:o

Not bad at all.

A little disappointed with the price. I'm hoping for some better news after the hour....

I think the price is great, but I wish they would have released it on the 12, which is my birthday

Not as cheap as I was hoping it would be, which means I won't be getting it this year.

was hoping for 199.99

The original NES launched at $299. They didn't pull R.O.B. from the set until late 1986. That's when they started bundling it for $200 with Mario only. I know it was $300 because that's what was paid for mine back in 1985.

There's been so much confusing and false info tonight that I think I'll just wait till morning for everything to clear itself up.

Also, I'll only trust the article if it's up on the NYTimes website, the author is confirmed to work for him, and he actually wrote the article. SeattlePI doesn't cut it for me.

I hope this isn't true, they need to launch BEFORE the ps3

What are they thinking!?

Damn, that means I wont be getting another game for Wii... looks like MP3 will have to wait it out until it gets a price cut...

Again though, this is the NYT we're talking about, it's not exactly the most reliable source of information...

allright, some time to save up so i can actually afford it ($250=alot for me)

So he knows the pricing and release date, but he won't even mention the number of controllers it comes with?

Something smells fishy.

Like I said in another post, I really hope that the classic Virtual Console games are not $5-10 like the article states. That's a completely ridiculous price, and I can guarantee that I personally will not be buying any classic games for that price.

I have a modified Xbox with a ton of emulators on it, but I really was hoping for a reasonable price so that I could actually buy some of the great games of the past and not have copies that aren't as legal, but there's no way that's going to happen for $5 for a NES game.

NYT? A trusted source? ROFLMAO... Anyway, if it's true, the release date is the part that is baffling. Two days after PS3? That doesn't make any sense at all.

At first I was disappointed by the price until I realized it came with Wii Sports which I was going to buy anyway so its a $200 console with a $50 game. I would have preffered a $200 console though and bough the game seperately. It would just look better on paper. All in all I guess I'll spend the same price no matter what.

I hate to rag on this (rumored) price but I hope to god it's not $250. With all due respect and admiration/yearning I have to buy a Wii on launch day, $250 is steep for that console, I'm sorry. For $50 more you could get a barebones 360 and that's ridiculous.

I want a Wii and I have high hopes for it. But $250? I hope this rumor ends up being debunked real soon and the real price is announced as something lower (even if it's $229 for a massive pack in deal).

Predictable.

$5 - $10 for a game is not a bad deal for most. $5 for Bionic Commando? I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I'd pay $10 to get my Jet Force Gemini on again. Just to get frustrated all over again. Wonky shooting, etc. A pack-in takes the sting away for this kid. Wii Sports!

I don't buy it, for one reason and one reason only. $5-$10 for *classic* virtual console game downloads is just bs. And I'm almost certain that Nintendo has said that NEW virtual console games would be priced at around $5-$10; why would they expect anyone to pay that kind of money for decades-old 8-bit games, especially if original vc games will be similarly priced?

If $250 is the actual price, which I'm not convinced of, I'll accept it. Especially with WiiSports bundled :) But there's no way I'd be happy about $5 NES and SNES games.

And I think I speak for everyone when I say any release date other than 5 minutes from now sucks!

I'm perfectly happy with $250 for a Wii, nunchuck, Wii Remote, and Wii Sports. Also, the date of November 19th, means that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will be out that day. And not just that, but Wii will come out 5 years and 1 day after GameCube.

This also is reminiscent of Xbox vs. GameCube in 2001, with the two systems being out so close to one another. The difference this time though, is that PS3 will be available in limited quantaties compared to Wii and the price difference will be gargantuan.

Now we just have to find out when Wii will come out in Japan and Europe. Man, this Fall's going to rock.
Paul Gale
1up.com

The source just was deleted. Someone's early mistake or proof of a phony article?

Over $200 AND not launched on a Tuesday?

hmm...

The article is no longer on the Seattle PI site, or at least the link no longer works. I can't find the article anywhere on the NYT site.

oh great.

-->"That they are launching after the PlayStation 3 sounds kind of fishy to us."

Oh good god...stop your damn whining. You are starting to sound like Summa now by saying that.

5-10 is a great deal. i just payed 40 dollars for killer instinct gold at a local gameshop, i know i got ripped off but i LOVED that game and if i think its worth 40 bucks it is to me.

5 dollars for bionic commando.....man i i can not wait.i will buy most of the titles they have for the VC, since me nes has recently gone kaput, and it is hard to track down all the games i want. i think this is an amazing deal and i cant wait to get a list of vc titles!!!

metal slug wii ftw!!!

OH GOD NO!

Nintendo, show some mercy on those who work in retail. That means that there will lines of BOTH Nintendo Wii and PS3 fanboys outside, bitching and bickering at each other.

My nightmare has come true

Release on a Sunday, it doesnt make sense.

Am I the only one who finds it weird that Nintendo would give those details to a media source like the New York Times only a day before holding an event whose purpose is most likely to reveal exactly the sorts of things this article claims? I mean, why would they bother giving the stuff early to a specific source like that when they're about to give it to EVERYONE? And then, of course, there's the fact that the pricing and dating don't really work well with their history and strategy. All of Nintendo's consoles have released at $200, going right back to the NES, and I was under the impression that they'd intended to release before Sony got the PS3 out, not after.

I don't know, it just doesn't seem to fit. I'm reluctant to call it out entirely, but I think it should be taken with a grain of salt.

Pleaseeee let it be $200.... I dont wanna wait for a price cut

Did people expect it to be $200 US somehow?

Sunday makes sense... the GCN was released on a Sunday... I still think the article is BS

screw the price complaining! a nov 19 launch date is unacceptable. they have the units ready, they should launch in october and just ship more when they come off the assembly lines!

IGN has confirmed it:
http://wii.ign.com/articles/732/732669p1.html

Didn't the NES deluxe set go for $250?

"If true, this will be the first Nintendo console in history to launch at a price other than $200." - I think I paid $249 for the N64 at Wal-Mart.

Good one Nintendo. So the Wii will retail for less than $250? So $249.99?

I'm calling this guy's bluff, I don't believe it.

Oh for heaven's sake... WAIT ONE DAY! Is that so hard?

Nothing matters except what comes directly from Nintendo.

I`m already saving up my money. This is totally amazing news!!!!!!! More than 20 lauch titles!!!! 50$ games!! Dvd with no add on!!, Web browser, digital photo and weather channel! This is gold! pure gold!!!

over $200 :( in on the bandwagon of the ones that are gonna be waiting for a price cut

I'm a bit disappointed by this news. Price at the upper end of everybody's speculation and a later release date than what Nintendo previously indicated.

At $5-10 per VC game, sorry, I will just stick with an emulator. These are games that I've already purchased (some of them, more than once) and these games would be almost pure profit for Nintendo anyway. I'm not paying 10%-20% of the price of a brand new game for a game that, while fun, is utterly obsolete.

I hope it does come with an extra controller, since they are pushing this "casual gamer, fun for the family" angle. I also hope it comes with the analog stick attachment also, as it seems it will be virtually mandatory if you want to play any but some of the most basic games.

If it comes with those extras, it's a good value. If not, meh.

Lol, so we are trusting the NYT for translating this?

OMG Ign HAS confirmed it.. It will come with a built in picture-holder :S

The launch date definitely sucks. This should have launched before the PS3. That 2 days is not cool.

Seems fishy to me, but IGN has already published the story. I don't know how often they've published a story like this on false information, and had to pull it down the next day due to it being false. They've probably known about this for a while now, and only now could post it due to NDA or something.

I thought it would be cheaper, and earlier, but I'm still buying one.

Those extra features don't really interest me, but at least they'll be releasing good games for the console.

Hopefully we'll hear differently tomorrow from Nintendo. But if not, it's not the end of the world.

well i'm not surprised the price is set at $250. i was really hoping that nintendo would do something crazy like release the wii during tgs... not that it'd happen but that was the degree of hope i was shooting for.

...but a later release date? i dunno about that.

anyway, i'm looking forward to hoping that tomorrow's press conference in new york has something different to say... like uh, the release date for the wii is NOW or something remotely close to that degree. price-wise i don't really care as long as it's under $250 like they promised.

i'm just kinda antsy waiting for this official announcement so pre-orders can finally begin at my gamestop.

December 2nd in Japan, 25000 yen.

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.famitsu.com%2Fblog%2Fexpress%2F&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools

What are you fanboys whining about? Nintendo has stated that they aren't in competition with the PS3 and 360, so why should it matter that it comes out after the PS3?

$5-10 for a game is cheap, considering they re-released Sonic the Hedgehog for GBA for $19.99 if I recall correctly.

And $250 is a fine price. I'm guessing it doesn't come with a component cable though.

Are you seriously complaining about it being $50 more than expected? Here are some ways you can make that extra $50.

-Sell your PS2 on craigslist or anything else really.
-Work a extra day or two.
-Give blood if they pay you for it.
-Donate your body to science.
-Mow a couple more lawns or throw more papers to your neighbors.
-Whore yourself out for a day(Please make this your last option!)
-Get a promotion.
-Steal stuff from your folks,friends,etc. and then pawn/sell it off.
-Did I mention the "being a whore" part?

You see, there are plenty of ways to make $50 so please stop typing to your heart's content about disagreeing with the price.

Wii + X360 + Brains = Crazy Delicious (err.. $650) is only $50 (magic numba!) more than a PS3 and you get twice the options.

((Thumbs Up!))

On top of that, I was only bummed that the price didnt include a sealed baggy of chopped brains with the Wii.

Drat~!

Seattle PI story's back up!

""
Nintendo gets Wii ready for holidays
Company plans to put console on market Nov. 19

By SETH SCHIESEL
THE NEW YORK TIMES

In a move that may allow Nintendo of Japan to take advantage of stumbles by its main rival, the company plans to announce today that it will release its new Wii video-game console in North and South America on Nov. 19, just as the holiday shopping season begins, and that the machine will cost $250 in the United States.

Nintendo executives said this week that the company also would announce today that more than 25 new games would be available for its video-game machine this year, a substantial portfolio from several genres that is intended to help the company broaden the appeal of its console. The company plans to ship 4 million of the Wii consoles worldwide this year.

Nintendo also will explain today a plan to expand the video-game market beyond its core of young men.

Today's announcement comes as Nintendo's main rival, Sony, has been forced to delay and scale back the introduction of its own game machine, the PlayStation 3, at least twice amid serious troubles with that company's new Blu-ray Disc technology.

Last week, Sony said that the PlayStation 3 would not be introduced in Europe until 2007 and that it would ship millions fewer units worldwide this year than it had promised. The top version of the PlayStation 3 is expected to cost around $600.

Another competitor, Microsoft, has sold more than 5 million of the Xbox 360 game console since its introduction in 2005 and hopes to sell more than 10 million by year's end.

Nintendo's Wii (pronounced we) is less technically ambitious than Sony's PS3, which is why it will cost far less and be far more available in stores this holiday season. To market the Wii, Nintendo hopes to make up in innovation and accessibility what the machine lacks in sheer silicon horsepower.

Nintendo is No. 3 in the console video game market, behind Sony and Microsoft. But while those competitors have largely focused on appealing to hard-core gamers, Nintendo is now trying to appeal to a broader audience.

"Our goal is to bring gaming back to the masses," Reggie Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, said in a telephone interview. "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 positioning the Wii to appeal to every member of the household, including but not limited to the hard-core gamer."

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The Wii's major innovation is a wireless controller that the user can tilt and point to produce action on the screen. In a sword-fighting game, for instance, the player can simply swing the controller to thrust and parry with an on-screen blade; there is no need to master the complicated combinations of buttons and triggers that make many video games so intimidating to the reflex-challenged.

Nintendo intends to announce today that every Wii will come with a game compilation called Wii Sports -- including tennis, golf, baseball and bowling -- meant to show off the machine's intuitive controls. (Most consoles, including Nintendo's GameCube, do not come with games included.)

Nintendo plans to announce that 25 to 30 top-tier games will be available for the Wii this year. The most-anticipated game comes from Nintendo itself: an installment of the long-running "Legend of Zelda" series, "Twilight Princess."

Nintendo also will deliver a driving game called "Excite Truck" this year but will likely provide a minor disappointment to gamers in saying the next version of the popular "Mario" franchise will not arrive until 2007.

Nintendo intends to charge $50 for its Wii games, $10 less than the standard price for Xbox 360 titles and the same price generally charged for GameCube games.

Top games expected to be introduced for the Wii this year from third-party publishers include a version of "Madden NFL" from Electronic Arts, the sword-fighting game "Red Steel" from Ubisoft of France, an addition to the "Sonic" action series from Sega of Japan and a "Tony Hawk" action-sports game from Activision.

While Nintendo is certainly counting on the success of top-tier games sold at retail, many gamers may be at least as excited by the Wii's Virtual Console, which will allow players to download versions of older Nintendo games from the Internet.

Nintendo plans to announce today that about 30 classic games will be available for download when the Wii is released, including ones from the "Zelda," "Mario" and "Donkey Kong" franchises. Downloadable games will cost about $5 to $10 each.

More broadly, Nintendo hopes to make the Wii a living-room centerpiece by including various media channels meant to appeal to and draw in people who do not consider themselves gamers.

There will be a photo channel that will allow users to use the Wii to display digital photographs on television.

There also will be an easy-to-use interactive news channel and weather channel.

Perhaps most intriguing, the Wii will make it possible to browse the Web on the television. Microsoft's Xbox 360 does not permit this because that could negate the need to buy a Windows PC.

"We are including all of these capabilities as part of our overall strategy to expand the gaming market," Fils-Aime said. "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-core gamer."
""