EW YORK, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Nintendo will reshape the home
entertainment and video game landscape with the launch of its heralded Wii(TM)
home video game console. The Americas will lead the worldwide launch on
Nov. 19. Wii will be sold as an affordable, mass-consumer product at an MSRP
of just $249.99. The price includes one wireless Wii Remote controller, one
Nunchuk(TM) controller and the groundbreaking collection of five different Wii
Sports games on one disc, which anyone can play using simple movements,
experienced or not.
Every Wii console includes another distinctive feature: a series of
on-screen "channels" that make up the Wii Channel Menu, which makes the
console approachable and customizable for everyone, from the most avid gamer
to people who have never played before. The Wii Channel Menu is the starting
point for all of the console's functions. The "channels" offer a gateway to a
rich variety of entertainment options. When connected to a TV, the Wii
Channel Menu offers a simple interface, letting users pick games to play, get
news or weather, view and send photos or even create playable caricatures of
themselves to use in actual games. Additional functions allow users to redeem
Wii Points and download classic games to Wii's Virtual Console(TM). The
variety of options available through the Wii Channel Menu motivates both
gamers and non-gamers to turn on Wii's power every day.
Wii is creating worldwide excitement with its unique control system, an
inventive, first-of-its-kind controller whose position can be detected in a
3-D space. The new controller allows users to pinpoint targets in games or
move through the Wii Channel Menu with precision and ease. This intuitive
control system will be understood immediately by everyone, regardless of their
previous experience with video games. With this one small controller, Wii
makes games both easier and more intense than anything previously experienced.
For example, in the Wii Sports tennis game, players swing the Wii Remote like
a racket to hit the ball, as in real life. They can add topspin or slice the
ball just by angling their hands and wrist like they would in a real match.
"Wii reinvents games for the devoted player," says Nintendo of America
President Reggie Fils-Aime. "But more importantly, Wii breaks the wall
separating players from non-players by delivering the best game experiences
for the most affordable price. We believe the next leap is games for the
masses -- young and old, gamer or non, alone, with a friend or with the whole
family."
Fils-Aime made his remarks in New York, shortly after Nintendo executives
in Japan announced Wii will launch there on Dec. 2.
Between launch day and Dec. 31, Wii owners will enjoy a robust lineup of
30 software titles, with selections for everyone from video game veterans to
newcomers. Some top Nintendo launch titles include Wii Sports, a compilation
of tennis, baseball, golf, bowling and boxing; The Legend of Zelda(R):
Twilight Princess; and EXCITE TRUCK(TM). While publishers are free to set
their own prices for games, first-party Nintendo titles will have an MSRP of
$49.99. Wii's self-loading media bay also can play the entire library of more
than 530 Nintendo GameCube(TM) titles from day one.
Third-party developers around the world have lined up to provide
unprecedented support for Wii.
"I believe the Wii will attract new and casual gamers to the world of
interactive entertainment," says Larry Probst, Chairman and CEO, Electronic
Arts. "It's a fun, easy and economical system that will become a bridge to
gaming for mainstream audiences. At EA, we are putting more support behind
the Wii than any Nintendo hardware launch since the Super NES."
"The Wii is changing audience interaction, opening up whole new
experiences that have never been possible in video games," says Robert Kotick,
Chairman and CEO, Activision, Inc. "With the instinctual control of the Wii
Remote, Nintendo is advancing the gaming experience to the broadest audience
of gamers. Activision is excited about the launch of the Wii and the
opportunity it offers. So much so, we plan to have five titles available at
launch -- our strongest lineup ever for a new console. We have more
development resources devoted to the Wii than to any previous Nintendo
platform. The Wii is likely to have a profound impact on the size, growth and
overall opportunities for the video game market."
"The Wii control scheme opens up unexplored areas for our talented teams
to innovate when creating games," says Laurent DeToc, President of Ubisoft
North America. "It's invigorating for us. We believe that it will help
create a new level of interest in video games and engage more players around
the world."
Additional information about the list of Virtual Console games and the
pricing structure will be revealed in the coming weeks.
The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment,
Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and
software for its Nintendo DS(TM), Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo
GameCube(TM) systems, and upcoming Wii(TM) console. Since 1983, Nintendo has
sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 375 million hardware units
globally, and has created industry icons like Mario(TM), Donkey Kong(R),
Metroid(R), Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(R). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of
America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's
operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo,
visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.
