Nintendo pits Wii against PlayStation3

TOKYO: Nintendo has said that 4 lakh of its next-generation Wii game consoles would be available on launch in Japan next month, about four times the number of PlayStation 3s Sony managed to ship.

The video game pioneer is on a quest for market dominance again with the Wii, which hits the shelves in the US on Sunday for $249.99 and in Japan on December 2 for yen 25,000 ($212) — almost half the price of the PS3. Nintendo leads the global market in portable game machines and has been taking aim at Sony’s lead in stand-alone consoles.

Nintendo hopes to expand the game market by promoting the Wii as a family-friendly machine, an easy-to-use controller and functions for everyone within a household such as leaving messages.

Following the 4 lakh that will be available in Japan for the launch day, Kyoto-based Nintendo aims to ship 1m Wiis by the end of the year, said company spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa. The company declined to say how many would be ready in the United States for Sunday’s rollout, but it is targeting shipments of 4m worldwide by the end of the year and 6m by March ’07.

“We want to appeal to non-gamers and families — that is how we planned our hardware and software,” said Minagawa.
Nintendo caused a stir last year when it unveiled a one-handed wireless controller similar to a television remote and equipped with motion sensors.

By waving or swinging the controller, it can serve as a tennis racket, car steering wheel or weapon.

Nintendo’s entry into the market comes as technical glitches haunt Sony, which delayed the global launch of the PS3 by about six months until November, giving US software giant Microsoft a one-year head start with its Xbox 360.

Sony was forced to delay the PS3 again in Europe until March due production with the DVD player that meant many Japanese would-be buyers went home empty handed at Saturday’s launch.

Meanwhile, shares of Nintendo hit an all-time high on Wednesday on soaring expectations that the Wii could repeat the success of its hot-selling handheld machine, the DS.