Nintendo might be on store shelves considerably earlier than many were expecting, perhaps by a month or more.
Although Nintendo has made no formal announcements, industry observers and insiders expect the system to be available in October, with late September a remote possibility.
Early manufacturing will certainly help Nintendo in meeting consumer demand. New console launches traditionally sell out fast. Manufacturing problems were Microsoft’s downfall in not being able to meet worldwide demand, as is expected of the PlayStation 3. Nintendo, like Sony, has given indications that it expects to ship 6 million units by March 2007.
With likely price points at $199 or $249, price remains the key focus, which Nintendo has said is its primary target this generation. The Wii breaks many of the video game industry’s traditional rules for a “next generation” console. Graphics shown to media are not dramatically better than those found on GameCube games. The system will not support high definition video, unlike its competitors. Nintendo has also vowed to keep game prices lower than the $60 price tag for many Xbox 360 games (a price that’s expected to be mirrored for many PS3 titles).
Source: CNN Money
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