Nintendo Co., Ltd. (NTDOY) will drop the price of its Wii game system by US$50 to US$149.99 and cut the price of several popular games before the launch of its new console. This is the second time Kyoto, Japan-based company has made a price cut since it was launched in 2006.

Nintendo is aiming to boost sales of the Wii console before it unleashes a new gaming system next year. The Wii is currently the world's best selling video game system with 86 million units sold since 2006. Sales of recent, however, have slowed, with only 15 million units bought in the fiscal year ended March 31, down from about 20 million the prior year.

According to a press release, starting May 15, the newly priced Wii system will come in either black or white with the Mario Kart Wii game and a matching colored Wii Wheel accessory, replacing the previously included Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort games.
Nintendo on May 15 will also start selling at US$19.99 each popular games The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Super Sluggers and Wii Sports, which is available for the first time as a separate software purchase.

"From the day it launched, Wii has let players of all ages and experience levels have fun with one another," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime in a statement. "The new suggested retail pricing for both the hardware and select games will help create more of these magical moments for even greater numbers of people."

The sale is aimed at attracting new fans of Nintendo's flagship game franchise, Mario. Mario Kart is the second most popular game for the Wii behind Wii Play.

Nintendo will unveil playable model of its new console at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 7-9 in Los Angeles, California. The unnamed system, however, won't be sold until at least the second quarter of 2012.