Ellen DeGeneres Gives Away Wii, Zelda

By Shawn White / Friday, 15 September 2006

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres gave away a Wii console and a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess to a visually impaired boy on her daytime talk show.

Ben Underwood, 14, suffered from eye-based cancer at the age of two, causing clinical blindness. Over the years, Underwood developed the ability to utilize echolocation, similar to what dolphins use, in which clicks of the tongue produce sound waves that bounce off objects and provide the sender with information about the environment.

"I've always told him there are abolutely no impossibilities," Underwood's mother, seated in the audience, said. "I never told him he's blind."

Ellen admittedly told Underwood that she did not know what the Wii was, though assumed Underwood knew its features. Underwood replied that he heard about the Wii via the Internet.

Back in February 2006, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime told D.I.C.E. Summit attendees that the company would pursue outlets such as Ellen and Oprah in order to increase mainstream awareness of Nintendo DS and Wii. This prize give-away on Ellen represents Nintendo's first marketing efforts for the new home console.

As a side note, it would seem both Wii and Twilight Princess are complete if Nintendo is able to give them away, leaving the company the remaining time from now until launch for manufacturering. Both console and games are set to release in America on November 19, Japan on December 2, Australia on December 7 and in Europe on December 8.

A video of Ellen's segment involving Ben Underwood and Wii can be seen via YouTube here.

The Wiire will continue to update you on Nintendo's marketing moves.