Joystiq fires Robert Summa over post, Summa responds and joins Destructoid

Robert Summa responds to being fired by Joystiq.

Anyway, Joystiq knew the news (I told them) and they knew I was posting a note to let readers know to come back later. If they, at any point, thought I was sensationalizing things or was not in line with their “mission,” then they had an entire day to edit or take down the note. But, of course, they left it up. Why?

Destructoid was smart enough to bring is Robert Summa as soon as he was let go.

Earlier in the day on Thursday, Robert Summa ran a post on Joystiq entitled “Major next-gen console news coming tonight“. The post said that at 12:01am Joystiq would run a feature with next-gen console news which they couldn’t reveal until then. This particular post got a lot of attention and was hyped all over the net. It ended up with slightly over 1000 comments.

At 12:01 Robert Summa posted the promised news, which basically was that IBM has been shipping their Broadway chip for Nintendo’s Wii console since July. He also speculated that while this was great news, the release date of the Wii might be much sooner than originally though.

As it turns out a lot of readers were disappointed with the news, as they were expecting much much more. If you want to read through some of the comments you can see that some people were expecting ridiculous news, such as the Nintendo Wii being available for sale the next day, or the PS3 canceled. Numerous times throughout the night Robert Summa posted hints and debunked crazy ideas.

Soon after the feature started to receive negative attention, the feature was updated with “toned down language throughout”, which basically means they took any fun and interesting speculation out of it. Eventually, Joystiq ended up issuing a public apology, and firing Robert.

In their apology, Joystiq throws Robert Summa under the bus, basically saying that they agree with the readers.

We believe that Joystiq overreacted, and didn’t know how to deal with the negative attention. They should have not fired Robert and they did just to save face, as they were well aware of the contents of the upcoming feature, and still allowed the whole event to take place.

If you enjoy reading Robert Summa’s posts, you can now read them over at his new home destructoid.com

Nintendo Wii release date speculated to be October 2nd

Speculating and reading between the lines on Nintendo’s latest press release, Gaming Target has decoded the secret message and says that Nintendo Wii will launch on October 2nd.

Nintendo makes no reference to any Wii games or release information on this press release, but here is the reasoning behind the new speculated release date.

The fourth quarter begins on October 1. Now look at the list. At least one game is released every Monday in the fourth quarter except for the following dates: October 2, November 20 and November 27.

November 27 is after Black Friday, so it’s out. November 20 is after the launch of the PS3, so that’s out too. That leaves us with October 2.

The Wii will launch on October 2, you read it here first.

It seems unlikely that Nintendo will launch that early and still has not made any official announcements, but maybe they’ll surprise us. I’m still betting on a late October or early November release, but I couldn’t be happier if I were wrong.

Rumors: Nintendo Wii Development Kit under $2000; 3rd party games $40

Lets add this to the rumors page. According to a post at the wiivolution forums, Wii 3rd party games will be sold for $40. Also, more interestingly, it seems that the Nintendo Wii Development Kit will be priced under $2000

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata along with the Board of Directors answered many questions at a corporate management policy briefing held last week which revealed that the price of the Wii development kits would now cost as low as $1,732. Iwata expects to increase funding for research and development to prepare for launch.

No real solid information available yet, so take this as you may.

(Via: Digg)

Nintendo Wii release date announcement in September

Today, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced that the Nintendo Wii ship date will be announced in September. This announcement came from Japan, at Nintendo’s Management Policy Briefing. Satoru Iwata also stated that the company plans to move six million consoles globally before April 1st, 2007, and that the console will be sold at a loss. (original article in Japanese here)

Nintendo Wii Release Date: November 6th

We ran into a gaming website claiming that they were able to get some inside information from Nintendo in regards to the Wii release date. According to their sources, as of right now, the Nintendo Wii release date is scheduled for November 6th.

… we pushed our source a bit further to see if they had an idea of a more exact date. Today, we were provided with the following information…

“So, at the moment Nintendo are aiming to launch the Wii on November 6th”

Our source emphasised that this date is correct at present, but pointed out: “Nintendo aren’t going to have an exact date in mind until they are sure they can meet the deadlines”.

Since Sony has already announced the PlayStation 3 release date, and Nintendo did announce a Q4 launch date at this years E3, it makes sense that Nintendo would do everything possible within their power, to get their new console out into the market before Sony launches the PS3.

Please take the November 6th launch information with a grain of salt, as nothing has been confirmed by Nintendo yet.

Official Nintendo Wii launch price announcement: Under $250

Today, Nintendo made an official announcement on the Nintendo Wii launch release price. The system will not cost more than $250 in the US. This means that it could be $249, or $199 or possibly anywhere in between. We’re still hoping that Nintendo sticks to their accustomed $199 release price.

Following its overwhelming debut at E3 2006, Nintendo today announced the current fiscal year unit shipment forecast for its new home game system, Wii™. Nintendo also confirmed that the price of the Wii system, which incorporates unique freehand control, will not exceed $250 in America, or ¥25,000 in Japan. The company plans to ship 6 million systems to retailers around the world between its launch in the fourth quarter of 2006 and the end of its fiscal year on March 31, 2007.

The projections are part of a full-year financial forecast that sees growth of 18 percent in sales globally, based on anticipated continuing strong demand for the Nintendo DS™ portable game system, as well as a successful launch for Wii.

The company also said it expects to sell 17 million Wii games in the period. Exact launch dates, identification of the launch library of titles and details on the unique Virtual Console aspect of Wii will be announced soon.

Nintendo Wii $199 release price hinted by Satoru Iwata

It looks like we have been on the right track with our analysis and explanation of why the Nintendo Wii should be released at the retail price of $199. In a recent interview done by Game Daily Biz with Satoru Iwata, Mr. Iwata hinted that the launch price of the Nintendo Wii might be similar to the release price of past Nintendo consoles.

BIZ: I know that Nintendo has not officially announced a price for the Wii, but a rumor we spotted this week in EGM suggests a $249 price tag. Do you want to comment on that?

SI: [Laughs] As you know, that is speculation and we did not comment on the price point at all. What we’ve been repeatedly saying is that it’s going to be an affordable price point, and when we say affordable, you may want to check our past records of price points, launching price points for any past hardware… I think you’ll agree that we always come up with an affordable price point. So when we announce the Wii price point in the near future, I believe you are going to say, “That’s an affordable price point.”

Read our original article(A brief history of Nintendo consoles, and why Nintendo Wii should be $199) here.

A brief history of Nintendo consoles, and why Nintendo Wii should be $199

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

US Release: October 18, 1985 (limited initial release)
US Price: Initial limited release $100, later sold for $199 as the NES “Action Set”
Units sold: 60 million

After the video game crash of 1983, Nintendo help revive the video game industry with the release and it’s first home console, the Nintendo Entertainment System. The NES, an 8-bit video game console, was released in limited markets in the USA in October 18, 1985, followed by a nationwide release in February of 1986. The NES(bundled with “Super Mario Bros.”, the first modern platform game) sold 60 million units worldwide.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
US Release: August 13, 1991
US Price: $199
Units sold: 49 million

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SNES was the second home console from Nintendo, better known as the Super Famicom in Japan. Nintendo became the best selling 16-bit video game console, despite it’s late start, beating out other home console’s like Sega’s Genesis. The SNES, which was release on August 13th, 1991, and was bundled with “Super Mario Word” went on to sell 49 million units worldwide.

Nintendo 64

US Release: September 29, 1996
US Price: $199
Units sold: 32 million

Nintendo’s third home console, the Nintendo 64, was first introduced as Nintendo Ultra 64(referring to it’s 64-bit processor) on November 24, 1995(code named “Project Reality”). On February 1, 1996 just five months before its Japanese debut, Nintendo dropped the “Ultra” from the name, due to a possible trademark infringement. With only 2 launch titles, the Nintendo 64, or N64 was released in the US on September 29, 1996. The N64 sold 32 million units worldwide.

Nintendo Game Cube

US Release: November 18th, 2001
US Price: $199
Units sold: 20 million

The Nintendo GameCube was Nintendo’s fourth home video game console. Released in the US on November 18th, it has sold over 20 million units as of early 2006. Code named “Dolphin”, the GameCube is the most compact and least expensive of the that generation’s era consoles.

Nintendo Wii

US Release Date: November 2006 (?)
US Price: TBA

First announced at E3 2005 as the Nintendo Revolution(code name), the Nintendo Wii will be Nintendo’s fifth home video game console. On April 27, 2006, Nintendo announced the official name of the console as Nintendo Wii.

“Wii sounds like ‘we,’ which emphasizes that the console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.”

Shortly after the new name of the console was announced, Nintendo received a mixed response of criticism, disbelief and sometimes confusion.

What makes Nintendo Wii special and different from the XBOX 360 and PS3 is the motion sensing controller(or wiimote).

From wikipidia:

The primary controller for Wii uses a one-handed remote control-based design, which, when turned on its side, can be used like a gamepad. Named the “Wii Remote” (often referred to as the “Wiimote”), the controller communicates wirelessly with the console via Bluetooth, with which it is possible to operate up to 4 Remotes as far as 10 meters from the console. Using internal sensors and an external sensor bar placed near the display screen, the movement and position of the Wii Remote can be sensed in 3D. The controller also contains an internal speaker and a rumble motor for audio and force feedback functionality.

The Wii Remote features an expansion port, with which it is possible to augment the controller, with various shells and add-ons. Nintendo has announced several such expansions, including a “nunchuck” controller with an analog stick, a “classic controller” for playing games that require more traditional gamepad functionality (such as Virtual Console games), and a “zapper shell” for traditional shooting gameplay.

Why the Nintendo Wii should be priced at $199

Looking back at the history of Nintendo, you can see that every video game console which they released was priced at $199. Even when the PlayStation, PS2 and XBOX came out at $299, Nintendo kept their launch price at $199.

It is probably safe to assume that Nintendo will keep the same price strategy for Nintendo Wii, and analysts seem to agree. Nintendo has lost a great deal of market share over the past few years, especially with the GameCube. However, with the release of Nintendo Wii, they have a chance to win back some of this market share, and the pricing of the console is probably going to be on of their biggest strategies. With the lower end XBOX 360 and PS3 systems starting at $299 and $499 respectively, a price of $199 will drive a lot of sales for Nintendo.

Bet on the Wii will selling for less than $200, says Scott Steinberg, vice president of marketing for Sega, one of the major game publishers for Nintendo consoles. Prices for both the Microsoft and Sony machines are higher due to their heavy-duty processing power, and the PS3 will also feature Sony’s next generation Blu-Ray DVD drive.

It’s clear that Nintendo stole the show at this year’s E3. There is a lot of interest out there in their next-gen new-gen concole, and priced at around $200 will definitely help Nintendo recapture some of the older and more casual gamers that they have been going after, as well as the hard-core player.

Nintendo is expected to release pricing and availability date information sometime in August or September.

Nintendo Wii Price and release date Announced

Nintendo just announced the Wii price at the E3 press conference. The Wii will go on sale on , 2006, at the price of .

:)

Introducing: Nintendo Wii

It’s official! Nintendo’s next generation console is named “Nintendo Wii“. Wii (pronounced ‘we’), emphasizes this console is for everyone, according to the official statement at Nintendo.com.
From Nintendo’s Site:

Introducing … Wii.
As in “we.”

While the code-name “Revolution” expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer.

Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else.

Wii will put people more in touch with their games … and each other. But you’re probably asking: What does the name mean?

Wii sounds like “we,” which emphasizes this console is for everyone.

Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.

Wii has a distinctive “ii” spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play.

And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd.

So that’s Wii. But now Nintendo needs you.

Because, it’s really not about you or me.

It’s about Wii.

And together, Wii will change everything.

… So there you have it fan boys and girls.. Wii is it!

THIS JUST IN: We have the first images of what appear to be some Nintendo Fan Girls posing with the official Nintendo Wii gang sign!