Nintendo today held Wii preview events in Japan, North America, and Europe to announce a number of remaining details concerning the launch of their new hardware – Wii. While we didn’t know specific launch information or pricing, today the company revealed both pieces of that puzzle. Wii will launch in North America on November 19th for $249.99.
So what’s in the box? For $250 users will receive a Wii console, 1 Wii remote with strap, 1 nunchuck controller, AV cable, Wii console stand, sensor bar, sensor bar stand, and two AA batteries. While pack-ins haven’t been included with the launch of Nintendo systems for decades – since the SNES launched with Super Mario World - The Wii will be packaged with Wii Sports included.
Nintendo announced that they plan to ship four million Wii consoles to retail worldwide by the end of 2006, and gamers will be able to pick up the console at launch at 25,000 retail locations. 25 first and third party titles will be available at launch. Pricing on first party titles will be $50, and Nintendo is urging third parties to keep game prices at the same price point.
For those planning on playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on their GameCubes, you’ll have to wait. The GameCube version will be released on December 11th.
While many hoped that Metroid Prime 3 Corruption would be a launch title, Nintendo revealed that the game has slipped to 2007. First party Launch titles will include The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Excite Truck and Pokemon Battle Revolution. Pokemon Battle Revolution will be the only title that will have online multiplayer.
Third party games that will be available at launch will include Madden 07, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, Call of Duty 3, Elebits, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, Need For Speed: Carbon, and Rayman Raving Rabbids.
The E3 version of Wii Sports included Tennis, Golf, and Baseball, but today Nintendo debuted bowling and boxing as editions to the Wii Sports roster.
Extra Wii remotes will cost $39.99 and nunchuck controllers will cost 19.99.
Virtual Console titles will cost around the same price as Xbox Live Arcade titles - $5 - $10. NES Thirty titles will be able to be downloaded at launch including such fan favorites as Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, and The Legend of Zelda. All Virtual Console elements will be payable with Wii Points, which are basically a penny a point, with 2000 Wii points costing $20.00. Wii Points can be purchased at either retail stores or online. NES titles will average 500 Wii Points, SNES 800 points, and N64 titles 1000 points.
Also, while Nintendo 64 and GameCube owners suffered from sparse first party software releases, and a dismal final console year lacking software at all, Nintendo promises to change that with Wii. The company promises to have something “always exciting” released on a more frequent basis than previous consoles.
After the press conference ended, the gameplay session began. With the popularity of the Big Brain/Brain Training series, Nintendo has decided to bring Big Brain Academy over to the Wii, and this version will include all new puzzles. New builds of Wario Ware are playable, yet Zelda seems to only include the fishing mini-game that was playable at E3.
We’ll have continuous coverage and analysis from the Wii Preview events all day long.
During the worldwide flurry of information about the Wii today, Nintendo unveiled Wii Channels. The Wii Channel Menu will be the first thing users see when turning on the system, and will feature eight separate channels to choose from.
1) Disc Channel: Players will be able to access GameCube and Wii discs here.
2) Mii Channel: Users can create cartoon character portraits of themselves that can be used as a gamer picture and also be represented on character models in-game. These portraits can also be saved to specific Wii Remotes so that when you go over to a friend’s house to play Wii your portrait will follow.
3) Photo Channel: Edit photos saved to an SD memory card here. Users can crop and zoom on the photos or create tile puzzles and slide shows set to MP3s. You can also brighten the image change it to black and white or switch it to negative colors.
4) Forecast Channel: This channel automatically hooks into local weather forecasts and is constantly updated through WiiConnect24. You can also manipulate a three dimensional globe and easily access weather information anywhere on Earth.
5) News Channel: WiiConnect24 also keeps this information current and pinpoints the location of any world news on the same 3-D globe model
6) Wii Shop Channel: Players can purchase Virtual Console Games and additional Wii Points here (NES = $5, SNES = $8, N64 = $10). This is also where users can purchase the Opera browser that allows web surfing. No price information on the Opera browser has been released yet.
7) Internet Channel: If players decide to buy the Opera browser, this is where they would access it. The browser is confirmed to support Macromedia Flash.
8) Wii Message Board: Users can leave messages for other members of the household or send notes over the Net. Players will also be able to send text and photos to cell phones. This is also where games will be updated with new content.
See the currently announced Wii Channels in action at Nintendo’s site http://www.wii.com/en_US/. Notice the two “Coming Soon” slots on the page? It seems Nintendo still has a few tricks up their sleeve.
And They’ve Also got a list of third party launch titles up!
Nintendo plans to release 25 titles at launch, the company has released the third party game list. The company has detailed the release list through March 31st. Games include:
Activision:
Call of Duty 3
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Rapala Tournament Fishing
Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam
World Series of Poker
Atari:
Dragon Ball Z Budokai: Tenkaichi 2
Atlus:
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Chicken Little: Ace in Action
Buena Vista Games
Disney’s Meet the Robinsons
Dance Factory
Codemasters
Sidewinder
The Godfather
Madden NFL 07
Need for Speed: Carbon
SSX
Tiger Woods PGA Tour
Konami:
Elebits
Majesco:
Bust A Move Revolution
Midway:
The Ant Bully
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
Happy Feet
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Rampage: Total Destruction
Sega:
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz
SNK:
Metal Slug Anthology
THQ:
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Barnyard
Cars
SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
Ubisoft:
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
Far Cry: Vengeance
GT Pro Series
Monster 4x4: World Circuit
Open Season
Prince of Persia
Rayman: Raving Rabbids
Red Steel
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Madden NFL 07
Need for Speed: Carbon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Rampage: Total Destruction
Prince of Persia
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Madden NFL 07
Need for Speed: Carbon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Rampage: Total Destruction
Prince of Persia
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent
man that’s sad
Nope cus i could get those games for 360 With better Gfx,A.I and more online features...
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Madden NFL 07
Need for Speed: Carbon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Rampage: Total Destruction
Prince of Persia
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent
man that’s sad
Nope cus i could get those games for 360 With better Gfx,A.I and more online features...
Did you see the TP screen. Wii will be comparable to 360...
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Madden NFL 07
Need for Speed: Carbon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Rampage: Total Destruction
Prince of Persia
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent
man that’s sad
Nope cus i could get those games for 360 With better Gfx,A.I and more online features...
Did you see the TP screen. Wii will be comparable to 360...
