Preordered two today at FYE in Albany, NY.

No1uno said:Wii's Official Released date has been announce to be October 2, 2006

What's your source? I checked all the major sites and I could find no such announcement.

I agree that Oct 2nd is the most likely date, because all the games seem to have that date listed, but I cannot find that the date is finalized and has been officially announced. I assume that when they announce the date, they will also announce the price. And, after all, we need both to be announced before the retailers are likely to start preordering :-D


EDIT:: I found an article on Joystiq which referenced a numerologist on Gaming Target who seems to believe that, because Nintendo has not listed any DS or GBA games to launch on Oct 2nd, this is the likely release date. The only other dates which have no DS or GBA launches listed are Nov 20th and Nov 27th, the former of which is after the PS3 launch and the latter which is the Monday after Black Friday. So, Oct 2nd does seem likely. However, there is no guarantee that the Big N won't launch a DS game or GBA game on the same day as the Wii. It's almost guaranteed that Wii will get more press.

Another far-fetched theory rumored is that Wii is VVII in Roman Numerals, which would be V+V (or 5+5) and I+I or 1+1) and then that means 10/2, or Oct 2nd.

Also, Nintendo has traditionally launched its systems (all of them since N64) on a Sunday so that they would be front page on all of the BB CC Staples Target etc ads. October 1st is the first day of the Fourth Quarter, so theoretically 10/1 is a potential launch date.

In summary, we still know nothing concrete about the release date or price. Perhaps a Oct 31st release date? For HalloWIIn?

slinkydooky said:demand does not seem to be very high. placed a few preorders this past weekend and i was on the top or near the top of every list!!

Mind if I ask where you preordered?

I think personally that the only reason that demand is not high at the moment is that few people think that they CAN preorder yet, since the date and price are yet to be annouced. I don't think they're concerned with it yet; they think they have time.

I also think that the general public doesn't really know what Wii is yet. They haven't heard about it, they haven't seen it. Once ads start running, once it becomes Time's Gadget of the week and it's on the Today Show and all of those other media outlets that the plebs love so much, then it's going to become HOT!

Another thing to think about is that the primary audience is probably going to be children. They haven't heard about it yet, and as such they haven't told their parents that they want it, and their parents aren't concerned. Come Christmas when their kids are crying that they want a Wii, the parents will be very concerned in trying to find one.

Lastly, the Nintendo Wii is HUGELY popular in Japan right now, based on all previews and polls. It will sell out there on launch. If Nintendo decides to make the Wii region-free, like the DS is and it is rumored that they are considering for the Wii, then there should be a large market for Wiis on eBay from the Japanese purchasers, if nothing else.

To summarize, while demand is not high right now, I expect it to be extremely high come launch and Christmas. Think Nintendo64 Kid.

fye

I have been checking with my local GameCrazy in Nothern, VA and they are NOT offering Pre-Orders on the Wii (or PS3) at this time.

I was told by the manager that they won't offer Pre-Orders until the official sale date is announced.

EA - "Wii will retail for around $170"
Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz, executive VP and COO of EA's worldwide studios, David Gardner, has revealed that the publisher believes the console will retail for around US $170 in North America.

rakswp said:godsped2001 said:EA - "Wii will retail for around $170"
Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz, executive VP and COO of EA's worldwide studios, David Gardner, has revealed that the publisher believes the console will retail for around US $170 in North America.

Good..It's basically the gamecube with a new controller, so they have no business charging 299.

Hell even at 170, they're making a killing. The GC technology has matured over the years and the parts are pretty cheap.


First, it was NEVER going to be $299. Don't know where you got your information. Most of the product cost will likely be in the controller. And the Wii is technically better than the Gamecube, although the leap is obviously not as great as between the Xbox and 360 or PS2 and PS3.

rakswp said:Nintendo's Wii demos were basically modified gamecubes.

Sure it's getting a new chassis, but it's fundamentally the same system with a few changes.


Nope. You're thinking of what they showed at E3. Not final product.

slinkydooky said:rakswp said:Nintendo's Wii demos were basically modified gamecubes.

Sure it's getting a new chassis, but it's fundamentally the same system with a few changes.


Nope. You're thinking of what they showed at E3. Not final product.

You're missing the point I'm trying to make.

They are using the gamecube's circuitry and adding the remote functionality to it. Sure the final product may look different, but the gamecube technology has matured to a point where they can really get the board size down.

How else can they come out with a "next gen" system that is only two dvd cases thick? Look at the sizes of the PS3 and the 360. Both are completely different designs from their predecessors and need that much space for parts.

Regarding Blu-ray (sorry for the OT), it may be a format that consumers aren't interested in NOW, but the seeds have to be planted. In 4-5 years when 70%+ of the population owns HDTVs, they will expect high definition movies.

Any new technology that comes out can be referred to as something that consumers don't want, but the only way to get people to adopt it and make it a standard is to shove it down their throat.

When more folks get an HDTV and are more educated about what HDTV can offer, they will see the benefits of Bluray (and HDDVD for that matter).