Wii Tipped for Summer Launch
At least, according to a bunch of blank-faced anonymous industry insiders.
Nintendo has made no secret that it will give out the launch specifics for the Wii when it's good and ready, but that hasn't made eager fans any less rabid. Good thing, then, that prognosticators-slash-analysts are weighing in on the matter.
The company line from Nintendo is that it will have an announcement about the release date by September - perhaps at the Tokyo Game Show, where the Wii remote was debuted last year.
But according to P.J. McNealy of American Technology Research, via CNN's Game Over column, the Wii could be out by October. Columnist Chris Morris says industry insiders tell him it could be as early as late September.
Evidence for this comes by way of the timing of manufacturing of the final Wii hardware, which McNealy reportedly says has already started.
Nintendo has learned the hard way that stock shortages are bad. The DS Lite is one of the hottest gadgets in Japan right now. It's already sold more than 2.5 million units since March, and yet an informal poll of would-be DS owners found that 44 per cent of them wanted one but couldn't find one.
Apart from when you'll be able to buy it, there's also the question of how much you're going to pay for the Wii. Nintendo hasn't given any numbers, but it did set the bar, saying it would not sell for more than $250 in the US and ¥25,000 in Japan.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
Satoru Iwata Video Interview - the late Nintendo president spoke with Kikizo in 2004 as 'Nintendo Revolution' loomed.
Kaz Hirai Video Interview - the first of Kikizo's interviews with the man who went on to become global head of Sony.
Ed Fries Video Interview - one of Xbox's founders discusses an epic journey from Excel to Xbox.
Yu Suzuki, the Kikizo Interview - we spend time with one of gaming's most revered creators.
Tetris - The Making of an Icon: Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers reveal the fascinating story behind Tetris
Rare founders, Chris and Tim Stamper - their only interview? Genuinely 'rare' sit down with founders of the legendary studio.
The History of First-Person Shooters - a retrospective, from Maze War to Modern Warfare