Nintendo press release - Wii dated/priced in New Zealand

Nintendo will reshape the home entertainment and video game landscape with the launch of its heralded Wii home video game console. As part of a global launch period, Wii will arrive in New Zealand on December 7th. Wii will be sold as an affordable, mass-consumer product at an R.R.P. of just $499.90. 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 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 customisable 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. 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 racquet 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 is a product for all to enjoy. Whether you’re young or old, an experienced gamer or complete novice, Wii has something unique to offer us all,” says Rose Lappin, Director of Sales and Marketing, Nintendo Australia. “At such an affordable price, we see Wii as being a true product of everybody.”

Between launch day and Dec. 31, Wii owners will enjoy a robust lineup of around 20 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 and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Wii’s self-loading media bay also can play the entire library of hundreds of Nintendo GameCube titles from day one.

Third-party developers around the world have lined up to provide unprecedented support for Wii.

Additional information about the list of Virtual Console games and the pricing structure will be revealed in the coming weeks.

That is it for me guys…I am off to bed. Catch you in a few hours! Thanks to everyone who sent in the New Zealand info.