EB/Gamestop Offering $700 Wii Bundle

GameSpot is reporting that GameStop will be offering a mind-boggling $700 Wii bundle online, as of tomorrow. Considering the retail price of the Wii is $250, there had better be some solid gold Wiimotes in there to go with your little white box. From the article: "Given the GameStop Wii bundle's steep price, one would wonder what assortment of add-ons and games are worth around an extra $449. Apparently, the customer-service reps at GameStop are also wondering. 'We don't know what the bundle contains,' a rep told GameSpot. 'We also don't know when they go on sale. We won't know until Thursday.'"

wii + 3 remotes + 3 nunchakus + 5 games...

[joshsisk]

It adds up pretty quickly. They probably throw some useless accessories in there too, like "Wii Game carry cases" or something similar.

Not that surprising

[AKAImBatman]

A Wii with an extra 3 WiiMotes and Nunchucks would cost you $430. Add in the Classic Controller, the Lightgun attachment, and a few games, and you're at $700 in no time flat.

Like most of the next-gen systems, the Wii will nickel and dime you to death on accessories and connectivity. (The latter being things like classic games in the case of the Wii.) The difference is that the Wii has a lower base price, so the nickel and diming doesn't get quite as costly as the 360 or PS3.

Don't know what's included?

[compm375]

Maybe when the article was written, this wasn't up, but following the first link in the article led to this list:
The Nintendo Wii bundle includes the following items (It does say subject to change, though):

Nintendo Wii Console (includes 1 remote controller, 1 nunchuck, cables, sensor bar, console stand, and Wii Sports game)
Wii Memory SD 1GB
Additional Wii Remote Controller
6 Games:
      Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
      Trauma Center: Second Opinion
      Red Steel
      Marvel Ultimate Alliance
      Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz
      Madden NFL 2007
12 Month Product Replacement Plan
Game Informer Gift Subscription

$694.88 plus tax and handling

Re:Not that surprising

[Yahweh Doesn't Exist]

>Like most of the next-gen systems, the Wii will nickel and dime you to death on accessories and connectivity.

no, the Wii is very different from all the other next-gen consoles in an important way: you can use your previous-gen peripherals and games. I'm going to get rid of my GameCube but keep Super Smash Bros., my 2 extra controllers and my memory card. all of these will be 100% compatible out of the box with no further purchase necessary. (unlike a certain rootkit-installing company who wants you to buy special converters to use PS2 memory cards on the PS3.)

The package is insane, Costco one better

[WillAffleckUW]

By the numbers, out of the entire package the only good parts are:

Nintendo Wii Console (includes 1 remote controller, 1 nunchuck, cables, sensor bar, console stand, and Wii Sports game)
- which I already have an EBX preorder for at $250 (paid $50 upfront)

Wii Memory SD 1GB - this is good

Additional Wii Remote Controller - this is good

6 Games:
            Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - good
            Trauma Center: Second Opinion - ok, would get it if it was a package
            Red Steel - good, but was going to wait
            Marvel Ultimate Alliance - boring
            Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz - boring
            Madden NFL 2007 - boring
12 Month Product Replacement Plan - total ripoff
Game Informer Gift Subscription - total ripoff

I think I'll just pick up the memory, the extra controller, Zelda and Rayman Raving Rabbits, and get the rest much much later, thanks!

$694.88 plus tax and handling

Re:They mixed up the price with the PS3 Bundle...

[AKAImBatman]

If you look a bit lower in the thread, a couple of people have found the info on the bundle. I did a cost breakdown on the Wii bundle, so I figure it's only fair to do the same on the PS3.

PS3 Premium System: $600
==No Expansion Storage Necessary==
Additional PS3 Sixaxis Controller: $50
6 Games: $80 x 6 = $480
12 Month Product Replacement Plan: Still Worthless
Game Informer Subscription: $19.98

Add it up:

$600
$50
$480
$19.98
--------
$1149.98

Presumably, the "12 Month Product Replacement" thing would actually cost money, so it's safe to estimate a similar bundle as costing between $1200 and $1300.

The warranty is already built in

[Admodieus]

Nintendo offers 12-month product warranties for all their systems; so if you buy the base Wii package for $250, you still have protection for one year. Man, you gotta love Gamestop and their ability to prey on the fears of the uninformed public.