LaBeouf criticizes Nintendo gamers, calls Wii an "amateur console"

San Francisco (CA) – Hollywood star Shia LaBeouf has reportedly referred to the Nintendo Wii as an “amateur console.”

“I’m not into the Wii thing,” LaBeouf told BigDownload. “This is how in a simple way you can find out if it’s a gamer you want to play with. Ask them if they have a Wii. If they say yes, get the f*** out of there.”

LeBeouf  – who referred to himself as a “gamer” – also claimed he would rather “eat glass” than play the Wii version of LEGO Star Wars. However, LeBeouf praised a number of other titles, including Sid Meier’s Civilization, Godfather II, Mortal Kombat, Doom, Donkey Kong, Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario Kart.

LaBeouf’s comments could negatively impact plummeting Wii sales, which posted a 57 percent year-on-year drop in May. Although decreased sales have fueled rumors of an impending price cut, a Nintendo spokesperson insisted the company had “no plans to reduce its prices at this time.”

Nevertheless, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter told the Wall Street Journal that Nintendo may be forced to lower prices if it did not manage to ship 26 million Wii units by March 31, 2010. Pachter proposed a new price tag of $200, which would allow the Wii to compete with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (Arcade) console.