[Wii] Official Nintendo Wii thread

Kaleb G recommended that we have an official thread given that we're rather close to getting official details on the much awaited console. Pricing, launch date, games, peripherals and so on.

Nintendo Wii

Well, here it is folks, the Nintendo Wii. This thing caused a stir when it was first unveiled, with many gamers crying haplessly like colicky babies while developers loved it. Its novel interface allows for an unpredecented amount of interaction in the game you're playing. Apparently saw something that the other two behemoths missed, in the form of a massive number of people alienated by the complexity of modern games.

The Wiimote. Waggle this baby to start the fun!

Whether they succeed in drawing these folks into the fold with their intuitive new controller, quirky games and low price remains to be seen, but no doubt, it'll be fun.

Launch date: Sunday, November 19th (NA)

Quote:

Wii goes on sale November 19. "The worldwide debut of the Wii system happens right here in the Americas -- the same place where we debuted Nintendo DS. On November 19, it will be available at more than 25,000 points of distribution across the Americas. And with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $249.99. One price. One configuration. One color." Which is, for the record, white.

Quote:

1:55 p.m. [update 8]: And the other shoe drops. Famitsu is reporting a December 2 launch and 25,000 yen price for Japan.

Price: $250.00, Games - $50.00

# of units at Launch: 4 million

Quote:

Plans to ship 4 million Wii consoles between launch and December 31. Americas will receive the largest share of stock.

Retail box content:

Quote:

Inside the box, you'll get the hardware, all the cables, the sensor bar. One Wii remote and one nunchuck controller. The info in this section refers to the North American retail box.

Quote:

US has Wii Sports packed in, as well as mini games included with the console.

Virtual Console:

30 games available to download at launch.

• NES - $5 (per game)
• SNES - $7 " "
• N64 - $10 " "

Supported VC consoles:

Quote:

- Famicom/NES
- PC Engine
- Super Famicom/NES
- Genesis/Megadrive
- Nintendo 64
- MSX

Quote:

1:38 a.m. EST [update 7]: Famitsu reports 30 Nintendo games and 30 PC Engine/Megadrive (Turbo-Grafx/Genesis) games before end of year. Ten new virtual console games every month after that!

Quote:

2:45PM: Virtual Console will accept purchases via credit card, or via prepaid cards purchased in-stores.

Quote:

• Will games downloaded from the Virtual Console store be tied to an account like Xbox Live or a one-time-only download like iTunes? Tied to an account. Kaplan discussed a scenario where a player's Wii was broken or destroyed, but would be able to re-download titles they had previously bought to a new Wii machine. Because my left leg was burning from an accidental Zippo oil spill, I neglected to ask if a user would be able to log into friends' Wiis and play their Virtual Console downloads away from their home machine.

Gamespot NYT leak article

IGN Price/Launch article

Technical specifications:

• Processor:
• CPU: IBM PowerPC processor codenamed "Broadway"
  
  GPU (video/graphics card):
• ATI "Hollywood"
  
  Memory:
• 1T-SRAM
  
  Ports and Peripherals:
• Up to four Wii Remote controllers (connected wirelessly via Bluetooth)
• One SD memory card slot
• Two USB 2.0 ports
• One Sensor Bar port
• Four Nintendo GameCube controller ports
• Two Nintendo GameCube memory card ports
• Compatible with optional USB 2.0 to Ethernet LAN adaptor
  
  
  Peripheral prices:
  • Wiimote - $40
  • Nunchuck - $20
  
  Storage:
• 512 MB built-in flash memory
• Expansion available via SD card memory and USB mass storage
  
  

  Quote:

  Will Wii users be able to add storage via USB hard drives? No. The Wii's storage will be exclusively via flash memory storage, such as SD memory cards, at least at launch. Kaplan said a hard drive addition could be in the future, but that sounds more like a "Sure, why not?" response than one based in any immediate plans.

• Slot-loading disc drive compatible with DVDs (No Hollywood DVD playback (SL and DL), Gamecube 8cm discs
• Mask ROM
  
  Video:
• Maximum supported resolution of 480p
• Output via either Component, S-video or Composite
• 16:9 Widescreen support
  
  Audio:
• Main: Stereo - Dolby Pro Logic II-capable
• Controller: Built-in speaker

Classic controller.

Features:

• Backward compatibility
• Nintendo DS connectivity
• Player characters and profiles
• Parental controls

Quote:

Wii Channels Menu - News channel shown, as well as weather, shop, photo, and others. 1 page of 12 Wii channels, expandable as well. Disc channel allows players to play Wii game or Game Cube games, Wii Shop is the Virtual Console home, The legend of zelda, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64 and Donkey Kong available for VC launch day. 10 games per month, 5 bucks for NES, 8 for SNES, and 10 for N64. Wii Points acquired online or at retaliers. 2000 Wii points card for 20 bucks at retail. Games story internally and becomes its own channel. Title is available forever once downloaded.

Here's the times for the conferences being held by Nintendo, in each region:
This site will become active after the conference is over (3AM EST): Here

Quote:

Japan Event
* 8:00PM (Wednesday) - 3:00AM (Thursday) EDT
* 5:00PM (Wednesday) - 11:00PM (Wednesday) PDT
* 1:00AM (Thursday) - 7:00AM (Thursday) GMT/UTC
* 2:00AM (Thursday) - 8:00AM (Thursday) BST
* 10:00AM (Thursday) - 4:00PM (Thursday) Japan Time

U.S Event
* 9:00AM (Thursday) - 4:00PM (Thursday) EDT
* 6:00AM (Thursday) - 1:00PM (Thursday) PDT
* 1:00PM (Thursday) - 8:00PM (Thursday) GMT/UTC
* 3:00PM (Thursday) - 9:00PM (Thursday) BST
* 10:00PM (Thursday) - 5:00AM (Friday) Japan Time

Europe Event
* 7:00AM (Friday) - 1:00PM (Friday) EDT
* 4:00AM (Friday) - 10:00AM (Friday) PDT
* 11:00AM (Friday) - 5:00PM (Friday) GMT/UTC
* 12:00PM (Friday) - 6:00PM (Friday) BST
* 8:00PM (Friday) - 2:00AM (Saturday) Japan Time

Hurl arrows in Zelda or pull levers in Metroid with this setup.

Confirmed launch titles (source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii):

Quote:

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
Call of Duty 3
Excite Truck
Far Cry: Vengeance
Gottlieb Pinball Classics
GT Pro Series
Leaderboard
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Metal Slug Anthology
Monster 4x4 World Circuit
Pokémon Battle Revolution
Open Season
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Rapala Tournament Fishing
Red Steel
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Wii Sports
World Series of Poker

Gamespot confirmed launch titles:

Quote:

Nintendo
Excite Truck
The Legend of Zelda: Twlight Princess
Wii Sports (bundled with console)

Activision
Call of Duty 3
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Rapala Tournament Fishing
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
World Series of Poker

Atlus
Trauma Center: Second Opinion

EA
Madden NFL 07
Need for Speed: Carbon

Konami
Elebits

Ubisoft
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
Far Cry: Vengeance
GT Pro Series
Monster 4x4 World Circuit
Open Season
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Red Steel
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent

Super Smash Brothers Brawl thread

Misc Game info:

• Resident Evil Wii
  
  

  Quote:

  RESIDENT EVIL WII IN DEPTH
  Extensive information on the gameplay and content of RE:Wii has surfaced.
  
  -The game consists of 4 "chapters", RE1's mansion, RE2's RPD, RE3's city areas and RE4's village (plus surrounding areas).
  -Each chapter has 2 characters to choose from. RE1 has Jill and Chris, RE2 has Leon and Claire, RE3 has Jill and Carlos and RE4 has Leon and Ada.
  -There are several characters that can be unlocked by playing through the game: Rebecca Chambers, Hunk and Albert Wesker.
  -The gameplay of all chapters is designed around RE4's. Press the B trigger on the wiimote to go into over-the-shoulder view, aim with the pointer and press A to fire.
  -The game will have QTEs, but rather than push buttons you have to make motions with the wiimote in order to get through them.
  -All characters will have mêlée attacks, just like RE4.
  -To encourage replayablility, each character has strengths and weaknesses, similar to how in RE4:Mercenaries Ada had the least health, Krauser was the slowest, etc.
  -Just like in RE4:Mercenaries each character has a unique set of weapons. What's more players can only carry 2 weapons at any one time. Chris gets a pistol and shotgun whilst Jill gets a pistol and grenade launcher.
  -You will be able to find several new weapons during each stage. For example, RE1 will have Richard's shotgun, RE2 will have the Desert Eagle, RE4 will have the Chicago Typewriter. There will also be new weapons like Krauser's anti-personnel robots.
  -Similar to Devil May Cry 3, after each chapter you can save your data and any new weapons picked up will be available for use in Arcade Mode.
  -Arcade Mode is like a giant Mercenaries minigame, where you pick a character and stage and blast through it. Building on the resounding success of Mercenaries seen when RE4 was released.
  -Scenario mode will feature a large number of ingame cutscenes.
  -New content not in the games that the chapters were based on will be added. The primary goal of this will be to link RE4 and Umbrella's status in it more closely with the rest of the series.
  -Ammo conservation will play a part in the gameplay, so it's not just constant action like RE4.
  -Trailer coming at TGS.

• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
  
  

  Quote:

  Apparently, Metroid Prime 3 is now a 2007 title.

Media (comments by Infernal Monkey):

Stuff/Game/Virtual Console selection.


Weather Channel. If only the sun was replaced with ANGRY SUN from Mario 3.


Photo.. viewer.. thingy.


And you can mess around with them! COOL DOG.


I believe this game is Donkey Kong.


Custom character creator, used for WiiSports, WiiMusic, WiiPlay, Wii Motor Sports and whatever other games will support them in the future.


Not sure. Looks like it may be an online friendzzzz lobby type thing?


Sex.


Fire Emblem gooooo.


Wii boxart revealed!


Wii version. GameCube version pushed back to December 11th just because Nintendo wants to keep striking those low blows! ='D

Originally Posted by Infernal Monkey

Ahaha never! "STAY A WHILE, STAY FOREVER"

More new Mario Galaxy screens at IGN. =x






interneeeet.



Yes! I hope Toys R Us don't try and pass the packed in WiiSports as the free game now though!

Originally Posted by Infernal Monkey

Screenshots of every game shown today. They're getting pretty raped, here's a few random games Image Shack'd.

Bleach


Nomiso Puzzle


Bomberman


Big Brain Academy


Necro Nesia


Forever Blue


Korolimpa


Harvest Moon


YOU KNOW THE DRILL


Project H.A.M.M.E.R (TIME)


Cooking Mama

That's a mighty piece of meat right there.

Originally Posted by Infernal Monkey

The IGN updates are zooming along the internet now. New screens of Zelda.







EXCITE TRUCK



Tony Hawk's Downhill Strawberry Jam



Wario Ware Smooth Moves





Am I destroying enough 56k guys? :]

Movies:
Link to dashboard in sweaty action

Wii Main Menu Navigation

Mii Channel: Creating your avatar

News Channel

World Forecast Channel

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by The Extremist

The Japan conference start time has apparently been changed to 1 AM EDT.

Err, I think I fixed it, though I may be wrong. Is it for the first date in Japan?

Edit: Eh, nvm, I understand.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Dayvon

Well done Metal Sphere. Will be checknig back later tonight. Hopefully some fit hits the shan before the night is over.

Thanks. Yeah, I'll be adding/removing stuff as this goes on. Anyone know of a reliable stream website so I can include it in the OP?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Cobalt Katze

I believe it's going to be streamed at this address once the conference starts:

http://www.irwebcasting.com/060914/01/

Correct me if I'm wrong. Got it from the other Wii thread.

Thanks, Cobalt. I'll put it up just above the conference dates.

Most amazing jew boots

Thanks Mo0 and Cobalt, updating now. Looks like NDAs or what not expired at midnight or something.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Infernal, is that Pay by credit card of Wii points card or Pay by credit card or Wii points card?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Infernal Monkey

I guess it's OR, but I don't know. ;_; Joystiq typos ahoy!

Hopefully it's or, since I don't have (nor want) a credit card. A Wii card would be rather nice to have handy.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by sprouticus

2:45PM: Virtual Console will accept purchases via credit card, or via prepaid cards purchased in-stores.

It's or! Hooray!

Thank God! Now all we've gotta know is if there are several "tiers" of cards or do they simply put the amount that you paid into it. Updating OP.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by sprouticus

It's a clusterfuck right now. I will wait until Iwata announces it before I come to any conclusions. Any idea on how long this conference will last?

It started at 1am, and it ends at 3am, AFAIK.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I'm going with Nintendonomicon and Mo0 on this one. It's likely the NYT had the information in advance and put the article out there, assuming Nintendo had already announced it.

How ya doing, buddy?

Well, I'm gonna go hit the sack. Hopefully by the time I wake up there should be some solid info we can sink our teeth into. Night, all.

I hate you Infernal for forcing me up a while longer to watch this...

How ya doing, buddy?

Damn, that was fantastic. I'll talk about it later, but that knight in TP was loaded with detail.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Holy shit guys, woke up to a mountain of shit screaming to be added. All of it sounds good though, with the exception of Metroid getting pushed into 2007. If it's for polish and betters the game, I'm all for it.

I'll be waiting for you Samus, baby. =(

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Infernal Monkey

The IGN updates are zooming along the internet now. New screens of Zelda.

GTFO with this Zelda shit. Dammit, now the wait is going to be fucking excruciating.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Ok, I updated the OP with all of Infernal's pics and bizarre comments. Would I be wrong if I said maybe a 56k warning could be put on this thread?

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by HazelGuy

Its possible the images were flipped, but hopefully its true.

You can say 56k, just make you tell them its worth it.

Ah, looks like I can only change the title shown in the thread, not what's visible from the warp room. I put it up though. Dayvon, do you know which sports are in Wii Sports? And what are the minigames that come with the console (aside from Wii Sports)?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Guys, I caught some supposed info on Resident Wiivil (Resident Evil Wii). Hopefully we can get some confirmation on this stuff:

Quote:

RESIDENT EVIL WII IN DEPTH
Extensive information on the gameplay and content of RE:Wii has surfaced.

-The game consists of 4 "chapters", RE1's mansion, RE2's RPD, RE3's city areas and RE4's village (plus surrounding areas).
-Each chapter has 2 characters to choose from. RE1 has Jill and Chris, RE2 has Leon and Claire, RE3 has Jill and Carlos and RE4 has Leon and Ada.
-There are several characters that can be unlocked by playing through the game: Rebecca Chambers, Hunk and Albert Wesker.
-The gameplay of all chapters is designed around RE4's. Press the B trigger on the wiimote to go into over-the-shoulder view, aim with the pointer and press A to fire.
-The game will have QTEs, but rather than push buttons you have to make motions with the wiimote in order to get through them.
-All characters will have mêlée attacks, just like RE4.
-To encourage replayablility, each character has strengths and weaknesses, similar to how in RE4:Mercenaries Ada had the least health, Krauser was the slowest, etc.
-Just like in RE4:Mercenaries each character has a unique set of weapons. What's more players can only carry 2 weapons at any one time. Chris gets a pistol and shotgun whilst Jill gets a pistol and grenade launcher.
-You will be able to find several new weapons during each stage. For example, RE1 will have Richard's shotgun, RE2 will have the Desert Eagle, RE4 will have the Chicago Typewriter. There will also be new weapons like Krauser's anti-personnel robots.
-Similar to Devil May Cry 3, after each chapter you can save your data and any new weapons picked up will be available for use in Arcade Mode.
-Arcade Mode is like a giant Mercenaries minigame, where you pick a character and stage and blast through it. Building on the resounding success of Mercenaries seen when RE4 was released.
-Scenario mode will feature a large number of ingame cutscenes.
-New content not in the games that the chapters were based on will be added. The primary goal of this will be to link RE4 and Umbrella's status in it more closely with the rest of the series.
-Ammo conservation will play a part in the gameplay, so it's not just constant action like RE4.
-Trailer coming at TGS.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Kaleb.G

Metal Sphere, great work on this thread! I updated the confirmed launch list with what is currently at Wikipedia. Apparently, Metroid Prime 3 is now a 2007 title. This was reported by GoNintendo.com

Thanks for the compliment and the edit Kaleb, I had forgotten about the Wikipedia game list. Should I put the RE-Wii info in the OP?

Edit: Added a game news section, any specifics for other titles? I'll put up Corruption's slide into 2007 up in a bit.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Updated, and DAMN, Metroid Prime 3's Expert setting = Godlike.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by speculative

Could launch availability, such as a list of midnight launch parties, stores expected to have good stock, alternative places to look, places taking pre-orders and when they start taking them, etc. be added to the OP as that info becomes available? Seems like it would be useful info.

Sure, that's not a problem. I've got the # of units that are going to be available at launch in the OP, but that number is likely to be cut in half for NA/JP with a bit more going to North America.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

It's not just making the picture crisp, guys. It actually seperates the colors enough so that there's far better color saturation and smoothness. With colors and edges clearly defined, and the brightness/darkness signal on another cable you simply get a far better picture.

Yes, and this is on a regular old TV. It's way more pleasing to the eye, and IMO, enriches the gaming experience.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Technophile

HDMI cables, however, are essential for HD viewing. I remember working at best buy and seeing side by side comparisons of HD footage one with and one without HDMI. Without it, you actually seem to lose some texture and end up with some patches of discoloration.

Not true. Component is actually capable of carrying 720p/1080i and p to the television. The only reason HDMI (and DVI HDCP) exists is as a means for Hollywood to prevent piracy.

See the 360 for proof that you don't need HDMI at all for HD signals. You lose nothing in the process and comparisons have been done that show little perceivable difference between the two.

Quote:

And since Sony's talked up HD as a primary feature of PS3

That's because they're marketing it as a Blu-Ray player first, with videogames as a secondary function. Shitty strategy after being successful with the reverse? Yes.

What I want is Nintendo to allow third parties to make their own component cables for the Wii. Keeping it to themselves was nothing short of greed and it was a detriment to the consumer. First it was "online gaming isn't important", then the digital out and component cables.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Slayer X

Actually when Sony launched the PS2 they were heavely promoting the DVD player then they were the actual game player, not so much in North America, but it was the main selling point in Japan seeing how only about 25% of people in Japan had a DVD player at the time.

No, they weren't. The main draw of the PS2.... was it being the PS2. Sony simply emphasized that it could also play DVDs. It's the literal reverse of the current situation.
But the real question is: Why are we talking about the PS3?

Quote:

Therefore Sony is using the same strategy for the PS3... heck it worked the first time around.

Not the same strategy at all. If it were, the machine would be in far better shape technically and in the eyes of gamers and the public.

Quote:

I have an HDTV and even with my 360, there's just not enough texture detail to really even use the HD feature... so don't fall for it.

Then... why did you buy a console where HD is a pivotal point if you realize this?

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Technophile

I don't know what comparisons you've seen Metal Sphere but all the comparisons we had set up at our store had very noticable differences between HD with HDMI VS. without.

Store? Best Buy? Circuit City? Even boutiques devoted to home theater and all that goes with it are terrible places to compare given that signals are split an ungodly number of ways, settings are way off and the environment doesn't lend itself well to these kinds of things.

I'm talking about things like Sound and Vision and Home Theater mag's experiments. Spectrometers, properly adjusted TVs, etc.. The difference is nil. Again, the only reason HDMI exists is because of Hollywood. Even the much touted move from 8 to 10 bit colorstream in HDMI 1.3 doesn't put it one step beyond component.

Quote:

Then again, I'm not an HD gamer so perhaps this distinct drop of visual quality in none HDMI HD content is only native to movies, shows and sports events as opposed to videogames.

Considering that the only difference between component and HDMI is the analog/digital difference that would explain the "drop" in quality.

Quote:

It doesn't really matter though. Point is, that top-notch visuals are big part of PS3's appeal. So, having high quality cables are much more important for it than they are to Wii and it's "modest" visuals approach.
.[/URL]

Ironically enough, 25-50 HDMI cables (the "cheap" non-Monster ones) are just as good as their overpriced brethren. High quality is a non-issue with digital, as it's either signal or not. So, the cables don't matter and neither does their quality. HDMI or not.

Quote:

I have barely even noticed any promotion of the PS3 outside of conventions, so where we the more "hardcore gamers" are hearing alot about the Blu-Ray, who knows how they're going to advertise it to the public. And the adds that I've been seeing in things like EGM and what not mostly talks about the superior power of the PS3 and briefly mentions the Blu-Ray.

Any coverage of the PS3 from CEDIA or other electronics shows say otherwise. This thing is being pushed to consumers as a Blu-Ray player at every place except gaming venues.

BTW, couldn't the calibration be similar to what the DS has? Some positions on the screen you have to point to and then the sensor bar for automatic adjusting/triangulation?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Technophile

The store's Best Buy. And we actually had two out of the box TVs running to their own DVD players. One using the HDMI port, and one using A/V.

OTB, all HDTVs come in torch mode (aka Vivid) so they can catch the eye of potential buyers. Colors thrown way too cool, brightness and contrast off the scales, viewing distance. The setups in Best Buy and Circuit City don't came anywhere near to meeting all this (even in the smaller darkrooms with one set being exhibited). Again, any comparisons there will likely be way off given those and many other factors. But let's end this whole discussion. Cables/PQ conversations get stale fast.

Quote:

The settings were also default factory settings. The only thing I could give you out of those three things you mentioned would be the enviroment, which I guess I can see how it can kind of offset things to a degree.

See above. I highly doubt you guys actually tone down the light, have some bias lighting and run Avia/DVE on each set without splitting any signals.

Doesn't matter though, because this is the Wii thread. Good thing the sensor bar wire is pretty long, since I was worried about it not reaching.

Quote:

Anyway, the point still stands that having A/V cables only out of the box for Wii is just fine considering that it's not suppose to be a machine for graphic fanatics or HD-videophiles.

Oh, of course. It won't have anywhere near the impact of Sony leaving out HD capable cables than Nintendo doing the same. But to say the difference from composite to component is "nothing or paltry" is wrong at best.

Jam it back in, in the dark.