AFP, SAN FRANCISCO, May 5: Nintendo on Wednesday said it is cutting the price of Wii consoles that introduced motion-sensing controls to the videogame industry when the system was launched in 2006.
The Wii price will be dropped $50 to $150 beginning May 15, and consoles will be bundled with "Mario Kart" game software and a steering wheel controller accessory, according to the Japanese videogame company.
Nintendo will also offer a "Selects" collection of Wii videogames at a cut price of $20 each.
Games in the collection included "The Legend of Zelda" and "Mario: Super Sluggers."
"From the day it launched, Wii has let players of all ages and experience levels have fun with one another," said Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.
"The new suggested retail pricing for both the hardware and select games will help create more of these magical moments for even greater numbers of people."
Wii consoles became market sensations after their launch and the easy-to-use motion-sensing controllers were credited with opening the world of videogames to a sea of "casual players" worldwide.
Nintendo rivals Microsoft and Sony late last year released motion-sensing controls for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (PS3) consoles, respectively.
Xbox 360 and PS3 are more powerful that the Wii, but command higher prices.
Nintendo said in April that it would release a new console next year to succeed its popular Wii.
The video game giant said the new machine would be showcased at E3 Expo in Los Angeles in June. The move comes as Nintendo has struggled to reverse its sliding fortunes in an increasingly crowded market.
Next year's new console will replace the popular Wii, which has sold 86 million units since its 2006 debut, but has seen a steady decline in recent years.
Sales of Wii hardware dropped 27 percent to 15.08 million units in the past fiscal year, with software revenue falling 11 percent.
