especially like the 'pass the savings on to you part'. You have your head in the sand if you think that's the case. What happened is they decided to come out with this XL model at a certain price-point ($199) it was then looked at how much it costs them to ship one and they were trying to think of ways to drive that number down. Getting rid of the AC adapter (and cradle I presume) eliminates the cost of those pieces, and it decreases package size allowing more units to be shipped for less cost.

I hate shit like this. Reminds me of when Sony shipped the PS3 with composite cables and then MS goes ahead and does the same thing years later. Remember the Vita memory card fiasco?

I thought they weren't including it because it was literally too big to fit in the box? So they are selling it separately and I hear it's reallly cheap? Huh? I don't know...

@NinSage To be fair, the DSi, DSi XL, and 3DS all use the same adapter (and the GBA SP and DS phat used the same adapter), so it's not like they've never used the same adapter before. The only difference is that they're not packing it in, and I can't imagine there will be any savings. I mean, they sell the AC adapter for $10, but it doesn't cost them anywhere near that to manufacture it.

The price was the reason given by the European president during the EU Nintendo Direct I believe. I just wonder if they start packing in Wiimotes etc.. then the price will have to go up even though I own loads of them. I would like just a basics model without shit i already have, especially if it shaves a bit off the price.

Everyone in Japan alreeady has 3 adapters form buying so many DSes, no? It's apalling to us but I wonder if anyone really cares over there.

NinSage said:

Keep in mind, the important thing is that it is just an OPTION....

X-pert74 said:

@NinSage No; being forced ...

Disconnect.

@rebonack

Never said the consistent cables was new practice. Giving us the OPTION is what I'm saying is new and cool.


@Gui

Precisely.

... though I'm not appalled. But, otherwise, precisely!

@NinSage

You really think that, had they kept the AC adapter packed-in, they would be selling the 3DSXL for $210? An uneven number like that? Stephen nailed it.

@WrathOfSamus777

Those pennies eventually add up. Anyway, I think that could be a good strategy for Nintendo and the consumer since we both save money. Almost 100 million poeople already own Wii Remotes anyway.

@NinSage So you don't see anything wrong with a product being sold that does nothing without an additional purchase alongside it? A lot of people who would buy a 3DS XL don't already have a 3DS, and won't be expecting to have to purchase an AC adapter separately.

I think this will cause a lot of confusion, and probably angry parents. Mom walks into the game store and buys a 3DSXL for junior's birthday, only to realize that when he opens it he can't play it, Mom gets pissed and calls the game store she bought it from: "What do you mean it doesn't come with a charger? That's impossible, I've never in my life bought any kind of electronic gadget that doesn't include the charger!" Ignorant gamestore clerk tells the Mom: "Take a chill pill lady, our Nintendo rep told us that everyone already has like 3 DS chargers lying around and they all work with the 3DS XL, so just use the one you already have". Mom is skeptical but she goes to hunt down a charger, well it turns out Sis actually has a Nintendo DS so they're in luck, she goes to get her charger but it doesn't work... the port doesn't fit, what's wrong? Oh shit! It turns out that Sis has a DS Lite, and the DS Lite charger is different than the DS charger, which is different than the 3DS charger, which is the same as the DSi or DSi XL charger, which is the same as the 3DS XL charger, but of course different than the DS, DS Lite, GBA, or Gameboy Micro, which looks like a lot like the DS Lite charger but is black instead of gray and the female end is slightly thinner and wider. This is easy Mom why don't you know this shit! It's the gray one not the black one, no no no the light gray, not the dark gray, look at the end, is it kinda boxy? You can't tell? Well what does it say on the actual charger? It's all in chinese? What? What kind of charger is that? Hold on let me call Nintendo customer service... okay I'm on hold, no worries just wait... Junior's crying you say? He want's to play his games? Well tell him that you saved $10 on his birthday present, that will make him really happy! $10! Yeah all this grief is over $10. That's a LOT of money! Iwata said so and I agree. Well now you got to drive to the store and buy one for $10 anyway, well that's your fault, you're supposed to have a dozen of these things anyway.... OH SHIT, the store is sold out... well let's call Nintendo, turns out it's a Gamestop exclusive... yes I know this is Europe and there are no Gamestops but apparently it saves Nintendo a whole shitload of money to not put stuff in stores, or something, fuck I don't know, I'm 19!!!! But don't worry, Nintendo says you can order directly from their site, yeah it's only $10, plus $20 shipping and handling, and it will be there in 2 weeks! Sweet! Until then... just tell Junior to pretend he can see little Mario's running around on his screen, it will be fun, a pretend game, good for the old imagination!