Okay, you know the score by now. The Wii's coming - you can buy it in a few months. Price? It's alright. Too cheap say some. Games? No Mario or Metroid to be found: a refurbished Twilight Princess and Wii Sports are taking centre stage. Lots of things to talk about, we think. Conor and a few podcasters tackle the topics in the latest edition of the N-Europe Show - coming this weekend - but we threw the contentious questions out to the NE staff to get everyone's opinion.

1) Despite a presumable high stockpile, the Wii is launching after Playstation 3 in US and Japan. An opportunity missed by Nintendo?

Mark:

An opportunity missed? Or a canny piece of scheduling by Nintendo? I think that the latter is more accurate- but only because of Sony's mistakes.

If the PS3 was launching in America and Japan with enough consoles to satisfy demand, then launching the Wii just days after it would spell suicide for Nintendo- the PS3 hype machine would be enough to drown out the splash that the Wii would otherwise have made. With the PS3 only launching with a mere couple of hundred thousand units in both territories, you can be sure that they will all sell out immediately. Enter the Wii, just as the frustration begins to set in. Nintendo's system will obviously be picked up by early adopters and Nintendo fans, but may well mop up a large number of disgruntled PlayStation fans who can't get their hands on a PS3, as well as the countless bewildered parents who are wondering what to buy little Johnny now that the PlayStation 3 is rarer than gold dust.

So, in the circumstances, launching Wii just after the PS3 makes sense for Nintendo, as it enables them to ride the crest of the wave created by the PS3.

Ashley:

I think its the opposite, Sony will drum up an unjustifiable amount of hype about the PS3, it will sell out in the first day (helped by the lack of units anyway) and then as Christmas dawns closer parents will start to worry, and Nintendo will be there. There is every chance that if it came out beforehand people would overlook it anyway, as all eyes will be on the PS3. Iun: It's a strange decision, I'll give you that. However, what you have to bear in mind is that although Nintendo have played second fiddle to Sony in their homeland as far as home consoles are concerned, the handheld market is still Nintendo's. There will be a spike in sales of the Wii at launch and a corresponding dip in the sales of the PS3. What matters is the long term -I certainly would not want to risk going immediately head-to head against the PS3. Plus, with this strategy, Nintendo can capitalise on PS3 shortages driving consumers to the Wii.

2) With the US$250 and AU$400 price tags, the Wii edges dangerously close to the Xbox 360 price. Is it too high a price for what is, for some, a 'Gamecube 1.5'?

Fierce_Link:

On the forums, a lot of people were quick to point out that the Wii price is only close to the core pack. If you run a comparison between the core pack and the Wii bundle, you'll find that the core pack really is lacking. Many are opting to go for premium. Besides, i'm not a firm believe in paying for specifications, so this Gamecube 1.5 argument doesn't really matter to me. It's the way you play the games and features such as WiiConnect24 which are the way forward, not numbers.

We could argue all day about whether the price is right or not, but it'll always be a matter of opinion. In my opinion, the Wii bundle and the Xbox360 bundles all offer different things. A customer may want a Wii for various reasons, but may not want a 360.

The difference between Nintendo's console and other consoles is far, far greater this generation. They really are offering something completely unique. This will set it apart from its competitors.

Mark:

It's hard to disagree with the notion that US$250 is more than a little on the steep side for the Wii. Just weeks ago, speculation was rife that Nintendo would be able to price the system at just $99 and still turn a profit. While this may be exaggerated, it demonstrates just how cheaply-manufacured the Wii is. Given the lack of High-Definition capabilities, DVD playback and a hard disk drive, $250 doesn't look like such a bargain.

However, relative to the competition, most notably the PlayStation 3, the Wii looks like a bargain. Nintendo can easily get away with the $250 price point- at least for now. When Microsoft drop the Xbox 360's price, it'll be comparable to the Wii, which leaves Nintendo in an untenable position, given the difference in power between the two systems. However, Nintendo are in a better position than either of their two rivals to drop the console's price. $250 has the look of an artificially inflated price point. Nintendo can stick a pin in that at any time- but even now, it is half the price of Sony's cheapest PS3, so it may be some time before Nintendo have to seriously compete on price.

It's a financially sound move for Nintendo to price the console at $250, even if it's not a particularly generous one.

Jordan:

Like I said elsewhere, this is a problem. Its way too close to the Xbox 360 core package. But remember if they did buy a core, it would be a waste of time anyway. The real 360 is the premium version, which is far more expensive. Also, the point of GameCube 1.5 is an old topic and way over-discussed. The Wii appears to be considerably more powerful than the GameCube from early games not to mention that it isn't just upgraded hardware its brand new technology.

Conor:

I'm of two minds about this. Personally, I'm perfectly happy paying the British �170 price tag for a new console. I think it's a price that suits fine. Those complaining about the console price need to remember that prices change, and this is only the beginning of the console's lifespan. Nintendo need enough room to manouvre with price cuts over the next five years - just think how cheap the console will be after the first drop. A year from now, price will be a complete non-issue.

However, I do still have some reservations. Nintendo are billing the Wii as the family-friendly, all-ages, cheaper alternative to the other consoles, but the overall cost of the experience does make a dent in that. When you get your Wii, don't forget an extra controller or two - if you want the best from the games, you'll need to get both the Wiimotes and the nunchuk separately, something that still strikes me as absurd. Nintendo can afford to give us some slack on the peripheral prices: I think raising the Wiimote price slightly and packed in a nunchuk with it would've made much more sense. And there will be those extra games, and the Virtual Console downloads you have to have, come launch. So overall, it won't be a few pennies for gamers. But why would any launch be any different?

3) There's no Metroid, Mario or Smash Bros. at launch. Is the line-up a disappointment?

Fierce_Link:

Traditionally, Nintendo always launched with a Mario title. The Gamecube broke this tradition by launching with Luigi's Mansion. Ideally, you don't want to release all your best games at once. I was worried by the fact that Metroid and Zelda would be competing for sales on launch day, and I kind of felt that Metroid really wasn't generating any hype.

Again, I think Nintendo have made another smart move here by pulling back some of their games. As gamers, we want something to look forward to on the horizon. It would be lovely to see a big Nintendo title, such as Metroid or Mario, released not long after launch. I think it makes a good change to see Nintendo launching with a Zelda title. It's a key franchise, and it means that maybe they can spend more time perfecting their other first party games. The hype around Zelda has been ongoing, so it needs no introduction.

Ashley:

I'll admit, Mario and Smash Brothers would have been nice at launch (personally), but then Smash Brothers would have probably trumped all other multiplayer games, and Mario will sell anyway. From a business point of view it's a fair choice. Console launches never have a great range of games; it's only now that the 360 is really gaining pace.

Iun:

Um... Zelda. Let me say that again, but this time in capital letters: ZELDA. And if that wasn't reason enough, there's Red Steel, Monkey Ball, Wii Play and of course, Wii Sports bundled in the box. That's enough for at least two, maybe three weeks.

Tom:

There's Red Steel. There's Monkey Ball. There's Rayman, Splinter Cell and Tony Hawk. Plenty of games for gamers to identify with, but a Nintendo console launching without a game starring a Mushroom Kingdom character centre stage is a quite change. However, I think maybe its one that'll pay off, going for a more mature type of game launching with Twilight Princess as the big hitter. Still, for them to suggest Metroid and Smash Bros. would be available for launch and then to have them delayed is disappointing.

Conor:

Actually, I think it is a little, if not only for the fact that games Nintendo stated, or hinted, would be at launch have been moved. Obviously a crowded launch lineup does no-one any good, but another big first-party game besides Zelda would have been appreciated. Mario Galaxy would have been the perfect game to launch with - something build from the ground up with the new control system in mind, something to show how intuitive and undeniably enjoyable this new kind of gaming experience can be. Zelda, for all its immediate brilliance, is a Gamecube game with Wii bits tacked on. It will undoubtedly be an amazing game, but I can't help but think the lack of Mario Galaxy is an opportunity missed.

4) The WiiChannels allow you to do some surprising things on the console, but are weather channels and photo viewing just gimmicks?

Franklin:

I'm still undecided about these, not sure I'll use the photo viewing much but i'll have to try it out first to make a proper opinon about it. The weater channel however looks interesting and since I'm a trainee travel agent I may find myself using it to quickly check the weather around the world to see what things are like.

RedShell:

When I first saw Wii Channels I was absolutely amazed, the fact that Wii will offer so much right out of the box is fantastic. The Weather, News and Photo channels are sure to attract the non-gamer and then there's the Virtual Console which is bound to be a huge success, but my personal favourite is the Mii channel. I can see myself spending hours messing about with that thing, plus how it integrates with the software is very cool indeed. With so much on offer and the prospect of updates to the service I don't think Wii Channels can be labelled a gimmick at all, more a thing of genius!

Jordan:

I remember when Nintendo said their console would only be for ages... quite the U turn. The Wii appears to have more online features than either of its competitors. The Wiimote really lends itself to such an idea as the channels and it'll bring more people to the console to check the news, weather and such quickly. It can only be a good idea.

5) The console launches in all territories in a matter of 3 weeks - can Nintendo pull over a successful worldwide launch in this time?

Jordan:

If anyone can pull this off, it's Nintendo. They have 4 million for launch, which sounds like 2 million for the US and a million each for the other territories. Nintendo need to make sure theres a steady supply of the console. It took me three months to find my Xbox 360 and I'm hoping the same doesn't happen on Wii launch day.

Tom:

I don't see why not. Presumably the later-than-expected (at least for me) launch of the title in each region is to make sure everything runs smoothly and there is enough Wiis to go round. Hype is already very high for the console, Nintendo need to just build the momentum.

6) We saw lots of new features of the console, and many new games. Any particular highlights, or reservations, in this area?

Franklin:

The change of control scheme for Link's sword to swinging the controller is a definite highlight, I can't think of any reservations yet, it's all in Nintendos hands now, these remaining few weeks till the launch will be most crucial and they better get their marketing and advertising perfect, which could be what makes or breaks the launch. Since the Wii is a home console and not a handheld like the DS is they can't just rely on word of mouth alone cause people aren't gonna be able to pull a Wii out of the pocket on a bus for example and start playing.

RedShell:

Highlights for me would be Wii Channels for being such a surprise and a truly great addition to Wii, also seeing how polished most of the games are now, ExciteTruck looks like a different game to what I saw of it from E3! As for reservations I genuinely don't have any, every single feature of Wii looks fantastic as do the games, I just can't wait to get my hands on it!

Iun:

Yes, I have reservations! Reservations for two in the name of "Iun and his big Wii". I want to see the old favourites, and some new games too, the video showed that, so all I ask is that the games I buy are well-executed and worth the money spent on them.

Get on the boards and voice your own opinions. If you've any left, head to this feature's thread to add to our comments.