Wii Points now Nintendo Points
You may have noticed recently that the price of Wii points cards has gone up, and that they’re no longer called Wii points if you buy them retail.
Originally announced at this years GDC, the newly branded Nintendo points were introduced because of the new Nintendo DSi shop which allows DSi owners to download games.
A new 2000 points card has replaced the old that retailed around £14.99. The RRP is now £24.99, however they’re currently retailing around £17.99. Two new cards have been introduced, a 1000 points card (RRP £14.99\available for £9.99) and a 3000 points card (RRP £34.99\available for £27.99).
A price increase was probably inevitable since the announced console increase. Nintendo points are after all a currency and need to change with the economy. However prices for buying points directly from the Wii Shop channel haven’t changed, no news yet on whether these prices will follow suit.
Other than the RRP the price increase is actually pretty small, but the question is, will it make it more or less likely that you’ll purchase points at retail?
Definitely not buying points at retail for that price. I did mail Nintendo about rumoured price rises based upon retailers showing prices for the new cards and was told they had no plans to increase the price of points online. If the price was to go up to match that on the cards then £1=$1=100yen=100points which isn’t right since the £ may have lost value against the yen and the US$, but it’s still around £1=US$1.40=140yen so we’re paying what we should be online for points as far as I can see.
I often wondered why you were able to get 2000 point cards in the region of £14, and in the case of Tesco online, £11.98, when the cost of buying 2000 points through the Wii Shop channel was £14. The cards came in a Wii game box with a couple of booklets including an instruction booklet (why this was necessary I’ve no idea), a card cut-out of a Wii disc, a label in the outside cover and the Wii points card itself. These individually were made in Japan or elsewhere, then shipped to Germany where they were assembled and then shipped to individual shops. For all this extra expense I am really surprised that Nintendo were not already charging £19.99. After all, overheads must be minimal for the electronic points via the shop channel, and therefore the profit margin on these much larger than on the points cards.
Have to say that with this price increase I’ll not be buying from the wii shop anymore.
£24.99 rrp for 200 points makes an N64 game £12.50 - no thanks.
Will see how many old style cards I can get my hands on quick smart.
I’ve never bought a points card. Always purchased points direct from the Wii Shop Channel, where it has always been £7 per 1000 points.
Just ONCE (after Xmas) I purchased 2 2000 points cards for a tenner each after a tip off in our bargain bin. Can’t remember which website it was, but that truly was a bargain! (these cards did NOT come in game boxes, but in cardboard sleeves - why don’t they do that all the time?)
Definitely stick to buying them direct from the shop channel, people.
It was DVD.co.uk
While researching I found lots of people saying there was too much packaging, but I thought the card packaging was too much as well. Some tough plastic wrapping and a card would be enough.
The packaging was changed awhile back. The last time I bought a points card was at GAME using some trade-in credit and it game in a cardboard sleeve about the size of a CD.
With the climate as it is over the world. How can Nintendo warrant this rise?.
I went to the Wii shop.
1000 points £7-00
3000 points £21-00
5000 points £32-00
So they have gone down on line.
That’s the same price as they were before, the Wii Shop Channel hasn’t changed. It could possibly have something to do with the DSi. Retail cards can be used for both the Wii and the DSi, points bought from the Shop Channel can only be used on the Wii.
Maybe there was a problem with pricing the DSi games at the Wii Points cost, and they’re making up for a loss by increasing the cost of the cards?
i don’t no where could i’ll find wii points card
I think the price increase is terrible. Why pay £14.99 for 1000 points and only get 1 or 2 old games, which you can’t even use on another wii? When you can buy a second hand wii game (eg Resident Evil 4) for £9.99 from places likes gamestation? At least that game will be yours to keep and use on other wiis. And as for the shop channel, can you still only use credit cards? Not everybody has a credit card, but most have a debit card! come on Nintendo, either let people use a debit card or drop the actual price of the shop channel games!
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