In a press release, Nintendo has confirmed that the Wii console will not retail for more than USD250 in the United States and ¥25,000 in Japan. Any pricing plans for other regions have yet to be revealed.
In the same press release, it was also announced that 17 million Wii games are expected to be sold and 6 million Wii consoles are expected to be shipped during the period from the systems launch to the end of Nintendo’s fiscal year, on March 31, 2007.
Wii (previously codenamed Revolution) has long been expected to be the cheapest "next-gen" console and was unveiled in 2005. Its competitors include Sony’s PlayStation 3 (priced at USD499 and USD599) as well as Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (priced at USD399 and USD299).
However, Nintendo is not just banking on a low price tag to attract gamers. The Wii controller, or the "Wiimote", is capable of sound, rumbling, motion-sensing, and sensing the controller’s position in 3D space. Nintendo hopes that these unique features will "re-define gaming", attracting both hardcore and causal gamers alike.
Nintendo, optimistic about the future of their potential console war winner, is expecting an 18% increase in global sales based on both demand for the Nintendo DS and a successful reception for the Wii.