EGM Reveals Wii Price, Virtual Console and Games Details

The latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine disclosed details regarding the price of Nintendo's Wii console, new controller functionality and games for the system.

According to EGM, the launch price of Wii will be around 249 dollars, which a Nintendo representative noted "seems appropriate." The article did not mention any bundles that might be available or what will be packed with each console, aside from a Wii controller and Virtual Console functionality.

EGM also revealed that "the controller will contain a small amount of memory, which can be written to by the console (via Bluetooth) during the game. This will usually be used to store small sound files which can be heard via the controller's small internal speaker."

Regarding backward compatibility, EGM's article noted that all Virtual Console games will be progressive-scan enabled, but will not feature improved graphics (meaning no updated game models; article did not discuss framerates). As for price, Virtual Console games are "a few dollars for NES, five dollars for SNES and ten dollars for N64".

 

In addition, EGM revealed that only first-party TurboGrafix titles will be available at the launch of the Virtual Console, but third-party games on that console may be made available for download if consumer demand increases.

According to EGM, Wii versions of Mario and Super Smash Bros. titles will launch this fall, but Metroid Prime 3 now carries a tentative 2007 release date. Additionally, Atari announced Godzilla and Namco announced Snoopy vs. the Red Baron for Nintendo's next console.

The article also discussed The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. According to EGM, the game is 80% complete. The development team required extra time to tweak the graphics, add Wii functionality and add more content. Graphically, Twilight Princess now has more saturated textures, giving the game a more anime look. EGM also revealed that in most instances, players will press a button to swing the sword rather than swinging the controller itself, to avoid fatigue when playing the game.

The latest issue of EGM will be available shortly.

Stay with Revolution Report for all the latest regarding Nintendo's Wii.