Wii U Price News: Basic Model Price Cut 20% At Target, Other Retailers To Follow?

Sales of the Wii U have dropped after a solid launch period, selling far fewer units per month than the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and even the original Wii in April.

But now that a price cut is in store for the basic model of the Wii U at Target---spotted by Nintendo Everything----sales may improve and the price cutting method could help breathe life into the stagnant system. Target sells the basic model that comes with 8GB of storage for $240. And no other major retailer is following suit with the price drop. Target still has the deluxe 32GB model of the Wii U selling for the standard $350.

It is unclear what prompted Target to reduce the Wii U's price tag, or if it will even be permanent.

In March, reports came in that British retailer Asda had dropped the price of the Wii U by 50 Euros, but the price eventually rose back up to the standard 199 Euros. The only other retailer that is offering any sort of price drop for the Wii U is Amazon, which is selling the console for $280.

Nintendo has certainly struggled during the first half of 2013 to sell the Wii U, but the company has a plan in place to help the company rise out of the doldrums. Beginning with the launch of Pikmin 3 in August, Nintendo will be putting out more first-party titles, such as a new Mario game. This should help build momentum for the console as the PlayStation 4 and next generation Xbox approach their launch dates slated for later in the year.

But despite the console's slow start, Nintendo executives have confidence the Wii U will bounce back. As legendary Nintendo personality Shigeru Miyamoto explained, he feels the Wii U is similar to the Nintendo DS. The DS had a slow sales period at the beginning of its life, but then went on to become one of the best selling handheld systems ever created. We will just have to wait and see if the Wii U can match that level of success.