USA Today confirms U.S. Wii price, date

by Kyle Orland { Sep 14th 2006 at 9:25AM }

With Nintendo's American conference set to start any minute, USA Today is confirming the U.S. Wii launch date of Nov. 19 and price of $250 in the U.S. (the news was originally broken early this morning by the New York Times). The USA Today story also includes confirms $5 -$10 pricing for most virtual console games and has a picture of what seems to be the U.S. box for the system (above) complete with a big note that Wii Sports is indeed included.

Keep checking Joystiq for all the news coming out of Nintendo HQ today.

[Thanks Marty]

Tags: details, price, release date, ReleaseDate, us, wii

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

lols @ Sep 14th 2006 9:29AM

Fair enough. Still gonna wait until 2007 to buy this and PS3.

OTAM @ Sep 14th 2006 9:30AM

It's still kind of lame that it's launching so late if you ask me.

Capt. Castellanos @ Sep 14th 2006 9:30AM

wait!?

how can you wait!
ahhh, this is so awesome!

KineticOnline @ Sep 14th 2006 9:31AM

Any news on when wii will get a european price and launch date?

FSK405K @ Sep 14th 2006 9:31AM

$280?

Wii for $250, with Wii Sports, BUT YOU NEED A SECOND CONTROLLER, +$30.

Howard @ Sep 14th 2006 9:32AM

Only the European info missing. The stores here in Norway are taking preorders for 2000 NOK (= ca $300 USD). I'm betting the price is going to be higher for the bundle, though.

FSK405K @ Sep 14th 2006 9:32AM

Because if it's in USA Today, it's believable....?

OOOOPs @ Sep 14th 2006 9:32AM

Of course WiiSports is included; who the heck would buy it?

No Classic controller?

Only one Wiimote included? What about Wii with the double 'ii', change the name to Wi.

And the pricing is gay.

Michael @ Sep 14th 2006 9:33AM

For how much they hyped bringing people together, not having 2 controllers for $250 is a let down to me. Wii sports is a non-value addition to me. I wouldn't have paid for it anyway. I also don't need to check the weather on my video game console. I have the weather channel for that. :P

So this Christmas do I get 5 360 games or 1 Wii & 1 Wii game? Questions, questions...

Phil Beveridge @ Sep 14th 2006 9:33AM

Nice one. Just the UK details to wait for...

matthew @ Sep 14th 2006 9:33AM

Launching late? what? an october launch was a wet dream of many fanboys, don't get upset because some nerd can't wait two months for a wii

SHUT UP @ Sep 14th 2006 9:34AM

OMG you lot who moan about the price are complete and utter tools....it's a bargain...cant mommy or daddy afford it or summit....jeez shut up now ya doing my head in...

stafford @ Sep 14th 2006 9:34AM

$250 is outrageous, this is mutton dressed as lamb, the WII is not affordable or even value for money.

FSK405K @ Sep 14th 2006 9:36AM

Flight simulator in Wii Sports...what happened to that? It reminded me of Pilotwings

"Wii will come with a game compilation called Wii Sports -- including tennis, golf, baseball and bowling"

OOOOPs @ Sep 14th 2006 9:36AM

This is turning out to be really LAME.

250 USD for a souped up GameCube? Sony needs to drop PStwo to 99 USD and wipe this Wiish!t off the market.

Michael @ Sep 14th 2006 9:37AM

@ #12. I could buy 30 PS3s if I felt like it. I won't even buy one, but I can certainly afford it.

It's about value not price.

vidGuy @ Sep 14th 2006 9:37AM

Um, YOU GUYS!!???

For every other Nintendo launch in history, the machine has sold for 25,000 yen and $199.99. So why, suddenly, does 25,000 yen = $249.99? The announced Japanese price reiterates a $199 price!

Tyler @ Sep 14th 2006 9:38AM

Color me disappointed. Higher than expected price(for me, anyways) and launching AFTER PS3?! What the heck?? I don't think it's a good idea, but I don't know much about business either. Personally I was hoping for an October launch date so that I wouldn't have to blow so much money in so short a time. Oh well.

Cry Havoc @ Sep 14th 2006 9:39AM

Ouch. One controller, Nintendo? Which means to play one game I really want to with a friend it will be approx $330.

Dang.

DocGonzo @ Sep 14th 2006 9:39AM

Did you read it as "Wii will come with a game compilation called Wii Sports -- including [and absolutely limited to] tennis, golf, baseball and bowling"?

The new Wii teaser on Nintendo's Japan site shows a boxing game with Wii Sports as the caption, I figure there's at least a few more than four in there.

Damien @ Sep 14th 2006 9:39AM

"And the pricing is gay."

Revealed your maturity, didn't you?..Don't know who the hell is whining about it being released "late" and "expensive". Most of them are probably spoiled Sony kiddies who get all their consoles for christmas.

manuel @ Sep 14th 2006 9:39AM

Pricing is... well, ok. I guess the price will drop to 200 within a few months.

A good thing that I'm too busy right now to play videogames. I'll just wait a year and get it for a very good price in Japan.

With the exception of limited edition releases I've sworn to myself not to buy anything at launch again.
I had a bad experience with the N64. I preordered, got it 2 days earlier btw, but within some weeks the price dropped from 399 German Marks to 299 (25%!! wtf?) and I felt somehow stupid. I could have gotten one more game for that 100 Marks' difference. :(

So now I always wait a bit and by the console that has proven it's worth the money, i.e. has good games.

Almack64 @ Sep 14th 2006 9:39AM

Whelp the 19th is the day my honeymoon begins. After droping loads of cash on that looks like I won't be getting a Wii until 07 either. Unless someone wants to give me a nice post-wedding gift...

Cymruan @ Sep 14th 2006 9:41AM

Why all the negativity, the prics is good. but how come no one seems to have noticed that America seems to be getting the Wii before Japan. Is it only me who thinks thats a bit strange? Come on I want a european launch date, will we get it even earlier????

ALH @ Sep 14th 2006 9:42AM

Awesome, i hope the UK gets this bundle (or something similar) too, wii sports is not a game i'd buy for myself, BUT, its one i know my family would really enjoy, and the more theyre hooked on the wii the more liley theyll buy one for themselves...or at least chip in for a few extra controllers ;)

GregZ @ Sep 14th 2006 9:42AM

I want to hear thoughts about the "post PS3" launch of the Wii. Is Nintendo's plan to wait for the limited supply of PS3s to sell out on the 17th, and then it's nothing but Wii down the home stretch?

jtatooine @ Sep 14th 2006 9:42AM

The Japanese packaging is so much nicer. They always have to dumb things down for us Americans.

FSK405K @ Sep 14th 2006 9:42AM

from itwire.com.au

Woe is Wii says Sony
By Stan Beer
Thursday, 14 September 2006
>

Do a google news search for Wii or nintendo today.....we've hit the good coverage!

LeFishy @ Sep 14th 2006 9:43AM

All these people whining are annoying me somewhat. I'm in the UK so its almost definitely going to be more expensive for me, but im still going to buy it. On release day, hopefully at midnight. I don't care about the price, and calling this a souped up gamecube is like calling the ds a souped up GBA. Its ridiculous. Godamned obession with graphics is severely pissing me off today.

Chris Taran @ Sep 14th 2006 9:46AM

Considering that Wii will come with Wii Sports (a title I was allready going to buy), I'm more than happy with the price point of $249.

I really don't understand why people are upset. They promised under $250 which 99% of the time means $249. I've been expecting this price since it was announced.

VerdigriS @ Sep 14th 2006 9:46AM

kotaku has a live blog of the US coverage... just incase you didn't know.

everything here has already been confirmed by Reggie himself.

FSK405K @ Sep 14th 2006 9:48AM

to vidGuy #17: 25,000 Yen used to be $300, but Nintendo sold it here for $200 anyway (less profit per box in NA). There's a post in the previous thread about how the contant 25,000 Yen has been becoming the equivalent of less and less dollars over the past 20 years.

Phil Beveridge @ Sep 14th 2006 9:48AM

Wii Sports has been confirmed to have five games, according to Nintendo's press release on the US launch that's just been released =]

FSK405K @ Sep 14th 2006 9:50AM

to Cymruan #25, it's being released in NA first because of Black Friday. In Japan, my crappy understanding goes, the big shopping period after Sept doesn't begin until Dec/Jan-ish. So it makes sense putting the resources here, first, where they'll make the most tactical impact.

FSK405K @ Sep 14th 2006 9:52AM

Phil Beveridge, #34, does that include the flight simulator, or boxing, in addition to the confirmed tennis, golf, baseball and bowling?

KilgoreTrout XL @ Sep 14th 2006 9:52AM

According to Gamespot, Wii Sports has boxing too. I don't remember even seeing a screenshot of that.

joe lieber @ Sep 14th 2006 9:53AM

Live blog coverage:

http://www.gwn.com/news/story.php/id/10317/

vidGuy @ Sep 14th 2006 9:54AM

@ FSK405K,

It wasn't about exchange rates, but how Nintendo had previously priced the console in various areas. At every launch, they've put it at 25,000 yen and $199.99. But it looks like this launch is different. If Kotaku's liveblog is to be believed, and why not, Reggie just confirmed Nov 19 and $249.99. But Wii Sports IS included for the US!

FSK405K @ Sep 14th 2006 9:54AM

Wow, Amazon updated their product picture with the "Wii Sports Included" boxshot. Now as soon as they make it available for preorder.....

Rodrigo @ Sep 14th 2006 9:54AM

$250 is expensive for the Wii. I would buy a PS2 (which I don't own; a shame) for $100 dollars and some games that I missed from last generation before considering buying a Wii for that price. I'm gonna wait for a price drop ($50-100), or a bundle. Right now I can live without it.

Tillman @ Sep 14th 2006 9:56AM

Im still looking forward to the Wii, as I still thinks its gonna be a lot of fun.

However I gotta say Im a little disappointed with this price and date. Not that its bad, its still relatively inexpensive. My disappointment isn't so much the value of the system as it is the anticlimax.

Nintendo wasnt saying ANYTHING for Months. Yet in the end it was exactly what they said it was Several months ago(no more than $250, no later than Thanksgiving).

I guess its just stupid of me, but I was getting excited hoping to hear some surprising news, but its the max promised price at the latest promised date.

I think if it was at least like early November and maybe even $230 that would've been something.

And again $250 for the kind of fun Im gonna have with it is totally worth it. Just a little bit anticlimactic on this announcementit seems

FSK405K @ Sep 14th 2006 9:57AM

joe lieber, #38, thanks for the link....great stuff

Karen @ Sep 14th 2006 9:58AM

Fair price with the Wii sports pack in.
Did Reggie say that was the price in the Americas or the US? Because if $250 is the price for all of North and South America that is excelent! I live in Canada and was expecting $279 price tag.

Karen @ Sep 14th 2006 9:58AM

How come Joystiq isn't live Blogging this?

Ugghh.. @ Sep 14th 2006 9:58AM

You people whining about having to buy a 2nd controller are just dumb. Did you bother to see the cost of buying a 2nd controller with a 360, or Ps3? And who cares if it is launching after the ps3? If Sony sells every single one of their launch shipment, it won't make a dent in the number that Nintendo is going to sell with their initial shipment.

And shipping it with Wii Sports is brilliant. It doesn't matter if YOU don't like the game, it matters because now Parents, Grandparents, ugly Uncles, and anyone else who wouldn't wanna play the only game you bought...say, Red Steel, for example, can now see what the console is about with an easy game that may get them hooked.

Richard Mitchell @ Sep 14th 2006 9:58AM

$250 for that much stuff is more than reasonable. Two controllers was a pipe dream. Systems don't come with two controllers, period. Hell, it's been a *long* time since any system launched with a game included (though I suppose the 360 had Hexic on the hard drive).

I'll be getting one. Maybe not on launch day, but soon after. Gears of War will keep me busy for a while I'm sure.

Pete @ Sep 14th 2006 9:58AM

The price has now been confirmed on pretty much every gaming site with no rebuttal from Nintendo, so I would take this at face value. Those holding out hope...it's safe to give up. I don't think this is a good price for this hardware. It is not a mass-market (ie $200) machine out of the gate, which I thought the Wii needed to be to really sucker-punch the competition. The killer-app for launch is a GameCube game...let's not forget that. While that game happens to be Zelda, and will be amazing I'm sure, it is still a GameCube game which can be played on a system you can get on Ebay for $50. If Microsoft really wanted to keep its competitors in check, they would drop the Core 360 to $250 so that gamers can get an actual next-gen system for the same price as the Wii. The Wii is a cool looking system, no doubt, but the price is not in line with the technology you are getting. I will be waiting for a price-drop on this one. I would not expect that to happen until 1 calendar year after release though. I can't remember any major console droppping price before its second birthday.