It has been revealed that Japanese giant Nintendo will be increasing the wholesale price of a Wii in the UK by up to œ20 next month due to currency exchange rate issues. Those who follow the economy will be well aware that the rate of sterling has fallen substantially against the vast majority of leading currencies around the world as the economic health of the country continues to decline. So will UK consumers be hit with the full œ20 increase?
Unfortunately for many Nintendo Wii fans around the country it seems almost inevitable that UK retailers will pass on the full œ20 increase with the average price of a Wii expected to rise from œ179 to œ200 over the next few weeks. Even though the reasons for the increase in the price are fully justified, bearing in mind the economic situation, this will be of little consolation for games console fans who will have to dig deeper into their pockets in the future.
On a more positive note, the Nintendo Wii has been one of the most successful games consoles of all time and the massive library of games being built up is attracting more and more players every year. While initially sales may be hit when the œ20 increase is introduced it seems highly unlikely there will be any long-term damage to sales of the Wii.