The Wii price and bundle:
In the past, Nintendo has promised gamers to keep the price of the Nintendo Wii under $250, which they've done by one cent, plus a game. The console will be bundled with a copy of Wii Sports - which includes versions of tennis, boxing, bowling, baseball, and golf - and the system will only be available in white at launch. The $249.99 bundle will include 1 white Wii console, cables, sensor bar, one Wiimote, one Nunchuk, and a copy of Wii Sports. Wii first-party games will sell for $49.99, and additional controllers will sell for a combined $60. The components of the controller can be purchased individually for $19.99 for the nunchuk attachment and $39.99 for the main Wiimote. However, every game I played at E3 required input from both, forcing gamers to buy both units (combined $60) if they want a true second controller for the system. Nintendo hopes to have four million units available within the 43 days following launch, basically between November 19th and the end of the year. This compares to the 500,000 units Microsoft had at the launch of the Xbox 360 last year, and the suggested 500,000 units Sony is expected to have at the launch of the PS3. However, Sony isn't expected to launch worldwide simultaneously, but instead release at different times for Japan, Europe, and the United States.The Twilight Princess and other launch titles:
Also in the announcements was the release date for The Twilight Princess for both the Wii and the Nintendo GameCube. GameCube owners will have to wait longer than Wii owners, since the GameCube version of Twilight Princess will ship after the Wii version, on December 11th, 2006. The Wii version of Twilight Princess will be a launch title, and be available on November 11th with the system. Other launch titles include: ExciteTruck, Call of Duty 3, Tony Hawk, Trauma Center, Madden NFL 07, Need For Speed: Carbon, Elebits, Metal Slug Anthology, Barnyard, Cards, Avatar, Blazing Angels, Far Cry: Vengeance, Red Steel, and Ray Man. Nintendo expects to have 30 titles available at launch.The virtual console:
Nintendo expects to release 30 classic games via the Virtual Console between launch and December 31st. The following year, Nintendo expects to add 10 games to the Virtual Console line-up per month. NES titles will sell for $5, SuperNES for $8, and N64 titles for $10. The Nintendo Wii's virtual console allows gamers to download and play old-school games originally released on previous generation consoles. At launch, Nintendo promises to have Super Mario 64, Super Mario World, Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda available for purchase from the Virtual Console.Oddly, most of these titles have been available on modern systems for some time. Nintendo released a modified version of Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo DS, Super Mario World for the Game Boy Advance, and The Legend of Zelda as part of a Wind Waker pre-order package. Additionally, The Legend of Zelda has also been released on the GBA as a part of the classic collections.
Other Wii features:
- Wii Channels:
Much like TV-on-demand Internet channels, the Wii will have access to a news and weather broadcast, as well as a channel to purchase and download additional game content. You can even purchase a version of the Opera web browser from Nintendo's online store to surf the Internet.
- Mii Photos:
Several months ago, Nintendo trademarked M!!. Turns out they've decided not to use it as the basis for their in-console chat system, after all. Instead, Mii (not M!!) serves as an in-console caricature system that allows gamers to create personal look-alikes on the system. These characters can then be used in games such as Wii Sports.
- Message Center:
It seems like everyone wants to be the center of attention these days. Microsoft, Sony, and Apple have all announced or released hardware designed to serve multiple functions in the living room. The Wii is no different, offering the ability to send and receive messages from other Wii users, PC chat programs, and cell phones. You can also leave messages for other members of your household via the Wii's calendar system.