Nintendo Wii

[LaRésistance]

Bon, voici le communiqué de presse que Nintendo vient de m'envoyer, maintenant on est fixé:

WII EUROPEAN LAUNCH DETAILS ANNOUNCED

- Nintendo will make Wii accessible and fun for the entire family -



15th September 2006 - Today at a press conference held in London’s Docklands, Mr Iwata, Global President of Nintendo Co., Ltd. unveiled a new dimension in home entertainment. Nintendo announced ways to involve every member of the family in gaming via the new Wii console, as well as the much-anticipated price, date and software line-up for the console’s European launch.



Wii is set to revolutionise the face of gaming when it launches in Europe on 8th December 2006 at an estimated retail price of 249 Euros (£179 in the UK), bundled with Wii Sports. Accompanying the console launch will be around 20 software titles including Wii Play and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and from third party publishers launch games include: Ubisoft’s RED STEEL, EA’s Need for Speed: Carbon, Activision’s Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, THQ’s Disney/ Pixar’s Cars and Sega’s Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz.



Included with every Wii console is one wireless Wii Remote, one Nunchuk, and the groundbreaking collection of five different Wii Sports games on one disk which anyone can play using simple physical movements.



Nintendo today set a new direction for the video games industry by using state of the art technology not just for enhancing graphics and processing power but to introduce new people to the world of video games by creating brand new entertainment that is fresh and accessible to everyone.



Mr Iwata, Nintendo’s President, outlined how the Wii would build on Nintendo’s learnings and existing success with DS and continue this expansion of the gaming audience in unique and unprecedented ways.



With Wii, Nintendo aims to create a console that can be enjoyed by every member of the family. Every Wii console will include a series of on-screen “channels” that make up the Wii Channel Menu. The Wii Channel Menu is the starting point for all of the console’s functions. The “channels” offer a gateway to a rich variety of entertainment options. When connected to a TV, the Wii Channel Menu offers a simple interface letting users pick games to play, get news or weather, view and send photos or even create playable caricatures of themselves to use in actual games. Additional functions allow users to download classic games to Wii’s Virtual Console.



Nintendo believe that encouraging users to pick up the controller to access the internet quickly, check the news or see tomorrows weather is one way of ensuring that everyone in the household can use, interact and ultimately engage with Wii. And once users have picked up the controller to perform these basic functions, it’s a small step to get involved in some more fun game play action.



Wii launches across Europe on 8th December 2006 at the estimated retail price of 249 Euros (£179 in the UK). Nintendo first party games will retail at the estimated retail price of between 49 Euros and 59 Euros (£34 to £39 in the UK).



Additional controllers will also be available from launch at the estimated retail prices of: Wii Remote - 39 Euros (£29 in UK), Nunchuk – 19 Euros (£14 in UK) and the Classic Controller – 19 Euros (£14 in UK)



Click onto www.Wii.com for all of the most up to date official information on Wii.



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NOTES TO EDITORS:



Additional information on Wii Channels



Disc Channel: This channel allows users to play either Wii game discs or the entire library of Nintendo GameCube™ discs.



Mii™ Channel: Fun caricatured portraits created in this channel can be used as characters across a variety of Wii software. Portraits can be stored in a user’s Wii Remote and taken to a friend’s house to play on another Wii console. Each member of the family can have his or her Wii Remote personalized with a caricature.



Photo Channel: This channel allows users to take digital pictures stored on an SD memory card and display them on their television screens. Users also can manipulate the photos in a variety of fun and creative ways, such as zooming or creating mosaics, puzzles or slide shows. They can draw, add stamps, and copy and paste. They also can change the “mood” of photos by brightening them, converting them to monochrome, inverting the color or changing them to stark black and white. Users can even add an MP3 tune to their slide shows. It provides a fun and easy outlet for people to edit their digital pictures. Users also can send their pictures to other Wii consoles by attaching a photo to the Wii Message Board.



Forecast Channel (Weather): Users who have connected their Wii console to the Internet can access free local weather forecasts just a few seconds after turning on the Wii console. The WiiConnect24™ service automatically updates local weather information. Users can view forecasts for cities around the world on a 3-D globe.



News Channel: Users can access breaking news with the touch of a button. When connected to the Internet, the WiiConnect24 service automatically updates this free channel and organizes it in a variety of topical categories. Users can see where news is happening by viewing the location of news stories on a 3-D globe.



Wii Shop Channel: This is where users go to buy Wii Points or redeem them to download classic video games to the Virtual Console™. Users also can use points to download the Opera browser used in the Internet Channel.



Internet Channel: This channel dramatically changes the relationship between a user’s home, the television and the Internet. Then they can surf the Internet right from the comfort of their couch. They can do quick research while watching a television program (“What was that actor’s name again?”). Or book travel plans and shop during commercials. The service is compatible with Macromedia Flash. This channel will be available in most European countries at launch.



Wii Message Board: Forget hand-scrawled notes tacked to the refrigerator door. Users can leave messages for other family members on a calendar-based message board. They also can use WiiConnect24 to send messages to people outside the home as well. Even better, people can trade photos and text messages with cell phone users. The service also allows for incoming messages targeted at software, such as a new map or weapon for a game. Games can constantly be updated, thereby extending their playability.