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Finally, Nintendo has announced plenty of information on its upcoming console, the Wii.
First things first. The console will sell for $249.99. This price includes one wireless Wii remote controller, one Nunchuk controller and a collection of five different Wii Sports games on one disc. You will be able to purchase the console beginning November 19 in America and Japan and December 2 in Europe.
All of us have heard about the Wii’s unique control system that will allow gamers of all levels to play the game just by moving and targeting the controller properly.
Another feature of the console Nintendo announced today is the Wii Channel Menu. Gamers will be able to surf through a variety of channels for a variety of different entertainment options. When connected to a TV, gamers will be be able to choose games to play, get news or weather, upload and send photos or even create playable caricatures of themselves to use in actual games.
The Wii will also be region-free in order to allow you the largest selection of games by letting you play imports on your console. Yet, developers will be able to choose whether or not to allow their games to be region-free during their development.
“Wii reinvents games for the devoted player,” commented Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America President. “But more importantly, Wii breaks the wall separating players from non-players by delivering the best game experiences for the most affordable price. We believe the next leap in games for the masses – young and old, gamer or non, alone, with a friend or with the whole family.”
Nintendo is promising 30 titles coming to the Wii between launch day and the end of 2006. These games include Wii Sports, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Excite Truck. All first-party Nintendo games will be rated $49.99. Gamers will also be able to play all 530 GameCube games from launch on their Wii through the self-loading media bay.
“I believe the Wii will attract new and casual gamers to the world of interactive entertainment,” stated Larry Probst, Chairman and CEO of EA. “It’s a fun, easy, and economical system that will become a bridge to gaming for the mainstream audiences. At EA, we are putting more support behind the Wii than any Nintendo hardware launch since the Super NES.”