A ton of rumors have been swirling over the past few months but now it’s official: The Nintendo Wiiconsole will cost $250 and will be shipping November 19th. Most consumers expected a $150 price point and will no doubt be dissapointed by this news, but it still makes it the cheapest next-genconsole on the market.
Says Nintendo:
"Our goal is to bring gaming back to the masses. You see that in our pricing, you see that in the number of units we plan to make available this year and you see that in how we are positioningthe Wii to appeal to every member of the household, including but not limited to the hard-core gamer. We are including all of these capabilities as part of our overall strategy to expand the gamingmarket. Broadening the market is important because it will breathe new life into this business. Otherwise, this industry is moving down a path of being more and more limited to the hard-coregamer."
Over 24 launch titles are expect in November alone. In Japan, the Wii will be launching for 25,000 yen (US $ 212.50) on December 2nd. Yes, that means the US will be getting the Wii before theJapanese – an unheard of move for Nintendo.
The $250 system will come with a Nintendo Wii console and a Wii remote for gameplay. "Wii Sports" will not be included unfortunately…so you’ll have to pick up your own games.
Here is the list of Japan’s Wii launch titles (subject to change):
-Trauma Center (Atlus)
-Elebits (Konami)
-Machikuru Domino (Success)
-Necro-Nesia (Spike)
-Super Monkey Ball Uki-Uki Party Shuugoh (Sega)
-Swing Golf Panya (Tecmo)
-Wing Island (Hudson)
-Kororinpa (Hudson)
-SD Gundam REVOLUTION (Bandai Namco)
-Ennichi no Tatsujin (Bandai Namco)
-Tamagotchi no Pika Pika Daito-ryo-! (Bandai Namco)
-Red Steel (Ubisoft)
-Wii Sports (Nintendo)
-Odoru Made In Wario (Nintendo)
-The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo)
-Hajimete no Wii (Nintendo)
