Rumour: Wii U Components Cost $180, Will Retail at $300

[castlezelda]

What's inside you?
The money merry-go-around
While nobody can seem to agree on exactly what's inside the Wii U, one anonymous tipster has told Forget the Box that the console's components will cost around $180 USD.
That figure supposedly comes from sources "closely involved with manufacturing and distributing Nintendo products." The $180 number includes the controller, which supposedly features no more than $50 worth of tech, according to the source:

• Camera — $6
• Near field technology — $5
• Touch screen — $14

The source doesn't mention the cost of the controller's gyrometer functions, nor any acknowledgement of the rumoured Wii U haptics technology.
So with the console's bill of materials supposedly standing at $180, the anonymous source believes the machine will retail for no less than $300, saying:

Cutting production costs to maximize profits is Nintendo’s main concern with the Wii U. They are cutting costs in the Wii U’s hardware to build back confidence in investors. Nintendo wants investors to view Wii U as a less risky proposition.
​

While rudimentary maths suggests a ginormous $120 profit on each machine for Nintendo, the $180 figure doesn't include the cost of labour, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, retailers' profit margins or taxes, so don't get too up in arms just yet.
Pass the salt.

Via http://www.forgetthebox.net/mag/culture/forum-m/rumor-wii-u-price.php

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