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Wii

American Wii Press Conference Live Blog

by Mike Gamin - September 14, 2006, 6:19 am EDT
Total comments: 66

Get the blow-by-blow account of what went down at the U.S. Wii Preview event!

10:10AM Strange in game advertising question. Nintendo is looking into it but it doesn't really follow what Reggie thinks they are going for.


10:09AM Pokemon Battle Revolution first Online title IN JAPAN at Japanese launch. US launch to follow sometime later.


10:07AM I asked about Metroid Prime 3. Officially an 07 title. Adam Sessler followed up asking about strategy. Reggie insists there will be no GameCube-like dead spot right after launch.


10:05AM Widescreen capable question - all first party titles are. Graphical power question - You'll say wow. Normal vague talk.


10:03AM Capabilities of connecting through a wire if you don't have WiFi. Very vague though.


10:00AM Conclusion. QA Time. Wii Remote - 40 bucks. Nunchuck - 20 bucks. Majority of storage on SD card. Zelda gamecube launches December 11th.


9:58AM No long bootup process for Wii channels. Concluding now.


9:57AM Internet channel. Opera browser must be downloaded with Wii points!


9:55AM Back to Reggie to show us a few more channels. When connected to the Internet, users can get a news channel and a weather channel. (Not THE Weather Channel). Wii Message board also available. Send messages and photos to other Wii owners, family members, internet users, or cell phones. Wii has a calendar to help organize the family.


9:52AM Photo Channel. View your digital photos on your TV through your Wii. All transfers done with the SD cards. Really cool view of all your photos at once. They are really tiny. Slideshow of NOA shown. Pictures of people with Mario. Slide show animations are very cool. Perrin with a Mario mustache. Shot of secret Zelda pictures (a joke). Reggie playing DS. Movies also playable. You can use the Wii remote to make them puzzles, and draw on them.


9:50AM Transportation next. Miis can be transferred to your Wii remote. All of your favorite Miis can be on your Wii Remote. You can populate your own Wii console with Miis. Your Miis can go to your friends' consoles. Your Miis go into Wii Sports, Wario Ware, and other Wii software compatible with the Mii channel.


9:48AM Mii channel. Digital 3D charicature of anyone you want to create. Create by either choosing a look alike or starting from scratch. He's creating Samuel L Jackson. Head shape first, then hair. Eyebrows next. He looks angry. Eyes next. Hah, he gave him eye shadow. Now that's gone. Weird half circle eyes were chosen. Nose next. Then lips. Finishes it off with a Pulp Fiction mustache.


9:44AM Downloads stored locally and can be played forever after purchase. Other channels later. (Sorry about the formatting, he's jumping all over the place.)


9:43AM Wii console is connected to the TV and left in standby mode. User will see an initial page of 12 Wii Channels but it is expandable.

  • Disc Channel - Where you go to play games.
  • Wii Shop Channel - Home of the virtual console. (Zelda 1, Mario World, Donkey Kong, and Mario 64 on Launch, grow by 10 titles a month for the entirety of 2007. 500 Wii points for NES games, 800 Wii Points for SNES games, 1000 Wii points for N64. 2000 points = 20 dollars.

  • 9:41AM Wii Channels. Not just virtual console but a total effort to redefine who will use video games in the future.


    9:40AM Third Party talk. No surprises. Trauma Center is a launch title. All the UbiSoft titles still be advertised as launch titles. Third party quotes from EA, Activision, Sega, and Ubisoft. "Approximately 30 Wii games this year, half of those at launch." First party titles - $49.99


    9:37AM If we played Zelda all day for the entire 6 hours we wouldn't scratch the surface of Zelda. Zelda and Excite Truck ONLY first party launch titles it seems.


    9:36AM "Widest range of launch titles in the history of video games." Legend of Zelda: TP launch title. Excite Truck launch title. First time ever to have a Zelda title available on launch day. Reggies is trying to kiss butt by talking about the Yankees. ;)


    9:35AM Wii Sports includes Tennis, Golf, Baseball, Bowling, and Boxing. Wii SPORTS INCLUDED!


    9:33AM Bowling is "simple and intuitive." You can put spin on the ball. Back to Reggie.


    9:31AM Package comes with just one Wii remote and one Nunchuck attachment. 40 Demo units on hand with more than two dozen playable games Some are brand new, some are completely different. Eric Peterson to demonstrate Wii Bowling.


    9:30AM November 19th is the launch date. (Who guessed that? ;) ) $249.99 retail price. Only white. Four million Wii consoles shipped world wide. "Americas will receive the largest share of that total."


    9:27AM Touch Generations sold more than New Super Mario Bros. Nintendo WiFi Connection - More than 2 million unique users. Wii Remote will change everything.... nothing new yet.


    9:25AM Reggie wants to bring gaming back to the masses. Touch Generations talk...


    9:22AM "We will reveal all relavent information."


    9:21AM Here comes Reggie.


    9:19AM Perrin is on stage starting.

    Talkback

    MarioSeptember 14, 2006

    REGGIE!

    Good job Pale and PGC!

    amostSeptember 14, 2006

    i dont recall ever hearing news about wii region protection... please be like the DS, please be like the DS, please be like the DS...

    WesisapieSeptember 14, 2006

    oh man this is soooooo cool... i just came online and its happening RIGHT NOW! interesting news! a bit more $$$ than i thought it would be though....

    weather and news is cool... also

    connect_img2.gif

    cool!!!

    im excited ...

    MarioSeptember 14, 2006

    EXCITE TRUCK FOR LAUNCH!

    YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

    SvevanEvan Burchfield, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    Only one remote packed in? LAME.

    Where's Metroid?

    PopeRealSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Originally posted by: Svevan
    Only one remote packed in? LAME.

    Where's Metroid?


    Did you really expect two? That would have been awesome no doubt, but systems just don't come with 2 controllers anymore.

    SvevanEvan Burchfield, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    For that price, it should include two.

    PopeRealSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Originally posted by: Svevan
    For that price, it should include two.


    I agree.

    PryopizmStan Ferguson, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    Ouch. $250 for one remote and nunchuck? Agreed with Evan. This sucks.

    MarioSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Originally posted by: Pryopizm
    Ouch. $250 for one remote and nunchuck? Agreed with Evan. This sucks.

    No, the Wii system is included as well.

    PryopizmStan Ferguson, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    Hurrrr

    PopeRealSeptember 14, 2006

    I really like the sound of the Mii channel stuff. Very cool! face-icon-small-smile.gif

    Kharon AlphaSeptember 14, 2006

    For that price we're getting a game that the Japanese will have to pay the equivalent of $250 to get with their system, so that everybody who buys a Wii has something to play for Wii, not just on Wii. We're getting a game, the system, and a full "basic" Wii controller (Remote+Nunchuk); likely we'll pay $15-20 for the Classic-style controller and each additional Nunchuk, $30-35 for the remote, and we already know $50 for first-party games. Who here doesn't plan to buy any games on launch day? Who here isn't planning to buy Twilight Princess, whether for the GameCube or for the Wii, when it comes out?

    We're probably saving over buying all of those elements individually thanks to the benefits of bundling, and the price is no higher than they promised us it would be -- it is under $250, before any applicable sales taxes, shipping costs, etc.

    nemyhlovecraftSeptember 14, 2006

    I'm not entirely certain what you were saying there. Did that make sense to anyone else?

    MarioSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Zelda gamecube launces December 11th.

    WTF, WHY? That doesn't make ANY SENSE for it to come after the Wii version. Pure greed to force people into getting the Wii version.

    PryopizmStan Ferguson, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    Kharon, if WiiSports didn't come with the system, I sure as hell wouldn't shell out $50 for it.

    couchmonkeySeptember 14, 2006

    He's trying to claim that it's a good deal, like any good Nintonedo fanboy!

    Just had to confirm all the ugly details were true. At least they packed some last-minute sports into that game.

    amostSeptember 14, 2006

    please ask if its region free face-icon-small-smile.gif

    nemyhlovecraftSeptember 14, 2006

    See, now you've done it. The idiots are gonna crawl out of the woodwork.

    PryopizmStan Ferguson, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    "10:05AM Widescreen capable question - all first party titles are. Graphical power question - You'll say wow. Normal vague talk."

    Is "You'll say wow," officially a resolution?

    decoymanSeptember 14, 2006

    Ouch, the additional remote price is a letdown too. $40 for remote, + ANOTHER $20 for the nunchuck? ouch. That's $60 right there for the basic goods.

    Kharon AlphaSeptember 14, 2006

    Maybe you wouldn't, but that's still what Nintendo would be charging for it, Pryo. Also, I was a bit short on the Remote cost...

    And what I was saying is that we're getting about the same deal for the system + Wii Sports as the Japanese are getting based on TODAY'S exchange rate between the Yen and the American Dollar. In fact, taxes not considered (because I don't know what japanese sales tax is like), we're getting a better deal, by about $3.00. Would it be nice if it was just a free Wii game of your choice? Sure, but how exactly would they enforce that? Wii Sports is something we can all pick up and play (even if it's tricky for multi-player unless you have your Mii set up), even if we can only afford the core system at launch and not any extra games. I don't really think Wii Sports is going to scare anyone off from buying the system.

    I am not trying to say this is a GOOD deal, just that it is ABOUT EQUAL TO the price of the system and the same game in Japan. Once they stop selling a bundled game (assuming they ever do), the price will probably drop to the $200-220 range.

    MarioSeptember 14, 2006

    I will enjoy seeing Wii Sports forced on some jaded gamers.

    decoymanSeptember 14, 2006

    I wonder if anyone's going to ask about DVD playback.

    nemyhlovecraftSeptember 14, 2006

    Except that $40 is what you'd pay now for a Wavebird, and $10 more for a wireless X360 controller. Agreed though about charging extra for the nunchuk. I'm sorry to say, but I'm a bit disappointed at some of this news.

    PopeRealSeptember 14, 2006

    I really think $250 is overpriced, but I was planning on buying Wii Sports anyway. For people who weren't I can see why they are dissapointed. I think Wii Sports looks like fun and a perfect way to show off your new Wii system to friends and family, they can jump right in a give it a try without having to even know how to play video games.

    RickPowersRick Powers, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    Is $250 higher than I expected? Sure. Is it unreasonable? I don't think so. You're getting Wii Sports for free, which is unheard of these days.

    Not to keep the rumor mill rumbling, but remember ... The N64 was supposed to launch at $249 as well, and dropped to $199 a mere three days before launch. Supposedly, it was to ensure strong attach rates for Mario 64. I wouldn't be surprised to see Nintendo pull the same trick with Zelda.

    I just hope Wii Boxing lets you use two Wii-motes. face-icon-small-smile.gif

    The prices seem a bit high for the controllers, but think about this ... would you really need more than one nunchuck? I think most splitscreen multiplayer games would only need the Wii-mote (Madden being a notable exception).

    TindermaxSeptember 14, 2006

    http://www.gwn.com/news/story.php/id/10307/

    here is my proof that we shouldnt condemn it....yet that we should wait until tommorow everythign we here aobut europe or north america is pure speculation. no one knows anything concrete yet. Agian wait to condemn till tommrow niht then free rain for all agian all speculation as of now nothing is proven or solid for us and europe and that is a reliable source.

    FortysevenSeptember 14, 2006

    I'd like to see someone ask if the Wiimote can be connected to the console to conserve battery life (or in lieu of batteries). The apparent reliance on batteries is killing my enthusiasm.

    nemyhlovecraftSeptember 14, 2006

    First, this is NOA making these announcements, and is therefore most definately NOT speculation. Also, I think the Q&A is over.

    TindermaxSeptember 14, 2006

    if you cna find me one thing that says nintedo of america has said this please be my guest and i will most definetly back down

    RickPowersRick Powers, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Originally posted by: Tindermax
    http://www.gwn.com/news/story.php/id/10307/

    here is my proof that we shouldnt condemn it....yet that we should wait until tommorow everythign we here aobut europe or north america is pure speculation. no one knows anything concrete yet. Agian wait to condemn till tommrow niht then free rain for all agian all speculation as of now nothing is proven or solid for us and europe and that is a reliable source.


    Are you seriously suggesting that we should not trust our own reporter live-blogging from NOA's press conference, and instead trust the information coming from a website that live-blogged the WRONG FRICKIN' PRESS CONFERENCE?

    amostSeptember 14, 2006

    do you think the freeloader will work like all the other gc games work? i guess it depends on the internal drivers... but.. it IS based on gc, right?

    PryopizmStan Ferguson, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    9:30AM November 19th is the launch date. (Who guessed that? face-icon-small-wink.gif ) $249.99 retail price. Only white. Four million Wii consoles shipped world wide. "Americas will receive the largest share of that total."



    There you go. Straight from the press conference held by NOA.

    nemyhlovecraftSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Originally posted by: Tindermax
    if you cna find me one thing that says nintedo of america has said this please be my guest and i will most definetly back down


    Yeah, seriously, did you happen to check out that this thread is connected to a news story???? Did you read any of it? Did you comprehend? DO YOU SEE?! DO YOU SEE?!

    PryopizmStan Ferguson, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    "Wii will be sold as an affordable, mass-consumer product at an MSRP in the US of just $249.99. The price includes one wireless Wii Remote controller, one Nunchuk™ controller and the groundbreaking collection of five different Wii Sports games on one disc, which anyone can play using simple physical movements, experienced or not."

    And that's from the press release. Also from NOA.

    TindermaxSeptember 14, 2006

    k ill concede for now but if its different come tommrow night im rubbing it in your faces if it isnt different or worse tommorow night i will do the unthinkable BUY A PS3 or just butn 600 in a bonfire i think the burning would lend me more and better use of my 600 dollars

    MaleficentOgreSeptember 14, 2006

    $250 really isn't that high. People that don't live on the internet seem to be enjoying it.

    BloodworthDaniel Bloodworth, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    actually, that press release is NOE

    Kharon AlphaSeptember 14, 2006

    I guess it is possible that this last-minute price-cut could happen. I won't rely on it, though, and I wouldn't suggest anyone else to do so either. And, yes, part of my point is that we're still getting a "free" game with the system -- what other "next-gen" system comes with a bundled game?

    I don't mind that the Remote needs batteries, because you can just get rechargeable batteries, and I'm sure Nintendo, or some third party, will make a rechargeable battery pack and dock that will function well (and mesh smoothly with the look/feel of the system). I'm sure the batteries will be a standard size (presumably AA), which means you can go out to a battery store or a bulk goods store and stock up on all the batteries you'll need for your Wii, probably for about the price of an additional Nunchuk or Remote or both. And that amount of batteris can probably even cover multiple Remotes, once the batteries they probably come packed with wear out.

    The price isn't that bad, even though it's not ideal. This means I still need to save over $200 for my Wii (stupid costs of owning a car...) in two months, if I'm even here at launch date. I may be in army boot camp then, which means I'll have to wait until sometime after I'm done with boot camp to get my Wii.

    RickPowersRick Powers, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Originally posted by: Tindermax
    k ill concede for now but if its different come tommrow night im rubbing it in your faces if it isnt different or worse tommorow night i will do the unthinkable BUY A PS3 or just butn 600 in a bonfire i think the burning would lend me more and better use of my 600 dollars


    Or you could just buy a Wii and Zelda and still have $300 left to burn.

    Stop trolling. Consider this your one and only warning. I haven't hefted my almighty ban stick in quite some time, but I'm sure I could dust it off for old time's sake.

    FortysevenSeptember 14, 2006

    I just found something. Go here -> http://mediasrc.wii.com/.

    The North American page is active. I hit reload on the regular Wii.com page thinking they'd JUST updated it, but apparently not. face-icon-small-happy.gif

    BigJimSeptember 14, 2006

    Looks like it's still being uploaded and activated.

    FortysevenSeptember 14, 2006

    Yeah, I'm noticing that as well. Hehe. Nifty. face-icon-small-wink.gif

    BigJimSeptember 14, 2006

    There we go, site available.

    RickPowersRick Powers, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    Found this at IGN, apparently with the Japanese launch, there will be a game called "Starting out with Wii" (English translation), which will include another Wii-mote, plus nine mini-games (including that Duck Hunt-like demo). It's roughly $40 (4800 Yen) so you basically get the minigames free with the controller, if that's how you want to look at it.

    I bet this is the reason we're getting Wii Sports packed in.

    Super Paper Mario is now officially on the list of Wii titles as well.

    BloodworthDaniel Bloodworth, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    yeah, that's all on the Japanese site

    Athrun ZalaSeptember 14, 2006

    ohhh....pretty interesting...it's north AND SOUTH america now face-icon-small-happy.gif

    finally, good prices get?

    (the only disapointing thing is the prices of the wiimote and nunchaku, and no MP3 at launch....)

    I expected the $250 system price point. However, I'm very disappointed in the expensive controllers (what happened to competitive pricing there, Nintendo?) and how Nintendo is holding developers of multiplayer games hostage (encouraging them to only use the remote). Even so, there will be a good number that use both (Super Mario Strikers for one). MP3 not being at launch is OK though unexpected, but this Zelda GC nonsense is pure manipulation.

    Also, Nintendo really should be packing in two remotes so developers can rely on two sticks for single player games. Oh yeah, and have I mentioned I am so friggin underwhelmed by Wii Sports?

    Wii certainly is not priced as a "why not" purchase for currrent Xbox360 owners as we were positioned to believe.

    capamericaSeptember 14, 2006

    Is there any more info on the movie playback? Is it DVD playback or File Movie playback like Divx? If they do file movie playback that would totaly rock!

    RickPowersRick Powers, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Originally posted by: TheYoungerPlumber
    Oh yeah, and have I mentioned I am so friggin underwhelmed by Wii Sports?


    Underwhelmed? It's free, it's more games than we initially thought (both Boxing and Bowling are surprise additions), and ... it's frickin' BOXING. And BOWLING.

    I remember a time when I was the jaded one on this site. face-icon-small-smile.gif

    Hostile CreationSeptember 14, 2006

    I'm actually relieved by no MP3 for launch. Now I can maybe get Red Steel or BIG DAMN TRUCKS, and I wanted Retro to work on it more anyway.
    And now that money can be spent on an extra controller or two, which is way too expensive.

    vuduSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Originally posted by: Mario
    Quote

    Zelda gamecube launces December 11th.

    WTF, WHY? That doesn't make ANY SENSE for it to come after the Wii version. Pure greed to force people into getting the Wii version.
    This may have already been mentioned in one of the other four threads regarding the press conference, but my guess is the delay is due to manufacturing constraints. My assumption is that Wii games are pressed in the same plant (maybe using the same machines) that GCN games are made in. If Nintendo is hitting the cap on the number of discs it can make, I'm sure they're going to push back the GCN games a couple weeks in order to ensure they have enough Wii games ready for launch.

    BigJimSeptember 14, 2006

    Considering the $212 Japanese price, $250 with WiiSports doesn't seem "free" to me.

    I'd take 2 wiimotes and no games over Wiisports.

    mantidorSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Originally posted by: Mario
    Quote

    Zelda gamecube launces December 11th.

    WTF, WHY? That doesn't make ANY SENSE for it to come after the Wii version. Pure greed to force people into getting the Wii version.


    f!ck you Nintendo, seriously, you bastards.

    Fortunately Metroid is delayed, it would be the only reason I would feel bad about not getting the console on launch.

    ArtimusSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Originally posted by: BigJim
    Considering the $212 Japanese price, $250 with WiiSports doesn't seem "free" to me.

    I'd take 2 wiimotes and no games over Wiisports.


    EXACTLY. WiiSports is absolutely NOT free. We're paying $40 for it. Considering what it is, that's not any kind of great deal.

    Should've been WiiSports and a second controller for $250. I mean it makes no sense, you can't even have two people playing the game you get with the system! They're forcing you to pay $40 for a game game that you need to pay another $40 just to play properly (I've yet to hear one person call WiiSports a worthwhile single player game...). Please explain to me how that's anything but a rip off to the consumer. $199 with one controller is what it should've been. Though if they hadn't set the damn ceiling at the price they went with this would all seem a LOT better. It's really going to hurt the impulse buy when you can get a 360 for the price of another controller.

    MAJOR. LET. DOWN.

    wanderingSeptember 14, 2006

    I'm a bit late to the party.

    PGC's reporting of these events has been amazing. face-icon-small-thumbsup.gif

    Quote

    Only white.

    This and no MP are the only 2 things that really dissapoint me. Really wanted black.

    KDR_11kSeptember 14, 2006

    I wonder what this means for European pricing. I hope it means nothing and this is just adjusting the US pricing to international levels. Making the VC points cost 1€ per hundred would suck and 1 GBP per hundred would be outrageous.

    wanderingSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Though if they hadn't set the damn ceiling at the price they went with this would all seem a LOT better.

    Agreed. The price itself is by no means bad - it'll sell out at that price, so why would Nintendo go any lower? It's just disappointing considering everything we've heard about price up to this point. Nintendo should've said "under $300" and kept it at that until the press conference (actually, what they really should've done was announced the price a long time ago, but whatever.) I guess they gave us that "under 250" figure because they wanted to ease people's fears about price ('OMG what if it's $299.99?') while still keeping it a 'secret'.

    ArtimusSeptember 14, 2006

    The Canadian price is 279.99, which is exactly $20 cheaper than the GameCube launch price. I guess only you guys are getting raped badly.

    Ian SaneSeptember 14, 2006

    "Zelda gamecube launces December 11th."

    I see what they're doing but it ain't working on me. I waited two years for the original version of Star Wars on DVD, I can wait a month for the original version of Twilight Princess. Unfortunately it nows comes out after my birthday... but not after Christmas.

    Sneaky move by Nintendo but a smart one since I think otherwise the Cube version would probably have outsold the Wii one. This way they can kind of "hide" the Cube version from the public. Otherwise they would immediately expose that the Wii killer app isn't even a Wii game to begin with.

    BigJimSeptember 14, 2006

    Heh. Before you know it, the GCN version will be a Nintendo.com exclusive. face-icon-small-tongue.gif

    steveySeptember 14, 2006

    250 isn't bad for and system and game...

    Quote

    If we played Zelda all day for the entire 6 hours we wouldn't scratch the surface of Zelda.


    Freaking awesome!face-icon-small-smile.gifface-icon-small-smile.gifface-icon-small-smile.gif

    Quote

    Only white.


    NO.face-icon-small-sad.gif Wii want black!

    WuTangTurtleSeptember 14, 2006

    Watch Europe gets black, and Japan gets Black too. Wait till 2007 for US Black versions....

    I was a suck3r for the White DS Lite and I'll be a suck3r for the White Wii, but i wish there was an easy way for me to transition over to getting a Black version without losing money....Maybe use the warranty through Nintendo and ask for a black version to send to me?

    CalibanSeptember 14, 2006

    Quote

    Originally posted by: Artimus
    The Canadian price is 279.99...


    And 1st party games will be $59.99. I'm actually very happy with our Canadian price, however, I wonder if FutureShop/BestBuy/EB/ or any other store will have the Wii/1stpartygames at those prices. Can we force them to have those prices? lol

    Pale? > http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/article/732/732708/wii-pics-20060914073341839-000.jpg LOL, it almost looks like his face from his avatar.

    PaleMike Gamin, Contributing EditorSeptember 15, 2006

    God that is me. =P

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