Topic: Nintendo Press conference info

[gpw11]

It should be going on right now.  As of an hour or so ago 'leaked' info (probably rumours) was:

-Release date: Nov.19
-Price: $250 USD
-More than 25 games this year


I'm hoping for some more interesting (or at least suprising news). 

BTW, how do you make links here?  Like where you can hyperlink a word to a site?

[scottws]

BTW, how do you make links here?  Like where you can hyperlink a word to a site?

Same way you did on TME, with [url][/url] tags.  If you want the link to be some text, you do [url=http://www.somesite.com]Link text[/url], otherwise you just enclose the link in URL tags like so: [url]http://www.somesite.com[/url].

[gpw11]

Hey, wtf?  You moved my post.  If ever there was a shining example of an abuse of power, this is it.  One day you shall pay for this.

PS, thanks for the info.

[scottws]

Gaming news, no?   

[gpw11]

I'll tell you what's gaming news and what isn't gaming news.  You remember that for the future.

[PyroMenace]

Just shutup and except the fact you got served.


BURN

[gpw11]

Oh no you didn't.  Da-mn.

[Pugnate]

Hey, wtf?  You moved my post.  If ever there was a shining example of an abuse of power, this is it.  One day you shall pay for this.

PS, thanks for the info.

hahaha

[iPPi]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6157572.html

[JacksRag(e)]

Just shutup and except the fact you got served.


BURN

It would have been more of a burn if you had used the right word.

[PyroMenace]

Why you gotta play me like that?

[gpw11]

UPDATE:

It seems a lot of the earlier info was possibly off the mark by a bit.  From the Japanese press meeting tonight:

-Release price is 25000 yen.  the same as the GCN, which was priced $200 at launch here.

-virtual console games to be $5-10 roughly.

-Console doesn't come with any games, at least in japan (perhaps explaining the higher rumoured price and inclusion of Wii Sports for north america)

-Release date announced at the conference is december 2nd.

-16 titles at japanese launch

-wii.com is now live (although good luck understanding anything)

all in all the nyt article is probably right, there's probably just a different release plan (although I question it being released in north america first).

[idolminds]

I was going to say, if it comes with a game at $250, thats still like a $200 console + a $50 game. It could be a move by Nintendo for the christmas launch...$250 and includes a game, then they can switch up and remove the pack-in and charge $199 for the console itself. Everyday Joe sees it as a price drop more than anything.

[Pugnate]

UPDATE:

It seems a lot of the earlier info was possibly off the mark by a bit.  From the Japanese press meeting tonight:

-Release price is 25000 yen.  the same as the GCN, which was priced $200 at launch here.

-virtual console games to be $5-10 roughly.

-Console doesn't come with any games, at least in japan (perhaps explaining the higher rumoured price and inclusion of Wii Sports for north america)

-Release date announced at the conference is december 2nd.

-16 titles at japanese launch

-wii.com is now live (although good luck understanding anything)

all in all the nyt article is probably right, there's probably just a different release plan (although I question it being released in north america first).

$200 would be sweet!

[idolminds]

Official US details:

    * $250 Price tag
    * November 19th Launch
    * Wii Sports and One Controller/Nunchuck Included
    * Worldwide Debut in North America
    * Wii-Mote Price is $39.99, Nun-Chuck is $19.99
    * All first party games widescreen
    * 30 Titles by year End
    * No online titles at launch, Pokemon is online in Japan on December 2nd
    * 30 “legacy” titles availabe at launch for Virtual Console
      NES Titles - 500 Wii points or $5
      SNES Titles -800 points for Super NES games
      N64 Titles -1,000 Wii points for N64 games.
    * Mii channel. Customizable avatar, profile etc. Miis are little 3d avatars you can create with a character editor. (Thanks Doc)

I'm seeing a lot of bitching about the price. The more I think about it, though...the more it makes sense.

First, those saying it should have been $199...it is. But it comes with a game which bumps the price up. You say you dont want the game...but I'll come back to that.

Some say instead of a game, they should give another controller/nuchuck combo (and still be $200...you kidding?). I've never seen a console come with more than one controller. Hell, I think including the nunchuck is nice. They could have cheapened out with just the wand.

Now, back to the pack-in game. This makes perfect sense to Nintendo. The system relies on its use of the controller. So people buy it, bring it home and start playing...with some 3rd party game that has a poor implimentation of controller use. That could spell disaster. Nintendo needs to give people a game that they know will show the controller concept in a good light. Thats why they have Wii Sports in there.

[Ghandi]

So does it come with the wiimote? Or just the nunchuck?

$250 is a little more pricey than I expected, but I agree with you Idol that it will show off the use of the system nicely. They only bad thing is that in the NYT article they show a picture of the golf game included, and it looks like ass. Bad marketing. Show Zelda or something.

[idolminds]

Comes with wiimote+nunchuck.

[Ghandi]

They really should have made the sports game online. I'm cheap and don't feel like paying an extra 20 bucks to play with my friends.

[ScaryTooth]

I'll be picking one up. Along with Zelda.

[scottws]

They really should have made the sports game online. I'm cheap and don't feel like paying an extra 20 bucks to play with my friends.

Can the Wii even go online?

[idolminds]

Yes it can. Built in wifi (you can buy an adapter for a wired connection), you can go online to download the NES/SNES/N64 games, you can get a version of the Opera browser, etc. Pretty safe to assume games will make use of this connection.

[idolminds]

UK, September 14, 2006 - First-party games for Wii will be region-free, according to NoA's vice president of marketing and corporate affairs, Perrin Kaplan.

Speaking to Wired News' Joel Johnson, Kaplan confirmed that, like the DS, Wii gamers will be able to play titles from different territories without restriction. Traditionally, games purchased in regions such as Japan, US and Europe have only been playable on native home consoles. The news is likely to be welcomed by import fans, eager to get their hands on games as close to initial release as possible - however, Kaplan also suggested that region-locking on third-party games would be left up to individual publishers. Currently, it's unclear how Nintendo's region-free policy will affect the playback of existing GameCube titles, which are fully compatible with the Wii.

Holy crap, region free! Now we can all import those wacky japanese games and play them without a mod chip.

[scottws]

I never understood the point of defined regions anyway, especially when the price is comparable in all the markets anyway.

[Pugnate]

I never understood the point of defined regions anyway, especially when the price is comparable in all the markets anyway.

Prices drop in North America a lot faster for some reason.

I was looking for Gamecube games and all the European versions I saw were far more expensive than their North American counterparts.

[Quemaqua]

Still, I think the differences are a bit negligible.  I mean, games should be more universal price-wise anyway, if you ask me.  I think getting rid of regions is absolutely the right decision.  I think that's going to be great.

[iPPi]

What's this Wii points to purchase games for the SNES, N64 stuff?

[idolminds]

Wii points are the same as the points for Xbox Live Marketplace. Currently unknown how you get points, but you probably do credit card or something. The prices break down to $5 for NES games, $8 for SNES, and $10 for N64.

[poomcgoo]

That seems a little steep for the older games.

[idolminds]

Yeah, it does. I probably wont buy many NES or SNES games...since its so damn easy to emulate on PC. But I might go for some N64 titles. We'll see.

This is cool:

While it has become customary for console manufacturers to sell the hardware, at least initially, at a loss, comments made by Nintendo of America president and chief operating officer Reggie Fils-Aime indicate that his company's upcoming Wii platform will be profitable from day one.

"We will make a profit on the entire Wii proposition out of the box -- hardware and software," Reggie Fils-Aime told Reuters. "That really is a very different philosophy versus our competitors. We are a company that competes only in the interactive entertainment space so we have to make a profit on every thing we do."

Nintendo announced earlier today that it will launch the Wii next-gen console in North and South America on November 19 for a retail price of $250, as compared to the Xbox 360, which retails with two separate SKUs at $299 and $399, and the upcoming PlayStation 3, which will also sell as two separate versions for $499 and $599.

The statements by Nintendo mark a stark difference from what the industry has come to expect. Earlier this year, competitor Microsoft revealed that its Home and Entertainment division, which includes the Xbox 360, lost $388 million for its third-quarter on $1.06 billion in revenue, though this loss represented a sharp increase from the $175 million loss the previous year.

[iPPi]

Impressive.

[idolminds]

Oh cool, just watched a video about the Virtual Console stuff. Those Wii points can be bought online (the credit card thing), but they will also have cards in retail stores that you can buy...kind of like the WoW time cards. $20 gets you 2000 Wii points.

[ren]

I'm confused on the Controller/Nunchuck aspect.



This is a picture of the Nunchuck. When they see Nunchuck/controller are they referring to this and something else, or this alone?

[ScaryTooth]

The Nunchuck is the analog stick part, the controller is the remote thingy.

[Quemaqua]

I didn't know you were going to be able to buy N64 games.  That's actually pretty boss.  How do these things get stored?

[idolminds]

Theres internal flash memory to hold the games. In the video presentation I watched they said that you keep the games forever, so if you fill the memory it must overwrite other games...but you can always redownload them.

[Quemaqua]

I guess that isn't so bad.  Wish there was a way to make a backup, though.

[ScaryTooth]

The Wii has some on-board storage capability. So does the remote I guess. At least thats what I heard when I watched the press conference. Pretty cool stuff. I'm wondering if you can just use the remote to save games, that'd be pretty dope.

[ScaryTooth]

I'm pretty excited about the Wii. I watched most of the press conference at Gamespot on my luinch break, it was pretty cool. Seems like a great bundle for $250. More to offer than the other next-gen I think, and cheaper. Can't beat that. Wii Sports looks like a lot of fun. I'm a little worried about space though. I'm not sure I actually have enough room here in my gaming/office to get up and swing a controller around. Do I'm not sure what to do about that. I mean, there is my big desk, a big couch, and a big entertainment center in here. Along with a couple shelving units. There is about 2 and half feet between my couch, and my entertainment center when my systems and TV and such are. And then there are just some times when I just want to sit on my ass and play something without much effort. So those are my small concerns.

But I'm reserving a system as soon as they start offering. I'm also going to pre-order Zelda of course, and Maybe Excite Truck. Not sure yet, but I'm definitely hiting Zelda, thats a no brainer.       

[idolminds]

Last I heard the storage space in the remote is used for things like game sounds (theres a speaker in the remote), store your profile and Mii avatar, and things like that.

[ScaryTooth]

That Mii thing was actually cool too. The guy who ran the demo of it made a little guy who looked exactly like Sam Jackson.