Nintendo Wii Price and launch date revealed

RallyeRedSi

Member
:
2008 Civic Si
From IGN:

September 13, 2006 - Nintendo fans finally have a price and release date for the company's new generation console, Wii. The Big N is set to officially announce that the system will hit retail in North and South America for $250 on November 19. The New York Times published with the story and seems, in fact, to have beaten Nintendo Co. Ltd with the news.


Nintendo's Wii console will come packaged with one Wii remote, one nunchuck attachment, an AC adapter, an audio/video cable, a sensor bar, sensor bard stand, a Wii console stand and two batteries. The US package will also come bundled with a copy of Wii Sports, a compilation sports game that best shows off the mechanics of the system's unique controller. Wii Sports features tennis, baseball, golf and previously unannounced bowling and boxing games.
Nintendo said it would provide Wii owners with more than 25 unique games this year.

Wii's much talked-about Virtual Console download service, which enables gamers to purchase classic games, will offer a library of some 30 titles when the system launches. Titles will include entries from the Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong franchises, Nintendo said. Virtual Console games will cost between $5 and $10 each. Specifically, Nintendo Co. Ltd. announced that Virtual Console games would cost 500 yen ($5), 800 yen ($8) or 1,000 yen ($10); we're presuming these prices are for NES, SNES and N64 games respectively.

The Big N confirmed that it would charge $50 for its new Wii games, which is $10 cheaper than the cost of typical Xbox 360 titles. (Please note that this is First-Party games, prices have not been announced for Third-Part Wii games -- publishers are free to set their own prices on Wii titles.)

Nintendo Co. Ltd. revealed that Wii's various controllers would be available to buy separately at launch. The Wii remote will cost 3800 yen or about $40; the nunchuck 1800 yen or about $20 and the classic controller 1800 yen or about $20.

In a surprise announcement, Nintendo said that it wanted to make Wii a living room centerpiece by shipping the system with features outside of the videogame realm. Wii will include a photo channel, enabling users to display their digital photos through the console. It will also boast regularly updated news and weather channels. In addition, the system will ship with the Opera Web browser, enabling users to connect online.

One of the channels available on Wii is called the "Mii Channel." Here, players can customize avatars by selecting from a variety of face shapes, hair styles, color schemes, and so on. The hook is that these avatars can not only be stored on the console itself, they can also be transfered to the Wii remote itself -- presumably so players can easily access their personalized characters and take them with them when playing against friends.

Sony recently announced that it would ready 400,000 PS3s in North America and another 100,000 in Japan for the system's launch. Nintendo said it plans to ship 4 million Wii units worldwide by the end of the year.
 
I'll probably still get a ps3.. N64 was the last nintendo system I purchased.
 
Everyone says that, but everyone who has had the chance to actually try the controller from what i've read it has really impressed them. I think the new controller will make first person shooters so much better.
 
(werd) Nintendo has lost its luster...it has seemed to have been geared towards children for some time now...my money will be better spent on the PS3
seanmcsean said:
I'll probably still get a ps3.. N64 was the last nintendo system I purchased.
 
I read a market study on the new gaming system by nintendo.. they are goin after the kids market (mario etc) and the older gamer market at the same time. they plan to release a lot of puzzle and strategy games for the current console. they say with baby boomers, that is going to be a huuuuge market.
 
seanmcsean said:
I read a market study on the new gaming system by nintendo.. they are goin after the kids market (mario etc) and the older gamer market at the same time. they plan to release a lot of puzzle and strategy games for the current console. they say with baby boomers, that is going to be a huuuuge market.
the fewer older people we have on electronic devices the better. i can see it now, my grandmother hears about jeopardy or something on this, wants to get one. who gets to set it up, hear stories about it, and fix every little problem? yep, you guessed it, the same person who has explained to her 20 times what email is and how to do different things to it, yet somehow it's still a big mystery (my theory is she's convinced it's this big complicated thing that she'll never understand so when i start explaining she stops paying attention subconsciously)
 
jred321 said:
the fewer older people we have on electronic devices the better. i can see it now, my grandmother hears about jeopardy or something on this, wants to get one. who gets to set it up, hear stories about it, and fix every little problem? yep, you guessed it, the same person who has explained to her 20 times what email is and how to do different things to it, yet somehow it's still a big mystery (my theory is she's convinced it's this big complicated thing that she'll never understand so when i start explaining she stops paying attention subconsciously)

That's ass; you act like all older people have problems with technology.

Once you invent/advent technology yourself, get back to me.
 
I just sold my 360 after 2 months for a new Kicker sub :D

Xbox360-1.jpg


v

8.jpg
 
Last edited:
Dimitrios said:
That's ass; you act like all older people have problems with technology.

Once you invent/advent technology yourself, get back to me.

P.S. - I'm talking to my Grandma on AIM right now, suckers! (thumb)
 
Perfect price. It'll drop to 200 right after Christmas too... might get one just to have one.
I want to play a sword fighting game with the "nunchuck" HA dope
 
Dimitrios said:
That's ass; you act like all older people have problems with technology.

Once you invent/advent technology yourself, get back to me.
the average age in my company is probably 50, i know not all old people have problems w technology but some do, my family in particular, and im the one in my family that gets to deal with it
 
I'm actually looking forward to the Wii more then the Sony. Already own a 360 and I'm enjoying it for the most part. Still enjoy pc games more though but they are few and far between these days. Sony's attitude and marketing has just totally pissed me off. The price is insane, and I don't care for paying for blue ray at all. They also seem to be just copying everyone else and not having anything really NEW.

Now the Wii controller is NEW. It's either going to be the most innovative controller to date and start a new craze. Or it's going to bomb completely. I can't wait to use it. OF course, Nintendo's games still need help. How many Mario's and Zelda's do we need? That being said, those games are a hit for most casual gamers, kids, women etc vs the hardcore gamer with the Sony/xbox. Killer is I have a large front projection Movie theater type setup, and I'm not sure if I can use the wii with it at all.
 
I'm happy with my 360. I love the whole xbox live experience, and the graphics are just nice. It's not flooded with titles but most of them are good which is good. I've never played any Zelda games so it's not a big deal for me, although i'll probably want to check out Twighlight Princess on someone's system; Excite Truck will probably be fun as well - 2 great launch titles.
 
As a gaming fan I'm excited about the Wii. I've owned consoles from all the manufacturers (sega, sony, nintendo) and my favorites so far have been my
N64, My Gamecube and my PC.

I probably won't be an early adopter of the Wii but I think that the virtual arcade is great. I love the fact that it's backwards compatible with my gamecube, I love the fact that you can use the gamecube controllers so developers are not forced to only make games for the nunchuck and I love the fact that they are taking a risk on something new and tryig to bring gaming to a whole new demographic. I mean for the last 2 generations we've gotten graphics, graphics and even shinier graphics and sequel after sequel.

With the Wii, theres a chance for different forms of gameplay or at least playing old things in a new way. I'll support that and leave the eye candy polygon pushing to my PC.

Heres my quick take on the 3 next gen systems:

Xbox360: Solid system. Dead alrady in japan though. Solid games. Nice controller, if you like action, sports and online games, this is the system for you. Gears of War look amazing.

PS3: I think that Sony has priced itself out of the mainstream. $600?? You gotta be kidding me. Thats almost a mortgage payment for me and then there is the 60-70 dollar games??? Insane. I own a PS2 and while there have been many amazing games for it, it's its name recognition and marketing and cool factor that make it so hip. I've had much more fun playing games on my Gameube. Sony has always had the gotta have it factor but they might have gotten a little ahead of themselves with this one. Blu-Ray or not, after the initial rush of buyers I think the PS3 sales will slow down considerably. I think that hte graphics will not be a huge step above those on the 360 (at least with 1st gen titles) and I think people will end up purchasing a 360 & Wii combo instead of just the PS3.

Wii: The dark horse. This system could flop monumentally or it could propel Nintendo to #1. One thing that Nintendo has always know how to do it make fun games that people love to play and their fans are some of the most loyal. They have always been innovators.

multiplayer console gameplay? The N64 was the first home console to have 4 controller ports. Thats now the industry. My friends and I were playing goldeneye and perfect dark for hours before halo was even a thought in anyones mind.

Rumble in controllers: The rumble pack for the N64

Wireless controllers: The wavebird was the first cordless to use radio signals and is still the best controller I haver ever owned

N64 had the first analog controller on home consoles.

Nintendo know how to make fun games that people often dismiss as "kiddy" because they don't splatter peoples brains, kill, have scantily clad females or beat up hookers. I love GTA as much as the next guy but just cuz a game does not have guns and gore does not make it childish.

I've played smash bros matches and mario kart matches and bomberman matches that are as intense as any halo of Ghost recon match.

The Wii's price is hard to beat but it will lack the graphical luster of the others.

Only time will tell.
 

New Threads

Back