Nintendo Wii to launch on December 8th, GBP 179 News
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by
Tom Bramwell
Nintendo Wii will launch in Europe on December 8th 2006 and cost EUR 249 / GBP 179, Nintendo announced during a conference in London this afternoon.
The bundle will be the same as in America, with one Wii remote, one Nunchuk and a copy of Wii Sports included.
Wii Play (the mini-games package that includes a bundled Wii remote) and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will both be there at launch from Nintendo, to be followed shortly after by WarioWare: Smooth Moves.
Nintendo predicts around 15 to 20 games at the European launch, mostly from third-parties, with Red Steel, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Need For Speed: Carbon, Cars, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz all set for launch.
Games will retail for between EUR 49 and 59 (GBP 34 and 39). Accessories will also be available - Wii remotes will cost EUR 39 / GBP 29, Nunchuks will cost EUR 19 / GBP 14, and the Classic Controller will cost EUR 19 / GBP 14.
Virtual Console will also be available, offering 15 titles during the European launch period, with 5-10 titles added each month thereafter from previous Nintendo consoles along with SEGA systems and TurboGrafx.
Virtual Console games that appeared on-screen included Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, Super Mario 64 and Donkey Kong. Exact pricing of VC titles was not discussed during the conference.
What we did get was Satoru Iwata delivering the same sort of demonstration of Wii Channels that America and Japan enjoyed yesterday, along with a Wii Sports tennis demonstration involving British tennis players Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski.
A photo-call, interviews with key Nintendo staff and gameplay sessions follow the conference. More soon.
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kangarootoo
15/09/06 @ 13:20
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Ooh a new thread. Get it whilst its still afloat.
My own guess was somewhere around £169, so I'm not too fussed. |
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kangarootoo
15/09/06 @ 13:21
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Plus, the game price is a surprise and a real incentive. Spending close to £50 a time for 360 games still smarts.
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kangarootoo
15/09/06 @ 13:21
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@northy
I believe the system is region free, but allows software locking at the disgression of the publishers (asme as the 360?). |
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Jesus: Action Figure
15/09/06 @ 13:24
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Just pre-ordered mine at my local indie.
They're getting as much as they get pre-orders for apparently. I think me and my mate were the first two so first dibs to us! ;) |
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rincewind128
15/09/06 @ 13:24
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Not too expensive considering it's got wifi built in, and microsoft make you pay an extra £60 for that priviledge, also comes with a memory card. Just a shame it doesn't match the US price, even when you take VAT into account.
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Sky Blue Sam
15/09/06 @ 13:25
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This is about what I was expecting, price-wise.
Pleasantly surprised by the launch date, I was half-expecting an early-2007 launch. |
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DaveTheHutt
15/09/06 @ 13:25
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Knock off the 17.5% VAT that the government fleeces us with, and you get ~£145... so we're still being shafted compared to the US, but not as much as you immediately think... =)
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Carrybagma
15/09/06 @ 13:28
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Tsk. Too close to the core 360. Your typical shop assistant will say "360 is much more powerful, so buy that". Crap launch lineup too.
Perhaps £180 is the 'fanboy' price and it will drop to £150 next March. |
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FiveManArmy
15/09/06 @ 13:31
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What's the game "Wii Play"?
Apparently this comes with an extra controller, so could be a cheaper way of getting a new controller and with a game! |
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the Wii is a leap in gameplay mechanics. £179.99 is more or less the price that i was anticipating. OK, given that there is a difference of £20 between this and the core 360 nintendo is a completely different gameplay experience. Playing a Wii is radically different than playing a 360. People please put the argument(s) into context.
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kangarootoo
15/09/06 @ 13:37
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@smelly
I guess it depends on whether the two platforms use the same syetem, OR whether the Wii will recognise and honour the GC region locking. I would imagine a game itself cannot enforce region locking if the HW overules it? Have fun out there BTW. |
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"the Wii is a leap in gameplay mechanics. £179.99 is more or less the price that i was anticipating. OK, given that there is a difference of £20 between this and the core 360 nintendo is a completely different gameplay experience. Playing a Wii is radically different than playing a 360. People please put the argument(s) into context."
OK....you can pay £180 for a gimmick console or £200 for a proper one. I'm not biased, I was gonna buy a Wii (As an additional system) but this, combined with no DVD playback has put me off. It's likely to put off most of retail as well. |
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chupachups
15/09/06 @ 13:37
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-"Have you tried video games before?"
-"No, they're too expensive, I'd rather buy a DVD or album, or have a takeaway." -"But the Nintendo Wii is different, it focuses on gameplay instead of graphics, so you can get a great game at an affordable price." -"Sounds great! How much are the games?" -"£40 each." -"Err..." |
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PlugMonkey
15/09/06 @ 13:38
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Bear in mind that US prices don't include sales tax (don't know about Japan) so $250 = £133 + VAT = £156. That's not *too* far off the £179 price point we are getting."
Yes it is. It's about 25 quid *too* far off. Stuff it. I won't be getting one for xmas anymore, but enough people will for Nintendo to sell through their entire initial shipment, so I doubt they'll care too much. Nintendo are a business too. You can't expect Sony to have exclusive rights on fleecing the first batch of early adopters. |
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hula hoops
15/09/06 @ 13:41
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Judging from my experience with having Gamecube, I think I will pass Wii.
Good luck with the console though. It a shame that I feel this way about Nintendo now, knowing that I have enjoyed playing some of their best games during their golden era. |
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Jesus: Action Figure
15/09/06 @ 13:41
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"Australian date, december 7th, with a RRP of 499.95 (which is pretty much exactly the same as the UK price), but we will be playing it over* a day sooner than you, nyaaaa!"
Yep, the advantages of living in the future. Though the brits invented time, obviously ;) So, a *truly* global worldwide launch. Not bad Ninty, not bad! |
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tomacwhite
15/09/06 @ 13:43
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So is it 60hz out the box or what? 480p support like US? 60hz virtual console?
These things need to be known :) |
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PlugMonkey
15/09/06 @ 13:45
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"£179 FOR A NEW CONSOLE IS NOT EXPENSIVE "
BUT IT'S NOT A VERY NEW CONSOLE, IS IT? AND I'M PISSED OFF WITH BEING CHARGED 25 QUID MORE THAN EVERYONE ELSE BY DEFAULT, SO STUFF 'EM. |
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So, if i'm understanding this properly...
Japan - £113, no WiiSports (inc/ex tax??) US - ex tax £133, inc tax (roughly 8%, though varies by state) £144 (inc WiiSports) Europe - inc tax £167 (using £1=€1.48) UK - inc tax £179... Does seem a fairly hefty premium just for living in the UK, ought to really have been able to lop another £10 off it |
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