Nintendo has announced a price drop for the Deluxe version of the Wii U starting next month.

The Deluxe version of the system – the black 32GB console – will retail for $299.99 starting on September 20.

As competitors Sony and Microsoft get set to release their next-generation consoles this holiday season, the Wii U price drop puts it closer in line to the PS3 and Xbox 360. However, both systems offer versions at cheaper or equivalent prices – including a PS3/Grand Theft Auto V bundle for $299.

Our Take:
The industry has begged for a Wii U price drop, and this is a good first step to helping the system gain more traction. I think, however, that even more important than price or software, the public has not bought into the console on a fundamental, conceptual level.