Nintendo hopes Wii spells wiinner (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2006-08-14-nintendo-qa_x.htm)
USA Today interviews Reginald Fils-Aime, President of Nintendo.
QuoteQ: A few years ago, Nintendo made a conscious decision to lie low when Microsoft introduced Xbox Live and began promoting its subscription online gaming service. In retrospect, does that look like a good decision?
A: I wasn't here. What I can tell you is the way we've approached online play now is really with a view to the masses. With Nintendo DS (a dual-screen handheld player), for example, we offer free Internet play in a wide-ranging series of games. Our focus is getting as many consumers to enjoy that online experience as possible. And we've done that.
*Emphasis mine.
Now to hear the price of the Wii. Should be out soon, I hope. I might actually get one for Christmas for the kids. I wonder what I would do with the GameCube, though? I might also be buying another TV :P
So the Wii will be wi-fi enabled? I wonder if there'll be games we can play on the computer against people on the Wii. That'd be really neat, although not at all sticking to what FEES-oe-MEY would want us to do...
Current word is that it will be $170 US
Wow, cheap. I'm guessing $199 to $219 here, then. Hopefully games aren't priced ridiculously expensively. Maybe I'll just make the kids save up their allowance and buy it themselves :P
I saw that $170US price as well, but the 1UP podcast had news from a retailer (leaked) that was $229US, so it really is anyones guess. Its gonna be a cheap peripheral thats for sure (gamecube sli with a fancy magic wand).
Also the internat play on my DS isnt that great to say that its free is wonderful but to compare it to Live is like comparing a Yugo (http://www.subrew.com/library/yugo/yugo_rear.jpg) to a Veyron (http://www.motordesktop.com/wallpaper/supercars/Bugatti%20Veyron%202%20-%201024x768.jpg). Though i doubt Nintendo has the resources to do what Microsoft did, Sony is attempting it with PNP (i think thasts what its called).