The Nintendo Wii international press conferences thread

[Hero]

For a system that's gonna cost way less than the other two and is only 50 more than the company's previous endevour, I find there is way too much complaining about the $250 price.

Granted, maybe you think that's too much for Nintendo's hardware, or type of games, or too much considering the Internet filled your head with the thought that the Wii would sell for no more than $199. Perhaps you just don't care for Nintendo period, and that the GameCube was too lame to justify them making another console. But if any of that is the case, those should be your complaints, not "too much money for a console"

You get a controller, one extension, and a packed in game. The controllers are as pricey as the XBox 360's; the extensions, less so. But the console itself is still cheaper than any next gen offering out there. Gaming is getting more expensive and it sucks, but the question is, do the offerings justify the price. For me, it works but is also a little absurd. From their marketing philosophy, Nintendo wanted to reach people and offer games that anyone could easily jump into and play. Yet they make an expensive controller and only give the buyer one to start. Some would say 250 would be justified if the system came with two controllers and no game, some would say a packed in game is something companies haven't done in a long while.

So it all comes down to a matter of preferrence, wouldn't it? If a Wii isn't 'worth' its price, that's one thing. To act somehow outraged that its 'too much money for gaming' just do a reality check. It's 50 dollars more than what we're used to. Or 50 less, if you want to compare it to Sony's last lauunch price. Tangent aside, the thing 350 less than PS3 and 150 less for the XBox 360.

And yeah, I know, there are the stripped down versions of both, but do those really count among the people on these boards?

The whole point of this long-winded post is just a detailed way of saying "get over it." If you don't care about Nintendo, no price they set the Wii at would make you happy anyway and if you seriously think its too much for a system, check the alternatives.

[rezo]

But he DID succede in getting Sonic as a pack in.

I think the reason for the Sports pack in is because it has enough to get people used to what the controller can do. Think of it as a trainer. The articles seem to point to that.

But there's also the "My first Wii" game which also is a sort of trainer and it even comes with a controller.

Perhaps the controller is so complicated that people need to be trained twice.

[Hero]

But there's also the "My first Wii" game which also is a sort of trainer and it even comes with a controller.

Perhaps the controller is so complicated that people need to be trained twice.

Nah, it's pretty damn intuitive, from what I've seen and tried. But it's definitely a new concept to wrap one's head around, given what people are used to in games. So not too far from the truth, I suppose.

[Saint of Killers]

If you don't care about Nintendo, no price they set the Wii at would make you happy anyway

And if you're a fanboy any price they set the Wii at will make you happy.

[Finch]

Not 5 grillion dollars.

[Salsashark]

• Will the Wii be region-free? Yes. Like the Nintendo DS, the Wii will be able to play games from other regions, such as Japan, without any restriction. Kaplan implied there might be a region lock that publishers would be able to flip on, but it doesn't sound like the first-party titles from Nintendo will be restricted.

This is somehow the most exciting thing I've heard about the system since the controller was revealed. Only because I'm assuming there will be at least a few great games for it that stay in Japan.

[sethsez]

And if you're a fanboy any price they set the Wii at will make you happy.

It's a hell of a lot better than $400 or $600, and those are still losing money at those prices. Why people expected $200 after they said "it won't exceed $250" (or less, one moron at Something Awful was convinced it would be $150) is beyond me. Nobody should have been blindsided by this.

It wouldn't be TNL without continuous bitching though, I guess.

[Hero]

@Saint of Killers

You have a point. And if you're somebody who likes to play games in their spare time, but don't have a budget to afford the HD gaming experience, let alone a XBox 360 or PS3, the Wii looks like a good alternative.

That's my real litmus - put a system over 300 at launch and I wait for a price drop. Did it to PS1, Saturn, PS2, and Xbox and this generation is no different. I can wait the year to 18 months it may take to see the other systems get affordable, but for the price they offer and the games they wanna make, I can see myself getting a Wii at launch. Not to mention other real people, people who hang out and live with me, they're interested in the system too. Which promises to bring a new experience outside online genre games that we played last generation, this time only prettier and in HD.

But that's the hope. The real proof is in the games themselves. And if I get burned as an earlier adopter, at the worst I look forward to another system with more Nintendo games, which are the type of games I like. I can't hardly see that as being a raving fanboy of yesteryear; then again, I never look at someone who likes only FPS games as being a fanboy for just enjoying their niche and genre of games.

The ones who think FPSs are the only genre worth playing, and make sure to inform everyone they can at every venue and forum? Now that's annoying as hell.

[Dolemite]

$250? Decent price. $199 would have been better, but not many people are going to bitch about $50. Wii Sports should be a cool pack-in as long as the games are actual games and not glorified tech demos.

0% interest in Virtual Console, however. I already have every NES, SNES, and Genny game I'd ever want. For free, thx.

"We want to propose a new lifestyle with Wii," Iwata said.

STFU

Japanese PR is the most mind-numbingly stupid shit on the planet.

[sethsez]

not many people are going to bitch about $50.

Hello Dolemite. I would like to be the first person to offer you a hearty welcome to the internet.