PS4 vs Wii U: Reggie Fils-Aime Gives His Two Cents on PS4 Price, Discusses Wii U's Sales

When it was announced that the PlayStation 4 would retail for $399, many were shocked that the next-gen console is only $50 more than the premium, 32GB version of the Wii U. However, Nintendo does not view this as a threat on their already weak console. Reggie Fils-Aime, speaking to Kotaku, said that Nintendo is not worrying about the PlayStation 4's low price, but instead is focused on making sure their fan base is satisfied and ready to dive into the newest batch of Nintendo exclusives.

"It puts no pressure on us at all...Sony and Microsoft are going to do what they're going to do," Fils-Aime said. "My bet is that there are going to be more announcements the closer we get to whatever their launch date is. From my perspective, I can't focus on that. I have to focus on: How do we satisfy the needs of all of the consumers out there with Nintendo products? How do we make sure they understand our proposition? How do we make sure they're excited about the software that we offer? And from that standpoint we're going to let our competition do what they're going to do."

Fils-Aime also discussed the relatively slow start for the Wii U, which has failed to make much of an impression on gamers despite being Nintendo's next-gen offering. Fils-Aime pointed out that, compared to the Wii at this point in it's life cycle, the sales gap between the two consoles is not that bad.

"I think it's inaccurate to use the word 'far'...If you look at it from a U.S. perspective, this point in time vs. where we were with the Wii life stage, there's a difference of about 1 to 1.5 million units. Over a potential lifespan over 40 million-plus units, that's not a lot."

While the Nintendo executive may have a good point, the fact of the matter is the Wii U is still being dominated by the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in terms of sales, and once the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are available that trend may only increase as gamers flock to the new consoles.