In an attempt to retain its position as the leading game-console seller in the US, Nintendo has announced a reduction in the price of its popular Wii console, thereby keeping pace with the recent price-reductions announced by rivals Microsoft and Sony.

Starting September 27, the Nintendo Wii will be available for $200, cut down from the current cost of $249, without any change to either the console’s pack-in hardware or its software – thus implying that the package will continue to include a Wiimote, a nunchuk, and Wii Sports.

The cost-reductions by the console makers has come in the wake of requests by game publishers pressing for a cut in prices, as the video game sales witnessed the fifth monthly drop in a row, beginning in March.

With Microsoft and Sony slashing costs last month, the high-end Microsoft Xbox 360 and the best-selling Sony PS 3 both now cost $299.

In the opinion of Michael Pachter, of Wedbush Morgan Securities, the cost-reductions imply that “consumers will buy around the same number of consoles overall as last year”; thus helping console makers “to grow sales year-over-year at holiday,” and attempt to either match or beat the $21 billion sales figures reported last year.

As per NPD Group, Wii has sold over 21 million units thus far; followed by 16 million unit sales of Microsoft Xbox 360s; and over 8 million units of Sony PlayStation 3.