Nintendo Wii launch date, price, games announced

Brian Ambrozy 14 Sep, 2006 at 1:34pm ET Article published in Tech

Nintendo announced that the Wii will be available on November 19th in the United States for a MSRP of $249.99.

With 30 new games available on that day, as well as a download service which will allow gamers to purchase and install classic NES, SNES, and N64 titles using “Wii points”, it seems that Nintendo has prepared a well thought-out product launch.

Using a service that seems identical to Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade, users will be able to purchase “Wii points”. These points are then used to purchase classic games or possibly other game content.

The Wii will be fully backwards compatible with the Gamecube, making the entire existing Gamecube library available at launch.

The $249.99 package will include one “wiimote”, one “Nunchuk” controller, and a bundled disc with 5 sports games on it.

Let the games begin!

Source: Nintendo

Comments

14 Sep 2006 ~ 1:37pm BuddyJ I guess "wii'll" see if they can meet the anticipated demand. With a lower selling price like that, they should move like hotcakes. Hopefully Nintendo made enough that people won't be waiting weeks and weeks to get one.
14 Sep 2006 ~ 4:06pm RWB $250 is a bit high, but worth it IMHO... I'll be getting one ASAP. I should have enough after this paycheck to save on and be sure to get it then
14 Sep 2006 ~ 4:39pm Sledgehammer70 I am almost willing to bet the Wii is nothing more than a repackage GameCube with a new controller... the machines at E3 were GameCube machines.
14 Sep 2006 ~ 4:45pm Garg

Sledgehammer70 wrote:

I am almost willing to bet the Wii is nothing more than a repackage GameCube with a new controller... the machines at E3 were GameCube machines.

If they didn't have to spend much on hardware R&D, I'll bet they'll absolutely clean up on Wii sales. Aren't Gamecubes selling for $99 now?
14 Sep 2006 ~ 4:47pm primesuspect It's similar to a gamecube, but it's got a better cpu and gpu, and some more ram.

It is binary compatible with the gamecube though.. Just consider it like putting a new graphics card and cpu in your PC
14 Sep 2006 ~ 6:01pm Garg Totally different strategy than the PS3, that's for sure

Personally, I hope both strategies succeed and give gamers a choice between console platforms with fundamentally different experiences. And that the uninspired XBox 360 sinks like a stone.
14 Sep 2006 ~ 6:38pm primesuspect Now that I have an xbox 360, which is something I never thought I'd have (xbox is for jocks!), I can say that I view the xbox more as a portal to the xbox live world (the arcade, acheivements, and multiplayer) than as a strict gaming console. I think the online offering IS inspired, even if the hardware and games aren't.
14 Sep 2006 ~ 7:47pm RWB All I care about is the controllers, I want the Wii and I want that new Zelda game!
14 Sep 2006 ~ 8:30pm NLichtman LOL. This is going to be an interesting topic at lunch in school...
14 Sep 2006 ~ 8:43pm Garg Interesting commentary on Engadget:

But is the Wii really such a good deal? As one commenter on Joystiq put it, when you factor in the cost of an extra controller ($40), extra nunchuck attachment ($20), a non-bundled game ($50), and the obligatory SD card ($20 to $50), you're looking at a package that costs over $400 -- and over $500 if you want to equip everyone in a four-person family with their own input devices.

Gamers have also been critiquing the cost of Virtual Console titles: are people really willing to spend $5-a-pop for a bunch of low-res games from the 80's (especially when these same games are available for "free" as ROMs at numerous sites online)? Finally, some folks aren't all that wowed at the "value-added" features like web browsing and photo manipulation -- we have computers for that, and they do a lot better job.
14 Sep 2006 ~ 8:53pm primesuspect

Engadget wrote:

Gamers have also been critiquing the cost of Virtual Console titles: are people really willing to spend $5-a-pop for a bunch of low-res games from the 80's (especially when these same games are available for "free" as ROMs at numerous sites online)?

I think the answer will be a huge "yes". They are looking at it (as usual) from the enthusiast/knowledgeable geek standpoint. It's not like the 4 million "families" who go out and buy a Wii are all into the ROMZ SCENE, or even know that it exists, much less how to go about doing it. Plus, playing NES games on emulators is not nearly as fun as sitting around on the tv with a controller.

Take the xbox live arcade setup - you may think that nobody would pay $4 for a "game from the 1980s with low res graphics" like Time Pilot, Pac Man, Robotron 2084, Smash TV, Frogger, Joust, etc... But they do.. Oh they do.. In droves..

For example, according to mygamercard.net, at this moment, there are 129,558 gamers who have played a ranked match of Joust on XBLA. That means there are probably a few hundred more who have bought it, and not ranked yet.. Okay, even if there is "only" 129,558 people who have bought it, that's around a half million dollars of revenue for a game that is already developed, and is almost pure profit.

I can guarantee that there are some NES games that will sell hundreds of thousands of copies at $5 each.. Games that nintendo already bought and paid for. Pure profit.. Why on earth WOULDN'T they do this? Because the nerds at Engadget think it's "dumb"?
14 Sep 2006 ~ 9:48pm Garg I think from a nerd's perspective, I'm not willing to pay quite that much for games from their back catalog then can be had... elsewhere. If they halved the prices ($2.50 for NES, $5.00 for N64), I'd be satisfied. Nintendo can't pretend there isn't availability of these titles out there for free and refuse to compete with it, at least not in terms of the tech savvy cusomters. Of course, we make up a small percentage of their customer base, and they'll still make craploads of money off everyone else. I don't think Engadget was implying it wasn't a good business plan, just that the nerdy among us (their readers) may find the price points too high to bite.

As it is now, people who already have ROM collections might only buy their most favorite games or games that are difficult to emulate. Last year, I drove four hours to buy a rare, non-emulator-friendly N64 game and the requisite N64 console ($30 gas, $40 game, $30 console). So if they had the Wii last year, I would have been most pleased

I think they had a really intersting point about peripheral costs, though. Sure, Sony and MS peripherals are expensive too, but it seems additional gizmo purchase will be more likely with the Wii. And seriously, $60 for a controller with the nunchuck? Hope they last longer than my DualShocks have
14 Sep 2006 ~ 10:03pm RWB The wayI see it and the way I've always seen it with the XBOX I had... if you wanna MP you'll bring your own damned controller
15 Sep 2006 ~ 4:02am CyrixInstead Wow, this is great news! I wonder when it's coming out in Europe - I want one for Christmas!!

~Cyrix
15 Sep 2006 ~ 3:15pm a2jfreak Yawn.

I'd rather spend $400 for my kids to have an XBox 360 than $250 to have a glorified GameCube. What I really think would be cool is the PS3, but at $600 I just can't justify it. Actually, I can't justify the $400 for XBox 360, so my kids will just have to wait as I can't justify $250 for a GameCube++ either. All these machines are just too pricey. Looks like my family will be sticking to the PS2, XBox and GameCube for a while.
18 Sep 2006 ~ 11:02am drasnor I just read an article on Game Informer that sums up my experiences and feelings on the matter quite nicely.

-drasnor
19 Sep 2006 ~ 10:26am Enverex If I had to pick a console it probably wouldn't be a Wii as I'm not really up for just playing rehashes (or rather a rehash of a rehash of a rehash of a rehash) of NES games. New and different is good. Maybe a sequal or two, but "Mario 26" and "Pokemon something something" just don't appeal to me. The types of games I'm in to are even less likely to be on the Wii due to its weird controller.
19 Sep 2006 ~ 12:58pm primesuspect That's funny because I think of the three major console platforms, nintendo is the most innovative in the games department. There are tons of unique, non-rehash games. On the ps3 and xbox 360, all you get are yet more sports games, yet more shooters, yet more fighting games, all with much better graphics than the previous generation. Yet Another Thug Simulator? (Saints row, all the GTAs, etc.)... What about Pikmin, or Cooking Mama, or Brain Age?
19 Sep 2006 ~ 1:14pm Enverex To be perfectly honest, they just look and sound... silly. I guess I just prefer more serious or at least remotely realistic games.
19 Sep 2006 ~ 1:57pm Sledgehammer70 I am going to have to agree with Enverex on this one, I think the games on Wii are a bit old and dual, the funny part is guys like us prime grew up with the Nintendo classics and Wii has found its edge... I bet more Wii's are sold to 24+ age group than kids as most people are age still remember and love the classics...

Now Me, I am all for new shooters and new games as they provide new stories... If they are done right they become very appealing over the old, as yes graphics are always a plus but for me it is new content, I buy these things as I want to play the new stuff not old games that I got sick of after 1 year of playing  but again that is me and not everyone else.

I find the comment on Wii being innovative a bit false also. As they really haven't done anything new to their console but add a new controller and upgrade its insides a bit. Or in short it is an upgraded GameCube. The main question I ask is, why buy the Wii if all the games coming out for it will be out for GameCube also? It’s like buying a $250.00 controller. I think the only reason a Wii would end up in my house is because my wife is an old school game lover... but she is content with her Logitech gaming pad hooked to her PC with all the emulated versions of the games.
19 Sep 2006 ~ 5:24pm primesuspect

Sledgehammer70 wrote:

he main question I ask is, why buy the Wii if all the games coming out for it will be out for GameCube also?

This is just not true. A few games will be available for both platforms during the transition, but I'll go out on a limb and say that by Christmas '07 there will be no more gamecube games being made. Really, the only game that I've heard of that will be dual-release will be Twilight Princess. The GC version will be coming out in December, while the Wii version will be a launch title.

Innovative games?

Odama
Pikmin
Yoshi Touch and Go
Kirby Canvas Curse
Luigi's Mansion
Nintendogs
Animal Crossing

There are lots more - these are games that don't even remotely fit into a genre. There are no other games like them (at least, there weren't when they came out) You can't say nintendo hasn't innovated over the years. Color Handheld Game Console? That was pretty innovative

As for shooters and their stories - you know that I am a hardcore PC gamer as well, so I'm not arguing the platform or the genre, but seriously... Even prey (which is a great game) or FEAR - they are ALL THE SAME. They are all doom clones, each one adding just one or two new things, new weapons, better graphics, etc... But you can sit down in front of the very latest high tech shooter (like prey) and just start playing immediately because you've done it a million times before. That's tiring after a while. I burned out after HL2. The HL2 story is so good and the world so immersive that nothing compares. I demoed FEAR and Prey and Quake IV and I just don't care anymore. The stories are all somewhat similar - YOU ARE ALONE AGAINST MASSIVE EVIL BAD GUYS AND YOU HAVE LOTS OF BIG GUNS...
19 Sep 2006 ~ 5:36pm a2jfreak

primesuspect wrote:

You can't say nintendo hasn't innovated over the years. Color Handheld Game Console? That was pretty innovative

The Turbo Express Portable and Sega Game Gear were both color a decade before the Gameboy Advance came out; oh, and they also had optional TV tuners, that was a bit more "innovative" than the adding of a color display, which IMO is a bit more "evolutionary," not "revolutionary."

primesuspect wrote:

As for shooters and their stories - you know that I am a hardcore PC gamer as well, so I'm not arguing the platform or the genre, but seriously... Even prey (which is a great game) or FEAR - they are ALL THE SAME. They are all doom clones, each one adding just one or two new things, new weapons, better graphics, etc... But you can sit down in front of the very latest high tech shooter (like prey) and just start playing immediately because you've done it a million times before. That's tiring after a while. I burned out after HL2. The HL2 story is so good and the world so immersive that nothing compares. I demoed FEAR and Prey and Quake IV and I just don't care anymore. The stories are all somewhat similar - YOU ARE ALONE AGAINST MASSIVE EVIL BAD GUYS AND YOU HAVE LOTS OF BIG GUNS...

Just because all shooters have many things in common doesn't mean that there won't be innovation in the genre. Perhaps, aside from better visuals, we'll get visuals that have more depth and more objects that can be manipulated. Better AI . . . maybe adaptive AI. The GameCube++ can only do so much. At least the XBox 360 and the PS3 have a chance at improving AI enough to make games much more interesting. With more memory and more processing capabilities they allow for more true-to-life physics and object manipulation.

Where is my Holodeck?
19 Sep 2006 ~ 5:40pm drasnor I enjoy twitch shooters with no story like Unreal. Rounds go fast and no two sessions are ever the same. I can play botmatch if I don't want to hear whining or play multiplayer to meet some cunning opponents.

I enjoy Super Mario and old school games as much as I enjoy all my other old school toys. However, my old school Slinky costs two orders of magnitude less than a Wii, takes zero time to start playing, can be used in a variety of fun manners, and when combined with friends and physical surroundings can achieve a variety of entertaining multiplayer modes. When I feel the need to scratch my old school itch it's much easier for me to reach for my Slinky and find a staircase than it is to reach for my pocketbook and shell out upwards of $300 on video games I've already played and still have working originals for.

-drasnor
19 Sep 2006 ~ 6:09pm Garg I will agree that Nintendo has done more innovating that any other major video game company. However, I am usually content to use Version 2.0 of the innovative idea after it's been ripped off by someone like Sony.

Most of Nintendo's innovative ideas have a uniquely quirky "Nintendoness" to them that turns me off. The anolog joystick was a good idea on the N64 controller, but the Playstation analog controller was a big step forward in usability. I would also argue that there are more logical (less quirky) ways of employing motion-sensing technology than a wand that looks like the love child of an iPod and a TV remote control. Motion-sensing technology might be here to stay, and we may have Nintendo to thank for that, yet the Wiimote itself will probably be forgettable.
19 Sep 2006 ~ 9:09pm shwaip The thing that worries me is the cost of additional remotes/nunchuck (40/20).

If you want to be able to play with friends (one of the best parts), you'll need to shell out another $60 per.
19 Sep 2006 ~ 9:24pm primesuspect Just like xbox 360 wireless controllers.
19 Sep 2006 ~ 9:48pm shwaip I didn't say that they were more expensive than other controllers.

My point was than nintendo was marketing this as a console that you play with others, and one of the main draws was the price point, having to spend another $60 is a kick in the pants.

Fortunately, I've solved this problem by having no friends
20 Sep 2006 ~ 12:55am Enverex

Gargoyle wrote:

I will agree that Nintendo has done more innovating that any other major video game company. However, I am usually content to use Version 2.0 of the innovative idea after it's been ripped off by someone like Sony.

Most of Nintendo's innovative ideas have a uniquely quirky "Nintendoness" to them that turns me off. The anolog joystick was a good idea on the N64 controller, but the Playstation analog controller was a big step forward in usability. I would also argue that there are more logical (less quirky) ways of employing motion-sensing technology than a wand that looks like the love child of an iPod and a TV remote control. Motion-sensing technology might be here to stay, and we may have Nintendo to thank for that, yet the Wiimote itself will probably be forgettable.

Also not innovative. I remember thoroughly enjoying myself playing Tachyon the Fringe through a year or two back with my Saitek P2000 Tilt control pad (yeah, not 'exactly' the same but close enough). DOWN! UP!, LEFT, RIGHT! Heh, must have looked crazy to other people. But anyways, I also dislike Consoles for a reason more than anything else, the whole "exclusive to blah!" crap. I'm not, and will never buy a console for whatever game. Their loss if they don't want anyone else buying/playing it.
20 Sep 2006 ~ 3:53am PirateNinja ssbb.
20 Sep 2006 ~ 6:43am rapture

If I had to pick a console it probably wouldn't be a Wii as I'm not really up for just playing rehashes (or rather a rehash of a rehash of a rehash of a rehash) of NES games. New and different is good. Maybe a sequal or two, but "Mario 26" and "Pokemon something something" just don't appeal to me. The types of games I'm in to are even less likely to be on the Wii due to its weird controller.

QFT, finding it difficult to even give a crap about this console.
20 Sep 2006 ~ 8:29am GHoosdum I love playing rehashed games - it lets me relive my youth. I just wish Nintendo would release another side-scrolling 2d platformer with Italian plumbers that jump on the heads of turtles and walking mushrooms.
20 Sep 2006 ~ 12:32pm primesuspect they just did
21 Sep 2006 ~ 1:28am Medlock I've got money set aside already for the Wii launch. Now I just need to figure out how to get SSBB and Super Mario Galaxy early. Hmm....