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Wii to Launch Nov. 19th for $250
PygmySurfer writes "According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Nintendo is going to announce today that the Wii will go on sale on November 19th in North and South America, at a cost of $250. It will come bundled with Wii Sports and channels for such things as viewing photos, as well as news and weather. Finally, Wii will also make it possible to browse the web on your television. Nintendo will also announce that 25-30 games will be published this year, as well as about 30 classic games available on the virtual console, costing about $5-10."
Since the original link seems to be dead - http://wii.ign.com/articles/732/732669p1.html
The article came out before the Japanese conference. (Which is happening as I type this) They're live blogging it over at kotaku
I'll believe it when they Iwata announces it.
AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
and we all know that the web browser saved the DreamCast...
Personally, I start to lose count after a squillion frames a second, I'm sure my eyeballs are only getting 800x600 resolution these days, and I'm just totally over the idea of paying $500+ for a machine, and $50+ for games, when they're extremely high-res, high-speed, and SHIT. The Wii gives me hope that there's something out there for people who like gameplay, not graphics, and have better things to spend the big bucks on than a friggin' procrastinaion console. Nice one, Nintendo.
The New York Times apparently broke an embargo and released the date and price early. Personally, I was still hoping for $150. Their mistake.
A Good Troll is better than a Bad Human.
You must be new here.
Seriously, have you been on Slashdot for the past year? If not, I'll get you up to date:
Nintendo fanboys have concluded that the Wii will cure cancer. This is a definite possibility, as it's awesome levels can be measured with a Geiger Counter.
Sony has decided to shoot itself in various appendages so many times, it now not only lacks feet, but legs, arms, and a distinguishable face. PS3s will still sell out. Sony fanboys cry a little on the inside, wads of $600 dollars slipping through holes in their pockets.
Microsoft twiddles its thumbs, whistles, and eats a kitten.
No, Mr. Green. Communism is just a red herring.
I don't think its a mistake. Its 2-3 times the power of a gamecube, which still goes for $100. It comes with a game. ANd its still priced 150 under its nerest competitor, 350 below the PS3. 250 with a game is just about right- discount the $50 game and its the $200 unbundled that everyone expected.
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
C'mon! Bundle Zelda! You'll sell fifteen billion of them.
The Article has been pulled. Whether that adds to the credibility of the info or not should all be clear later today when the Japan press conference is over or after the press conference in the US tomorrow.
I'll admit, I bought into the hype.
I let all of the pre-coverage get me to expect either a release date earlier than 1 month before Christmas, or a price closer to $200.
$250 and late November is kind of a letdown.
The most irritating fact? $5-$10 virtual console games. What with the price of ram back in the day, it sounds like they'll be making around a dollar for dollar profit margin that they were in the 90s. If you convert it to % profit margins and consider the fact that bandwidth costs are minimal, they're making a profit margin in the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of percents.
This single set of facts has turned me from eager to get a Wii into more of a wait and see approach.
Oh well.
1:55 p.m. [update 8]: And the other shoe drops. Famitsu is reporting a December 2 launch and 25,000 yen price for Japan. $215 USD
Have to say, that I think Nintendo have got the pricing just spot on! No only for the console itself, but for the classic games ($5 -> $10), a very very clever strategic move.
No only that, but the price of the new games at ~$10 less than the X360 - gives a clear indication that Nintendo see the X360 as their main competition. Maybe they think that Sony have dropped the ball with their pricing and PR machines!?
No, I'm not a fan boy of any console (in fact I'm a dedicated PC gamer) - but it seems that Nintendo have employed some very smart people for this entire project, considering no-one was really thinking them as a major console player (again) and then last years' E3 and, suddenly, they are ahead of everyone else in terms of buzz. Clever stuff.
Things are starting to not add up. A Sunday release? 2 days after PS3... that seems EXTREMELY risky to me, if not foolhardy. Plus the fact that the article was taken down, this could all be pure speculation. I'm going to guess that the $250 price tag is correct, but I kinda doubt the date is, something's just fishy, the next few hours will probably tell.
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
Let's play "spot the pattern."
SNES launch price: 25000 Yen / 200 USD.
N64 launch price: 25000 Yen / 200 USD.
Gamecube launch price: 25000 yen / 200 USD.
Wii launch price: 25000 yen / ??? USD.
Hrm.
(Please browse at -1 to read this comment.)
The post-PS3 launch does seem a bit odd, since they had previously stated that they would be at market before the PS3. It could be that Nintendo saw the problems Sony is having with meeting production quotas and having to slash their deliveries, and are banking on something like....
Tom Tucker: "Our top story tonight, more video game news just two days after riots destroyed many gaming storefronts from the unexpectedly horrible launch of the Playstation 3. Diane has more, Diane?"
Diane Simmons: "Thanks Tom. Wii. Sure it sounds like a penis, but what else is it? It's the new Nintendo console and it's causing quite a stir. We go live to Asian reporter Trisha Takinawa for a report"
Trisha Takinawa: "Thank you Diane. Nintendo released the strangely-named console today to rave reviews. As you can see here, waving around this long slender shaft causes action to occur on-screen. It's quite a reversal from the usual manner of things. Retailers report they have plenty of Wii to go around, and that it's something people just can't wait to get their hands on. Personally I bought two and will be using them tonight in the privacy of my bedroom. Tom?"
Glenn Quagmire: "Giggedy giggedy giggedy."
The post-PS3 launch does seem a bit odd, since they had previously stated that they would be at market before the PS3. It could be that Nintendo saw the problems Sony is having with meeting production quotas and having to slash their deliveries, and are banking on something like....
Tom Tucker: "Our top story tonight, more video game news just two days after riots destroyed many gaming storefronts from the unexpectedly horrible launch of the Playstation 3. Diane has more, Diane?"
Diane Simmons: "Thanks Tom. Wii. Sure it sounds like a penis, but what else is it? It's the new Nintendo console and it's causing quite a stir. We now go live to Asian reporter Trisha Takinawa for a report, Trisha?"
Trisha Takinawa: "Thank you Diane. Nintendo released the strangely-named console today to rave reviews. As you can see here, waving around this long slender shaft causes action to occur on-screen. It's quite a reversal from the usual manner of things. Retailers report they have plenty of Wii to go around, and that it's something people just can't wait to get their hands on. Personally I bought two and will be using them tonight in the privacy of my bedroom. Tom?"
Glenn Quagmire: "Giggedy giggedy giggedy."
is now live!!!
www.wii.com
AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
I have a feeling that we'll find out very very different released in Japan and the other territories. The Seattle PI article seemed very reliable and sourced Reggie himself in a phone interview. I have a feeling that they're both right.
Japan gets a $200 console with one controller, North America gets a $250 with 2 controllers and Wii Sports to help "sell" the common people on the system.
Either way, I'm going to bed. This will all be sorted out by 11am tomorrow morning.
I'm definitely interested in the Wii, and I'm no fanboy. I have never owned a console (apart from the Philips Videopak I had as a kid). Why the Wii, and not PS3 or Xbox? Well, where is the innovation in Xbox and PS3? They seem to be the exact same stuff as their predecessors were, just with prettier graphics. Higher resolutions and more polygons does not equal "innovation". And Sony has been screwing up everything recently, starting with the rootkit-fiasco right down to the PS3-pricing. Because of those reasons, I will steer clear of PS3. Xbox is boring as well. And they are both big machines that run hot.
Now, the Wii.... The price is right, and it actually seems INTERESTING. And it seems that it will have games that even the Mrs. could enjoy. So which to get? PS3 or Xbox which are exactly the same as consoles before them were, the games are just shinier. OTOH, the Wii is quite cheap, and they are actually trying to do something new with it.
Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
SNES US release date: Aug 21, 1991 Exchange rate: 1991-08-01 136.82 yen/USD
N64 US relase date: Sept 29, 1996 Exchange rate: 1996-10-01 112.41 yen/USD
Gamecube US release date: Nov 18, 2001 Exchange rate: 2001-12-01 127.59 yen/USD
Wii US release date: Nov 19, 2006 Exchange rate: 2006-09-13 117.47 yen/USD
So, yes a good guess for the launch price would be 200 USD.
However, various sources disagree.
IANA*
You can thank Sony and Microsoft for that. With the Xbox and the PS3 so expensive, there's not a whole lot of reason for Nintendo to go too low with the price. Besides, if the price is too low compared to the competition, customers will perceive it as being "cheap" and thus not worthy of their attention. Anyway, it's not going to matter. Nintendo will sell a shitload of these at US$250. They would sell a shitload at US$350, I guess. I know I'll buy one as soon as I can.
And since they bundle a game (I'd have bought the Sports game if it wasn't bundled), it's not a bad deal anyway.
When Miyamoto told the reporter at the NYT that the new Nintendo console would cost $250USD, the reporter asked why it was $50 higher than previous Nintendo consoles. Miyamoto said it was due to differences in the exchange rate. So the reporter said "Fluctuations?"
Miyamoto replied "Fluck you Amelicans too!"
Rumor has it that this incident is why the Wii is being shipped later than expected too. I guess he's still a little bitter.
Wii, not so Wii, and friggin' huge!
Bundling a game by force at least means retailers will have to think twice about "compulsory bundling" like they did with the XBox360. Remember when the Playstation 2 came out? A lot of people bought one in the beginning because they wanted a new console but ALSO because their original Playstation 1 was completely hosed through 6 years of play. They come into the store, with their $500 for the new box, and... oh.. I have to buy one of these "packs" with 2 shitty racing games in it? All I wanted was the PS2, the demo disk, a new Dual Shock ('cos my old one is friiied) and to play all my old games maybe with some texture filtering. Denied. Disappointed. Hand over the $750 :(
I love love love the browser, and the weather thing, and virtual console.. just seeing R-Type in Nintendo's Japanese presentation made me wet. I want to play Super Mario World again, and when I get stuck, I want to press the HOME button, fire up Opera, and look for the GameFAQs article. Oh no more running for a magazine or booting the PC just for that!
Playing all those old Gamecube games for $5-$10 in the bargain and second-user bins at Gamestop will keep me happy for SOOOO long.
Yeah we'd all like it to cost $150, but Nintendo are apparently going to sell the Wii at a profit in contrast to the super-expensive loss-making XBox360 and Playstation 3. They have plenty of scope to cost reduce, lower consumer prices in the future, without it being a real financial tussle for them.
HOORAY! I've never been this excited about a games console in my life.
Now lets look at the Wii: It doesn't have a hard drive, just like the core, it doesn't come with HD video cables, just like the core, it doesn't include a headset, just like the core, so the only thing left is the wired/wireless controller and we don't know for sure yet what the Wii will include (however if E3 is any indication they do make both versions and I wouldn't put it past them including the wired version).
Yeah, but it comes with 512MB built-in flash, and will take bog standard SD cards for expansion. Add an extra $40 there just to get a 64MB card so you can save games (cursing under your breath that if it used standard flash you could get 1GB for the same price).
Wii also does wireless networking out of the box. Add another $100 for the adapter on the core.
Noone's been speculating they won't include the Wii Remote. It's the centerpiece of the new system. Whether they'll include the wired "classic" controller is the only thing in the air. So, add another $50 for a wireless controller to bring the Core system up to par.
Then there's the bundled game. Add another $20 to get even a budget title on the XBox side.
That brings up to a grand total of an extra $210 to rectify the most glaring ommisions in the Core system. Of course, since we're talking two systems it's impossible to make them perfectly equivilent; the 360 is still pretty certainly the more powerful system and supports HD output, while the Wii has it's unique controller features and hints of some interesting console features (the "channels" whatever they are, built-in browser, etc).
Holy shit! You're right! Pure speculation does suggest that the controller will be uncomfortable to use for long periods!
Damn... if only Nintendo had thought to test the controller for 30-40min consecutively, they could have noticed this problem and corrected it before release.... too late now....... why didn't you say something sooner?!
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