Nintendo has confirmed the launch details released today and has offered us a press release that includes the full party line. Bundled with Wii Sports, in the U.S., the console will include a channel menu and will have a lineup of 30 games available by December 31 2006. Read on to see what the company has to say about its U.S. launch.
Nintendo will reshape the home entertainment and video game landscape with the launch of its heralded Wii home video game console. The Americas will lead the worldwide launch on Nov. 19. Wii will be sold as an affordable, mass-consumer product at an MSRP of just USD 249.99. The price includes one wireless Wii Remote controller, one Nunchuk controller and the groundbreaking collection of five different Wii Sports games on one disc, which anyone can play using simple movements, experienced or not.
Every Wii console includes another distinctive feature: a series of on-screen channels that make up the Wii Channel Menu, which makes the console approachable and customizable for everyone, from the most avid gamer to people who have never played before. The Wii Channel Menu is the starting point for all of the console's functions. The channels offer a gateway to a rich variety of entertainment options. When connected to a TV, the Wii Channel Menu offers a simple interface, letting users pick games to play, get news or weather, view and send photos or even create playable caricatures of themselves to use in actual games. Additional functions allow users to redeem Wii Points and download classic games to Wii's Virtual Console. The variety of options available through the Wii Channel Menu motivates both gamers and non-gamers to turn on Wii's power every day.
Wii is creating worldwide excitement with its unique control system, an inventive, first-of-its-kind controller whose position can be detected in a 3-D space. The new controller allows users to pinpoint targets in games or move through the Wii Channel Menu with precision and ease. This intuitive control system will be understood immediately by everyone, regardless of their previous experience with video games. With this one small controller, Wii makes games both easier and more intense than anything previously experienced. For example, in the Wii Sports tennis game, players swing the Wii Remote like a racket to hit the ball, as in real life. They can add topspin or slice the ball just by angling their hands and wrist like they would in a real match.
Between launch day and Dec. 31, Wii owners will enjoy a robust lineup of 30 software titles, with selections for everyone from video game veterans to newcomers. Some top Nintendo launch titles include Wii Sports, a compilation of tennis, baseball, golf, bowling and boxing; The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess; and EXCITE TRUCK. While publishers are free to set their own prices for games, first-party Nintendo titles will have an MSRP of USD 49.99. Wii's self-loading media bay also can play the entire library of more than 530 Nintendo GameCube titles from day one.
Third-party developers around the world have lined up to provide unprecedented support for Wii.
Additional information about the list of Virtual Console games and the pricing structure will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Nintendo's highly anticipated Wii console will launch in the U.S. November 19 and will carry a price of just under USD 250 according to a story on the New York Times. The story is expected to be confirmed today as Nintendo has already released the Japanese launch details for the Wii. In Japan the console will launch December 2 and will cost 25,000 yen (USD 170).
The Japan announcement came from company President Satoru Iwata during a scheduled press conference in Chiba prefecture. The company boss also confirmed that Japan will see 16 launch titles. Mr. Iwata added that Super Mario Galaxy will not launch until 2007. In the U.S. the launch details featured in stories in the NY Times and the . It is widely believed that both stories are accurate, especially as they seem to agree on the details. Nintendo has a U.S. press conference scheduled for later today where the company is expected to confirm the details mentioned by the newspapers. Nintendo fans seem to think that some additional surprise may be announced although at this point having a final and firm launch date will do us fine.
During the U.S. press event it is expected that nintendo will confirm the availability of 25, widely varied, Wii titles by the end of 2006 while the company plans to ship 4 million units this year.
Part of the press push by Nintendo included the re-launch of the Wii.com website which now includes images of the console's interface and further details. The full list of Wii Japan launch titles is:
- Elebits (Konami)
- Hajimete no Wii (Nintendo)
- Kororinpa (Hudson)
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo)
- Necro-Nesia (Spike)
- Red Steel (Ubisoft)
- SD Gundam Revolution (Namco Bandai)
- Super Monkey Ball: Uki Uki Party Daishuugou (SEGA)
- Swing Golf Panya (Tecmo)
- Tamagotchi no Pika Pika Daitouryou! (Namco Bandai)
- Tatsujin Festival (Namco Bandai)
- Trauma Center: Second Opinion (Atlus)
- Wario Ware: Smooth Moves (Nintendo)
- Wii Sports (Nintendo - will not be bundled in Japan)
- Wing Island (Hudson)
European launch details are also expected later on today.
