Wii-stock: Nintendo's big show

Nintendo invited the biggest names in tech and gaming journalism to New York's West Side, where they finally answered all the questions we had about the Wii.

CNET Reviews staff Sept. 14, 2006 9:03 a.m. PT

1 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime shows off the Wii's menu system and the channels users navigate to communicate, browse the Web, and play their favorite games.

2 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan started the show, warming up the crowd before Reggie took the stage.

3 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

The Wii's U.S. release date is now officially November 19, just about the time the PlayStation 3 is supposed to hit stores.

4 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

The Wii will have a suggested retail price of $250. This package includes the Wii, a Wiimote with nunchuck, and a copy of Wii Sports. This is the first time a game has shipped with a Nintendo console since the Super Nintendo.

5 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

Reggie also talked about the Nintendo DS and how it's affecting the portable game market. According to the graph, it's doing quite well.

6 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

After Reggie's presentation, a Nintendo PR rep demonstrated the bowling game mode in Wii Sports.

7 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

After the big Wii show, visitors were invited to try the new system for themselves. This is a lonely row of Wii kiosks, just before getting swarmed by game-hungry journalists.

8 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

The Wii itself, almost close enough to touch. With only 4 million units shipping worldwide by the holiday season, you might want to reserve yours soon.

9 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

With only 480p resolution and no HDMI, the Wii's backside looks a bit sparse. Fortunately, the two USB ports offer the potential for future expansion.

10 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

The Wii's Mii creation tool lets users create their own digital avatars for use within certain games on the console.

11 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will hit stores when the Wii itself does. Link's latest adventure is one of the Wii's biggest selling points.

12 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is another of the Wii's big titles. Unfortunately, it won't be released until sometime in 2007.

13 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

The Nintendo DS's surprisingly infectious Brain Age will see a Wii version, with numerous Wiimote-based puzzles.

14 of 14 Photo: Jody Levine Gianni, CNET Networks

Though the Wii version of Madden '07 will lack the pumped-up graphics of the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 versions, the Wiimote control scheme will add an interesting aspect to the game.