IBM ships chips for Wii
Chip shipments are one of few clues Wii watchers can track; Nintendo hasn't released a specific launch date. Photos: Nintendo Wii prepares for launch
Nintendo, which has said the Wii will be on store shelves in time for the holidays, has not provided specific pricing or a launch date for its widely anticipated game machine.
IBM, which announced the shipments on Thursday, said the chips use technology that will substantially boost the processing power in the Wii while using 20 percent less energy and throwing off less heat.
The Wii will compete with new Microsoft's already released Xbox 360 and Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3. Nintendo has said it plans to ship 6 million units of its new Wii by the end of its fiscal year in March 2007.