The cat is out of the bag and a little kitten came along unexpectedly: Japan will get Wii on December 2nd for ¥25,000 (around $215), as Joystiq reports, quoting Famitsu.
They list the contents of the bundle as 1 Wii console, 1 Wiimote (w/ strap), 1 Nunchuck attachment, Wii AC adaptor, Wii A/V cable, Wii console stand, sensor bar, sensor bar stand and two AA batteries.
Joystiq further reports that a New York Times article by Seth Schiesel was posted on the net prematurely, detailing a November 19 launch and a price tag of $250. Apparently, Wii Sports will be bundled with every console and there will be up to 30 games released until the end of the year.
I am relieved we finally have almost all of the info we sought after for so long. The newspaper leak is almost certainly real. And we can even deduce a late November / early December launch for Europe with a price tag of more than €200 and up to €250 from the above figures.
I am just slightly anxious about Nintendo rather confidently aiming above that psychologically important 200 mark. I was hoping for €199 for Europe and that looks unlikely as it is now. $199 for the US may have been illusory from the start, given the weak dollar.
At the same time, why should Nintendo not be confident about Wii? They have successfully established a major change in the market and a unique brand name already, given the massive third party support pledged to the console. And they have become a real people's favourite at each trade show. Why shouldn't we assume that consumers will accept a price tag starting with a two just as easily?
There simply is no reason to sell this console under value with the competition way above, somewhere in the clouds. I guess noone can complain about $250 or its Euro equivalent (whatever it will end up as exactly), but I guess I am still lacking a few details about WiiConnect24 or other features to fully justify that price tag myself. So I am going to sit tight for some more info as it breaks.
EDIT Hello again. Here is the blog that doesn´t sleep (not more than four hours, anyway). And I have literally woken up to more news than anyone can handle.
There is actually a ton of info available, I found. There´s no decent summary of it yet, because it´s far too much. I am currently working on a summary and will be updating you as soon as I can. In the meantime, please steer your browser to Wii.com and start exploring. You may also have a look at this lengthy preview page on Nintendo.co.jp.
Sources: Joystiq, Joystiq
5 comments:
Fal,
Im up cause of work and checking out the news and any info i can find. I feel that 249.95 or whatever its purported to be will be justifiable. I think the System is more capable than we thought. The technology behind it is still underwraps and for IBM to be shopping off "Broadway" to apple for their slim IMacs line tells us something. By the way have you checked out the WII.com site? The japan section is available and it shows various programs pre-installed onto the wii. If im not mistaken the one with the picture shows various pics and vids simultaneously playing in realtime. And we did read the interview with EA on what Madden wii is about. The EA rep stated that it rivals 360 visuals wise. So something is still nor revealed as to what the machine is capable of. Recall "ATI's" "Tip of the Iceberg" comment? Anyhow enough speculation. Im even more pumped!
Rafael N
VA, US
agh, i got to work and i cant visit wii.com or the japanese website because:
"The Websense category 'Non-Traditional Religions and Occult and Folklore' is filtered."
wtf? has wii become a cult?
keep me updated Fal! I'm going mad here
Websense sounds like a crappy "service".
Anyway here's the jist of what happened:
1) Wii will come with a weather channel type of feature (don't ask me it seems odd). You can see it in action on Wii.com/jp
2) Wii has a photo editor/ slideshow channel which can also be seen in action on said website
3) Games are 50 dollars, Virtual console games are $5 -$10
3) 60 virtual console games by the end of the year with 30 (need confirmation on that number, I forgot) availible on launch day.
4) Resident Evil Wii fotage is on Wii.com/jp in the big software trailer
Hope that tides you over till tomorrows North American conference.
Wow...just wow. This is the megaton, Nintendo has delivered.
At first I thought the $250 price point was high, but this avalanche of Wii media has changed my mind. The interface is super slick, the channel concept is revolutionary (the browser, weather, and news channels make the interactive TV thing hugely attractive), and the avatar and photosuite are more than I ever would have expected. Its clear now that the pre-E3 quotes about this console being a livingroom centerpiece for the whole family was much more than empty rhetoric.
The graphics too seem much improved since E3. I'm certainly starting to see the Wii's graphical capabilities as new gen rather than GC 1.5.
But perhaps what I'm surprised by the most is just how cool the complete package is. The Nintendo of late has been lacking that hip factor necessary to compete with Sony's image. However, things have changed I think. The Wii has that Apple/Ikea/new age style that makes the PS3 look dated by comparison.
Overall, the Wii is kicking ass right now.
cheers guys, really appreciate it. The price seems a little high but all the extra features seem to justify it by the sounds of things. role on the New York and London conferences!
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