The Pound, Euro and Dollar are not equal. Learn it!

[torkell]

As usual, us Brits are drawing the short straw when it comes to consoles.

The Wii is being launched in America, on the 19th of November, for $250 (approx £133 or ¥29,437).

It's then being launched in Japan on the 2nd of December for ¥25,000 (approx £113 or $212).

And finally in Europe on the 6th of December for £179/€249 (approx $335 or ¥39500). WTF? (and this is direct from Nintendo, not speculation)

Assuming conversion rates stay stable (at time of writing £1 is worth $1.88, €1.48 or ¥221), we're paying about £50 more than the Americans and £70 more than the Japanese. At those prices it actually becomes cheaper to import from Japan

Note to big multinationals: $ ≠ £ ≠ €

At least we're getting a game bundled with it, though myself I'd prefer the option of having, say, Twilight Princess.

Comments

[elemnar.livejournal.com]

Looks like we're getting a Japanese one then O.o;

btw ...why the avatar? *curious*

[torkell]

Probably not, there's all sorts of fun involving video standards and region coding.

Why the "British, damnit!"? Dan created that, and it's certainly accurate.

[ralesk.livejournal.com]

motherfuckers.

[omgimsuchadork.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on this. When I heard the prices -- ¥25K, $250 and €250 -- I wanted to kick all of Japan square in the bum. I use ¥100 to approximate dollar value because it's easy to do the math in my head that way, but I know a euro is worth a little more than a dollar, and a pound is nearly two. It's not fair to any of us non-Japanese. D:

How do we make our money stronger and decrease the value of the yen? [/plot]

[olego.livejournal.com]

Since Wii is region-free, can't you just order one from Amazon.jp?

[torkell]

Well, firstly I'm not sure if it is region free (the Gamecube was region-coded to Japan or The Rest Of The World), and secondly there's all the fun with different video standards (Japan uses NTSC, while the UK uses PAL).

Ever heard of...

[choros.livejournal.com]

Shipping Costs
Import Tax - particularly if not made in the EU
It costs more to have employees here because of higher price of living...

Yes the currencies aren't worth the same, but you are a fool-hardy man to expect equal priceing in all parts of the globe...