Confirmed free game with Wii pre-order down under
by Blake Snow 
{ Jul 11th 2006 at 10:00AM }
Looks like Toys 'R Us of Australia is in fact giving away an unspecified free game with Wii pre-orders of $249. Gameworld Network reports: "After contacting Toys 'R Us for comment, they have indeed confirmed that everyone will receive a free game with their Wii as part of the package, but they did not know which game this might be... Sounds to us like Nintendo might be planning to include Wii Sports, as many have speculated."While "Wii" doesn't even show up at Toys 'R Us' US site, the Big N has neither confirmed a launch price nor a bundled game so at the moment, this sounds more like a local Aussie promo.
[Thanks, Richard]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
nick @ Jul 11th 2006 10:08AM
Is this considered a bundle or is the game truly free? If a bundle, then the price of the Wii is less than $249. If not, then we now know the price of the Wii.
Martin @ Jul 11th 2006 10:16AM
I BET ITS HALO 3!!! actually, its probably just 1 free download.
Ott @ Jul 11th 2006 10:17AM
This article was already marked as inaccurate on Digg. That Aussie Toys R Us is giving away a free game with the PS3 as well, as long as you pre-order.
Mike @ Jul 11th 2006 10:17AM
So does this mean that the Wii will be $249? Giving away Wii sports is a very good idea. I hadn't planned on buying that game and it's definitely a game that will get my wife to pick up the controller.
miannone @ Jul 11th 2006 10:18AM
Toys 'R Us Canada is offering 2 games and 2 controllers in a Wii Bundle. Although the final price of the bundle has not been listed yet, they are just aksing for a $50 deposit.
http://www.toysrus.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=87085
The website says that the release date is at the end of the year, but I asked in a Toys 'R Us store and they said it will likely be sometime in November, although they didnt have the actual date yet.
santouras @ Jul 11th 2006 10:20AM
This is just a toys r us promotion. They are doing the same thing with PS3. I love it how this story has made the rounds on here, digg etc....
Nintendo Aus haven't said anything and will prolly follow suit with NOA which of course also, haven't said anything
Thomas Crymes @ Jul 11th 2006 10:20AM
Why would they need to offer this?
Seems to me that a company only puts out offers like that if they are afraid that the demand at their location won't meet supply. Is Aussie gaming that hard up that Toys "R" us has to give away games to sell Wii's?
You won't see that hear in the states unless Nintendo sells it with a pack-in game.
soco @ Jul 11th 2006 10:23AM
in what currency? 249 Australian Dollars? that's like 186 USD. i call bogus on the price. i don't doubt it'll be cheap, but not that cheap with a free game.
JimmyHACK @ Jul 11th 2006 10:29AM
just a promotion, no retail price et so that $249 at launch they will make you pay more or less as needed...
student @ Jul 11th 2006 10:37AM
Thomas, it wouldn't be for fear of demand but simply to bolster the number of preorders the store gets. If Toys R Us can get lots of cash now, they'll more than make the money back by the time they give you the game.
Exo @ Jul 11th 2006 11:02AM
Just sounds like they are trying to pull a fast one.
Like when Eb said they were giving away free modems with every dreamcast, when it was built in the system in the first place.
taco @ Jul 11th 2006 11:12AM
The Aussie Toys-R-Us free game pre-order was mentioned at least on WiiFanboy last month..
The deal is exactly the same for both the Wii and the PS3 - $50 down and a free game at launch.
The girl I spoke to at the store told me she was unsure what the game would be, but that it would likely be from a selection of games. I doubt that a standard pack-in game will count.
No clues as to price or release date apart from "Anticipated for release in November 2006 (TBC)"
I was also the 2nd person to place a Wii pre-order according to the list, while there was around 5 pre-orders for the PS3 already - take that as you will ... (this was on 10/6, only a few days after the promo started)
vidGuy @ Jul 11th 2006 11:16AM
I'm actually looking forward to shopping around for a good bundle deal. While I still hope Nintendo decides to pack in Wii Sports, two remotes, and one nunchuck, I fully expect retail outlets to create bundles like they did for the 360.
Laxcat @ Jul 11th 2006 11:31AM
Anyone who preorders (anything) before an official announcement is foolish. Period.
crono141 @ Jul 11th 2006 11:52AM
I agree.
A friend of mine pre-order Twilight Princess for me when it was supposed to come out LAST christmas. Talk about a long wait for your buck!
Kevin @ Jul 11th 2006 1:23PM
Is It Only In Austrlia???
Or in the states tooo???
kmotiv @ Jul 11th 2006 1:33PM
Promo ends on the 19th of July, if any one is wondering.
And yeah, it's just a $50 pre-order, not $249. This promo is the same for the PS3 as well, so it's not just Nintendo.
DarkStar @ Jul 11th 2006 1:52PM
$249 AU = $186 US
Awesome! I'm still betting on a retail in the US at $199 with a free game....
Charlie @ Jul 11th 2006 2:54PM
I love how this entry failed to even mention that the PS3 has the same deal going on. Amazing Joystiq. Absolutely amazing.
norp @ Jul 11th 2006 9:46PM
I think this deal is just to get your money now, and maybe even rip you off. When they first started taking preorders with free game (I think it was just after E3) I was in their store buying 15 PS2s (don't ask) and they had a sign saying "preorder for $499 and get a free game" assuming the games are around the $70-$100 AUD mark that leaves over $400 for the console.
$400AU = $301US
This deal in SOME way benefits toys'r'us especially if the consoles are not a sellout, since they will sell them at full RRP. The xbox360 here didn't sell out and i know people that preordered and paid full price only to have K-mart and Target drop $50 off the price of the premium bundles by lunchtime.
Although last time i was in there buying more PS2's the sign was different (said price TBA) and there were PS3 preorder signs.
nikiwu @ Jul 12th 2006 1:12AM
A friend of mine who works at EB games in Australia told me that if I pre-ordered a Nintendo Wii through them, I'd get a free game too..
Though this was after I told him that I was going to pre-order one through Toys'R'Us.. heh.
Funniest Wii promotion I've seen at a game store was at Gametraders, in which they "guarantee" that you'll get a Nintendo Wii at launch... providing you pre-order.
hmmmm.. still haven't decided whether or not I'd put a Wii on pre-order or not. I did with the gamecube back in 2001/2002 (can't remember the year). I'll probably be expecting to pay the same price for it anyway ($315AU ~= $240US). I didn't get a free game though.
Chronogears @ Jul 12th 2006 1:36AM
Why is it that every game site I visit is accused of having a Nintendo bias? Why can't it just be that the general opinion is for once in Nintendo's favor? NO. DON'T ANSWER THAT. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY OF YOUR MIND-NUMBING REASONING. -__-