UK stores to get Wii countdown clocks?
A memo sent to UK Virgin megastores has been "leaked" onto the internet. Purportedly, Nintendo will be contacting selected stores today to discuss installing Wii countdown clocks. That doesn't mean the release date will be known tomorrow, though -- it just means, if this leak is to be believed, that Nintendo will be contacting stores about the installation, which could occur at a later date.Nintendo's "Wii Prove our Promise" presentation at the Leipzig Games Convention will take place early August 23rd (4:15 a.m. EST). With no Space World and a promise to reveal launch details by the end of September, this seems like the likely platform for announcements.
And, if this memo is true, the clocks will likely be installed the same day, or earlier and then activated. Still, these "leaked memos" do nothing but incite fanboyism and instill generally false hope. The rumor derived from a post by an administrator on the Nintendo Wii Chat forum and quickly made its way to the top of Digg's gaming section. Don't get too caught up in the hype; while countdown clocks would be a smart marketing move, these rumors rarely work out.
The memo has been transcribed below, or you see the original scan here.
Nintendo Wii Countdown Clocks
As the launch of the Nintendo Wii approaches please be aware that your store will be receiving a Nintendo Wii Countdown Clock to help instore activity and pre-awareness.
Nintendo will be contacting your store to arrange the installation of the countdown clocks from the 14th August.
Please see below for the list of stores receiving the clocks.
- Megastore
- Piccadilly
- Liverpool
- Cribbs Causeway
- Kings Road
- Bournemouth
- Leeds
- Meadowhall
- Birmingham
[name erased]
Head of Games
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MrD @ Aug 14th 2006 3:38AM
Since they are contacting them now, I think this removes any doubt that launch information will be announced at the GC on the 23rd.
Bmoo @ Aug 14th 2006 3:41AM
Why can't we get countdown clocks for duke nukem forever? nonetheless, great move if it happens.
spencer @ Aug 14th 2006 3:51AM
I love that joystiq stays up as late as I do.
Michael @ Aug 14th 2006 3:59AM
* Megastore
^ is the only store ^
* Piccadilly
* Liverpool
* Cribbs Causeway
* Kings Road
* Bournemouth
* Leeds
* Meadowhall
* Birmingham
Are all places, now if Nintendo are going all out and putting clocks everywhere in those areas then kudos to them really.
Hemisphere @ Aug 14th 2006 4:07AM
Well no, Virgin is the name of the shop, and they have branches in all of those places, along with, I imagine, a Virgin Megastore, which is like.. their shop HQ, so to speak.
Michael @ Aug 14th 2006 4:10AM
Ah that makes more sense.
lazygamer @ Aug 14th 2006 4:17AM
"Virgin Megastore" is the name of every Virgin store in the UK, even some smaller Virgin stores are called 'Megastores'.
Considering Virgin operates so many different companies in the UK (Megastores, Trains, Airlines, Wines, Banking, Mobile, Broadband, Radio, Music Festivals - the list goes on) they have to name them all Megastores so we know they're about entertainment. I guess.
Babylonian @ Aug 14th 2006 4:22AM
No 'Thanks to Babylonian'? D:
Anyways, I doubt this is a mere rumor because it's just so short-notice. Maybe if they said we're getting a release date in a couple weeks, it might sound more like BS, but the Nintendo reps calling every store to give them the time seems just secretive enough to be real.
Oh well, not like we have long to wait until the news is broken, true or false.
James K @ Aug 14th 2006 4:28AM
Forget the Wii, wears my black DS?
pangit @ Aug 14th 2006 5:32AM
man can ya believe that the wii is almost here?????
whos excited!!!
ALH @ Aug 14th 2006 5:36AM
No love for the north east? meh. I hope this means that that little rumour ages ago about europe being the first release outside of japan is true :p
Kio @ Aug 14th 2006 5:57AM
Virgin *Megastore*...
This is the London store.
Looking forward to seeing this in action :-)
Jay @ Aug 14th 2006 6:44AM
GAME normally have something similar, I can't remember what it was for (probably DS Lite) but I do certainly remember seeing countdown clocks in every shop I visited. Oldham, Manchester, Huddersfield, Trafford Centre, etc...
Certainly add to the hype.
Kasumi-Astra @ Aug 14th 2006 7:44AM
No, the London store is the flagship Oxford Street Virgin Megastore.
The long-standing store in Reading (currently being refurbished) has been a Virgin Megastore for well over a decade. The brand-new Meadowhall store (sporting new lighter image, wide aisles and increased staff presence) is also a Virgin Megastore. The old Meadowhall store (now the Apple Store) was just "Virgin".
There's a lot of very friendly staff in the new Meadowhall store gaming section, if you come from Sheffield be sure to say hello ;-)
Ben @ Aug 14th 2006 7:46AM
About two years ago, Nintendo did give to certain stores free POS (point of sale) equipment which had an LED countdown clock (approx 50cm by 8cm) which was embedded in a metallic surround. This surround could then have posters clipped onto it, posters specially made by Nintendo advertising the newest anticipated game. I remember seeing the same clock used both for Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat and a GameCube Pokemon title in a Glasgow branch of Gamestation.
It's likely that these stores still have these clocks and that Nintendo still has a big collection of them at their warehouse (it's not the kind of thing that would be thrown away, after all). I'm guessing that the Wii countdown clocks will just amount to another poster to go onto this surround.
mono_eric3 @ Aug 14th 2006 7:47AM
Nintendo have had countdown clocks in stores for ages
They use them whenever something big is coming out. Its just a big stopwatch counting down and they put a new cover on it depending on the game or hardware.
I seem to remember it being used for Donkey Konga, Four Swords, and the first DS, so its hardly new.
Generally its put up a little less then a month before the game is due.
: D
vidGuy @ Aug 14th 2006 8:05AM
I guess I'll be the first to ask, didn't Nintendo say they'd reveal everything by September? As in, before the month starts?
Maybe it's just wishful thinking but that's been the word around the nets.
Luke Cashmore @ Aug 14th 2006 8:50AM
I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA HOW TO CONTACT JOYSTIQ. THING IS THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE READING THIS WILL BE CHUFFED! ZELDA.COM HAS A NEW TWILIGHT PRINCESS TRAILER! ITS IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!
vidGuy @ Aug 14th 2006 9:05AM
Luke Cashmore, look at the right under Resources for both a TIPS and a Contact link. Use http://www.joystiq.com/tips/ to send the staff a news tip.
ash @ Aug 14th 2006 9:21AM
i have a feeling that this isn't as good as it sounds. nothing will happen probably for ages
ash @ Aug 14th 2006 9:22AM
and btw megastore is called megastore because it has:
dvds
cds
books
games
films
posters
same way a super store is called a super store :)
dvddesign @ Aug 14th 2006 10:48AM
#7...
Don't forget that Virgin also has all their other branded merchandise they sell. Tshirts, hats, socks, keychains, cellphone danglies, and even the Virgin Condom.
Yes, nothing screams sexy more than the Virgin branded condom. Virgin... It's what men look for.
Insomnious @ Aug 14th 2006 11:02AM
Mono_eric3 is right; every game store in my high street (Virgin, GAME, Gamestation, even Debenhams) will have these countdown timers installed.
I have to admit I was impressed with the 'mystery' behind these timers the first time I noticed them, but now it's become a case of 'oh, looks like Nintendo have something else it feels we should know about'.
And then I remember I don't own any Nintendo console, and go home. :D
dori. @ Aug 14th 2006 11:45AM
Since when did Mario go around looking like Flavor Flav?
Jarom @ Aug 14th 2006 3:24PM
I think its fake. In the UK they format their dates differently than us.
August 11th 2006 reads as:
UK = 11/08/2006
US = 08/11/2006
On the memo (http://spong.com/asset/212449/11/10569) if it were a real memo sent out in the UK the date listed on it would lead me to believe it was sent Nov. 8th 2006. It doesnt add up.
Thoughts anyone?
Ben @ Aug 14th 2006 4:04PM
With some computer software, especially software that is used primarily within the American business community, the option to change the date to the UK standard is either difficult to locate within the settings or simply not present. I'm guessing that's all that happened here - this is a memoing program designed for the US market that hasn't been formatted properly for UK use.
Similarly, My DS has no option to set the date to the UK standard.
MrPing1000 @ Aug 14th 2006 4:34PM
Fake me thinks. UK company, american date? Odd.
crono141 @ Aug 14th 2006 4:58PM
Worldwide launch?
Nat @ Aug 15th 2006 1:06PM
"Head of Games" isn't a real corporate title. Even if it was, wouldn't "Head of Promotions" or "Head of Marketing" be far more appropriate for a letter like this? This letter looks quite fake.
Spider Chii @ Aug 15th 2006 1:07PM
I work for the Virgin in Meadowhall and we recieved a clock today. However it's going to be a DS clock (with the scrolling title thing on the top and an countdown timer beneath) as seen in places like Game for ages. When we get a firm Wii release date it'll be a Wii clock, but just for DS games till then. Sorry!
And yeah, some of our systems do use the American date format :-/