No midnight mayhem, but Wii's launch expected to draw crowds

Angus Kidman
Friday, 01 December 2006 06:31

Your IT - Entertainment

Nintendo is predicting "pandemonium and mayhem" when the Wii goes on sale in Japan on December 2, but the Australian launch the following week will probably prove to be a more sedate affair.

Having sold more than 600,000 units since going on sale in the US on November 19 , the Wii -- whose most notable feature is a motion-based controller which offers a unique style of gameplay, but which has also wrecked several plasma screens in the process -- is expected to do blockbuster business in Japan, one of the two crucial world markets for gaming consoles.

Nintendo has said that "retail pandemonium and mayhem is expected" at the Japanese launch.

In Australia, where the console goes on sale on December 7, there are no "official" launch events planned, a Nintendo spokesperson told IT Wire.

However, several retail chains, including EB and Toys R Us, are planning midnight openings to let gaming fans get their hands on the new console, which will retail for $399.95. Additional Wii controllers cost $69.95 each.

Nintendo says that more than 40,000 Australians have already played with the console at demonstration events.

Other next-generation consoles have typically launched in Australia much later than other world markets. Microsoft's Xbox 360 debuted in Australia four months after the US, and Sony's PS3 won't see a local release until March 2007.