Nintendo released their own next generation system, the Wii, earlier this morning. While the system wasn't as hotly anticipated as Sony's Playstation 3 (meaning there were no armed robberies and riots involved), there are many gaming fans excited to get their hands on the Nunchuk controller and, for a comparably measly $250, who can blame them?
The launch event took place at the Toys 'R Us in Times Square in New York City. While the line of eager gamers was long enough to completely circle the block, there were no issues in terms of crowd control. In fact, Engadget even has shots of people calmly enjoying some wireless MarioKart DS fun while waiting in line. To keep everyone entertained, Nintendo retrofitted a Segway with a fully functioning Wii kiosk and moved it along the line in order to let people get a few minutes of play time in. Along with that, there were small giveaways including free t-shirts and the like.
As for the console itself, Nintendo took a very different approach to their next generation system when compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360. Besides the fact that they actually make a profit on each unit sold (the horror), Nintendo decided to focus more on game play instead of graphics and early reports show that it may have been a risk worth taking. The previously mentioned Nunchuk controller is definitely different and will take some time to get used to, but Nintendo has you covered. Besides including a tutorial in the Wii packaging, Nintendo also threw in a free game. "Wii Sports" isn't going to blow your mind with over the top graphics, but what better way to get used to the Nunchuk than by playing a free full version game? Crazy Nintendo.
In preparation for the release, Nintendo also set the Wii store to live. Through the store, you can purchase credits to use towards the download of games,from earlier Nintendo systems, to play on the Wii. Each credit is valued at $0.01 US, so a full thousand credits will set you back $10. Those 1,000 credits, though, can garner you one N64 game, one SNES game, or two NES or Sega Genesis games.
Link: Neowin's Nintendo Forum
The launch event took place at the Toys 'R Us in Times Square in New York City. While the line of eager gamers was long enough to completely circle the block, there were no issues in terms of crowd control. In fact, Engadget even has shots of people calmly enjoying some wireless MarioKart DS fun while waiting in line. To keep everyone entertained, Nintendo retrofitted a Segway with a fully functioning Wii kiosk and moved it along the line in order to let people get a few minutes of play time in. Along with that, there were small giveaways including free t-shirts and the like.
As for the console itself, Nintendo took a very different approach to their next generation system when compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360. Besides the fact that they actually make a profit on each unit sold (the horror), Nintendo decided to focus more on game play instead of graphics and early reports show that it may have been a risk worth taking. The previously mentioned Nunchuk controller is definitely different and will take some time to get used to, but Nintendo has you covered. Besides including a tutorial in the Wii packaging, Nintendo also threw in a free game. "Wii Sports" isn't going to blow your mind with over the top graphics, but what better way to get used to the Nunchuk than by playing a free full version game? Crazy Nintendo.
In preparation for the release, Nintendo also set the Wii store to live. Through the store, you can purchase credits to use towards the download of games,from earlier Nintendo systems, to play on the Wii. Each credit is valued at $0.01 US, so a full thousand credits will set you back $10. Those 1,000 credits, though, can garner you one N64 game, one SNES game, or two NES or Sega Genesis games.
Link: Neowin's Nintendo Forum
GO Wii...cant wait to see how this plays out
omg, they are only like £179.99... how cheap you want it
omg, they are only like £179.99... how cheap you want it
is your mum going to buy it for you?
Well I do believe they promised another million before the end of the year.
Proof: http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?news...amp;red=y#81096
Proof: http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?news...amp;red=y#81096
If that's true then you are wrong in just one thing: North America equals US, Canada and Mexico. Thank you.
If that's true then you are wrong in just one thing: North America equals US, Canada and Mexico. Thank you.
Do you really think Canada and Mexico are gonna take up a large number of those wii's? Canada probably took 150,000 and mexico 50,000.
But dam me, I thought this was already released in the USA, I've seen people with them a few days ago, were they test kits?
Is it Dec 17th it's released here in the UK.
My old college teacher is gonna get a Wii I heard (that sounded wrong).
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/16/analysis...0-on-every-ps3/
This console is going to be an instant hit with non gamers, due to simple controls & generally appealing games.
Sileo in Pacis.
Released on 8th December, do you guys think I'll be able to get one from that first batch, or will i have to wait for the next load? and if so, any idea when that next load is :/ ?
im boxing with it right now
great success!!!
6:00am for a console ain't bad. pretty friendly people in line, learned a couple of things from the old school gamers (like what NES games to buy for the virtual console, LOL). Good times guys good times. enjoy your wii if you have one.
I dont want to sound like a heartless ******, and I'll probably get a warning for this, but was that really neccesary? I'm not exactly sure what you want from the neowin community... do you want us to ask you what is wrong? do you want us to wish you luck? I just don't see why mentioning the whole "family issues" thing is appropriate. all you had to say was thanks for posting this as i didn't have time, and it would have been as simple as that, yet you had to go out of your way to tell us that you're having family issues and that you were at the hospital blah blah, sorry, but keep your personal life out of your business (which for you, is posting on a news site).
Given what you get with a PS3, it's really not a bad deal, just a bit much for the average gamer.
The price of the consoles are all based on the cost of their components. Nintendo and MS were able to tack on a little bit of profit, while Sony is taking some major losses to get the PS3 in at a price range that people still think is too high. Saying that they should learn not to release consoles at whatever price point is just insanely silly. If you can't afford it, well that's tough. Wait a year or so and they'll surely be cheaper wither a greater catalog of games to choose from.
not sure what else, how much was that philips thingy? feel free to add whatever im missing
But PC's can do so much more inherently then the PS3 can, the only thing that outshines a PC on the PS3 is the graphics... that's it. Sony tried to market the PS3 as a PC, but it falls severely short on the versatility that PC's provide. Get a decent HTPC for £475 and you'll find its much more multi-purpose then the PS3. So it fails at being marketed as a PC and its too expensive as a games console; and Blu-ray is far from popular right now. So where does that leave it? in the barren wastelands of the niche market, which is not good for Sony as a whole, since they need the PS3 to pull them back into the black.
So Sony is losing on average $240 per console (that's a lot of games to be sold per console just to make up the loss, let alone 'company saving' profits that are needed), Current sales indicate that less games were sold then systems at launch, which means quite harsh losses. They are in a niche market, not being a PC and too expensive for a games console, their PR has been incredibly arrogant since the success of the PS2, their games are horribly expensive, their system is an amalgamation of unproven technology (which means greater defective units than usual, thus more loss).
All i'm saying is, they should have settled for cutting edge technology, instead of bleeding edge. Launched at a $350-$400 price range, taken out blu-ray and had some humility and they would have been set for dominate round three. However because of these gigantic mistakes on Sony's part, their domination looks more shaky then ever before, sorta parallel to the beginning of the fall of Nintendo as #1.
It would be ironic if Sony becomes N64 era Nintendo this generation.
Sorry, just had to. I'm so happy.
Sorry, just had to. I'm so happy.
i was gonna comment the exact same thing... oh who cares...
Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
cant wait to do all my wii'ing when it comes out in the UK
I hope that they will also teach big companies some humility. Go Nintendo.
I certainly hope this "gameplay" angle will pan out. By the looks of alot of game offerings out there, gameplay is sorely lacking, but it just seems to me that Nintendo once again put themselves in the # 3 position for the next few years.
Pretty much EVERY single person who has played the Wii and owns one now absolutely loves the new angle at which games are played. Wii sports especially.
Nothing has happened to Nintendo, they are the exact same company as they were before. Their primary goal is to provide a quality game console based on solid technology as well as games that are just downright fun to play. Sure they hit a snag or two here and there, and 3rd party games aren't always up to the same quality as Nintendo's flagship titles, but they have consistently proven themselves in markets across the globe.
Incorrect. During the last year Nintendo has had some financial troubles. They had to sell stocks and other business related tricks to avoid bankruptcy. Yes, I said that word. Nintendo was in trouble as number three. This is why they took such a unique design for this gen.
I still hate the name, and the graphics suck (and will REALLY hurt the Wii five years from now), and I'm not the biggest fan of the Wiimote, but, Nintendo is doing the right things while Sony does the right stupidities. However, the consoles JUST came out, so anyone could win. We shall see.
So which is it... are you a Sony fan boy or a Microsoft fan boy? Or perhaps you have trouble reading and understanding financial reports?
Here is the link to their annual report: http://www.nintendo.com/corp/report/06AnnualReport.pdf
Please go ahead and show us all some proof of the FUD you've been spreading! With the DS selling like hotcakes (unlike the PSP - the joke that it is) Nintendo have been doing just fine and unlike Sony and Microsoft, they don't have to lose money on the console just to try and build up some market share.
Incorrect. During the last year Nintendo has had some financial troubles. They had to sell stocks and other business related tricks to avoid bankruptcy. Yes, I said that word. Nintendo was in trouble as number three. This is why they took such a unique design for this gen.
I still hate the name, and the graphics suck (and will REALLY hurt the Wii five years from now), and I'm not the biggest fan of the Wiimote, but, Nintendo is doing the right things while Sony does the right stupidities. However, the consoles JUST came out, so anyone could win. We shall see.
Incorrect, currently Nintendo has earnt more profits on N64, DS and GCN then PS1, PS2, Xbox and Xbox 360 combined (about 4-5 fold infact). Nintendo is far far from bankruptcy and infact Sony as a company on the whole is the company in the worst financial state. Nintendo as a company has also earned far more profit then Sony over the past 5 years, even with the successful PS2 and PSX.
Geez, its like fox news
Some idiot somewhere will do it. I assure you. Unless Nintendo was smart enough to put a warning label.
Some idiot somewhere will do it. I assure you. Unless Nintendo was smart enough to put a warning label.
actually when you play the sports game it tells you to be sure theres nothing on the way
i cant belive the stuff people sue for nowadays... and the funny thing is sometimes they actually win on stupid cases like this... the judges gotta be insane to allow cases in court like this... ill bet alot of this crap started from lawyers just trying to line there pockets not caring whats common sence or not.
Can't get bored of this thing very fast.
Amen to that.
When would black be available? Any news on that?
Actualy not to beat a dead dog but it would be there 4th Gen if your counting consoles. SNES had the optional cart chip called FX. It was one of the cool thing you could do with a cart. And if you want to count virtual boy advanced its there 5th gen system. That system was a flop but i feel it was a test engine / resolve some lost R&D for the N64. Lets play games in Wireframe mode woot.
In the greater scheme of things, all current consoles are actually 7th generation, regardless of make.
Read more about it.
</deadhorsebeating>
edit: err.. my wii that is
I have spoke to a lot of the staff in Game stores (mostly cos I know them, drink with them) and they are all saying the buzz is centering around the Wii simply for the different way to play the games.
One thing that strikes me as annoying though, has anyone heard the retail value of the PS3 games?! I have heard through Game that they are going to to be £60-£70. I remember the days games were that price, it was the days of the NES and the best of the best games on release were £50-£60 (Megaman II being one that stands out). I may not be 10 anymore, subsequently earning an okay wage. But I'll be f*cked if £60 of my wage was to go on 1 game for the PS3. I am interested in the PS3, but the way Sony has made themselves look to me is disgusting (I shall remind the Neowin massive of Lik-Sang). They may be losing money with the PS3, that's their problem, but don't sugar coat it by charging too much for a new console and telling people, "but we're losing money too" even though you have a record company, film studios and countless other gadgets to fall back on profitability wise. Sony you are worth more that the average Joe Blogs/John Doe, don't treat us as an equal to you from your financial standing.
was surprised to see only four people in line. At 8:15 they handed
out vouchers for their 19 Wiis. At that time there were only 25
people there. WTF?
Console: $250
Game: $50
Tax & eBay fee as well as free shipping: $??
I don't think people who planned to sell their Wii got very much for their money. PS3 has gone down from $2,500 average to about $1,500 right now. Still pretty decent profit if you plan on reselling it. I just think it's funny how the people who thought they'd make money selling their Wii's. Maybe $20-150 profit is not worth it if you ask me.
I really doubt the Wii will have the hardware trouble that Sony has had in the past, and with a MUCH lower price tag.. I can see how this is a attractive buy for many console gamers. ROCK ON NINTENDO!
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