Nintendo Australia have finally released the Australian release date for their new console, the Wii, and a release date.

The following is the full text of the press release:

Australia, Melbourne, Sept. 15, 2006 – Nintendo will reshape the home entertainment and video game landscape with the launch of its heralded Wii™ home video game console. As part of a global launch period, Wii will arrive in Australia on December 7th. Wii will be sold as an affordable, mass-consumer product at an SRP of just $399.95. The price includes one wireless Wii Remote controller, one Nunchuk™ controller and the groundbreaking collection of five different Wii Sports games on one disc, which anyone can play using simple movements, experienced or not.

Edit by trog: Here's the full press release. promoted/edited forum item

I will be getting one on launch :D

Same, mines pre-ordered. I was hoping for $350 though :(

Where is the best place to pre-order? I have just started a new job that brings in the phat lewts (and you are all sorry internet nerds fence lol) so it is time to start buying stuff >:D

I did my preorder with EB Indooroopilly. They'll have a midnight launch and they're a 1 minute walk down the road :) They won't be any cheaper than RRP though.

awsome... link?

(and no, I don't mean Zelda)

Nintendo Australia website is somewhat dead at the moment, it's getting hammered, hence why I just posted the entire content.

Isnt this covered in this thread ?

http://qgl.ausforums.com/?agn=thread&id=2467738

Well, we're not the US (thank god), so no it's not.

Somewhat. Only vague details. I figured Trog might want something specific for the front page at some point anyway so I thought I'd save the effort and provide the whole press release direct from Nintendo, rather than embedded between dozens of other posts on the US details which are rather irrelevant to us here in Australia.

Also because I posted the info first and it was more convenient for Raven to just make a whole new thread ;)

Fixed for Phatmike. I love you man!11

last edited by Hashy at 22:22:04 15/Sep/06

Background: Hashy's been sour, bitching and abusing me on MSN for the past 10 minutes. It's getting old now.

yea im a few mins walk from EB indro. but eb are such fags..

wish it was 350, sorta tempted to import as I did with GCN, but shipping would add up anyway.

Will probably get the system, extra controllers and Zelda.

Well someone has to line up with me at midnight..because all my friends are like "Oooh, it's cold at midnight", "I'm too sleepy to stay up that late".

.f***ers.

I'm so thankful it's coming out before Christmas!

Already got mine pre-ordered with Toys R Us and that "Free game" offer they had...

Looking forward to my Wii.

Already got mine pre-ordered with Toys R Us and that "Free game" offer they had..

"Here's your Wii... and here's your free game"
"Wii sports? But that comes with it anywa..."
"Next"
"Hey, this box has been opened"
"NEXT"

hashy can you delete your f***ing spam post. no one cares.

toys are us offer sounds the goods.

just got an sms from nintendo australia telling me bout the launch date and price. they are actually on top of things for a change. :)

last edited by phatmike at 22:44:41 15/Sep/06

awesome news, i love it how its cheap and comes with wii sports.

Though not as cheap as expected, the current exchange rate for the US pricing is around $330AU. Even so I will also be picking one up on launch :]

yeah, i didnt really expect my post to be promoted as news since it was pretty quickly and craply made as info was coming out. whatever..

I shall tell my family to buy me loads of cool wii games for christmas so then I have to buy the console.

dude, $399 is pretty cheap compared to the sony poo-ray disc thingymajig (ps3)

lol poo ray

Hey cool thats on my bday, pressies for me!

Holy s***, its Dangles!

Also...Hi Dangles!

if wii has a tennis game, ill be ditching top spin on the xbox and upgrading

:) hi eds, i lurk but dont post.

You get a tennis game with it.

sold

It's the way things work, the Xbox360 is actually cheaper in the US then it is here, same with all the consoles. People in Europe and the UK end up paying more than everyone.

Someone correct me if I am wrong...

US price does not include the tax they would pay, and we are going to cop import charges. At the end of the day the price is not *that much larger. I would have preferred $350 too, but I am not going to split hairs over $50. Reading US boards indicates they were expecting a slightly lower price too.

edit:

last edited by ccl at 11:01:46 16/Sep/06

Nathan, I think you've hit my thoughts spot on. I went into a few stores yesterday to try to find a copy of Lego Star Wars II for Gamecube - EB said they only had one copy in and that had been preordered. Harvey Normal don't stock GCN games anymore, neither do Dick Smith Powerhouse... KMart and Target both had a very limited range... noone's interested in stocking the games.

I was almost certainly going to buy one of these at the prices that people were estimating it was going to be, but $400 is a little steep for me, even though I'm really keen to check it out. Now I've gone from "so keen I'll buy it immediately" to "keen enough to want to check it out but not that keen that I'm prepared to shell out for it on day 1".

hrmm i am going to the states dec 9 so i might just pick one up there, seeing as they are region frii.

humm price is a little surprising, but yeah getting one anyway. And getting Zelda, any other games look interesting?

You guys are citing the Australian performance of the Gamecube now (when the system is beyond dead - Nintendo have NO games coming out for it it anymore except for Zelda)

Nintendo of Australia are pushing the Wii over here and the Nintendo DS is going stronger than Superman in vinegar strokes. The Wii is more expensive here because the f***ing PS3 is more expensive here because the Xbox360 is more expensive here because the Xbox launch was more expensive here because the Gamecube launch was more expensive here because the PS2 launch was more expensive here. Guess what? Consoles are just more f***ing expensive here.

last edited by phatmike at 12:22:02 16/Sep/06

HOLD YOUR HORSES PEOPLE.

a psp value pack is 399.95. a wii is not expensive.

edit:
Value Pack Includes: AC Adaptor, Battery Pack, Memory Stick Duo (32MB), Pouch (Black), Headphones with Remote Control (White), UMD In-pack Sampler, Wrist Strap (White), Cloth (Light Grey).

you dont even get wii sports with that.

last edited by d0mino at 12:28:25 16/Sep/06

I predict $399 for the Xmas rush, then a price drop for both 360 and Wii or value bundles jst as the PS3 get released.

$399 is still a good price.

also, be wary of the "one free game" thign from toys r us, im certain its gonna be wii sports too! the consoles not expensive enough to warrant giving a free game on launch!

It probably most certainly is...they had this same deal with the PS3 though...not quite sure what they're going to do there.

Probably just stick in a demo CD with the pack.

How much is it to pre-order?

In this region they are so far behind their competitors its not funny; it really seems to me they should have taken a hit on the price just to move some product. As it is now, people who would have been a shoe in at the low $300 range will now reconsider.

It's not the console price they're clueless on, it's the price of the games. Lego Star Wars II will sell on PC and GCN for the sole reason that it's $50 on those platforms, yet it's $70 on PSP/PS2/XBox, and $100 for 360. Given that it's exactly the same game why the hell would you buy the more expensive versions?

If they got a clue and priced their games reasonably (ie, ~$60), then people would buy them. But as it is they keep action like the RIAA and wanting $100 for a game!

Looks like we will have to cancel our pre order. $400 is just too much

$400 too much? I hoped it would be $350, I suspected $400. What did you think it was going to be Kat? Does $50 really break the piggy bank?

On the price note, I really REALLY hope the games don't go over $100. I have a 360, and I really have a huge problem paying $110-$120 for a game. That's just waayy too much money.

last edited by Tim Tibbetts at 19:41:19 16/Sep/06

I'm amazed that you two have more combined insight into the Australian videogame market as well of the complications of being a lesser distributor for a multi-billion dollar company than all the highly paid bigwigs at Nintendo of Australia. You should really go knock on their door and share some of your insight, because I really want to see the Wii succeed here.

Godspeed.

Tim Tibbetts: elvis thought around the $330-$350 mark. I don't really follow the console market

He builds MAME cabinets, of all the most useless expensive gaming hobbies (as a hobby, right?) but he can't stretch the $50?

Please ask him for me why he's even into gaming if he can't fathom paying an unexpected $50 on a piece of hardware that will last him over 3 years. Ta.

The real Elvis had 3 TVs.

I dunno why people look at the price of the console so much to be honest though. I mean $350 vs $400? Not a big deal. The offset in the cost of games will make a much bigger dent on your wallet over the life of the system.

i pre ordered mine at Toys R Us a month or so ago. They are offering 1 free game of your choice (zelda of course) for pre ordering.

Nintendo Australia gets all their commands and marketing budget from Japan. It's up to Japan as NAL doesn't really seem to exist here.

At least Nintendo came through with their worldwide launch. They did better than both Sony and Microsoft.

Has anyone spoken to TRU since the price announcement to confirm that the free game isn't Wii Sports?

actually, I think I remember nintendo dropped the price of the gamecube to 330 just days before launch here. Same thing may happen again..

I will be going to TRU in garden city on monday and asking about this, if it's legit, I'll preorder with Zelda. Will report back.

I went in to Toys'R'Us at Garden City today, and the manager said that it "would be another game from the built in one", so as far as I could tell that meant that it would not be Wii Sports. He said that he can't say anything 100% sure at the moment, including launch date, because the head office hasn't supplied the retails with the details of the launch yet.

I'll probably go in there later in the week, and if I can get it in writing, I'll pre-order on the spot.

yeah, just been reading neogaf.com forums and other people there have said the same thing that TRU is offering the free game on top of whatever nintendo is offering. :)

well if it ends up being region locked then TRU is the way to go i reckshon. even if im inner city. hrm.. i wonder what the closest TRU to the city?

Is TRU a special term for people in denial they're buying from a store called "Toys R Us"?

Is TRU a special term for people in denial they're buying from a store called "Toys R Us"?

Hashy makes yet another unfunny nerd angst joke

woooo

Hey it's jum

you know what that means

Sorry jum I waited almost 3 hours no-one seems to know

Toys r Us are selling the wii because it has kiddy games on it.

I just called Toys R Us, and they told me that I wont get to choose the game, "it's whatever Nintendo decides."

I asked if that meant it was the bundled game, and they said "Yes, it is."

Looks like I wont be cancelling my pre-order at EB.

EDIT: Spelling.

last edited by Midda at 13:09:36 17/Sep/06

Well I dunno, someone else said that they asked, and Toys R Us said that it WASN'T WiiSports... Someone should just punch all their f***s until they get a straight answer.

I am going to try that tomorrow. Will see how it goes down.

guy i spoke to in person when i ordered at Toys R US said it was the customers choice of released games.

so it isn't going to be wii sports, wii sports is built into the console. that would be like saying "pre order and you get a controller free" and then say it is the controller that nintendo give away with the console.

Well I'm not cancelling my $20 pre-order a EB until someone actually confirms that the game that comes with the Wii isn't WiiSports.

I won't cancel my preorder if I don't get a 'free' game, so I don't really care.

Is it that big a deal? Would it really stop you from getting the entire console!?

so it isn't going to be wii sports, wii sports is built into the console

Apparently wii sports is not built into the wii because it is not included in the jap package.

Tepid, nice work, keep us posted - sounds like their ego is writing checks their body can't cash to me

If any of the Toys 'R' Us stores say that you get a free game (epsecially a store that says you can choose any free game), if you can get some sort of evidence from someone that has said this, regardless of whether it's true or not, take it to EB and they should be able to match it.

I wouldn't bother with the stores themselves. I doubt the grunts working would have any clue, not even the managers. Go straight to HO.

I wouldn't bother with the stores themselves. I doubt the grunts working would have any clue, not even the managers. Go straight to HO.

totally agree. I wouldn't trust anything a sales person will tell you about release dates and such. If you've ever been to EB you should know this already!

Parents will have NFI usually about this sort of thing, but they will know from having brought little Johnny a previous generation console that it doen't usually come with a game. So advertising (if that what the ad says never seen it) that it comes with FREE GAME will probably equate to Wii Sports. And the parents will buy the Wii from toy'r'us because thats what their ad says and no other ad says FREE GAME.

Thats my guess...

Well I got sick and tired of all this crap so I phoned Jennifer from Toys R Us Corporate in Sydney.

The free game is in ADDITION to Wii Sports.
What hasn't been decided is a) whether we, the consumer can pick what free game we get b) whether Toys R Us will decide the game on a national level or c) whether Toys R Us will decide that game on a local store level.

There you go, a little more information.

Tim to the rescue.

last edited by natslovR at 16:06:11 18/Sep/06

Well, I think I might cancel my pre-order at EB and head to the nearest TRU! I don't care what game I get, as long as its extra and its free, its better than nothing!

I sppoke to the manager of TRU at Garden City today. He said I wasnt the first obviously, but he doesn't have details yet as I guess they only just got the news from Nintendo themselves. He said Wednesday or Thursday they should have it sorted and to come back then.

But he said it most likely will be another game on top of the pack in, but not confirmed of course.

Either way, it's pretty s***ty of them since they have a big cardboard cutout and 'Free Game with preorder' sign out the front of the store.

also, this blind kid already got a wii and copy of zelda today on the Ellen show: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5uuzZpOHBXk

last edited by phatmike at 19:16:57 18/Sep/06

while waiting for ellen to download i watched this one I'm cheap and i'm fun. I want a WII NOW just in case she delivers it.

news that they skimmed over pretty quick:

no online multiplayer at launch :(

it sux hard, but there is enough SP to tide everyone over methinks.

good article here:
http://gameinformer.com/News/Story/200609/N06.0915.1324.09291.htm

BLIND KID? WHAT A f***ING WASTE. I AM SO PISSED RIGHT NOW

It's just good that you have a forum like QGL to vent your anger on then, ey?

I doubt its a final version of Twilight Princess though. I hope they are polishing that baby right up until the last second.

I will preorder mine on wednesday from tru :D

Oh yeaaah

Few things though. I have never played a zelda/link game, except for the one on the snes. Should I get some emulation happening and play through these games so I can fully appreciate the one coming out on the wii? I heard that oceanira of time (or whatever) is an excellent game.


last edited by fpot at 22:52:57 18/Sep/06

yeah man play through ocarina of time.
one of my all time favs.

My bros got an n64 around here somewhere, I might just see if I can pick it up cheap somewhere.

Anyone want to sell me a copy?

I'd say Ocarina of Time would be the best one out of em all to get you into Zelda.

Cashies might have a copy lying around, wouldn't hurt to have a look.

The way to play OoT is on the Gamecube, with the updated version that came with the limited edition of Windwaker.

He also has a gamecube lying around somewhere so all good.

OoT is ranked #1 on gamerankings.com

I'd put it as my top game, alongside other greats like Yoshi's Island and RE4 :)

I have 3 copies :P N64 cart, Wind Waker Bonus Disc (with Master Quest), and Collector's Edition with all the old Zeldas including Majoras Mask but excluding LTTP since they still make money off that.

Link to the Past is the SNES one you probably played, and is considered to be the best as well, alongside OoT

LTTP = Link to the Past.

It was a brillaint game back then.

Recognize++

Link's Awakening FTW.

'nuff said.

i recently played through link to the past on gba, never played the snes version but i loved the gba version. i think it has slightly updated graphics.

I think you'll be hard press finding either, let alone cheap.

EDIT: Ebay is your friend.

i've never ever played a zelda game.

i was absolutely devoted to sega, and everything nintendo was despised.
my dumb loyalty was rewarded with s***house failures like the 32X and saturn, but at the time i f***ing loved them. now i realise i have missed out on some absolutely classic gaming experiences... so i am going to get a wii which will be my first ever nintendo product :D

ps. i was such a sega fan when i was 15 that i even used to write sega graffiti at my school. and when i went to a gaming convention in the city i impressed all the sega reps with my knowledge and skill so much that they promised to send me all this free sega stuff and even get me working for sega. alas, it was alllll lies and they crushed my dreams of being a hedgehog pimp :(

lol. I was a Nintendo fanboy growing up, but I like to think now that I play whatever is good. There are too many good games on all the systems, and to just ignore those games for no good reason is stupid.

You NEED to play Ocarina of Time, it is one of my favourite games of all time. It will probably be a launch title for the Virtual Console on Wii.

i was absolutely devoted to sega, and everything nintendo was despised.

and now nintendo own sega. :)

I played OoT on the N64 and then again on my Cube (but i had forgotten all the music patterns!) when it came with WindWaker.

WindWaker was heaps of fun but OoT was the more puzzle like game and therefore i enjoyed it more. I loved Windwaker's graphics, nintendo are always out to try something new and different and that is why they rock.

I'm not so much of a Nintendo fanboy as I am a Zelda and Mario fanboy. I like their franchises a lot more than the console itself.

OoT would be up in my top 10 games of all time.

I remember my dad coming back from the sunday markets yonks ago with Link to the Past for 5 bux and im like wtfrank is this but then after playing it i was like hellyeah s***yeah booyeah this is deep. Though besides Link to the Past on the snes i never really played much zelda, mainly because Greazy did 24/7 and there was no way i was going to finish the game before he did, so i told zelda and link to go f*** themselves but i'm not sure if they're old enough to do so just yet.

last edited by Booyah at 11:33:50 19/Sep/06

Windwaker was almost ruined by the triforce fishing for me but if you can put that aside it's a true gem of the series. It was really suprisingly good.

The Mac spoof ad is gold.

It is the exact opposite of this to the point that I am destroying brain cells right now even trying to comprehend how anyone could find that funny.

I dunno why everyone is raving about OOT. OOT was a great game, but playing through those first five dungeons was boring as s***! It was only after you passed the forest dungeon that it actually got interesting, and unfortunately to be able to play the final six dungeons you have to go through all that annoying crap first.

Link To The Past was undoubtably the best Zelda game, and arguably the best SNES game ever, imo. The only game that maybe rivals it is Secret of Mana. If you only ever play one Zelda/Link game, play LttP. Having said that, if anyone knows if LttP:4 Swords is able to be played online/via WiFi, I'd love to give it a go.

I think you're forgetting Chrono Trigger, Raven, another top snes game.

Just some of the Snes games that arguably rival LttP on the adventure/rpg front:

Secret of Evermore/Mana/ManaII(SD3)
Tales of Phantasia
Soul Blazer
Terranigma
Illusions of Gaia
Bahamut Lagoon
E.V.O
Earthbound
FF 5/6
Mario RPG
Star Ocean
Dragon Quest V
ChronoTrigger, I guess (f***, someone put this game to rest)

Virtual console needs to get here quicker and some of these games released so I have an excuse to replay them

Anyone after the Wii and hasn't pre order one?

We have one with Toys R Us which we will just be cancelling.

y kat y?

So what do people think the best deal for pre-ording the Wii at the moment?

snes rpgs are the bestest. as much as i hate to agree with hashy that list is pretty mega awesome

Everyone ultimately agrees with me, it just takes time

So what do people think the best deal for pre-ording the Wii at the moment?

I'd say go for Toys R Us. There is the chance of a free game so why not?

Protius, Chrono Trigger was good but I just couldn't get into it the same way as Secret of Mana. Same with Illusion of Gaia, Secret of Evermore and Senken Densetsu 3... they seemed to be good in the native (Japanese) release but not entirely suited to the western/Australian market.

f*** - all I read was that the release date was Sept 15... thought that everyone would be raving about it by now and was wondering why people weren't more hyped up.

Will the Wii be able to play all my movies and have an HDD like the 360 to store cool stuff? I would really like something with the functionality of the 360 but for less:O

the free game might suck though, maybe wait until they've actually set the free game to pre-order?

I've preordered at EB Indro because they'll have a midnight launch. Closer to the actual release date I'll contact JB and Toys R Us to see what 'deals' they've got going....and then I will make sure EB will match them. If they don't, I'll cancel my order and then go to the next best place.

Will the Wii be able to play all my movies and have an HDD like the 360 to store cool stuff?

Nope

It is also several hundred dollers cheaper.. :D

512mb of memory is good for the old virtual console games and just saving...but doesn't the limit storage capacity rule out demos for games being released? That's a pity, I've enjoyed that functionality with my X360.

the free game might suck though, maybe wait until they've actually set the free game to pre-order?

A free game is a free game isn't it? I'd rather a free game rather than not have a free game whether it sucked or not.

hmm... the wii only has 512mb? thats as much as my phone has :/
(i know there is a sd card expansion though)

how is the overall wii processing power compared to the 360?

how is the overall wii processing power compared to the 360?

It's inferior obviously. That being said the selling point for the 360 was "It's 2.5 times more powerful than an Xbox". That's not the selling point for the Wii.

wii positive, playing a movie on it will be a piece of cake, (compared to regular xbox: modding it, ftping to it etc) all you would have to do is copy the movie file to the sd and slot it in and KAPOW.

The wii is nothing but an overclocked gamecube with a gimmicky controller and a library of kids games

With that in mind I have decided to wait for sexy black. Mmmmmmmmmm black.

http://www.lydogbilde.no/getfile.php/280979.919.tvtqqfsxvq/Nintendo.jpg

I just hope it doesn't take more than three months like the DS Lite.

game shortage? how hard can it be for them to burn a stack of dvd's ?

I believe he means the number of different games shortage and not the number of copies of a game.

The wii is nothing but an overclocked gamecube with a gimmicky controller and a library of kids games

Your constant s***ty sacrasm/trolling in regards to nintendo and its games is getting monotonous and i believe it's time you stfu already about it.

That's not sarcasm. It is pretty much an overclocked gamecube.

and "gimmick controller and library of kids games"? That's coming from someone who's got a pokemon in his sig. It's f***ing sarcasm and he's upset that people think differently about his beloved kindy garden box set.

Oh snap. Sarcasm on the internet.

orly?

The wii is nothing but an overclocked gamecube with a gimmicky controller and a library of kids games

Yeah... funny how all it takes is for Nintendo to release an overclocked gamecube and a gimmicky controller to destroy its competition before it even goes on sale ;P

Will the Wii be able to play all my movies and have an HDD like the 360 to store cool stuff?

Nope

Incorrect. The Wii supports USB storage devices enabling their use to store any game related data, patches and/or other content that you may want to play on the Wii. In addition it also has a inbuilt wireless interface but it is unknown if it has the ability to play media via that as yet.

Incorrect. The Wii supports USB storage devices enabling their use to store any game related data, patches and/or other content that you may want to play on the Wii. In addition it also has a inbuilt wireless interface but it is unknown if it has the ability to play media via that as yet.

So, you can't play DVDs, but you can play stuff for an SD card or USB drive? The device still has to support the format and it's unlikely that anyone is going to want to convert their movies to a format that is supported by the Wii just to play the bloody movie.

Wii supports USB storage devices

oh thats cool. i've got a 300gig nexstar3 that should work just dandy then :D

y kat y?

A few reasons apparently -
- It isn't region free so can't buy gameas from asia
- DMCA was brought in so mod chips are illegal
- Only one controller
- Price

I think they are the only reasons at the moment

pre-ordered mine form Toys R Us today. I was on the fourth page of pre-orders and each page has somewhere between 25-35 names on it.

EDIT: Wait... nevermind.

last edited by Protius at 20:19:58 23/Sep/06

natslovR, which store did you preorder from? garden city? ...i am going to go there tomorrow. I guess I should have just done it last week.

@ Westfield, Belconnen, Canberra.

Your constant s***ty sacrasm/trolling in regards to nintendo and its games is getting monotonous and i believe it's time you stfu already about it.

QFT.

Yeah... funny how all it takes is for Nintendo to release an overclocked gamecube and a gimmicky controller to destroy its competition before it even goes on sale ;P

It's time to play a little game I love called "spot the fanboy"! :D

(j/k, please dont' assualt me with a 3000 word essay on how great Nintendo is)

ah, good. didnt notice you were from interstate

testing.


last edited by PHATm at 21:26:58 24/Sep/06

It's time to play a little game I love called "spot the fanboy"! :D

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e12/Cl1nt/fanboys8se.jpg

The wii is nothing but an overclocked gamecube with a gimmicky controller and a library of kids games

Sounds good to me.

Your constant s***ty sacrasm/trolling in regards to nintendo and its games is getting monotonous and i believe it's time you stfu already about it.

This was the first time ever I've made a sarcastic remark much less trolled in a Nintendo thread. I don't understand.

I mean uh, QFT, I guess.

preorderd today at TRU. was on the 3rd page, prolly 50th on the list.

asked the girl if its first come first served, or by order. Like I thought, she had nfi. They're so unorganised in there, and even if their 'free game' is wii sports, at least its not a loss I guess.

I'll just be there early, no way they would be smart enough to wait for people to show up in order to collect, and doubt they would have a midnite launch.

meh.

just thought I'd post this:

Aussie Wii shortages possible

Nintendo Australia has refused to disclose how many Wiis they will be bringing into the country for its December Australian launch, and has not ruled out the possibility of shortages come launch date.

Nintendo Australia spokesman Vispi Bhopti says while the company is bringing in a significant number of consoles for the Australian launch on December 7, it cannot guarantee "total supply".

"We will be guaranteeing pre-ordered stock at retail--so that's definitely the way to go to secure it because we can't guarantee total supply because we don't know how many consumers are going to go wild over this," Bhopti said "We are bringing in a significant number of Wiis into Australia -- it won't be a small drop. But at the same time, our expectations are so big for this product that we would, to err on the safe side, recommend that people pre-order."

Australian gamers most recently had to suffer through a next-generation console shortage earlier this year when the Xbox 360 launched in March. Within days of the official launch on March 23, 60GB Xbox 360 bundles had all but sold out across the country.

Nintendo announced last week that the Wii would hit Australian shores on December 7 for AU$399.95. Bhopti said final pricing for games, accessories and virtual console titles was still being finalised for Australia, although they would be "relative to overseas pricing". In the US, first party Wii titles will retail for US$50 (AU$66.50).

Bhopti said while the number of launch day titles was also still being finalised, he did confirm that Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess would be a launch title locally. The GameCube version of the game would arrive in early 2007, he said.

And for those still holding out hope that the Wii will be region-free console, Bhopti has some bad news. "You won't be able to play overseas games on an Australian unit," he said.

Bhopti says Nintendo is gearing up national roadshows to promote the Wii in the weeks leading to launch. The shows will be similar to its recent DS Connection Tour, which had Nintendo visit major shopping centres around the country. Consumers will be able to get their hands on the Wii and its unique controllers during these shows, Bhopti said.

The Wii's use of wireless controllers means free-standing in-store demo units, however, will not be part of the promotional campaign, Bhopti says.

"We can bolt things down as much as we want, but when we do that it ruins the experience of the wireless controller. You really don't want to pick up that wireless controllers unless it really is wireless," Bhopti said.

"Some of these experiences are also quite unique, and we want to be able to explain the experiences to people when we're there. So it's important that when we do have in-store units, they will be manned demonstrations."

also, controller prices:

Wiimote - AUS$69.95
Nunchuck - $29.95
Classic -$29.95

and here's some pics of nunchuk being pulled apart

eg.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/9877/wii02rk2.jpg

COOL time to ring Nintendo for a job as an instore demonstrator, "piss of KID can't ya see I'm 3 under with 6 holes to go, comback latter and I might let you have a go if you bring me a coke..."

No one in their right-mind would guarantee supply of a launch product beacuse the demand could be everyone-in-the-world-wants-two-of-them, so this article isn't suprising, but still i'm glad i have pre-ordered.

Fark, controller prices are f***ed.

Cancelled the Wii pre-order the other day.

Now life can return to normal

Cancelled the Wii pre-order the other day.

We know already ffs, we don't need your trolling comments in this thread anymore.

And we know that the controllers are expensive but you get to say your 2 cents worth. Now bugger off and rub yuor crotch a bit more... plus I said we were going to. Just updating :P

The GameCube version of the game would arrive in early 2007, he said.

Im speechless... why isn't the GC version of Zelda also being released on/near the launch title of Wii?

Why do you think?

And we know that the controllers are expensive but you get to say your 2 cents worth. Now bugger off and rub yuor crotch a bit more... plus I said we were going to. Just updating :P

I'm getting a Wii, you are not, my comment is more valid :P So why don't YOU bugger off and go dance like a retard some more. I dunno about the rest, but I'm sure most of them will agree, noone wants your updates.

I agree, i for one dont want your update, just FYI.

Booyah is my favourite QGL poster

Hey f*** you!

It WAS meant to be my last post on the topic. good one Pro

So it's now his fault you're an attention whore?

gg noobs