Nintendo Wii to launch November 19th at $249.99

[c0ldb33r]

Opera costing "Wii points" to download?
Internet Channel compatible with Macromedia Flash and AJAX?

I didn't hear about that - I thought Opera came installed in ROM

[GrandAmChandler]

So will a classic controller be included?

No, sold separately. However a Wii-mote and a Nunchuck adaptor will be included

[Neo Rasa]

Opera download only purchase for Wii usage is a very good idea actually. By definition an adult would be setting the wheels for it to be downloaded onto a Wii into motion so that Nintendo isn't held accountable is Timmy somehow starts using it as a standard web browser and finds 18 And Dripping Volume 4 or something.


No word on the classic controller.

Also no word on DVD player capabilities, originally they said if it's going to happen, it will be via a very cheap external device. Fine with me since I have more things that can play DVDs than I can count.

[Anthony1]

Here are some basic known facts about the Wii in North America as it currently stands.



Price = $249.99

Date = Sunday November 19th, 2006

Color = White only (for now)

Available at = 25,000 retailers in North and South America

# of units available worldwide = 4 million to 4.5 million with the majority for the North American market

Pack in = Wii Sports (includes Tennis, Golf, Baseball, Bowling and Boxing)

Controllers included = 1 nunchaku unit and 1 Wii-mote

AC Adapter = unknown exactly what type of power plug or AC Adapter it will be using, but of course it will be packed in the box

Audio/Video cables = no announcement yet, but expected to include basic audio/video cables. The ones with the yellow, red and white plugs. Yellow for composite video and red and white for left and right stereo.

SD cards for storage = not likely included

Internet Browser = Opera Browser (not included) must be purchased seperately for Wii points. Unknown how many Wii points it costs

Games confirmed for day 1 of launch = supposedly 25 games including: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, Call of Duty 3, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Need for Speed: Carbon, Madden 07, Elebits, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Splinter Cell: Double Agent among others

Games confirmed by the end of 2006 = roughly 30 titles

Prices for first party games = $49.99 or less

Prices for Vitual Console games:

NES = 500 Wii points ($5)

SNES = 800 Wii points ($8)

Nintendo 64 = 1000 Wii points ($10)

Price of a 2000 points Wii card at retail = $20

Virtual Console games confirmed for launch = Super Mario World and Super Mario 64

Virtual Console games expected per month = 10 per month

Cost of additional Wii-motes = $39.99 (Nunchaku sold seperately)

Cost of additional Nunchaku units = $19.99

Cost of component cables = unknown, expected to be $29.99 or more

Cost of S-Video cables = unknown, probably $19.99 or so

Wii games delayed from launch window = Metroid Prime 3 is now a 2007 release

[slip81]

Also, again stop bitching about the price. It's $250 with essentially 3 games!!! The accessories are cheaper than 360, and the console is defintely less. I think everyone needs to stop whining and remember that the OTHER competition is charging $600-$700 this year for their system.

So basically, shut up, open your wallets, and play with your Wii. Long. and Hard.

The Wii is also less of a system technologically than the other two. The 360 has High Def and 5.1, and a dvd drive, HDD and component cables, the PS3 has high def, blu-ray, HDMI, 5.1 and an HDD, all of which help to justify the higher price.

The Will is basically a slightly more poweerful piece of hardware when compaired to the GCN.

Though I'm not complaining about the price, I don't like the idea of a pack period, as since the DC I haven't liked any launch line up for any system, hence why I haven't bought any at launch.

I don't like the idea of a pack in, bacuase to me, it forces you to spend money on something you may not want. If you want Wii sports, fine, it's a great price, if you don't though it's kind of like wasting money, because you'll have to spend an additional $50 just to get a game you want, when you already spent $50 for one you didn't want.

I'd rather buy the Wii for $199 without a game, and then spend the $50 on one that I want.

Also $5-10 isn't that bad for the downloadable games peope, Live Arcade games are essentially the same price, since most are 800 points, and you can only buy min 1000 for $12.95. At that rate you'd have to buy 4000 points before you'd have enough left over to get a game without getting additional points.

And since I hardly ever see anyone complain about the live arcade costs it must mean that you don't mind paying that much for downloadable games.

[Anthony1]

In regards to the cost of the virtual console games, I don't think the prices are too outa whack, but I think they should have made it more game specific. Some random crappy SNES game shouldn't cost the same as Super Metroid. According to their system, all SNES games are $8. All NES games being $5 is a pretty good deal. N64 games being $10 is kinda weird, I'm not sure there are any N64 games that I would want to spend $10 on, just to own something that doesn't have a physical form.


I wonder if like with Xbox Live, once you purchase these games, you own them for life, as long as you use the same Gamertag or whatever. Also, it would be sweet if you could purchase the VC games and once you bought them, you could play them on both the Wii and DS, for the one price. Then it would almost be worth it. Myself personally, I would rather have the real game, and until they come out with wireless replicas of their real controllers for the NES, SNES and N64, I'm not going to purchase any of those games, even the rare ones that are too expensive to buy off Ebay. I'd rather use my PC and a USB version of the real controller.


The only way they can get me to actually buy VC games, is if they add internet multiplayer to them. Like for Mario Kart SNES.

[YoshiM]

In regard to the Wii's price being higher than the launch prices of past Nintendo consoles, we have to remember that these prices do not reflect inflation. A dollar today can buy more than a dollar 15 years ago, so its only natural that consoles today cost more than they did then. The Wii, at $249 2006 dollars is not a ripoff compared to, say, the Super NES at $199 1991 dollars.

According to this calculator, prices have increased by 48.98% from August 1991 to July 2006 (the latest month for which data is available). So the Super NES would have cost 199x1.4898= $296.47 in today's dollars. Likewise, the N64 would have cost $255.91, and the Gamecube $228.27 in 2006 dollars. So in comparison the Wii's price is really not that unusual or surprising.

I love it when someone uses inflation. I used to as well but then I realized it's not really relevent. It's about current perception of value, not value based on how much things were X number of years ago.

[7th lutz]

With the virtual console, I have no idea what the prices or the tg-16 games will be.

The only virtual game console games that mentioned at http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=6877 were:
Donkey Kong-nes
Super Mario World-snes
Super Mario 64-n64
R-type-version unclear
Ecco the Dolphin-genesis
Bomberman 94-tg-16
The Legend of Zelda

The other games that were announced were from sega on Sept. 11th.
Those were According to http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=6850 were
Altered Beast-genesis
Columns-genesis
Golden Axe-genesis
Ristar-genesis
Sonic the Hedgehog-genesis
Toe Jam & Earl-genesis

There was no price on the genesis games either. That a bit bigs me also beside the tg-16. I hope sega and Hudson will give the prices for their genesis and tg-16 games.

[diskoboy]

According to joystiq - No DVD movie playback with the Wii. It won't effect my decision since I have 5 players laying around my house...



Gotta love that packaging, though.

[NE146]

In regards to the price, people can see we are bitching about complaining about the price, but you have to realize that Nintendo kept saying that there system would be the cheapest and that it would be affordable to the masses, etc, etc. I find it somewhat odd, that the Wii will be their MOST EXPENSIVE home console in America ever. Super Nintendo = $199.99 Nintendo 64 = $199.99 GameCube = $199.99.

Why are you limiting it only to Nintendo consoles. the Genesis launched at $250 remember? So did the Atari 2600 . And I remember buying my Turbografx-16 at launch for the same amount as well!

How can it be terribly priced when the average console launch price over the past 20+ years has been $199-$299?? It fits right in there! All their other consoles have as well. They are consistent.

And by the way, the PSP is still $250

[le geek]

Well, I'm pretty excited, but still hesitant. The Mii feature sounds cool, but the pricing isn't quite the no brainer I was looking for. But really, it will come down to how well the Wii version of Zelda is reviewed as well as well as trying it out for myself...

Right now I'm leaning towards a 360, but am on a C64 emu kick...

Cheers,
Ben

[AMG]

Gotta love that packaging, though.

Agreed, very classy looking.

[YoshiM]

I'm still waiting to see official word but the way things look, the $250 with Sports and one Wiimote/Nunchuck is practically set in stone. So I'll base my thoughts on that for now...

-A little miffed on price: $250 for one controller and a collection of mini games. I was hoping for $200, one controller and no game. To get a "full" controller it's $60 (remote plus chuck). I guess ya gotta pay for innovation.

-the separation of Wiimote and Chuck: So far it looks like many games are going to require the wiimote/chuck combo to play. Unfortunately Nintendo seems to have gone for the "necessary accessory" approach Sony did years back with the memory card on the PS1. You can buy a Wiimote separate but that might not help you if you want to play Call of Duty 3 with a buddy. Since the concept of the Wii is different, the "non gamer" may not know this additional purchase may be necessary, possibly causing some grief. Just package the two for $50-the nunchuck is probably gonna die before the wiimote anyway.

-extra features...why?: I could see music storage for custom soundtracks (hmm...sell music on Nintendo's online service that can be played on a DS using WiFi and a memory card...that's an idea...) but I didn't see web browsing and news/weather being an possibility or a desire. If you've got Internet access you most likely have a PC. Why would you downgrade to surfing the net on a TV? As for news-again you have your PC or you can tune in to cable/satellite/broadcast television to get info. Also how good will the weather information be? How "local" can the information get? Why use this when you can use WiiOpera to go to Weather Channel, Accuweather, etc. instead for possibly better info?

And if you don't have Internet access (or dial up) the option is now useless. I'd rather have it as a free or cheap option rather than built in

This has kinda gone from "launch day purchase" to "wait and see". My brother in law and I both have enough Gamestop credit for a fully decked out Wii (four controllers) but I had planned to purchase my own. If I like what I play and there are games I want that he'll never play, I'll probably pick a system up later.

[shopkins]

A couple of questions I'm hoping someone can answer:

Will the Wii have internal memory to save games or will we have to buy memory cards?

Will the Wii have 5.1 Surround support? I felt a little burned when the Gamecube just came with Dolby Prologic 2, especially since my system didn't support that standard.

How will it connect to the Internet? If it's only through Wi-fi that's going to add to the cost for me, because I only have one computer and when I had Internet I connected it directly through a cable modem.

How much will the SD card cost? How much will the Opera browser cost?

I also hate that they're using a points system to disguise how much downloadable games cost. It should be right out there in U.S. dollars. Points systems feel dishonest.

[c0ldb33r]

Will the Wii have internal memory to save games or will we have to buy memory cards?

I was thinking they'd just save to your SD card

How much will the SD card cost? How much will the Opera browser cost?

I assume we'll be able to use any old SD card. These are dirt cheap for big ones.

I also hate that they're using a points system to disguise how much downloadable games cost. It should be right out there in U.S. dollars. Points systems feel dishonest.

Not really - it's a simple conversion. I hope they'll award points for certain things, i.e. register 3 games and get 1000 free points or something like that. I supposed they could do it the same way just by saying register 3 games and get a free n64 download, but it seems less skeezy to give away points somehow.

[klausien]

I love the knee-jerk reactions going on around here. Shame on all of you. Viewing this in perspective, this is a very good, if not great deal, and the Wii will absolutely be the hottest item this Christmas, slam dunk style.

Wii System with Remote & Nunchuck + Wii Sports - $250

Think about their price point for additional controllers:

Remote - $40
Nunchuk - $20

So, we have $250-$60=$190

Now lets say, $35 for the Wii Sports $290-$155=$155

That makes the MSRP of the Wii system alone approx $150. Add the $40 for one solitary remote, as a comparison to an XBox360 or PS3 with one controller and we have $195. The system is under $200. Everyone also seems to forget that there is a lot of tech going on in that remote & nunchuck. It is not "just a controller".

The "core", AKA neutered, systems from Microsoft and Sony are $300 & $500 respectively. Neither of them offer the full experience, and adding the eventually necessary HDD for the XBox360 later simply makes the $300 system the premium $400. It also still has a wired controller. A $500 PS3 will never have a 1080p connection or 60GB HDD no matter what you do. The only true choice is the full-price product for both systems, as you will either lose something or end up spending more in the long run. For the approximate price of a Core XBox360 with no games, you will be able to play Wii Sports AND the new Zelda on November 19th. How is that not a "no brainer"?

In addition to this shortfall, Sony & Microsoft are still taking a bath on their systems in the worst way. It is important to recognize that the "selling at a loss" phenomenon has reached upspeakable, and very dangerous (at least for Sony) levels. Nintendo is making money on the Wii even with the pack-in. And none of these "We are being ripped off because there is still only one controller" or "I don't want to pay for Wii Sports" shenanigans. Not wanting to play Wii Sports is total, unadulterated elitism. I hate sports games, but was interested in Wii Sports from day one. For anyone who knows my tastes (1,384 unique games including only about 10 or so sports games, three of which are tennis), that speaks volumes.

The average person is not adverse to a company making money on its products, nor do they even have the slightest idea of how much the gadget costs to make. Only mainstream gamers who buy every version of Madden for $50-$60 and are disappointed that "next gen" will also include best sellers that lack graphic violence and adult themes; or say, post-PSX fanboy types who think of Nintendo's IPs as being childish or "uncool" are so upset about the fact that they are set to remain number one in profits. Nintendo always makes money on their products. Fact.

I agree that the pack-in game also plays very well to the consumers' sense of value for their money. There is a full experience in that Wii box. Parents are going to love that. They have already accepted that a game and extra controller are in the cards when buying their kid a system, so the Wii softens the blow in a way that will be welcomed. Remember, we know way more about any of this than the average parent. It is purely psychological. "Oh yeah, it comes with a game, and its only $250!!!" The 18-25 set may be the largest demographic in the market, but that doesn't matter here. Said parents are also going to be the those very "non-gamer" people Nintendo hooks with Wii Sports, much like the old gun games even got my GRANDPARENTS to try and ultimately enjoy video games. It is a smart move.

Now, I can't say I'm not a bit disappointed. I would have felt it was truly perfect at $250 with the pack-in AND 2 controllers, but it sure beats what you get for the same $250 with something like the PSP as NE146 said before.

This price point is simply good business. Nintendo will not be going the route of Sega anytime soon, if ever, nor do they need to bargain basement themselves to remain solvent. The chance they took was in true innovation in the idiom, as opposed to better graphics or the "Look! Our game machine is a media center!" philosophy. They have "political capital" to spare coming out at $250 with this package. Sony thinks they have an unlimited amount of said "capital" to spend, much like a certain chief executive, and have taken a large, some say irrational, gamble. It might pay off for them, but it has the makings of a serious debacle. The people at large seem to take arrogance lightly in a political sense, but when they don their consumer robes, they need a return for their hard-earned money.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love gaming, period. I am not a Nintendo fanboy. I am just a rational person who loves their hobby and who is happy to see at least one of the industry leaders doing something to take gaming out of the doldrums it has been in. This is not a disclaimer. The writing is on the wall, and Nintendo is helping fade it, if not erase it.

[jajaja]

Its cool that the console is regionfree like the 360 (probly mentioned before here, but i havnt read all) First-party games will have no region so you can import from anywhere in the world and play without a problem. I wonder what the 3rd-party developers will do.

[geneshifter]

Thought you guys would like to know this. I just got a call from my local Gamestop and they are starting preorders for Zelda:TP Wii version tomorrow, Friday. Better get in there ASAP.

[MrRoboto19XX]

I plan on gladly plopping down 250+ on launch day.

[shopkins]

Wii System with Remote & Nunchuck + Wii Sports - $250

Think about their price point for additional controllers:

Remote - $40
Nunchuk - $20

So, we have $250-$60=$190

This is bullshit. No game system in history, at least as far as I know, has shipped without some way to control it. One controller is an expected part of the price, not an extra.

Pack in games shouldn't be considered extras to take away from the cost, either. It's still $250.