Live at Nintendo's NYC Wii press conference
By Peter Rojas 
posted September 14th 2006 9:57AM
posted September 14th 2006 9:57AM
9:20AM EST - Perrin Kaplan is on stage doing an introduction.
9:23AM - "Our strategy is based on one core belief: brining gaming back to the masses. It's literally that simple. Appealing to current gamers as well as broadening the market. Four landmarks we've brought to market. Today marks the fifth. The first, the Nintendo DS."
9:26AM - "How we changed the user interface, with two screens, voice activated microphone, changed the definition of what a video game could be. 2nd: Introduction of touch-sensitive games. Nintendogs, Brain Age. DS supplements your life instead of replacing it. Is it working? Definitely. New Super Mario Bros. exclusively for DS. Sold to 1M players in less than two weeks. What's driving growth are new players enjoying new types of games. In past four months, New Super Mario Bros. represents 35% of first party sales. Touch-generation represents 39% of sales."
9:27AM - "So far in 2006 everyone is pleased with industry revenue growth at 8%. Nintendo DS is up 142% over last year. Take away DS, industry only at 2% growth. Nintendo WiFi Connection is the 3rd. 4th, the Wii controller."
9:29AM - "The Wii Remote. The reaction has been astounding. The 5th step is today. We're not just altering the interface between player and game, but in the household. Here's the hard news: Wii November 19th, worldwide debut happens right here in the Americas, same place as Nintendo DS. On Nov. 19th, avail. in 25,000 retailers in the Americas."
9:30AM - "MSRP: $249. One price, one config, one color: white. This simplicity allows us to maximize volume throughout the Americas. Our shipment goal worldwide is 4M consoles during the 43 days between launch and Dec 31. The Americas will receive the largest share, a continuous flow of units." Continued...
9:30AM - "Our focus is making the Wii available to the masses given the mass market price and the stellar collection of software. Wii in the box: console, cables, sensor bar. One Wii remote and one nunchuk controller. They're showing off more than two dozen games, some of which are significantly different than what they've shown at E3. Some are completely new. Wii Bowling, brand new game, part of Wii Sports. Pick up Wii Remote and start bowling strikes."
9:32AM - Eric Peterson is on stage demoing Wii Bowling.
9:33AM - No strikes so far! Just splits.
9:33AM - Reggie is back. "No doubt, this reminds you of the tennis demo we did at E3. And now, Wii Boxing, as well -- all part of Wii Sports disc -- Wii Tennis, Wii Golf, Wii Baseball, Wii Bowling, Wii Boxing."
9:35AM - Wii Sports will be included with the console. "Wii not only represents best innovation, but the best value as well. We'll also offer consumers widest range of launch titles in history of video games. The list is big, new and nostalgic, unique, bringing new type of entertainment. Signature title: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Excitetruck, both available on launch."
9:36AM - "These titles represent fantastic trio of first-party titles. There's nothing like Legend of Zelda, first time we've had a Zelda title on launch. Gives us a huge boost and momentum right out of the box. We will continue to make those big masterpiece titles for the core gamer. Because of Wii remote and nunchuk, this Zelda game plays like no other. If you played all day, you'd only scratch the surface. This is the best gotta-have-it title since Mario 64."
9:37AM - "These titles are just the tip of the iceberg." There are many third-party games as well. Call of Duty 3. Tony Hawk, Trauma Center, Madden NFL 07, Need For Speed: Carbon, Elebits, Metal Slug Anthology, Barnyard, Cards, Avatar, Blazing Angels, Far Cry: Vengeance, Red Steel, Ray Man... [This is a partial list, way too many to catch!]
9:41AM - First-party titles are $49.99, we expect 30 launch titles.
9:45AM - "Beginning on launch day, until the end of calendar year, offer 30 legacy titles. Next year, ten new titles a month. 500 Wii Points for NES Games, 800 Wii points for SNES, 1000 for N64 Games. 2000 Wii Points for $20."
9:46AM - "The Wii Classic Controller will make it feel like back in the day. Games are downloaded and stored internally, and become their own channel in the menu. What about non-players? What makes them want to get involved? That's where the other channels come in."
9:48AM - "Two new channels for non-gamers, first one is the Mii Channel. A digital 3D caricature of you, your friends, your family, anyone you want to create. Three basic ways to interact. Creation, choose a look-alike, 2nd you can start from scratch." Demoing Mii.
9:49AM - Transfer Miis to Wii Remote, take them with you. Populate your games. Wii Sports, etc.
9:49AM - Demoing Wii digital photo viewer.
9:52AM - Still demoing photo viewer...
9:54AM - Nice, the photo viewer can play video clips. "The Photo Channel"
9:55AM - Reggie: "We hope you see a few of the key tenets we have for Wii. What gaming and gaming machine represents to a mass audience. Connected to internet, there are news and weather channels. With Wii, you get them instantly. News headlines constantly via Wii Connect 24 system. There is a Wii Message Board, send messages to other Wii users, PC users, or to cellphones. Leave messages for other family members on your calendar."
9:56AM - "We want to bring Wii to the masses. With Wii Connect 24 we can deliver new games and content while you're sleeping. There's even the internet channel. You can download an Opera browser using Wii points and surf the web."
9:57AM - "The TV screen can be better than your PC screen. Put info on SD card, look at it on Wii. Navigate the web from your comfy couch. When times is important, Wii Channel system is available instantly, no bootup process. Wii Channels all about ease of use functionality for everyone in the household. We want family members to rely on Wii Channels every day."
9:59AM - To conclude, this is our mantra: satisfy current players in new ways, re-engage former players, but most importantly, grow the market with new gamers. We are intent on changing the way players connect to their games and any TV owner can connect. Five things to recap: Revolutionary Play. Best of the Past. Biggest Launch Library. Wii Channels. Affordable Price.
10:00AM - Now in Q&A, main presentation is over.
10:01AM - Wii Remote has MSRP of $39.99. Nunchuk attachment has MSRP of $19.99. Someone's Q: Will unit hold photos or read from card? A: Majority of storage from SD card, though the unit does have internal storage. Zelda for Game Cube launches December 11th. For Wii on November 19th.
10:03AM - Someone's Q: What is the cost of accessing internet? A: You just need a connection at home -- Wii has WiFi and Ethernet, there is no incremental cost from Nintendo.
10:05AM - Q: Any third parties going for a $59.99 price point? A: We encourage third-party to price reasonably, we want consumer friendly price points.
10:05AM - They expect to sell, not just ship, four million consoles by December 31st.
10:06AM - Q: How many titles support widescreen? A: "All first-party, most if not all, content is widescreen. In terms of graphic power, we have a different paradigm, we want to drive entertainment, ease of use. If you want power, you're going to go someplace else. Have at it. We're doing something very different. You're going to look at Zelda and say, 'Wow!'"
10:07AM - Perrin describes the Wii as a "Ferrari under the hood." "It is plenty powerful."
10:08AM - Q: Integration for DS and the Wii? A: No details now, you will hear much more about that in the future.
10:10AM - Q: Online competition? A: What's been announced in Japan is that first online multiplayer game will be a Pokemon title for Japan. Someone's Q: When will it here in the States? a: Shortly thereafter.
10:11AM - Q: Wii Points in other currencies? A: "In Canada we'll be doing translation, 2000 Wii points will be roughly $24 Canadian."
10:12AM - Q: Plans for in-game advertising? Branded Wii Channels? A: "In terms of first-party, something we're looking at, but our strategy is different. In-game branded content as way to make game more real, not necessarily as revenue source. Right now we don't have plans for branded channels, but that's right now. Who's to say what the future will bring." They're wrapping things up.
10:13AM - That's it, thanks for reading everybody!
Some of you guys need to check your facts before making a post. I was expecting it to be $250, or $249.99. After all Nintendo did say it would be less than $250. I was hoping for two controllers but its not a big surprise that it doesnt come with two. About $60 for the wiimote and chuck, $10 bucks more than a 360 controller. So if you think about the games being $10 less than the ones for the 360 your actually making out. You'll buy more games than controllers right?
Now for the release date. As far as I know there is no "official" date for the PS3 yet. From the problems Sony is having getting parts I wouldnt be surprised if it gets delayed a little.
The game play of the Wii just sounds awesome. Yea I'll prolly get tired and have to take a break but I'll just come back for more cuse the games will be fun and I need to exercise anyways. And if your worried about looking like an idiot while playing, well, if your worried about looking stupid while playing a great game then your not a true gamer and shouldnt buy anymore systems.
ZELDA RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
well Im glad all you whiner babies dont want one it will mean I'll get in line and will be able to buy 2 instead of one And still only pay 500
you people that are complaining are retarded....go spend $500 to $600 on a ps3 nintendo doesn't want you(ok they'll take your business either way actually)..
my roommate has a xbox 360 that constantly freezes and doesn't always read game discs...today it said please insert this disc into a xbox360 console while he was playing madden 07...WTF.
WII is coming out with ONE system for everybody...none of this get a basic system without all the goodies for $100 cheaper which is still more than the top shelf WII is going to cost.
Look if you don't want one don't get one...
everybody wants to hate...not only that but everybody thinks there an industry insider...people saying things like "...not launching with a mario title" or "i'm disappointed in this or that" the hell do you know? how many video game systems have you manufactured and sold? I think the people at Nintendo know a little about the gaming industry and have done tons of background research and focus groups etc etc before launching
ok lastly the thing that gets me is people talking about its too late. First off aren't they releasing for the holiday season? Second too late for what? So you'll already have a ps3 by then? Great go buy some blu-ray discs then, and a high def TV if you don't have one. I just hope it doesn't freeze up on you like the 360s seem to do(bascially my roommate's is the only one i've observed first hand but everyone I know with a 360 has told me about problems they have with the system)
I can't believe people are complaining about the price. For $250 you get the Console, a contoller, the nunchuk attachment, and a game? Not to mention that Nintendo isn't going to charge for their online play (when it comes out). The price for that isn't bad. Think of it this way. The Wavebird controller is 29.99 new. All it has is rumble and RF. The WII-mote has bluetooth, X and Y axis sensors, IR for depth, storage built in, and a speaker. I think a $10 price hike for all that tech is a fair trade. As far as the nunchuck attachment goes, as long as it isn't "required" for a ton of games and I can get away with only having to buy one more I can deal with that.
Aren't the graphics components being custom-developed by ATI? I don't see how that translates to "Off the shelf".
$250 isn't cheap, but its cheaper than anything else worth buying for a console. And, not considering inflation, that's only $60 more than what most consoles USED to launch for. So what's the big deal?
Finally, this console is intended for people who don't focus on graphical power as the main value in a system. Remember the DS and DS Lite? Ever compared the graphics to a PSP? Yeah. They don't compare. But it doesn't matter, because everything else about the system is so much better, and so much more fun to play.
Besides, any idiot knows you buy a PC gaming rig if you really know anything about games with good graphics :-) Pretty hard to get around the fact that any TV's resolution sucks compared to a monitor.
First of all stop whining about not playing dvd's. Why even complain about it. This is for playing games not watching movies. They sell dvd players for 20 bucks if you need to watch that shit.
The Wii Comes with a game, I don't see that happening for any other console.
The games are suggested to be under 50 bucks. ps3 and xbox 360 games are on average going to be 60 bucks maybe more then that. Both of those consoles are LOSING money on their machines.
>>>Since your getting cheaper hardware your getting cheaper games. They are making money on their systems unlike ps2 and xbox, they need to make up for what they lost with more costly games.
Someone complained that the nes games are going to be 5 bucks. Whats the problem with that? Someone mentioned that they should be worth 1$ like apple itunes. I think thats crap. Id say there is atleast 5 times more work put into a nes game then a single song in the first place. Plus all the nes games are probably going to be quality ones. So its going to be worth the money.
I don't see how its too late. The release is in 2 months from now. There isnt much room in between that in the first place. Like they are magicly going to ship 4 weeks from now. Thats bullshit. I don't know how you could of expected that in the first place. A few days Isn't going to make a difference
Also who says the wii is only going to be 1.5x/2.5/ whatever faster in total. I don't think anyone has benchmarks on the system. Just because the processor is quoted at 1.5 (and Im not even sure thats a proven fact). We also have to factor in the other components such as the gpu. Then have to take into consideration how the components are built this time. If the gamecube has a 200 mhz cpu/gpu and the wii has a 400 it can actually be 4x faster. Like how we see the lastest core 2 duo processors at 2ghz beat out 4mhz p4s by a mile.
We got the people here factoring in how much the console will really cost with extra controllers saying its not wirth it without taking into consideration the prices of the other console. We already got a game with the Wii. Someone mentioned they need to buy a real game for the wii with multiplayer support. I don't know why this isn't. But if we do go with that we can factor in that every nintendo game should be 10 $ less. For the ps3 and xbox we factor in 60+ for a game straight off + more for the controllers. If you get the 500 ps3 you get no hdmi support. If you get the 600 you have to buy the hdmi cable with it with is another 15+ bucks.
The extra 50 isn't much, I don't know how thats a deal breaker unless your 12 years old.
I don't really see whats the big deal...
Dang. Can't get a Wii b/c it won't match my TV!
Fake gamers piss me off!! I blame the original PlayStation.
Hi Def is for boring and realistic 360 and PS3 games.
NINTENDO
Also, since WiFi is integrated, according to xbox costs, that lowers the cost of the overall unit to $150, w/wifi to $250. So, think of it as an integrated bundle, a $150 Wii, and $100 wifi upgrade.
very promising and exciteing news, only real let down is the one color thing i was hopeing for a green or black one but hey the white with blue light will match my speakers and laptop so its something i can deffinately deal with ill be in that line waiting to get one(if i cant get a preorder that is)
People! The Launch Date is…
November 19th 2006
NOT October, NOT December, OK. He just said the launch date in the US, READ the DAM article.
@Ferris and JinKazama,
Are you to Stupid? “You could go out and play the REAL game of Tennis”. OK. On that retarded logic – you could go out and REALLY shoot some one in the head, like in a FPS. Why don’t you try doing that, and let me know how that works out? Can you really see bunch of over weight/stoned gamers leaping around a REAL tennis court? Never gonna happen?
But since the 2 of you took the trouble to READ the entire article and make comments; WE ALL KNOW that your both going to buy a Wii on day one… SO SHUT UP!
$250 is too much until your brother is jamming out some serious dingers to the right field bleachers in Wii baseball.
Is Wii Sports network playable? If so, 4 million consoles may be too few. :) Can I play my brother on launch day in different houses? I hope so.
$200 would be better on my wallet, too. I also wish my Mazda was 5 grand instead of 20. I wish my iPod was $50. It isn't. There's value in $250 for a Wii. And, the bundled game isn't an exercise in controller futility like Duck Hunt. It's frigging Wii Sports! Yeah!
Some of us are psyched about this console, and will be at the local Best Buy, coffee in hand, the morning of Nov 19th with huge smiles on our faces.
My four year old daughter is going to have a lot of fun beating her dad at Wii tennis. And bowling? Brilliant. Bundle a game that immediately warrants the purchase of the second controller? Smart. My PS2 has two controllers, and I've used the second one once or twice when my brother came over. Bundling two controllers is a waste form most gamers. Really.
Unless I break a nunchuck on a lamp hitting dingers out of the park.
Remember when Nintendo released the classic NES games for GBA, at $15 apiece? Those sold like crazy. It was wildfire -- I couldn't buy Zelda (for the 300th time) until weeks later. Those cost three times as much as the new offering, and you couldn't download them and play them immediately.
This fits perfectly with nintendo's strategy. Be the cheapest, the most appealing (in terms of case design and WOW gameplay factor) and generally the most Apple-like. I think this will work out beautifully for them. Nintendo has always been a market saturation machine and that's their goal. They're not going to introduce serious multiplayr games until the market is big enough to make those games worthwhile - hopefully early next year. This bundle comes ready to play Christmas morning. The importance of that fact cannot be overstated. Tech geeks like ourselves (I'm assuming anyone posting within two days of this announcement is a tech geek) care about compatible resolutions, "broadway" chips, GUI enhancements, etc. My sister plugs her DVD player into her VCR, and runs them both into the TV through RG6 cable. She is the majority here, and she is who Nintendo is aiming at. Xbox and PS3 are both aiming at us, and fighting each other at every turn. Nintendo found a niche, and they're exploiting it. That's why my wife owns a nintendo DS, and why I'm going to own a Wii.
There's an adage in political science -- the votes come from the middle. Basically, it means that the majority of people are moderates, and aren't too far off to one side. This board is far off to one side, the side that Sony and Microsoft are competing over. Nintendo has an almost exclusive shot at the middle here, and they're doing well to take it.
Still, I'd love a second controller.
""Every Nintendo home console in history has sold for $199 when it was first released (yes, even the NES, when it had the robot and the light gun). ""
What r u talkin about? I bought the N64 on release date and it was $249,,, $249 is reasonable, you could buy this system and the 360 for about the same price the PS3 only. i would have liked to have seen it in black... oh well, thats not a big deal at all though.
Can you people believe that some Sony insiders said that $600 for the PS3 was NOT ENOUGH???
once again nintendo will ship a great console, no red light of death no over heating and no dead pixels. just a great solid console. thats why ill buy it. id rather pay $250 now and play it until the next console comes out that buy it and take it back to be replaced a week later. (which happened with my 360 and since they were sold out i had to send it to the company to have it fixed amd did not get to play it for 3 weeks.) and even though its not as powerful as the other 2 its twice the power of the Cube and resedent evil looked awsome so there is nothing to worry about. buy it and enjoy.
I like how they didn't add in DVD with it. Seriously. My PS2 can play DVD. My DVD player can play DVDs. My COMPUTER can play DVDs. Bundling in a DVD player is next to useless. Good move there, Nintendo.
OMG this sucks so bad! The Wii should have come out at $100 so that it really beats Microsoft and Sony on price! And if it's a group console experience they should have bundled 17 controllers! And OMG it should have come in 45 different colours and shades! Oh and also I'm not going to get one because it doesn't have enough defs! I mean I want super high def even though most people still don't have high def TVs, I need to see Zelda's nostril hairs for my gaming experience to be complete!
Personally, I can't wait for WII.
Wow, this info could change the game industry for a looong time. Come on nintendo, don't let us down!
http://www.laptopbatteryclub.com/