Nintendo preps for Wii U launch with $20 Wii price drop

With the release of the Wii U right around the corner, Nintendo is preparing for what will likely be their last push to clear the original Wii console from shelves by dropping the price another notch.

The black Wii console bundle will drop from $150 (UK£93, AU$146) to $130 (UK£80, AU$126) starting Oct. 28, just in time to get a few weeks of steady sales in before the Wii U drops.

The bundle comes with the black Wii console, a black Wii Remote Plus with the Nunchuk accessory, and two games: "Wii Sports" and "Wii Sports: Resort."

• Read about the new Wii Mini

This bundle will reportedly replace the bundle that came with "New Super Mario Bros. Wii," though getting two "Wii Sports" titles instead of one Mario title may not be viewed as an upgrade to some.

The Wii U approaches

Nintendo announced in September that the Wii U, the unique successor to the Wii, will launch in North America and Europe on Nov. 18 and Nov. 30, respectively.

The new console is equipped with HD graphics capabilities, which, believe it or not, is a first for a Nintendo gaming system.

More importantly, its Wii U GamePad controller is unlike any ever seen before, equipped with a large, beautiful screen that will be used for everything from in-game maps and inventory management to video playback controls.

It will even be used to play some games, like the upcoming "New Super Mario Bros. Wii U," directly, with the image from the console streaming directly to the tablet-like controller's screen.

Farewell, sweet Wii

The Wii shattered records for Nintendo over its six-year lifespan, but now it's finally time to bid farewell to the little console that somehow could.

However, with Sony and Microsoft no doubt gearing up to reveal the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 (or whatever they wind up being called), the Wii U could have an uphill battle ahead.

By the end of the Wii's lifespan in 2012, its dominance had long been stripped by the power of Microsoft's Xbox 360, which held top sales spot for almost two years.

Nintendo's no stranger to price cuts, though, and it's proved in the past that it will slash drastically if hardware isn't being moved - just look at the 3DS price drop from spring 2011.

But with Wii U pre-orders selling out in September and over 50 Wii U launch window games coming, it may not have to.

Via Hot Hardware