The Official Wii Thread

[Joe Siegler]

Isn't today (Thursday the 14th) Wii day?

Isn't this supposed to be the day that the Big N finally spills the beans on when and how much the Wii is supposed to cost?

Nevermind. It already happened (although not officially as I type this).

Supposed to steet on Nov 19th, and will be $250 in the US. Comes packaged with Wii Sports. Wow, a modern console that comes with a game! I remember when they all came with a game.

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

I'm all over this when it comes out. Actually, I'll probably wait till after the 3DR Christmas party and see if I get one from 3DR. If not, I'm headed out the next day to get one. :)

Has some surprise stuff, apparently:

In a surprise announcement, Nintendo said that it wanted to make Wii a living room centerpiece by shipping the system with features outside of the videogame realm. Wil will include a photo channel, enabling users to display their digital photos through the console. It will also boast regularly updated news and weather channels. In addition, the system will ship with the Opera Web browser, enabling users to connect online.

More updates:

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

It will also reportedly have over 25 first- and third-party games available at launch, with up to 30 on shelves by the end of the year. First-party games will cost just $50, $10 less than most third-party PS3 and Xbox 360 games; it was unclear what third-party Wii games will cost. The report also said that the classic NES, SNES, and N64 games downloadable to the Wii's virtual console would range from $5-10 in price, in line with most Xbox Live Arcade games.

:woot: Wii Bowling! :woot:

Bring on Animal Crossing Wii! :D

[Zztx]

$250 and it comes with a game? Nice! :D

I need a job. :/

[Paroxysm]

I think that $199 would have been the sweetspot since that's where nintendo consoles have traditionally launched. It does have a game and unknown what controller sets it will come with (VC controller packed in?)

Now to wait for australian price.

Still no word on region locking though :mad:

[Yatta]

Wii Sports? What kind of sports? I hate them all, in real life and in games. :(

I'd like to try out the new controls for this console.

[Amakou]

I demand to play Red Steel on display before I buy a Wii.

~Amakou~

[Danule]

any news on weather you can connect the system to a computer monitor? i read some where befour taht it was going to be a feature they were gonig to add... i want to play resident evil 4 with higher resolution god dammit!

[Joe Siegler]

Shacknews just posted this. I guess we'll find out for sure in a few hours.

All information regarding the system's North and South American launch should currently be considered unconfirmed. News from the New York Times as relayed by the Seattle Post-Intelligence has been retracted and may not be accurate. In several hours, Nintendo will be holding an event in New York, at which time final information will be released.

[Micki!]

This is cool news... i'm deffenately thinking of getting this console...
Too bad Metroid Prime Corruption isn't a launch title, but at least Super Smash Brs will be :)

[Towelie2k4]

This is cool news... i'm deffenately thinking of getting this console...
Too bad Metroid Prime Corruption isn't a launch title, but at least Super Smash Brs will be :)

Really? I thought it was the other way around. :o

[Paroxysm]

This is cool news... i'm deffenately thinking of getting this console...
Too bad Metroid Prime Corruption isn't a launch title, but at least Super Smash Brs will be :)

Wrong way around. Smash bros is a good year off. Metroid is launch.

[dlink]

Wiiiiiiiiii this is totally awesome man!I just can't wait for release man!

[Reaper]

Wrong way around. Smash bros is a good year off. Metroid is launch.
And smash won't even use the Wii controller. Something about GC/VC controllers and such.

I am getting the Wii at launch if EB isn't out of stock. Along with a handful of GC games and probably Zelda:TP and Metroid P3. I don't know if I'll get any VC games though.

[Kit]

Watch the second from last video.

http://movie.nintendo.co.jp/data/wii_preview/lineup/movie_lineup.swf

Resident Evil!!! :D

I can't believe how good it looks, they've managed to transform the 2D backdrops from Rebirth into 3D with no quality loss.

[Vivi]

I'm sold.

[Wamplet]

I'm so excited, I almost wiid in my pants.

[dudetheman19]

Sweet that it comes with Wii sports!! The Pong game also looks awsome!
Got to get me a Wii. Hope it comes out early in Denmark too :)

[NetNessie]

I'm so excited, I haven't been this giddy about anything since Christmas when I was a kid. The games look wholesomely fun, and I'm near jumping with joy at the thought of the Resident Evil franchise hitting the Wii. Sure they've remade the first once before, it's still awesome. I hope they do the same with RE2 and RE3 as I never played those.

I can't wait till us Aussies get all the details tomorrow :D

[8IronBob]

So, lemme get this right, the Wii was supposed to be released AFTER the PS3?!. Wow, after all this talk about the Wii being released before the PS3 would've been the better move, and give Nintendo more of a market share. Ahh well, seems like I'll get a preorder in very soon. Thanks for the info...

[Micki!]

Wrong way around. Smash bros is a good year off. Metroid is launch.

Oh yeah, true...

I am looking most forward to these two, and confused them with each other... :o

[Joe Siegler]

Last night, Shacknews posted this:

All information regarding the system's North and South American launch should currently be considered unconfirmed. News from the New York Times as relayed by the Seattle Post-Intelligence has been retracted and may not be accurate. In several hours, Nintendo will be holding an event in New York, at which time final information will be released.

This morning I get up, and they've posted this now:

The article has been reissued and is being confirmed by other news sources. The North and South American launch information is likely correct.

The Official Nintendo conference should be soon. Lots of updates over on Shacknews - http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/43841

[Joe Siegler]

Live Conference reporting here:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6157575.html

[Micki!]

Cool, thanks for the update :woot:

[Mountain Man]

I was really hoping that rumored $175 price wasn't too good to be true, but I guess it really was too good to be true.

[Joe Siegler]

I was really hoping that rumored $175 price wasn't too good to be true, but I guess it really was too good to be true.

Even still, $249 isn't that bad of a deal, either. You could buy two Wii's plus a couple of games for the price of a PS3.

Honestly, $175 for a launch price is a bit unrealistic, I think.

[NetNessie]

Joe, I never knew you had a soft spot for Nintendo.

[KaiserSoze]

Here's a very good breakdown of the official WII news today from

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6157575.html

Alot of really cool features. Also, this is the first Nintendo system since the Super NES that will ship with a pack in game-Wii Sports. So the price is very fair!

Bolded areas are mine.


NOA president Reggie Fils-Aime confirms $249.99 price, November 19 launch, 25-game day-one lineup; Twilight Princess available immediately for Wii only, Metroid 3 pushed to 2007.
By Brad Shoemaker, GameSpot
Posted Sep 14, 2006 6:12 am PT

NEW YORK--At Nintendo's Wii press event this morning--where it had been expected the company would unveil the full monty on the Wii--attendees arrive to find the cat was already out of the bag. The New York Times and USA Today have now both reported the two pieces of information most sought after by diehard fans: The Wii will cost $250 in the US, and go on sale November 19. Nintendo told the papers other juicy pieces of information about the Wii release, including a 25-strong launch lineup, pricing on the Virtual Consoles downloadable classic games, and the inclusion of Wii Sports as a pack-in game.


Waiting for Wii.

Meanwhile over in Tokyo, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced the Wii would go on sale in Japan on December 2 for 25,000 yen--around $213. Since then, the Japanese Wii site has posted extensive information and videos of the Wii's media functions in action as well as a slick montage of its Japanese launch games.

The hottest details may have already hit the wire, but GameSpot is still front and center at Nintendo's cozy presentation, expected to be led by prominent NOA president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. Stay tuned for a live blog with all the pertinent info, with a tape-delayed video stream of the entire presentation to come at 12pm EDT/9am PDT. Also, visit GameSpot's Wii Launch Center for all the latest Wii updates throughout the day.

9:05 am EDT: Attendees are just starting to filter into the conference space and the show is set to begin soon.

9:15 am: The place is still filling up. Time to sheperd the nerd herd into their seats.


Perrin Kaplan and Reggie Fils-Aime.

9:19 am: NOA VP of marketing Perrin Kaplan has taken the stage to talk about the three near-simultaneous events in Tokyo, London, and here in New York. Now she's introducing the man everyone wants to hear from: newly anointed NOA president Reggie Fils-Aime.

9:23 am: The Regginator speaks! "The next step in gaming is bringing gaming back to the masses." Obviously it's working for them so far, if you'll notice the brain-training craze and the runaway popularity of the DS. Not surprisingly, those are exactly the products he's talking about now.

9:27 am: Here comes the hard info. "One price, one configuration, one color." So there's only a white one (for now) and it costs ... $249.99! The system will show up at 25,000 retail locations, so it probably won't be too hard to find one--especially since Reggie just promised 4 million units shipped globally by the end of calendar 2006, with the majority share going to North America.

9:29 am: But what's in the box? One Wii remote, one nunchuk both included. Don't forget about Wii Sports, the first pack-in game at launch since the SNES. Speaking of which, we're now seeing a demo of bowling, one of the games included in Wii Sports.

9:32 am: Like almost every Wii game so far, you play bowling just like you would in real life: like you're throwing the ball for real. You can purportedly put some spin on it, too. We'll have a more detailed report later today.


Reggie pumps up the crowd.

9:33 am: And the final Wii Sports lineup is...tennis, golf, baseball, bowling, and boxing?! That's new. This should be interesting.

9:35 am: Reggie's talking about the 25-game launch lineup, not surprisingly being led by The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Excite Truck will also be out on day one. He makes much of the fact that this is the first Nintendo console to launch with a Zelda...though, admittedly, this Zelda was originally intended for the previous console.

9:39 am: Here's a random sampling of third-party games that will be out on day one: 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.

9:41 am: More details that we already knew: roughly 30 games by the end of the year, and all first-party games will be in at $49.99 or under. But here's somethin we haven't heard much about in the US yet: "Wii Channels." Reggie says this idea is meant to expand the console's interface for all the members of the family.

9:44 am: Now we're getting slides of the Wii Channels interface, which lets you start up a Wii or GameCube disc, as well as hitting the "Wii Shop Channel" to buy older games for the Virtual Console (and look for Super Mario World and Super Mario 64 at launch). After launch, Nintendo is estimating around 10 new games a month to be available.

Surprisingly, full pricing details are here. NES games will be available for 500 Wii points, Super NES games for 800, and Nintendo 64 for 1,000. Wait, Wii what? Looks like they're taking the same tack as Microsoft: Consumers part with fake money more easily than real money. A 2000 Wii points card can be had at retail for $20.


It's not you, it's "Mii."

9:46 am: Bill Trinen is showing off the "Mii" channel, which lets you create your cartoon-like avatar to represent yourself within games. To demonstrate the flexibility of the Mii character-creation utility--which lets you pick hair styles, skin color, facial features, and so on--Trinen is creating a rather, uh, loose interpretation of Samuel L. Jackson. After finishing the Mii, he's got it running around with pretty accurate Mii versions of Iwata and Miyamoto.

9:50 am: The second component of the Mii concept is transporting your Miis elsewhere, since they're stored on your remote. Head to a friend's house, play tennis with your controller, and you'll see your Mii pop right up in the game.

Now we're getting a demo of the photo channel, which is a pretty standard photo viewer. The most impressive thing here is how quickly Bill is navigating the photos with the Wii remote, which works like a mouse. You can also view videos through this thing, even adding mosaic effects or turning the video into a slide puzzle.

9:53 am: Reggie again with some more channels, like weather reports and news headlines (which are updated nonstop through WiiConnect 24 so you can read them anytime). A messaging service is also in place, letting you send messages to other users on the Wii or even to their cell phones (though Reggie didn't say exactly how this will work).


Is Reggie already suffering from Wiimote-wrist?

Finally, there's the Internet channel, which is basically just the Opera browser--which you'll need to cash in Wii points to purchase. But the Wii remote does seem uniquely suited to surfing the Web on your couch.

9:55 am: Reggie emphasizes the positioning of the Wii Channels interface for the casual, mainstream user. Makes a point of saying the point that the Channels interface will come up immediately, with no lengthy boot-up process to get in the way.

9:59 am: That's the end of today's scheduled programming. On with the Q&A!

Additional Wii remotes will be $39.99, separate from the nunchuk, which will be an additional $19.99.

Will the system have its own internal memory for photos and such? Kaplan says it will have some capacity for internal memory, but "most" of the storage will indeed be through SD cards.

Of the 30 games promised by year's end, Kaplan says about half of those will be available at launch. Sounds like Zelda, Excite Truck, and Wii Sports are the only first-party ones, though. While first-party games are indeed $50 and under, third parties are--not surprisingly--free to set their own pricing on upcoming games.

Uh-oh. GameCube Twilight Princess now pushed back to December.

All first-party games and most (if not all) other Wii content will be capable of the 16:9 aspect ratio used by HDTVs, but will not be in high definition.

Will the DS and Wii be interoperable? "You'll be hearing more in the future about that," says Kaplan. Nothing today though.

It's official: Metroid Prime 3 is now a "2007" title.

Pokemon Battle Revolution (just announced in Japan) will be the first online-multiplayer-enabled game. Um, good?

[Kit]

Even still, $249 isn't that bad of a deal, either. You could buy two Wii's plus a couple of games for the price of a PS3.


Plus you're getting the interweb and Wii sports - which would probably retail for 40 dollars. All in all it sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me. :)

[Mountain Man]

Honestly, $175 for a launch price is a bit unrealistic, I think.
Hence the "too good to be true" qualifier.

[KaiserSoze]

Here are some really great and longer videos of some of the games:


Wii montage (includes zelda and 2 secs of RE), same as from NCL's site
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/6012

necro nesia
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/6010

Trauma center: second opinion
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/6011

Fire Emblem: Goddess of Dawn
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/5998

Wii Boxing
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/5999

Wii Mii mini games
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/5996

Wii Sports: Hockey
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/5995

Excite Truck
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/6014

Samurai Warriros Wii
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/6013

Korolimpa (marble madness/monkey ball game)
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/6015

[Joe Siegler]

Joe, I never knew you had a soft spot for Nintendo.

Why wouldn't I? They've always been a force in gaming. I've owned a NES, A SNES, and a Gamecube already.

[NetNessie]

Personally I think having to buy separate controllers was a silly move (as in the Wiimote and Nunchuck are sold separately), same as having to buy the Opera browser separately, but oh well.

N64 games for $10 and SNES for $8 seems quite reasonable. What I would really love is the ability to register a SNES or N64 game you already own, so that way you can play it on the Wii without having to repurchase it.

Why wouldn't I? They've always been a force in gaming. I've owned a NES, A SNES, and a Gamecube already.

Ah, did not know that. *reality check*

[8IronBob]

Why wouldn't I? They've always been a force in gaming. I've owned a NES, A SNES, and a Gamecube already.

What? No N64?! :D

[Joe Siegler]

Nah, I was out of gaming when the N64 was out. I didn't get back into it until the Xbox/Gamecube. Never bothered with a PS/2 as I saw that as "buying backwards". I'll probably eventually get a PS3, once the price drops.

But this is about Wii release stuff, not Joe's history of gaming consoles. :)

[Mountain Man]

What I would really love is the ability to register a SNES or N64 game you already own, so that way you can play it on the Wii without having to repurchase it.
Not sure how you would prove you actually own the original cartridge (unless each one is tagged with a unique seriel number?).

[KaiserSoze]

Resident Evil: Wii news according to these guys based on a Japanese gaming mag's article http://www.rehorror.net/thirdeye06/

-The game consists of 4 "chapters", RE1's mansion, RE2's RPD, RE3's city areas and RE4's village (plus surrounding areas).
-Each chapter has 2 characters to choose from. RE1 has Jill and Chris, RE2 has Leon and Claire, RE3 has Jill and Carlos and RE4 has Leon and Ada.
-There are several characters that can be unlocked by playing through the game: Rebecca Chambers, Hunk and Albert Wesker.
-The gameplay of all chapters is designed around RE4's. Press the B trigger on the wiimote to go into over-the-shoulder view, aim with the pointer and press A to fire.
-The game will have QTEs, but rather than push buttons you have to make motions with the wiimote in order to get through them.
-All characters will have mêlée attacks, just like RE4.
-To encourage replayablility, each character has strengths and weaknesses, similar to how in RE4:Mercenaries Ada had the least health, Krauser was the slowest, etc.
-Just like in RE4:Mercenaries each character has a unique set of weapons. What's more players can only carry 2 weapons at any one time. Chris gets a pistol and shotgun whilst Jill gets a pistol and grenade launcher.
-You will be able to find several new weapons during each stage. For example, RE1 will have Richard's shotgun, RE2 will have the Desert Eagle, RE4 will have the Chicago Typewriter. There will also be new weapons like Krauser's anti-personnel robots.
-Similar to Devil May Cry 3, after each chapter you can save your data and any new weapons picked up will be available for use in Arcade Mode.
-Arcade Mode is like a giant Mercenaries minigame, where you pick a character and stage and blast through it. Building on the resounding success of Mercenaries seen when RE4 was released.
-Scenario mode will feature a large number of ingame cutscenes.
-New content not in the games that the chapters were based on will be added. The primary goal of this will be to link RE4 and Umbrella's status in it more closely with the rest of the series.
-Ammo conservation will play a part in the gameplay, so it's not just constant action like RE4.
-Trailer coming at TGS.

[Joe Siegler]

Not sure how you would prove you actually own the original cartridge (unless each one is tagged with a unique seriel number?).

Yeah, that's pretty undoable, as far as I'm concerned. Console games don't have individual serial numbers that I'm aware of.

And besides, just having the SN is no proof you own it, really. :)

[Joe Siegler]

North American / English sections of the Wii site are now online.

http://www.wii.com

[alpha400]

really cool! I just hope that the european launch date (unveiled tomorrow...)
is somewhere near US and japan launch date...
and hopefully around the 200,- euro price tag, because anything higher
would be unfair...

[NetNessie]

People in the UK are looking at around £130 if its a matter of simply exchanging US$250 to pounds.

The Wii Resident Evil game sounds cool, especially since I loved RE4's mercenary mini-game, however I was really hoping for some new IP not just a grabbag of the best moments. However, if the game goes well it may promote further RE development for the Wii.

I just hope the Wii version plays for the usual 10-16 hours that people expect. I would love a multiplayer feature, although its highly doubtful. :D

[Kit]

just like RE4.


Well that's pissed on my fire.

[Phayzon]

Nice to have all of this confirmed :) But I'm a little unhappy about it being $250, I expected $200.

[KaiserSoze]

Nice to have all of this confirmed :) But I'm a little unhappy about it being $250, I expected $200.

$200 for the system and $50 for the pack in game= $250. I think that's fair. :)

[Phayzon]

What if I dont want the game?

[Assault]

What if I dont want the game?

You can try selling it on eBay... even though everyone gets it with the console.

[Telee]

Awesome, I just happen to have a lot of money right now :)

[avatar_58]

Those virtual console prices urk me. Can I back them up? If not, then I am to buy $5.00-10.00 games and just 'hope' they last after the Wii's console run of about 5 years? Backwards compatibility may occur, but we don't know that yet. Being able to back them up onto a harddrive or something would be nice.

Otherwise the steam arguement is resurfacing here, but at least Steam lasts as the PC doesn't get a new 'generation' version of itself.

[Odin]

http://wiiprice.ytmnd.com/ The new Wii Price simplified.

[Joe Siegler]

On XBLA, you can redownload something you paid for already if your HD goes south or something.

[avatar_58]

Okay, but I'm worried that Wii will only last as long as Nintendo' previous consoles....meaning the online service dies with it. Am I to recieve a refund or backup disc in this case?

I mean they can't "patch it" like with steam, basically everything I buy online is only there as long as the service is. For prices like $10 per N64 game I'd expect at least some piece of mind, wouldn't you? I don't want to spend about $100 or so online only to lose it all in a few years.

[dudetheman19]

Wii looks really promesing!!!
I bet it will do really well :) Looks like tons of fun!
I'll get it with two controllers, wii sports and that pack with pong + shooting game for a start

1. Great for party gaming (Wii sports, pong game, shooting game, Smash Brothers, etc etc)
2. Well designed menues for rookies (http://wii.ign.com/articles/732/732689p1.html)
3. Plays DVDs (I might get it of that reason too, dont have a DVD player)
4. Nice design
5. Nice price compared to competetors (both consol and games)
6. Retro gaming
7. Internet community
8. Will be sold to many groups (hardcore gamers - secondary console, new gamers - the games and media, old folks - hmm... never know)
9. Tons more :-P

[ZuljinRaynor]

I say too little stuff in the bundle. 1 more controller and numchuck would've been better plus the Classic Controller.

[Paroxysm]

Can I back them up? I Yes you can. They're tied to your aco**** though.


3. Plays DVDs (I might get it of that reason too, dont have a DVD player)
Not any more unfortunately


Well that's pissed on my fire.
RE4 is the best RE by far! :D

[Odin]

Yes you can. They're tied to your aco**** though.

roofles

[Mr.Sociopath]

anyone has an updated wii confirmed game list(with info if possible)? I looked nowhere and I'm all out of idea.. :p

[avatar_58]

Yes you can. They're tied to your account though.

I assume the Wii supports updates? If not, then what happens when said account is not available? Can't I play my classic games without being online? Like say - I purchase 5 or 6 games and want to take the Wii on a camping trip, can I play them offline?

[Daveman]

I know I won't be getting it right away, but it's pretty neat that it comes out the day after my birthday. :D
I want to wait a while before picking one up, but Twilight Princess is really tempting me...

[alexgk]

I'm looking forward to play it! Zelda, Mario, Metroid, WiiSports, Smash Bros., Resident Evil, so many good games.

[Phayzon]

Like say - I purchase 5 or 6 games and want to take the Wii on a camping trip, can I play them offline?

I'd imagine so. With the XBox 360 you can play XBLA games while totally offline, but you just cant upload a high score to XBL (duh...). You can even unlock achievements! So I don't see why Nintendo would do anything different.

[Paroxysm]

I assume the Wii supports updates? If not, then what happens when said account is not available? Can't I play my classic games without being online? Like say - I purchase 5 or 6 games and want to take the Wii on a camping trip, can I play them offline?

I believe you can play offline and you can also log onto another wii with the same account and you'll have access to the same games (the example was used that if your wii broke and you bought a new one that there would be no issue).

roofles
Yes I seem to have found an ammusing typo :)

[Destroyer]

Specifically, Nintendo Co. Ltd. announced that Virtual Console games would cost 500 yen ($5), 800 yen ($8) or 1,000 yen ($10); we're presuming these prices are for NES, SNES, and N64 games respectively.
ah What the hell, I thought those were gonna be free.

[Daveman]

It was always understood that you would have to pay for them. :confused:

[Joe Siegler]

I assume the Wii supports updates? If not, then what happens when said account is not available? Can't I play my classic games without being online? Like say - I purchase 5 or 6 games and want to take the Wii on a camping trip, can I play them offline?

Would you stop panicking? :)

ah What the hell, I thought those were gonna be free.

That was never promised. That might have been something YOU wished for, but it never came from the Big N.

[Zztx]

Additional Wii remotes will be $39.99, separate from the nunchuk, which will be an additional $19.99.
The only thing that's bugging me so far. Otherwise, no complaints.

Phear Mii. :p

[Paroxysm]

ah What the hell, I thought those were gonna be free.
Don't blame others for your insanity :)

[avatar_58]

Would you stop panicking? :)


Who's panicking? I'm asking genuine questions here. I like to plan ahead instead of just forking over cash and being hopeful. :p

[8IronBob]

Well, seems like I'll be waltzing over to my favorite EB/GameStop to put down a $25 (10%) preorder on this during the weekend. For that type of preorder, the sales clerk won't want to say no... I just got a call from EB about something, so I'll make all that in the same trip.

[NetNessie]

Since you can use portable memory, like a SD card or USB thumb-drive then there is no reason why you can't backup its contents on your PC for later use.

Since the console acts like one giant emulator, I would say that the system does not require to be online to play the games, nor does it have to validate online whenever you play either. Furthermore, I would say that since no Nintendo game before the DS has really been officially online, there should be no issues.

[avatar_58]

Since you can use portable memory, like a SD card or USB thumb-drive then there is no reason why you can't backup its contents on your PC for later use.

Since the console acts like one giant emulator, I would say that the system does not require to be online to play the games, nor does it have to validate online whenever you play either. Furthermore, I would say that since no Nintendo game before the DS has really been officially online, there should be no issues.

I assume then we can eventually buy a harddrive or something right? All those games are going to add up on a flash drive.

[Parkar]

I assume then we can eventually buy a harddrive or something right? All those games are going to add up on a flash drive.

Since I doubt you would be be buying several gigs of old games(how big is a N64 game?, probably less then 50 megs), the built in 512mb memory and aditional SD cards(asuming you get the big ones) should be enough.

[NetNessie]

I assume then we can eventually buy a harddrive or something right? All those games are going to add up on a flash drive.

They're selling 1GB to 2GB SD Cards now for around $50-$100. You can grab 120GB WD Hard Drives and a external hard drive case for $100 or so. So its not like you will be short of space.

[NetNessie]

Wii is region free (http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=24981977) :D

[Duoae]

There's been a report that a paper in france has reported that the Wii will be €250.... though obviously people are waiting for official confirmation but considering that the paper reports in the US were correct i believe that this is right.... I think it's a little too much.

Plus, living in the UK this means that we'll probably get the system for £250 - basically the most expensive one in the world.... If it is at that pricepoint i won't buy it. Can't afford an expensive console that's not that much cheaper than a 360...

[NetNessie]

Plus, living in the UK this means that we'll probably get the system for £250

Is there a reason why you suddenly get a £80 increase for a console just because you live in the UK?

[IHerman]

Xbox 360 Core System: $299 at Bestbuy, €299 ($379) at a Dutch store.

Somehow Europe always gets ripped off. In general you just change the currency symbol to euros and there's your price. Uk apparantly is even worse.

I hope we get a release date soon, this is the first console I'm planning to buy in... well... ever.

Apparantly the thing won't play DVDs. "one less feature supposedly brought down the price of the console, and everyone already has a DVD player to begin with". Which is correct in my case.

[seregrail7]

So... $315.
We get the usual screw job.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves (just after launch).

Third-party: around 15-20 games from launch. Red Steel. Rayman. Need for Speed Carbon. Tony Hawk. Super Monkey Ball.

Date: 2006.

December 8th 2006.

EUR 249 / GBP 179

Bundles is white console, one Wii remote, one Nunchuck, Wii Sports.

Between 49 and 59 Euros for software. 34 for 39 pounds.

[IHerman]

As expected, later and 25% more expensive...

Also I think it's bs to only include one remote simply to keep the price down. I hope packages will be available with two remotes.

[Paroxysm]

In Aus the release is 7th of Dec for $399. IN comparison $250 US = $332 australian. **** you nintendo!

The european launch:
13:39 - WII LAUNCH DETAILS: European launch date December 8 2006, priced at £179 (249 Euros). Package will include console, Wiimote, nunchuck, cables and all that jazz. Oh and Wii Sports. Er, games will cost £35 - £39 in the UK and 49-59 Euros elsewhere. Europe, for example. Sorry about the slight delay there. I was updating in two places at once.

[Duoae]

Cool. I'm happy with that price. I was afraid of a direct crossing over but somehow we managed to avoid it this time :) Guess i'll be having a merry Wiimas after all....

In Aus the release is 7th of Dec for $399. IN comparison $250 US = $332 australian. **** you nintendo!

I feel for you, i really do. I guess AUS has the largest mark-up... in US dollars.
As the conversions go though you still get it £10 cheaper than us ;)

[Paroxysm]

I'm just going to import probably. I'll get it sooner and cheaper. Nintendo australia and europe can piss off and die for all I care.

[alpha400]

So... $315.
We get the usual screw job.

I knewed it!:mad: and no DVD-playback...
I think I'll pass then...

This 1:1 price conversation is getting ridiculous!
what do they think, everyone in europe/australia is rich? why do we have to pay more for the same?

[Scream]

Anyone been able to find any details on Canadian pricing? The Wii website is all marketing and no meat...

edit: DUH! Found it on the nintendo.ca site of course. $279.95. Good stuff. We're finally starting to see some more realistic pricing with our dollar as strong as it is.

http://www.nintendo.ca/cgi-bin/usersite/display_info.cgi?pageNum=5&lang=en&id=4251894

Can't say I'm overly impressed that they are screwing over Gamecube owners by holding back the release of the new Zelda game for a few additional weeks to make it "exclusive" to the Wii for that time period. Not surprising however.

[KaiserSoze]

Amazon is taking pre-orders for the Nintendo Wii:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009VXBAQ/73407921

I just pre-ordered mine. Your credit card does NOT get charged until the order ships!

Shipping Method: One-Day Shipping
Shipping Preference: Group my items into as few shipments as possible
Subtotal of Items: $249.99
Shipping & Handling: $13.98
------
Total for this Order: $263.97

:D

[NetNessie]

EDIT: Found the announcement (http://www.nintendo.com.au/nintendo/news/index.php) detailing Australia's unfair price.

That is just unbelievable; if you simply exchange US$250 to AUD you get AU$332. Somewhere along the line Nintendo though it'd be funny to add another AU$67 to the price and rise it 20%. I realize that's only US$50, but when you consider the purchase of a second controller, and a few games, an Australian gamer is likely to be spending AU$300 on top of the price of the Wii.

Urgh, so very sad :(

[Scream]

AU$399 is completely unrealistic, and if it's true Nintendo has screwed over and lost a great portion of the Australia population who where undecided on purchasing the Wii. I don't meant to bitch, but AU$399 is quite unfair.

Can anyone link to the Australian price announcement?

http://www.nintendo.com.au/nintendo/news/index.php

Looks like the SRP is indeed $400 AUD. If that's true, you guys are really getting screwed.

[Micki!]

^^
That sucks...
I feel sorry for you Aussies... You deserve the same price as the US, or at least europe...

[Scream]

Ya, by a strict currency conversion the AUD price should be more like $330. Nasty. What does a 360 go for in AUD?

[avatar_58]

Why isn't it just a conversion anyway? I'm not sure I understand why there would be such a giant leap.

[ADM]

^^
That sucks...
I feel sorry for you Aussies... You deserve the same price as the US, or at least europe...
Actually it's Europe who are getting screwed. Read this:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/15/wii-launch-details-in-europe-and-australia-revealed/

The 360 goes for Aus$650 here for the premium pack.

[NetNessie]

Since the Wii is region free, are the any concerns with just importing a Wii from America instead?

[ADM]

Since the Wii is region free, are the any concerns with just importing a Wii from America instead?
Aside from the power adapters needed I can't really think of any.

[NetNessie]

Aside from the power adapters needed I can't really think of any.

Hmm. Looks like I'll be waiting for a price drop before purchasing this. :mad:

[FireFly]

Why isn't it just a conversion anyway? I'm not sure I understand why there would be such a giant leap.
The conversion rate doesn't represent the true difference in purchasing power of the two currencies.

[NetNessie]

Nintendo probably sees Australia and Europe as a small market to get into, so they probably believe a higher price will make sure they profit in these regions. A simple bit of research would have identified that both Australian and European gamers where expecting a low cost console because that what was advertised. In their haste to maintain sale profits in the region they have cut their target audience down to such an extent that it is unlikely to ever gain much popularity.

[alpha400]

Actually it's Europe who are getting screwed. Read this:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/15/wii-launch-details-in-europe-and-australia-revealed/

.
\o/ $73 for a game, and $336 for the Wii
UK is winner in category "who gets milked the most...":mryuck:

how do they justify this?

[Tang Lung]

how do they justify this?

We get screwed in most things game related. We get games up to a year later than Japan and US, pay more for stuff, and sometimes don't even get acknowlaged atall. I think the only country that gets it worse is Australia.

[Denz]

Actually it's Europe who are getting screwed. Read this:
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/15/wii-launch-details-in-europe-and-australia-revealed/

The 360 goes for Aus$650 here for the premium pack.


It depends if it's with taxes or not.

[Twin]

i personally don't think the Wii is over priced in europe...you can't always compare the prices to the US or other countries...

in terms of the actual number £169.99 is a great price the console...considering that most consoles launch for £299 i think it's a great price :) and also put that number next to £425 which the ps3 will be launching at...it doesn't seem bad at all...infact it isn't bad...

360 core was on sale for £210 and the premium was £290...so that's the way i see it....the only problem i have is the price of the controllers other than that the games are priced the same as current GC/xbox/ps2 games rather than the ripoff we're seeing from 360 games and ps3 games...

all in all, the wii is one heck of a nice little package and i'll be sure to pick one up along with another controller and a good few games :D

[peoplessi]

Importing Wii to europe isn't that easy, in Finland customs take the difference between the value-added tax(in Finland that is 22%, Germany 16%) and customscharge which is like 4% or something. So it isn't that cheap to import. It is a laugh that 249$ translates to 249euros! Have to admit I was waiting for a sub 200euros price :l

[Joe Siegler]

What's all this about being "screwed" because of the price of the extra controllers? Just about every console comes with one controller - this is NOTHING NEW and you should NOT BE SURPRISED by that. Controllers are cheaper than the planned cost for the PS3 and the existing cost of the 360 controller. Plus they're giving a game in the box, which hasn't been done in a console in ages.

Quit your bitchin'. :D

Anyway, here's a nice summary of the news to this point:

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/15/the-only-wii-post-youll-ever-need/

I still haven't seen any posts saying what the price of the legacy controller for the Wii will be, though. That's not in the box, so you'd have to buy it, and I don't see that thing mentioned anywhere.

[Orochi Avlis]

Look at this moronic (http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/14/an-honest-question-wouldnt-you-rather-companies-subsidize-your/#comments), to say the least, article on Joystiq.

As the Penny Arcade guys summed it, this is pretty much the jist of it:1. We should buy Sony and Microsoft products because they lose money on them
2. Losing money now is the same as making money in the future
3. Selling your console at a profit is a sign of fear and uncertainty
4. Nintendo doesn't believe in their own product
:doh:

[avatar_58]

The hell is that article telling people to do, buy a 360 or PS3 because we should care if the companies lose money? I buy shit because I want it or its worth my money, I don't give a flying monkey's ass whether its helping some faceless corporation.

Besides, I've said it before and I'll say it again, anyone who buys the console for its name is a flipping idiot. Buy for the games.

[Damien_Azreal]

Well, I'll be buying one in store a few months after release. I've already been told they'll hold one back for me. :D So, no hurry here.

[Joe Siegler]

All these game sites which offer their opinion can piss off as to which system to buy. I only care about one opinion when it comes to this.

MINE.

Nothing else matters.

[Damien_Azreal]

I agree 100%. Your own opinion is what is important, what someone else thinks shouldn't have any impact on how you feel about something.

[Phayzon]

All these game sites which offer their opinion can piss off as to which system to buy. I only care about one opinion when it comes to this.

MINE.

Nothing else matters.

QFT :woot: :)

[Twin]

i heard you get a copy of Wii-play when you purchase the controller+nunchuk setup also

[g-dog]

All I want to know is will this thing look good enough on my SONY 50" 3LCD (2.73 million pixeled) piece of art ;) , e.g., HDTV.
*My Xbox360 loooooks sweet on it...as well as my HD channels:D
Can't wait to get ahold of this little gem :love:

[Duoae]

Nintendo probably sees Australia and Europe as a small market to get into, so they probably believe a higher price will make sure they profit in these regions. A simple bit of research would have identified that both Australian and European gamers where expecting a low cost console because that what was advertised. In their haste to maintain sale profits in the region they have cut their target audience down to such an extent that it is unlikely to ever gain much popularity.

Well that's obviously wrong. There was a thread here were we proved that europe is actually a bigger market than the US... the only problem being localisation. Sale profits in this region are not/were not in doubt - same as they weren't in the US. It's a non-issue. The estimated price was going to be £150 so an increase to £180 isn't that big so they won't lose any sales due to a higher price point.

i personally don't think the Wii is over priced in europe...you can't always compare the prices to the US or other countries...

in terms of the actual number £169.99

Add £10 on that ;)

360 core was on sale for £210 and the premium was £290...so that's the way i see it....the only problem i have is the price of the controllers other than that the games are priced the same as current GC/xbox/ps2 games rather than the ripoff we're seeing from 360 games and ps3 games...


Yeah this is the problem i have too. It's too close in price to a console that is considered more powerful and "next gen". If people are ready to take the leap from £150 - £180 (which i think they will) then the leap from £180 to £210 is the same. I think this might impact the sales distribution of the two consoles. We'll see how it pans out because no one in their rightly informed mind would purchase the "'tard pack" ;)

I also find the high price of the controllers a turn off. I mean it's going to cost more than the most expensive game i ever bought to get another "full" controller -ie. both the nunchuck and wiimote.

What's all this about being "screwed" because of the price of the extra controllers? [...] Controllers are cheaper than the planned cost for the PS3 and the existing cost of the 360 controller. Plus they're giving a game in the box, which hasn't been done in a console in ages.


Not true (well at least here anyway)

360 Wired controller: £24.99
Wireless controller: £32.99

To get a "full" Wii controller you have to get
a Wiimote: £29
and a nunchuck £14
Total: £43

As expensive as the most expensive game.

As for the PS3 perhaps you know something about the cost of the controllers we don't? I assume they will retail for £20-30 as they have always done.

I see this case like the PS2 memory card fiasco. It's such an inflated price for an essential bit of kit that is proprietry and costs nothing to make. £20 from day 1 till the end of the PS2.... no price drop at all.


Quit your bitchin'. :D


Bitchin's all we got ;)


I still haven't seen any posts saying what the price of the legacy controller for the Wii will be, though. That's not in the box, so you'd have to buy it, and I don't see that thing mentioned anywhere.

http://news.spong.com/article/10785

In Europe/UK legacy controller is the same price as the nunchuck £14 so i expect this to be the same in the US too.

[Kit]

So the uk Wii isn't region free and will no doubt be lacking in the av department. Add the £40 game price tag to the £43 full wiimote price and you've got yourself one pissed off fanboy.

[Reaper]

So the uk Wii isn't region free...
Where was this stated?

[Paroxysm]

The region free thing is up in the air. The NOE guy said it, but he's a proven idiot (used to be nintendo australia. Is famous for saying "There will never be a new version of the ds!" about 1 week before the lite was announced.)

[Reaper]

The region free thing is up in the air. The NOE guy said it, but he's a proven idiot (used to be nintendo australia. Is famous for saying "There will never be a new version of the ds!" about 1 week before the lite was announced.)
Lol. I heard about that statement.

I feel for you Aussies. I am a tad upset paying $279 plus a few controllers and games. And to the Europeans: If the 360 was comparable to the Wii up here I'd spring for it instead.

[Otto von Keisinger]

Wow. I'm looking to cough up somewhere between $300-$600 on the Wii at launch. And to think that this going to be my very first console ever... (I've been a hardcore PC gamer my whole life.)

[alpha400]

All I want to know is will this thing look good enough on my SONY 50" 3LCD (2.73 million pixeled) piece of art , e.g., HDTV.
*My Xbox360 loooooks sweet on it...as well as my HD channels
Can't wait to get ahold of this little gem :love:

I don't think it will look good at it:confused:
the wii isn't capable of HDTV, so your picture might be a little bit
more "blurry" than with your xbox
but you should know this by now;)

anyway, it will look good *beside* your TV, cause the
wii is also a piece of art..:D

[NetNessie]

What possible advantage is there to locking regions on the Wii? It seems to be a huge blunder to me.

[Paroxysm]

Region locking has always been anti consumer in all areas of distribution. But it allows distributors control for various reasons such as commerical rights.

It's retarded and should be abolished.

[PlayfulPuppy]

Region locking has always been anti consumer in all areas of distribution. But it allows distributors control for various reasons such as commerical rights.

Nintendo's always been very pro-control, so it wouldn't suprise me in the least if it was region locked.

Although now apparently owning mod-chips is going to be made illegal over here (Thank you very much you stupid FTA), so we probably won't even be able to resort to that, depending on how well policed it is.

And to make matters worse, Nintendo are the guys that stiff Australians the most. We've got dick-all in the way of DS games compared to the states, and we'll probably see that happening all the way through Wii-town.

I probably won't be getting a Wii at launch. I'd prefer to play Zelda on a standard controller (I'm a traditionalist), and currently that's the only title that (Would) really have me interested in it. I'm interested in the new control scheme, sure, but I'd like to see how well devs adjust to it before I commit.

Funny thing is, I'm a Nintendo fanboy. :P

[Twin]

What's wii-play, some kind of sex game

lol...wii-play is just a collection of mini games like fishing, table tennis, scuba diving, duck hunt 2 etc...i think there's about 15-20 games on the compilation...i'm sure nintendo said that they would be giving the compilation free with a wiimote + nunchuk set for a limited amount of time (i'm guessing until after christmas)

[8IronBob]

Yeah, I got the message from EB to transfer my preorder from the GC version of LoZ: TP to the Wii version. I also attempted to preorder the console itself, even tho the info was official from Nintendo themselves, EB didn't know how many Wiis that they were getting. Hopefully before October, they'll have that big number...

[NetNessie]

For Australian's, Toys'R'Us said they would drop the sale price of the Wii to AU$320 (to fight competition) and throw in a free game from the launch list (on top of Wii Sports) for those who pre-order.

They're getting my order later today :D

[Paroxysm]

Where did you read this? A $80 discount at a store is pretty insane.

[NetNessie]

Where did you read this? A $80 discount at a store is pretty insane.

I should have been clearer, they said they where willing to drop the sale price as low as $350 if they need to stay ahead of competition (error in my original post).

Someone on the GameSpot forums (http://au.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=24986316) called around talking to the stores to see what they where willing to do to get people's pre-orders.

Then again, stores could quite easily change their minds at any time so I wouldn't take anyones word too seriously.

[Paroxysm]

ahh ok

[Towelie2k4]

This was interesting to watch: a closer look at the Wii hardware.

http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=10134

[avatar_58]

This was interesting to watch: a closer look at the Wii hardware.


If your focus is on the Wii's hardware I think you've missed the point of the console.

[8IronBob]

Hmm, still can't wait to see what EB/GameStop's gonna do for preorders... On top of that, if I can upgrade my GameCube for the Wii, I wonder if they'll give you a deal on that ON TOP OF a preorder right on launch day.

[Odin]

If your focus is on the Wii's hardware I think you've missed the point of the console.

I don't think that's his focus, he just wanted to know more about the hardware.

[dudetheman19]

Just figured out some minuses about Wii :-(

1. No DVD-movie playing
2. Has Regional code (earlier they said that it hadnt)
3. More expensive that expected (especially games!)

These were big reasons that I'd get it :-( In Denmark games are WAY overpriced, so cannot order from abroad. DVD playing would just have been a nice feature. In Denmark the price of the console will be around 330 $ and games will be around 70 $ :-(

[Kit]

This was interesting to watch: a closer look at the Wii hardware.

http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=10134

The flip lid for the GC ports looks alittle flimsy. Also, are we expected to flip the Wii on it's side to play Gamecube games? it looks like it'll fall over with a controller plugged in on top.

[Towelie2k4]

If your focus is on the Wii's hardware I think you've missed the point of the console.

Erm, hardware as in the Wii units physical design, not its tech specs. :o

And, like Odin said, I just love any info on the Wii I can get.

[Mblackwell]

Just figured out some minuses about Wii :-(

1. No DVD-movie playing
2. Has Regional code (earlier they said that it hadnt)
3. More expensive that expected (especially games!)

These were big reasons that I'd get it :-( In Denmark games are WAY overpriced, so cannot order from abroad. DVD playing would just have been a nice feature. In Denmark the price of the console will be around 330 $ and games will be around 70 $ :-(

Actually strangely there's no exact confirmation one way or the other on region freedom. One person said one way and one person said the other, so it could be either or both. Hell, it could be that some games are region encoded and some aren't, or maybe some CONSOLES are region encoded....

Who knows, I guess the thing to do is wait until there's an official press release or something.

[seregrail7]

Games are going to be the same as current gen titles. They were hardly going to get any cheaper.

[NetNessie]

Games are going to be the same as current gen titles. They were hardly going to get any cheaper.

Nintendo Employee's need money for food like everyone else. :D

[shiranui]

Next Sunday I will be playing the Wii at the Tokyo Game Show.

[8IronBob]

Oh Snap, seems like that Metroid game'll have to wait for next year like the rest of the games that're gonna be hot. I, for one, am still waiting to hear if Nintendo'll release a version of Mario Kart for the Wii sometime in the next couple of years. After all, if Excite Truck'll work well with the Wiimote, so would Mario Kart, if not more so.

[Twin]

i think mario kart wii is a given though i don't think it'll play like excite truck...

personally i think they'll have standard racing controls with the d pad for movement, A and B for accelerate and brake and the motions could be used for jumping or powerslides...

that's just my opinion though

[NetNessie]

I don't think there has been a Nintendo console that did not have Mario Kart that was produced after the NES, GameBoy not included :D

personally i think they'll have standard racing controls with the d pad for movement

I doubt that because it would be a step back in the companies own direction, so they would probably keep to the same formula they are marketing.

[Joe Siegler]

Actually strangely there's no exact confirmation one way or the other on region freedom. One person said one way and one person said the other, so it could be either or both. Hell, it could be that some games are region encoded and some aren't, or maybe some CONSOLES are region encoded....

I disagree. Reading around on all that's been published, it looks like it WILL be region locked. Which shouldn't be a surprise.

Also, folks - let's not turn it into a debate on the merits of region locking in games. This is a thread about the Wii announcement stuff, we have plenty of other threads where the region locking concept has been beaten to death and turned into glue already.

[Micki!]

I find it a little sad that Metroid Prime Corruption has been delayed, and not being a launch title... That was primarily my reason to get the console instantly...

I will be getting it later then... :)

[Joe Siegler]

The primary reasons for me getting the console at launch are:

Super Monkey Ball Wii
Wii Sports
The Wii interface - I love a good Interface.
The Legacy stuff you can download

Future release: Animal Crossing Wii. :)

[8IronBob]

Well, I may try to get it at launch to have LoZ: TP AND Red Steel. Seems like those may be the two best games to go for, atm. Maybe I'll trade in my GameCube console, and a couple of clowny games to make it pay off (if that's allowed at time of launch (on top of a preorder, of course)). Can't think about what would be best to do, that's my first and only concern, atm.

[Telee]

Future release: Animal Crossing Wii. :)

Hehe, I remember pissing people off on the original Animal Crossing with pitfalls :D I also always buried holes around them, so they were stuck :D

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to Super Mario Galaxy :)

[Joe Siegler]

Yeah, if Animal Crossing Wii works the way I think it's supposed to, we'll have to add each other to our approved lists of who can access our towns, be kind of cool to get the forum folk into that.

[avatar_58]

Yeah, if Animal Crossing Wii works the way I think it's supposed to, we'll have to add each other to our approved lists of who can access our towns, be kind of cool to get the forum folk into that.

I've never played Animal Crossing yet, but I may get the DS one to see what the fuss is about. If its any good then yeah maybe the Wii one will be worth checking into.

I'm really interested in the Duck Hunt type game they were showing off.....

[Paroxysm]

If it's region locked I might have to import everything. Damn

Things I want at launch
Rayman 4
Zelda
Excite Truck
Truama Center

and possibly red steel if it doesn't suck.


And the new warioware when it's released which apparently isn't long after launch.

[Mblackwell]

I disagree. Reading around on all that's been published, it looks like it WILL be region locked. Which shouldn't be a surprise.

Also, folks - let's not turn it into a debate on the merits of region locking in games. This is a thread about the Wii announcement stuff, we have plenty of other threads where the region locking concept has been beaten to death and turned into glue already.



The place that said it was region locked was someone from NOE, and someone from NOA said the opposite. A Nintendo employee told me they haven't exactly stated which one it is officially.

[Micki!]

Yeah, if Animal Crossing Wii works the way I think it's supposed to, we'll have to add each other to our approved lists of who can access our towns, be kind of cool to get the forum folk into that.

That would be fun... A whole city of us, doig stuff together... :D

But i'm not sure about this game... people say it's good, and i believe them, but i don't know if it's my kind of game...
I hope there's a demo, so i can try it out...

Online play and such, doesn't require all kinds of setups and extra equipment does it..?
I'd rather just pop in my network cable and have it work just fine :o

If it happens to BE this easy as a fact, then i hope they'll not charge extra fee of using the Wii for Internet use/play... That would suck, because i'm paying a crapload for the internet i have already...:(

[avatar_58]

Online play and such, doesn't require all kinds of setups and extra equipment does it..?
I'd rather just pop in my network cable and have it work just fine :o


I know it uses wireless ala wifi, but I haven't heard if it supports wired or not. I assume it would, but you never know. I imagine the Wii's online mode won't be much different than the DS online mode. You'd use friend codes for Animal Crossing of course.

The only thing that kind of bothers me with DS online is the fact that they don't really allow custom server options and everything. Most games just have "join game" and thats it. I'd rather a tradition serverlist frankly, but I doubt Wii is going to change this.

[Orochi Avlis]

Online play and such, doesn't require all kinds of setups and extra equipment does it..?
I'd rather just pop in my network cable and have it work just fine :o
I think it might have a network port. If not, you can just use a wireless router.

[Micki!]

I think it might have a network port. If not, you can just use a wireless router.

I hope so...

I would be disapointed if i can't just unplug the network cable from the PC, and insert it to the Wii instead...

But, this wouldn't cost extra or anything..? using internet via the Wii..?

[Orochi Avlis]

But, this wouldn't cost extra or anything..? using internet via the Wii..?
After June you need to buy the Opera browser, but I'm assuming basic services like playing online and downloading new content is free.

[8IronBob]

Hmm, Animal Crossing? Yeah, I may try the DS version of that for now, just to hold me until the Wii version's released. That may work out... Speaking of which, what did Nintendo say that DS connection features were going to be for the Wii/DS relation?

[Micki!]

After June you need to buy the Opera browser, but I'm assuming basic services like playing online and downloading new content is free.

I hope that's it...
I wouldn't want to pay after having done all this...

It reminds me of WOW... I never tried it, but from what i read, after you bought the game, and want to play it, you STILL need to pay to play via Internet...

I wouldn't all of a sudden have to pay extra because of the Wii's internet usage is "exclusive" or something... I could understand when buying additional content, or getting an update for the internet browser... but not for just having it...

[8IronBob]

Well, if you were hoping to preorder the Wii from Amazon, you're S.O.L., at least for now, here's a link describing this sellout of the preorder packages from Amazon's website. Seems like it's gonna be THAT popular, and rightfully so. I expect another X360 mad dash for the Wii crowd. Here's the linky:

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13971

[Joe Siegler]

Well, if you were hoping to preorder the Wii from Amazon, you're S.O.L., at least for now, here's a link describing this sellout of the preorder packages from Amazon's website. Seems like it's gonna be THAT popular, and rightfully so. I expect another X360 mad dash for the Wii crowd. Here's the linky:

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/13971

This surprises you how? :D

[Mr.Sociopath]

first time I've heard animal crossing ..I tought it was a joke about an animal mating game using the wii-mote

[peoplessi]

This was expected... Finnish importer keep the 249euros a minimum price that Wii will be sold. Considering the past, european price has always been upped here. Not looking good at all, we may well be seeing a closer 300euros price tag, and that would put Wii in a really akward position.

[FireFly]

The place that said it was region locked was someone from NOE, and someone from NOA said the opposite. A Nintendo employee told me they haven't exactly stated which one it is officially.
We took the issue to a Nintendo US spokesperson and received the clarification we desired, unpleasant as it was.

"We've heard conflicting reports from lots of folks out there, but can tell you that Wii will be region encoded, as will first-party software."

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/15/wii-not-even-remotely-region-free/

[Odin]

I hope they'll have enough for Christmas. :(

[KaiserSoze]

This surprises you how? :D

Glad I got my pre-order in. :D

I'm actually looking forward to Wii sports alot. I think my wife may actually like playing tennis with me(not to mention the kids).

[8IronBob]

Glad I got my pre-order in. :D

I'm actually looking forward to Wii sports alot. I think my wife may actually like playing tennis with me(not to mention the kids).

Good for you, I'm still looking for an opening at some game site, I may see if Buy.com has any better luck...

[Phayzon]

That would be fun... A whole city of us, doig stuff together... :D

OMG! I dont even like Animal Crossing but that just made me want to get it!

[Daveman]

It was said that it'll work just like the DS for online gameplay. Online play will be without a subscription fee or anything like that, and will work out of the box if you've got a wireless router. I know there'll be an adapter if you've got a high-speed connection but no wireless router, just like with the DS, and I imagine there will also be a network cable or something like that that you can use to make it play online in lieu of an adapter.

Also, I'd bet highly that there'll be more options for online play settings. With the DS, it's limited mainly due to hardware limitations and because it's hard to justify being able to change server settings if you can't choose which server you're going to join...I imagine the Wii will step over all the problems. :)

[NetNessie]

I wonder how the Wii will handle left and right handed people. Because I'm left handed and I foresee some issues playing the Wii, especially when Zelda for example will be wielding the sword on the right side (instead of the traditional left side).

[Micki!]

I wonder how the Wii will handle left and right handed people. Because I'm left handed and I foresee some issues playing the Wii, especially when Zelda for example will be wielding the sword on the right side (instead of the traditional left side).

good question... maybe there's some kind of invert control setting, like switching funktions of the "A" and "B" buttons...

Err, but that won't change the perspective thing... :o

[NetNessie]

I wonder how the Wii will handle left and right handed people.

Actually, now that I mention it, has anyone seen a Wii movie or trailer that has a person using his left hand to hold the controller, it seems that everyone is right handed.

[Phayzon]

^
I think like 97%* of the world's population is right handed.

*just a guess

[8IronBob]

Well, I guess I'm in that 3% myself.

[Parkar]

Aperantly even though you can use the controlls the other way just fine left handed people tends to use the remote in the right hand. I read this in an interview IIRC.

[Daveman]

I can't see how it would be a problem for us lefties...I mean, the buttons are on the front and on the bottom, so there's really no left or right side of the remote anyway...

[avatar_58]

^
I think like 97%* of the world's population is right handed.

*just a guess

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_handed

[0marTheZealot]

^
I think like 97%* of the world's population is right handed.

*just a guess


It's closer to 90%

[NetNessie]

Myer has also come up with some pretty enticing pre-order bonuses (http://www.vooks.net/modules.php?module=article&id=10936) for those who have yet to pre-order. Just a reminder that Nintendo is expecting there to be a unit shortage on release, but enough to satisfy all pre-orders.

[IHerman]

I'm left handed. I never had a problem using console pads. The motion sensors might give some problems when they expect to be used by right handed people, but I expect Nintendo to have options for this to mirror this.

[avatar_58]

I expect Nintendo to have options for this to mirror this.

I'm betting its going to come down to the games themselves to support it. I doubt there will be a "flip handedness" option in the system settings, but instead you'll have to rely on game customization.

[Paroxysm]

hte only thing that will be any issue for lefties will be that the character in game might be holding the weapon in the wrong hand. Using the control is no different in either hand.

[Mblackwell]

True, if you move your hand to the right the character will do stuff to the right, end of story.

[8IronBob]

Hmm... I can see where this is going.

[NetNessie]

I realize I'm the only one bumping this thread, but I don't give a damn. :D

Bad news for us Australians if the rumours about the Wii accessory prices are accurate. We're expecting to pay $99 for both the Wiimote and Nunchuck together (http://www.vooks.net/modules.php?module=article&id=11016).

Urgh.

[Micki!]

Ooh, that's bad news :o

[Paroxysm]

Seems official that nintendo australia get $0 from me and everything gets imported.

[Mblackwell]

If you import won't you end up paying the same price anyway because of shipping costs?

[Paroxysm]

Not really. Shipping costs from anywhere that isn't Amazon are pretty low and the price difference between aus and america is pretty large. Shipping cost is only bad if you go for stupidly fast shipping really. And thankfully the wii is light too!

Not to mention that we will inevitably get screwed with software releases. At least half of my DS collection is imported which I get months earlier than our releases(that's IF it ever gets released) and cheaper than our eventual price.

The only thing I'm planning to spend on the wii in Aus is to get it mod chipped so I can import from japan too.

[Remy]

Shouldn't 100 Australian Dollars amount to something close to 60 US Dollars, which is what the Wiimote + Nunchuck will cost in the US?

[Paroxysm]

Controller
Aus$100 = US$74.6
Console
Aus$399 = US$297.6

Game haven't been announced yet but gamecube games generally launch at $100 and with "next gen games" going to $110-120 I can easily see nintendo thinking a price rise is fine in australia too.

[ZuljinRaynor]

WTF is this that I read in Wikipedia that in Wii Sports Tennis... they Miis automatically move to the ball? G-H-E-Y.

[Paroxysm]

It's a tech demo. The gameplay is simply based on swing timing and style.

[Joe Siegler]

Here's a really good article on the development of the Wii console.

http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/wii.ars

[Marty]

i think i may get it from Toys R Us. i dont care about coupons ill probably lose or wont use

[Odin]

I'm betting $5 that Mii will be a character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, at least as an unlockable.

[Micki!]

I'm betting $5 that Mii will be a character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, at least as an unlockable.

Would be awesome if so :D
I want to make up my own prefered attacks as well... :cool:

[Kit]

However, I got the feeling that there were some more interesting ideas that Nintendo wasn't quite ready to reveal just yet.

On the Wii, one might imagine persistent worlds where the player can set certain tasks for their character to perform while they are not playing.

I'm thinking Zelda 24/7 with Shenmue-esque interactivity.

[Odin]

Would be awesome if so :D
I want to make up my own prefered attacks as well... :cool:

That would be cool, but I'm betting the attacks are based on the Wii series of games, and the matching arena location will be the Mii channel.

[Orochi Avlis]

Well, I pre-ordered Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii.
Still waiting for EB Games to get their console pre-ordering started.....

[8IronBob]

Well, I pre-ordered Metal Slug Anthology for the Wii.
Still waiting for EB Games to get their console pre-ordering started.....

Ditto that, haven't heard any phone calls from EB regarding that, either, nor has there been any signage regarding this. Makes me wonder if Nintendo doesn't believe in preordering anymore (at least Amazon and F.Y.E. do).

[Micki!]

That would be cool, but I'm betting the attacks are based on the Wii series of games, and the matching arena location will be the Mii channel.

Even so, having a selection of existing attacks would still be awesome... :cool:
or maybe attacks fitted to how you build the character...
fat is slow but hard to knock out, girls are faster than guys but weak, etc...

Well, maybe too much to ask for, but damn that would be fun... i could live with having mii characters at all though... the idea is too fun not to add.. :)

[NetNessie]

i think i may get it from Toys R Us. i dont care about coupons ill probably lose or wont use

Toys'r'Us was my option. If your talking about the Myer coupons, they are fairly useful, but I prefer a new game on launch, not a coupon that'd probably expire a year down the track.

It's quite clever though, at least this way Myer is ensuring people purchase further products.

[8IronBob]

Well, I was going to preorder the Wii from Wal-Mart, but they don't guarantee a Wii for you like EB/GameStop can. That may backstab my mother by going that way, but at least I'll have one, and it'll be just as much of a discount, if not more to trade in my GameCube for the Wii on top of a preorder, so I'm excited to even hear news from EB/GS regarding preordering, wish that they'd make it official already!

[Mountain Man]

Here's a really good article on the development of the Wii console.

http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/wii.ars
Nice read. I think this sentence from the article really sums things up:

"Nevertheless, it seems as if the team is focusing on coming up with new game play experiences rather than just repeating the last generation, only shinier and with more polygons."

[NetNessie]

Oh, another sad turn around. Turns out the Virtual Console titles are region locked as well.

[Duoae]

Yeah, i'm a bit dissapointed about that because it means we (as in us poor europeans) won't even be able to get the stuff that america gets.... and no one will be able to get the stuff the Japanese get... but then i can't read japanese so potentially no loss for me there :)

[ZuljinRaynor]

I'm betting its going to come down to the games themselves to support it. I doubt there will be a "flip handedness" option in the system settings, but instead you'll have to rely on game customization.

Zelda: TP on Wii is being mirrored to right handed mode.

[Paroxysm]

Oh, another sad turn around. Turns out the Virtual Console titles are region locked as well.

Ahh nice to see nintedno region locking the virtual console games too because I sure as hell never heared anyones inital response the the VC being "awesome! Now I can play those games that were never released over here!" thank god nintendo didn't give us that option! Thank them in their stupid ****ing faces

[Phayzon]

I kinda wanted to see the N64 Kirby Air Ride and Animal Crossing...

[Paroxysm]

Don't worry. Nintendo are doing all they can to ensure there's a strong and robust piracy scene.

[Phayzon]

Yay! :D :p

[NetNessie]

Don't worry. Nintendo are doing all they can to ensure there's a strong and robust piracy scene.

Couldn't agree more. :D

[8IronBob]

Zelda: TP on Wii is being mirrored to right handed mode.

Well, I happen to be a lefty, so I guess that means that I'll be able to play it the way it's meant to be, heh?

[Daveman]

I'll probably end up playing it righty anyway. I have no problems using controllers with my left-handedness, and I shoot rifles right-handed. Who knows how I'll be more comfortable.

[Joe Siegler]

Cool article about how the manufacturing process has been going so far.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/05/wii-production-exceeding-expectations/

[Mountain Man]

Ahh nice to see nintedno region locking the virtual console games too because I sure as hell never heared anyones inital response the the VC being "awesome! Now I can play those games that were never released over here!" thank god nintendo didn't give us that option! Thank them in their stupid ****ing faces
Well, one article I read suggested that licensing issues may be the culprit here. Apparently, all of the titles actually owned by Nintendo will be available world wide, but properties owned by other companies--such as Square-Enix--will likely only be available in the regions in which they were originally released. There's not much Nintendo can do about that.

On a related note, it appears that a selection of classic Epyx titles for the Commodore 64 will be available on the Wii (link (http://www.macnn.com/articles/06/09/29/c64.games.on.the.wii/)).

[8IronBob]

Cool article about how the manufacturing process has been going so far.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/05/wii-production-exceeding-expectations/

Sa-WEET!!! :woot:

Seems like that we're gonna be seeing more Wiis than any of the other two consoles combined, from the way this sounds, and probably bigger lines at Wal-Marts to boot, I can bet you bottom dollar about that one.

[NetNessie]

At least there won't be a huge shortage.

[avatar_58]

From Shacknews: "Detoc hopes that Ubisoft Paris' upcoming launch title Red Steel (Wii) can achieve a similar reception to Rare's bestselling GoldenEye 007 (N64)."

Cocky, too cocky. Why does everyone forget what made Goldeneye so damned good? It wasn't some crappy port and it managed to hook a large group of gamers who wouldn't normally play an FPS using its unique spy gameplay and fun deathmatch modes. It was accessable, and yet it didn't sacrifice complexity. Can you say the same for Red Steel?

[Paroxysm]

Yes? ???

[avatar_58]

Yes what? You don't honestly think Red Steel will come close to Goldeneye? From what I've seen its just a standard FPS with a new control style. So unless I'm wrong they are blowing smoke.

[Orochi Avlis]

avatar, I don't find their statement too cocky. Or even cocky at all.
That's what they want to achieve.
They aren't saying, "This game is so good that it blows Goldeneye out of the water!"

[avatar_58]

It just sounds a little too similar to how EAgames always acts with their Bond games, its as if people are blind to what actually sold Goldeneye thats all.

[Paroxysm]

Yes what?

"It wasn't some crappy port "
Not a port

"managed to hook a large group of gamers who wouldn't normally play an FPS using its unique spy gameplay"
Dunno if it'll succeed but that's what it's aiming for. Of course it's yakuza based gameplay. Not spy. And certianly unique play style

"and fun deathmatch modes. "
Well I dunno if it even has multiplayer really so this is the first point that it may be failing on (I don't know)

"It was accessable,"
Well they're attempting to be.

"and yet it didn't sacrifice complexity."
Seems to have a lot going on it it. Certainly seems to have alot to offer.

You don't honestly think Red Steel will come close to Goldeneye?
Buggered if I know. Just saying that your list pretty much describes the game and ideaologies of red steel.

[Novelle]

I already have Wii and 3 games pre-ordered.

New realistic Zelda game alone is a damn good reason to get one.

[Joe Siegler]

There's some cool pictures of pre-release Wii hardware and store displays here:

http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/07/wii-retail-details-markup-and-endcaps/

This also shows the breakdown of the retail pricing for these things vs what it costs to make, showing the actual profit being made on the things.

[Duoae]

That link doesn't show how much it costs to make. It shows how much it costs for the retailers to buy. The mark-up price (ie actual retail price) is how much profit each unit makes for the retailer. I don't think we'll have a complete cost of materials bill until some analyst company disects the Wii after release.

[Kit]

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/738/738362p1.html

D-cable? I assume I can use a dvi-to-vga adaptor to make this work with my tv.

[Joe Siegler]

That link doesn't show how much it costs to make. It shows how much it costs for the retailers to buy. The mark-up price (ie actual retail price) is how much profit each unit makes for the retailer. I don't think we'll have a complete cost of materials bill until some analyst company disects the Wii after release.

My mistake, I didn't mean to say that. :)

[Damien_Azreal]

Can not wait. :D I'm very excited about this release, I usualy don't get hyped about console releases.
But for some reason I see a lot of fun and good times coming from the Wii. See, I can't even say the name of the dman thing without smiling. :)

Since the closest store is Wal-Mart I'm gonna have to save up the money and buy it all in one lump. No pre-orders and no law-away. :( But I plan on picking up the console and Red Steel as soon as possible.
Thanks for link Joe, I like the various controller covers... I like the black ones and the green one.

[Orochi Avlis]

Finally, some Wii pre-order info has been released.
EB Games US start taking pre-orders tomorrow, while us Canucks have to wait til Monday.
They are expected to go fast. Get them while you can.

[ZuljinRaynor]

What games do you guys plan on getting? I'm planning on Red Steel and CoD 3. I would've said no to CoD 3 though... if it wasn't for the fact that you can play as Poland.

[Damien_Azreal]

Red Steel, maybe CoD3 and definitely the Far Cry game when it comes out.

[Paroxysm]

Twilight Princess, Rayman 4, Warioware (although not launch. Just launch period), Excite truck, Wii Sports (pack in), Wii PLay (with extra controller purchase), possibly Red Steel and monkey ball

definitely the Far Cry game when it comes out.
Have you seen it? If the whole project is like the quality of the art in the game you'd be better off plaing with a dead racoon.

[FireFly]

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=67808

I've heard Mario Galaxy makes the best of use of the controller of all the games.

[Orochi Avlis]

What games do you guys plan on getting? I'm planning on Red Steel and CoD 3.
Metal Slug Wii and Dragon Ball BT 2.
Then after MK Armageddon, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros Brawl and then we'll see.

[Joe Siegler]

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=67808

I've heard Mario Galaxy makes the best of use of the controller of all the games.

Probably does, but that's not a launch title, as far as I know.

[Damien_Azreal]

Oh yeah I'll be getting the new DBZ game for it as well. And probably any Mario game... I love Mario. :p

[ZuljinRaynor]

Oh yeah I'll be getting the new DBZ game for it as well. And probably any Mario game... I love Mario. :p

I'm probably the only person who hates Mario and Zelda and Metroid and almost anything by Nintendo yet I want their system.

Edit: Did I mention I plan on getting Zelda: TP when it comes out?

SSBB is a given since it has Snake. :D

[Damien_Azreal]

I love Mario. Mario Sunshine for Gamecube was a blast. I loved it. Can't stand Zelda either, but I've always loved Nintendo's systems.

[ZuljinRaynor]

Sunshine made me throw up. :(

[Daveman]

I should really get it. I've heard only good things about it and it's only $20 at Target...

[8IronBob]

Very true, I've loved almost anything that Nintendo threw out for the GC. However, trying to transition to the Wii's going to be quite interesting, to say the least. Can't wait to see what Nintendo does for Wii titles outside of LoZ: TP, Mario Galaxy, SSB: Brawl, and Metroid, and so on, so forth. However, they didn't seem to announce anything for a new Mario Kart, but I'm quite sure that it'll probably be built on the same engine as Excite Truck, most likely, am I correct?

[Daveman]

I hope they don't mess with the formula of Mario Kart so much. IMO Double Dash didn't feel like Mario Kart, but Mario Kart DS took it back to what it belongs like. If there's a Wii incarnation I hope it uses the GC controller.

I might be picking up a Wii anyway. I feel like I might as well trade in my Gamecube and use the money towards a Wii if it plays my GC games (probably with less slowdown too). I bet Gamestop's only buying them for about twenty bucks, though. :mad:

[Talos]

Man those could have been awesome games :love:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1712492

[Odin]

I can't decide whether or not to get a Wii. I am really hyped for it, but I'm afraid to enter a new platform.

[IHerman]

Wait for the reactions from the people who did get one.

[Foxy]

I'm doing that too. I want to see if FPS with the wiimote turns out to be any good.

Assuming I was going to get one - what GC games would people reccommend I have a look at in addition? I've no clue what's good and what's junk. :p

[8IronBob]

Anyone know if that Donkey Kong was one of the Virtual Console titles? I dunno why, but I loved that famous music score from Donkey Kong for some strange reason. Also, if it wasn't for Miyamoto's favorite gorilla ape, Mario would've never been born, there IS that special connection.

[Micki!]

@Damien, i'm looking forward for you to get it...
I'd like to read some of your impressions, before i finally get one myself (which will be by the time Metroid is out, unless i'll be attracted by something else before that time)
I believe you have a similar interest in videogames as i have :o
i'm especially curious about Red Steel... It looks different, but no idea if that's reason to get it... depends of the coolness factor, and replayability... :cool:

unless i miss your impression on the forums :o

[Damien_Azreal]

Trust me Micki!, one I get it.... you'll know about it. :p

[Micki!]

Trust me Micki!, one I get it.... you'll know about it. :p

I suppose that means i'll be hearing your joyful cheering from my window :D

[Phayzon]

Ill be getting Metroid Prime 3 and SSB:Brawl when they come out. No idea what I'll do beforehand. Super Metroid on virtual console probably :love:

[Micki!]

Ill be getting Metroid Prime 3 and SSB:Brawl when they come out.

That's actually my main reason to get it at all...
I just wanna know if there's something else while i'm waiting, that is worth playing, thus making me buy it ealier, instead of waiting for these 2 games...

I hope Red Steel is fun... i like the story, and i really hope the things you can do isn't just some unnecessary gimmick which is there for difference sake, instead of improving gameplay

[NetNessie]

What games do you guys plan on getting?

Red Steel
Twilight Princess
Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz

Later I may grab COD3 if it turns out to be any good. The screenshots so far look as if the game was released before the GC, shockingly awful. The lack of multiplayer is concerning.

I'll grab Mario Galaxies, FarCry and Brawl when they're released.

Sunshine made me throw up. :(
Sunshine bugged me a little; but I found it playable. I just wish there was more depth to the music and sound effects.


I hope they don't mess with the formula of Mario Kart so much. IMO Double Dash didn't feel like Mario Kart
After playing Mario Kart Double Dash for absolute ages I must say I enjoyed it, although I would hope they don't do the same thing with the Wii.

I can't decide whether or not to get a Wii. I am really hyped for it, but I'm afraid to enter a new platform.

Sit and wait to see what kind of reception it gets.

From Shacknews: "Detoc hopes that Ubisoft Paris' upcoming launch title Red Steel (Wii) can achieve a similar reception to Rare's bestselling GoldenEye 007 (N64)."

A boy can dream.