All The Wii Information You Could Want

[racketboy]

For all links, check out this post on Error Macro:
http://www.errormacro.com/2006/09/all_t ... you_co.php

* Virtual Console pricing: $5 for NES games, $8 for SNES, $10 for N64
* Purchase of games over VC will use Microsoft-like "Wii Points"
* The Wii remote and nunchuk will both come in the box, along with Wii Sports
* First party games will be $49.99 or under; third parties are free to set whatever prices they want, but I presume they'll follow suit
* Avatars, like those seen in the tennis E3 demo, can be created in the "Mii Channel" and then used in multiple games. They're stored in the remote, so you can take yours to a friends house and your avatar follows
* The Opera browser will not be free, but they don't say how much it is
* Extra remotes will sell for $39.99, extra nunchuks for $19.99
* Pokemon Battle Revolution will be the first online game

And because I just love bullet points so much, here are more general Wii links from today's festivities. (Updated now with even more links)

* The Wii will not play DVD movies.
* Wii.com has gone live, and focuses mainly on explaining the Wii Channels so far.
* 1up describes the various Wii Channels.
* And IGN has a slew of new videos of said channels in action, as well as a little Zelda and Pokemon thrown in.
* On the game side, GameVideos has a number of new clips of Wii games in action. Notice that the bi-plane flying from the E3 conference is indeed Hudson's flight game, and not Pilotwings.
* 1up has new size comparisons of an actual Wii remote and other Nintendo products.
* The Wii will be region free.
* Here are all the third party games announced so far for the Wii "launch window", which runs from November 19 to March 31. That's a good sized window.
* A list of all the things that come in the Japanese Wii box. Note that they will not get the Wii Sports pack-in that we do.
* Former FFXII director Yasumi Matsuno is working on ideas for the Wii.
* 24 developers are signed on to support the Virtual Console.
* Super Paper Mario and DK Bongo Blast have officially switched to the Wii.
* Zelda will be a Wii launch title, but the Gamecube version has been delayed to December 11. So the lesson here is: Screw you, Gamecube owners.

[Mozgus]

Yeah, I'm very disapointed at Nintendos greed here. We gave them entirely too much attention since last E3. They saw the polls. They knew they had the majority of the industry's attention. And now, all the hardware costs 33% more then it logically should. They should have followed the pricing strategy they have used for years. It was getting them profits every quarter, while Sony and MS made nothing. Now they are using these crazy prices, and throwing away a good chunk of the fanbase they had just gained.

Furthermore, they are going against their entire goal of turning non-gamers into gamers. What non-gamer is going to spend this much? Especially considering there won't be any demo units in stores.

DVD playback now requires a fee. Nintendo should focus on games, but still, if ANY console should be a DVD player by default, it should be Wii, just because the damn thing has a REMOTE. Xbox forced you to buy a remote just to play DVD's right? This is silly.

Internet browsing now requires a fee. Equally silly. Did NO ONE pay attention when Dreamcast showed everyone how it's done? You are supposed to include the browser disc with the system. How is this going to encourage us to browse on our Wii? We already pay internet fees and we already paid for our computers. We aren't going to pay again for something we can already do.

And then we have the standard disapointments, like Metroid Prime 3 being delayed from launch til god knows when. And Zelda on Gamecube getting delayed for NO reason other than to force the stupid rabid fanboys into buying the Wii. Very rude business tactic here that I would have never expected from Nintendo. But it doesn't affect me since that game has never interested me much. I've still had my fill of 3D Zelda for a while.


Anyways, it looks like I won't be buying a Wii until mod chips come along and fix everything they fumbled.

[Saraph]

I wanted a Wii for these reasons:

>I thought it would come in black at launch. Black is nice. ^^
>My DVD player broke a few months back, I need a new one.
>I wanted a GC but seeing as the Wii can play GC games, I waited.
>VC = Hacking potential. ^_^
>The retro controller looks to be better suited for my GC and classic playing needs.

I'm not getting it on launch anymore. The $250 price doesnt bother me, what bothers me is it's in one color at launch, it comes with a game that I don't even want (Which raises the cost, i don't care how you argue it), and apparently the DVD add on was dropped. Can someone really confirm this for me? The DVD functionality is really important to me. I may just save up for a PS3 if it can't play movies. I'm the media center customer, not the hard core gamer.

[Mozgus]

apparently the DVD add on was dropped. Can someone really confirm this for me? The DVD functionality is really important to me. I may just save up for a PS3 if it can't play movies. I'm the media center customer, not the hard core gamer.

It was dropped entirely? I read that you had to pay a fee to use it, because of MPEG2 licensing fees. But now I cant find where I read that, last night...

[SegaVega]

Yeah, I'm very disapointed at Nintendos greed here. We gave them entirely too much attention since last E3. They saw the polls. They knew they had the majority of the industry's attention. And now, all the hardware costs 33% more then it logically should. They should have followed the pricing strategy they have used for years. It was getting them profits every quarter, while Sony and MS made nothing. Now they are using these crazy prices, and throwing away a good chunk of the fanbase they had just gained.

Nintendo has not abandoned their pricing strategy by any means. Everyone seems to think that $250 is $50 more than what the N64 launched at...in 1996, $200 was equal to $267. Try the SNES in 1991. It's called inflation, and gaming abides by it. Also, the Wii of course, isn't just the sub-$100 Gamecube in a new shell - it has features and interface functions that are created at a cost, and like them or not, they need these accessories to stay competetive and meet the new potential. Although a substantial leap over last gen's hardware/visuals may yet to be seen, an inhancement is there, and it'll surface in time. So, is Nintendo making a hardware profit while Sony and Microsoft aren't? Yes indeedy. But is it a monsterously evil profit that rapes the world of so much hard earned cash? Not at all.

What's unbelievable is that most people who are complaining are doing so over $50 they didn't expect. For people who regularly by new games (gasp!) or casual buyers interested in the latest home game-thingies for Christmas presents, $250 isn't so much for that new game console, nor is the "extra" $50. And that's diregarding the $40 game you get in the box. Its been said, but consider the $400 and $600 alternative. These people now complaining were the guys and gals excited for it, and who would've spent the $200 they prayed for. So let a curious $50 remove you from the gaming event you were so excited about? It gives the impression that people just like to complain, which is what has happened for every console, at any pricing.

For the people that typically buy systems post launch (the huge majority), spare the world your complaints: no launch price for a home console could meet your satisfaction. Until the time that you usually buy it comes(one year, two years later...), your price has yet to be announced. If it's still too high then, damn Nintendo. Also considering the bonus features of the controller/nunchuck combo, it's $10 increase over the competition's basic wireless controller is nothing. And the system is also the first to require a sensor bar and sensor stand as well.

Mozgus- Nintendo didn't use the hype after E3 to super-overprice Wii, they said at that very show "under $250". To some they may have added 50, but they also added a game, and again, $50 is all in all, not major anyways. Certainly not a decisive matter. The Wii was not going to be under $200, and I suspect everyone knew that. But everyone shall argue endlessly.

And then we have the standard disapointments, like Metroid Prime 3 being delayed from launch til god knows when. And Zelda on Gamecube getting delayed

Maybe Zelda and Metroid were a bit much for the day-one enthusiasts. Sure, Zelda GC getting delayed kind of sucks, but I bet a lot of the people desperate for it on it's day-one release want a Wii anyway, and now they won't have to decide which version to play first. Maybe Nintendo is twisted a bit, but really, unless the Wii version isn't any good and forces a second purchase the next month, it's not too bad. Especially considering the delays we've already endured.

I'll lastly say that $200 is probably too inexpensive for a new game system. When your competitors are asking $600, and you ship a little box with a $200 tag, it'll look toyish (see Gamecube?) to more than a few shoppers. Nintendo is pushing not just a new console, but a new idea, and they wouldn't want the uninformed world to think their "revolution" is just a cheap alternative to real advancement.

[bawitback]

First i'm stocking up on all the Gamecube classics while everyone jumps on the Wii boat.. Pikmin 2, StarFox, FZero GX, Zelda Windwaker all around $20. i'm planning on purchasing a Wii december.

[Saraph]

I'm wondering how easy it would be to mod a Wii so it will play DVD's when the hackers get a hold of it. I heard somewhere that the GC was hacked to run DVD's, so what do you all think?

[racketboy]

I think the hold-up on the DVD is the licensing cost for MPEG decoding.
So basically, hackers would need to have some way of booting a DVD "player" without occupying the DVD drive.
Run it off a SD card?

[CurulleanCat]

I heard somewhere that the GC was hacked to run DVD's, so what do you all think?

I never heard that........If you mean Modded to run DVDs that were bootlegs then yes, it was done. You had to replace the top part of the game cubes shell. Besides a the cube is not designed to run full sized DVDs. It kinda messes with the motor that moves the lazer eye.....

[SegaVega]

[url=http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/15/wii-developer-kit-shot-in-the-wild-many-luigi-green-with-envy/]
The Official Wii Development Kits (green)[/url]

Official Wii Store Kiosk



The leashes on the remotes look just short enough to prohibit shopper beating.