$99 Wii and 3rd-party gaming is Nintendo's salvation suggests EA boss

Nintendo should slash the Wii sticker price to $99 and watch sales of the console "explode", according to EA CEO John Riccitiello. Talking to Industry Gamers, the studio head pointed to "tapered" sales of the Nintendo console over the past two years, in part blaming the company's unstinting focus on its own games franchises to the detriment of third-party developers.

Describing the Japanese firm as "unique in the world," Riccitiello suggested that Nintendo's main appeal could also be one of its major shortcomings: "first-party hardware, first-party content is what makes them great" he claims, "they start the morning thinking what's best for their own intellectual property."

Currently the Wii retails for around $199.99 with a games bundle in the US. Despite the calls for price reductions, Nintendo sold 1.5m consoles over the recent Black Friday weekend.

[via The Escapist]