Wii Launch and Price Revealed

[BreakABone]

http://wii.ign.com/articles/732/732669p1.html

I don't know.

Price seems high.

Date seems late.

WiiSports pack-in is coool though.

[manasecret]

I was pretty shocked by this news, and therefore dissapointed. But I think that's just it. We all had come to expect from all the developer comments and assorted rumors that a much cheaper price and a much sooner launch were in order. Once those expectations weren't met, anything else seems like terrible news. But is it really? Is a $250 Wii launched two days after PS3 all that bad? Or does it just sound bad because we expected something else?

Well for me the answer is no, this news isn't that bad. $250 and the Sunday two days before my Thanksgiving break starts is actually pretty nice.

However I'm gonna buy this thing no matter what (barring a price tag much more than $250).

[GameMaster]

I think it's good news. I have something to look forward to now. And one of greatest experiences a video gamer can partake in is the waiting/purchasing of a console on release day. I'll be doing that. I haven't decided if I'll buy just or two Wii's. I really don't need the system until Smash Bros. comes out. I was thinking seriouslyabout eBaying one for some profit.

[Crash]

You know they put the price at $250 so that they seem like better quality. To a lot of people higher price is the same as high quality. If they priced to low, people would think "it's cheap because it's crap" and its true.

Good price point when comparing it to competitors.

[Dyne]

This was based on a online newspaper article which was promptly taken down. IGN is basically chomping at the bit with this article and I would take it with a grain, no, a rock of salt.

The Japanese pricepoint is around $215, though, for your information. The conference is on right now. It's releasing there November 12th.

[BreakABone]

Originally Posted by Dyne

This was based on a online newspaper article which was promptly taken down. IGN is basically chomping at the bit with this article and I would take it with a grain, no, a rock of salt.

The Japanese pricepoint is around $215, though, for your information. The conference is on right now. It's releasing there November 12th.

I see that Dyne has reached the step of denial.

It is ok.

And think Japanese release is Dec 2nd, no?

[Teuthida]

Originally Posted by Dyne

This was based on a online newspaper article which was promptly taken down. IGN is basically chomping at the bit with this article and I would take it with a grain, no, a rock of salt.

Same info in today's NYTimes though.

In a move that may allow Nintendo of Japan to take advantage of stumbles by its main rival, the company plans to announce today that it will release its new Wii video game console in North America and South America on Nov. 19, just as the holiday shopping season begins, and that the machine will cost $250 in the United States.

The Wii from Nintendo aims to draw an audience beyond typical gamers by offering channels that provide news and weather, for example.

A scene from Wii Sports, to be played on a new video game console that Nintendo created to be more accessible than other machines.

Nintendo executives said this week that the company would also announce today that more than 25 new games would be available for its video game machine this year, a substantial portfolio from several genres that is intended to help the company broaden the appeal of its console. The company plans to ship four million of the Wii consoles worldwide this year.

Nintendo will also explain today a plan to expand the video game market beyond its core of young men.

Today’s announcement comes as Nintendo’s main rival, Sony, has been forced to delay and scale back the introduction of its own game machine, the PlayStation 3, at least twice amid serious troubles with that company’s new Blu-ray Disc technology.

Last week Sony said that the PlayStation 3 would not be introduced in Europe until 2007 and that it would ship millions fewer units worldwide this year than it had promised. The top version of the PlayStation 3 is expected to cost around $600.

Another competitor, Microsoft, has sold more than five million Xbox 360 game consoles since their introduction in 2005 and hopes to sell more than 10 million by year’s end.

Nintendo’s Wii (pronounced we) is less technically ambitious than Sony’s PS3, which is why it will cost far less and be far more available in stores this holiday season. To market the Wii, Nintendo hopes to make up in innovation and accessibility what the machine lacks in sheer silicon horsepower.

Nintendo is No. 3 in the console video game market, behind Sony and Microsoft. But while those competitors have largely focused on appealing to hard-core gamers, Nintendo is now trying to appeal to a broader audience.

“Our goal is to bring gaming back to the masses,” Reggie Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, said in a telephone interview. “You see that in our pricing, you see that in the number of units we plan to make available this year and you see that in how we are positioning the Wii to appeal to every member of the household, including but not limited to the hard-core gamer.”

The Wii’s major innovation is a wireless controller that the user can tilt and point to produce action on the screen. In a sword-fighting game, for instance, the player can simply swing the controller to thrust and parry with an on-screen blade; there is no need to master the complicated combinations of buttons and triggers that make many video games so intimidating to the reflex-challenged.

Nintendo intends to announce today that every Wii will come with a game compilation called Wii Sports — including tennis, golf, baseball and bowling — meant to show off the machine’s intuitive controls. (Most consoles, including Nintendo’s GameCube, do not come with games included.)

Nintendo plans to say that 25 to 30 top-tier games will be available for the Wii this year. The most-anticipated game comes from Nintendo itself: an installment of the long-running Legend of Zelda series, Twilight Princess. Nintendo will also deliver a driving game called Excite Truck this year, but will provide a minor disappointment to gamers in saying the next version of the popular Mario franchise will not arrive until 2007. Nintendo intends to charge $50 for its Wii games, $10 less than the standard price for Xbox 360 titles and the same price generally charged for GameCube games.

Top games expected to be introduced for the Wii this year from third-party publishers include a version of Madden pro football from Electronic Arts, the sword-fighting game Red Steel from Ubisoft of France, an addition to the Sonic action series from Sega of Japan and a Tony Hawk action-sports game from Activision.

While Nintendo is certainly counting on the success of top-tier games sold at retail, many gamers may be at least as excited by the Wii’s Virtual Console, which will allow players to download versions of older Nintendo games from the Internet.

Nintendo plans to announce today that about 30 classic games will be available for download when the Wii is released, including ones from the Zelda, Mario and Donkey Kong franchises. Downloadable games will cost about $5 to $10 each.

More broadly, Nintendo hopes to make the Wii a living-room centerpiece by including various media channels meant to appeal to and draw in people who do not consider themselves gamers. There will be a photo channel that will allow users to use the Wii to display digital photographs on television. There also will be an easy-to-use interactive news channel and weather channel.

Perhaps most intriguing, the Wii will make it possible to browse the Web on the television. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 does not permit this because that could negate the need to buy a Windows PC.

“We are including all of these capabilities as part of our overall strategy to expand the gaming market,” Mr. Fils-Aime said. “Broadening the market is important because it will breathe new life into this business. Otherwise, this industry is moving down a path of being more and more limited to the hard-core gamer. We value the hard-core player, but the future of our industry has to be in reaching out to new audiences. We think we have the tools and the strategy to do that.”

[Jason1]

Ah, well let me just revel in my moment of glory for a second...

I said all along, even when they started hiring people to pack systems, that there was NO WAY this thing would release in October. And I was right.

Jonbo can back me up on this one, I just discussed it with him last night.

Anyways, I was expecting a slightly cheaper price. 200 bucks wouldve been my guess there...

[Jonbo298]

It seems to be too high for a "Gamecube 1.5". Release date is more of the shocker because every rumor seemed to say "Shipping earlier then you expect!" only to find out its not coming until November.

But oh well, gives me time to save up for something I feel isn't probably worth $250 but I'll still buy it. Time to buy some more 360 games in the mean time

[Xantar]

It looks like they're trying the same strategy as they did with the DS. It had a pretty high launch price compared to the PSP, but once the early adopters had bought it, Nintendo dropped the price and the thing took off like a rocket.

I'm not too sure it will work this time around, though. For one thing, when Microsoft drops the price of the Xbox 360, Nintendo is going to be forced to follow suit. Dancing to another company's tune is no way to be a market leader.

That said, I'll be getting one. And I think the initial shipment will sell out just fine given that the PS3 will only have 400,000 units at launch anyway. I just wish Nintendo's PR department had handled this better. They should have noticed how everybody thought the price would be lower than this and started taking some damage control measures.

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by Xantar

It looks like they're trying the same strategy as they did with the DS. It had a pretty high launch price compared to the PSP, but once the early adopters had bought it, Nintendo dropped the price and the thing took off like a rocket.

I understand the strategy, but the handheld and console markets are two completely different animals. Nintendo dominates handhelds like no other. People trust the Nintendo brand name on a mass-consumer scale when it comes to that market.

The console market is much different. Both MS and Sony have better brand names in consoles in terms of visiblity and market share in the west. They aren't going to have that automatic trust outside of their hardcore fanbase.

All said and done, though, I'm conflicted about the price point. True, its higher than we'd like, but its also quite different from the other consoles and still priced lower for a full system, and not a half-assed one like the low rent, HD-less abortion MS tried to sell with little effect. I don't even see advertisements for that version much anymore.

All in all, I think they would push more consoles at $200, but a $250 pp might actually be more profitable in the long run, and Nintendo has always been very smart about remaining profitable.

[Teuthida]

If you want to play a 2 player game that uses the nuchuck it'll cost you $60. In conjunction with the console price itself that's a bit too much. Since you're really buying the system for the controller more so than the console, the standard console price should be lower to accommodate the hefty controller price. Or throw in a 2nd controller rather than include Wii Sports. I can't imagine that being much fun single player.

[manasecret]

Originally Posted by Teuthida

If you want to play a 2 player game that uses the nuchuck it'll cost you $60. In conjunction with the console price itself that's a bit too much. Since you're really buying the system for the controller more so than the console, the standard console price should be lower to accommodate the hefty controller price. Or throw in a 2nd controller rather than include Wii Sports. I can't imagine that being much fun single player.

Last I saw the $60 was a conversion from yen to USD. Is that still where you're getting your figures from?

If so, I'm hoping that price comes down a bit. Even a cut down by $10 down to $50 would be nice.

[manasecret]

Hmmm Dyne might be right about the Wii launching for $212 in Japan. Look at this picture recap page of the Japanese conference video.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/topics...tation/13.html

The last three pictures at the bottom give what I guess is the Japanese release date and the launch price of the Wii and the Wiimote. So that's Wii launching on December 2nd, 2006 (like was said) for 25,000 yen. The Wiimote is 3,800 yen, and the nunchunk and the VC controller (look on the next page) are each 1,800 yen.

So? Well according to the conversions from XE.com...

25,000 yen = $213
3,800 yen = $32
1,800 yen = $15

So what the hell is going on? I assume XE.com's conversion ratios are updated. That seems a helluva lot cheaper than what every other source has said.

Note that the video recap page I linked above comes straight from IGN article's here. http://wii.ign.com/articles/732/732669p1.html They link to it in (currently) the last paragraph.

EDIT: Hah, those are the same yen numbers in the IGN article. I saw the difference in conversion price and got excited. So why are IGN's conversions from yen to USD so different?

[Dyne]

5% japanese tax maybe.