The big Wii news

Well, Nintendo finally let the cat out of the bag. Though the New York Times leaked the news before the Big N's media event, the Nintendo Wii will be released on Nov. 19 for $250. The system will come with a Wii remote, a nunchaku attachment, a copy of Wii Sports, all the stands and motion sensers, and even batteries will be included.

The release date is a few days behind Sony's PS3 but Nintendo is promising to deliver 4 million units worldwide by year's end.

There are to be around 30 first, and second party launch titles as well as several made available on the Virtual Console. First party cames are expected to retail for $50. VC games between $5-10. The inclusion of Wii Sports marks the first release of a Nintendo console with a game since the SNES. An extra Wii remote will cost you $40 and another $20 for a nunchaku attachment. Pretty pricey for an extra controller if you ask me.

Importers rejoice! Nintendo also announced that the Wii will be region free like the Nintendo DS. The Wii will also boost some sort of digital photo service and processing program similar to Photoshop, a Wii news and weather channel and Internet browsing using Opera.

The Wii's low price and different approach are a strong pull for me, and it may be the first home console system I'll own since the PSX.

For more details, check your favorite Web sites.