Nintendo Wii has peaceful, plentiful launch in US

By Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Sunday, 19 November 2006 22:05

Your IT - Entertainment

The final new games console launch for 2006 has occurred, with the Wii and PS3 joining the Xbox 360 as consoles now launched in the US, the only territory where this has occurred so far.

Nintendo’s Wii was launched at the Toys “R” Us store at Times Square in New York by Nintendo of American President Reggie Fils-Aime to big crowds.

Well, there have been no reports of unruly crowd behaviour, no shootings or other mayhem at the Nintendo launch that took place not long ago, with hundreds of thousands if not millions more Nintendo Wii’s available across the US than was the case for the PS3

At midnight, in the Toys R Us store, Isaiah "Triforce" Johnson, 29 – yes, he had his middle name officially changed – was first in line to buy a Nintendo Wii, having waited for three days for the honor.

Toys "R" Us employees were cheering as ‘Triforce’ Johnson shook Fils-Aime’s hand in a Nintendo PowerGlove, with the President of Nintendo America so impressed that he personally signed the Wii that Johnson was now the proud owner of.

Initial reviews have been as complimentary to the new Wii as all of the pre-launch reports, with the Wii sporting a truly unique control mechanism, despite the PS3 also offering their own motion sensing technology with the PS3.

With so many more Nintendo Wii’s available at launch, at a much lower price point that the Xbox 360 or the PS3, many more people will be able to calmly purchase a Wii today and leading up to Christmas, something that obviously can’t be said for the PS3.

Therefore, the Wii is really mostly duking it out with the Xbox 360 for Christmas season sales, with many existing Xbox 360 and other console owners likely deciding to buy one anyway, not only for the uniquely different gaming experience, but for the fact the Wii is a powerful Internet connectable console of its own.

Designed to work with standard definition televisions, it will easy connect to the TV in the kids’ room or area, and comes with a sports game that is exceedingly easy to play and can be enjoyed by people of all ages, from young children to your grandparents and everyone in betwiin. Sorry, we couldn’t resist.

Well, the Wii is finally here at last, with the European and Australian launches not far behind in early December. Wii really like it, and wii thiink you wiill too.