A comparison of Nintendo console launch prices

by Steve

How much did your favorite console cost?

With all the guessing games about the price of the Wii U and what will come in the box, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at the launch prices for all of Nintendo's home consoles, along with a listing of what came bundled with each system.


All prices given are for North America. Note that the NES was available in two bundles. Nintendo is rumored to be considering different bundles for the launch of the Wii U.

NES Control Deck - $199.99
-Console
-Two controllers
-Super Mario Bros.

NES Deluxe Set - $249.99
-Console
-Two controllers
-NES Zapper
-R.O.B. the Robot
-Gyromite and Duck Hunt (separate cartridges)


There were 18 titles available at launch, and most of them are actually not all that great. Super Mario Bros. was the only one that really had lasting appeal, and it was included in one of the bundles. A sweet deal if I ever saw one. While the console's launch lineup was somewhat weak, as the months went by, the NES library grew, and many of its games are still regarded as the best of all time.

SNES - $199.99
-Console
-Two controllers
-Super Mario World






The Super Nintendo was a pretty good deal. You got two controllers and an amazing free game. Super Mario World is arguably the best of the classic 2D Marios, and it was standard issue in every box. The SNES was a bargain, any way you look at it.

If you weren't a big fan of Mario, there were only four other launch titles: F-Zero, Pilotwings, Gradius II, and Sim City. Not a whole lot, but the list is short and sweet. Here's hoping F-Zero will find its way to the Virtual Console someday.

Nintendo 64 - $199.99
-Console
-One controller
-No game






The N64 did surprisingly well, given the high price point in relation to what was in the box. Getting only a single controller with no game included was very disappointing. Worse yet, there were only 2 games available immediately at launch - Super Mario 64, and Pilotwings 64. The N64 wasn't really a bargain, but to many, the initial price was well worth it to enjoy the plumber's mind-blowing first 3D platformer. Pilotwings 64 was also a lot of fun, but it wasn't a must-have game. While its initial offerings were somewhat limited, the Nintendo 64 had its fair share of hits, and $199.99 turned out to be reasonable as the system delivered some of the greatest games ever made.

Nintendo GameCube - $199.99
-Console
-One controller
-No game








The GameCube was pretty much the same as the Nintendo 64 in terms of value. Just the console and a controller for $199.99. You had to supply your own games, so it was a bare-minimum $250 system. The launch lineup was longer than that of the Nintendo 64 with 12 launch titles, but there wasn't a must-have title available immediately at release. Gamers would have to wait a few weeks for the system's killer title to arrive. The name of this title? Super Smash Bros. Melee. Worth every penny.

Wii - $249.99
-Console
-One Wii Remote with Nunchuk
-Wii Sports

The Wii might have had a $249.99 price tag, but it was more like $300 as the pack-in title was meant to be played with at least one other gamer. Sure, you could pass the controller around for some of the games, but really, you needed an extra Wii Remote to go with it. When all was said and done, it was a $300 console.

As for launch games, there were a total of 20 retail titles (not counting Wii Sports). The list was pretty long for a Nintendo console, but it was definitely a mixed bag. Ubisoft's much-hyped Red Steel turned out to be underwhelming, but The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess more than made up for it. As great as Zelda was, Wii Sports was truly the system's killer app, and for many people, it was the game that made the system worth buying. In fact, it turned out to be the only game many people were interested in.

I should also point out that there were 12 Virtual Console titles available at launch, so as soon as you had your network connection up and running, you could take your pick from some mostly-great games. The original Zelda and a 480p version of the masterful Super Mario 64 could be downloaded for cheap, allowing older gamers to relive their childhoods while introducing their own children to the classics they grew up with. No good games on the Wii? Nonsense.







Wii U - ???
-?
-?
-?




The Wii U's launch lineup is being touted as lackluster, but in comparison to past Nintendo consoles, it's relatively long and does have some blockbusters, even if they are a year or two old. As for whether or not the launch price is reasonable, we'll just have to wait and see. In roughly one and a half weeks, we will finally be able to fill in the blanks. Hang in there guys.


Notice: I have edited the NES section. Nintendo had a trial run for the console in New York City before it was released nationwide, which has led to many errors in video game history books. It appears Super Mario Bros. may not have been available at launch, and even the number of NES launch games is disputed. I was unable to find definitive answers. For more info, read this article:

"Sad but true, we can't say for sure when Super Mario Bros. launched" - Frank Cifaldi, Gamasutra.com
Published March 28th, 2012.



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All images from Wikipedia. Stack of Nintendo consoles image created by Wikipedia user Wuffyz.
Images used under Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.