Big Wii info at Leipzig, console going on road trip?

July 29th, 2006, 10:54 Posted By: wraggster

Source: Nintendo fan site Nintendo Now and game blog Kotaku, both using sources.

The official story: See below.

What we heard: Could it really be two whole months since the last worthwhile Wii rumor? The drought is apparently over, as two rumor-licious Wii tidbits are out and about.

The first comes by way of Nintendo Now, a Web site dedicated to Nintendo...now. Some of the site's authors milled about Nintendo's booth at the recent San Diego Comic-Con, and spoke to several people at the company's setup. One unnamed source dropped the bomb that there was "a strong possibility" that Nintendo would drop its own bombs at the Leipzig Game Convention, which takes place in Germany in late August.

With the Wii still fairly well veiled and launching sometime in Q4 this year, it's obvious that there are still plenty of details to be unleashed upon Nintendo's Wii-thirsty fans. The Leipzig Game Convention and September's Tokyo Game Show appear to be the obvious choices to pull back the curtain, so the likelihood of some news coming out of both shows isn't exactly a revelation, and is all but certain.

As far as a firm release date and pricing go, that will likely be held off until after Leipzig, as Nintendo brass have said that those bits of info will be disclosed in September.

The source also told Nintendo Now "definitively" that the company will hold its own show to demo the Wii, an idea that game blog Kotaku also picked up on. Kotaku's sources say the Wii will be the centerpiece of a cross-country tour to show off the console to the masses, with the idea being that hands-on time with the Wii will convince potential buyers to part with their cash and pick up the system.

As far as cross-country tours go, Nintendo has announced the Fusion Tour, which will "include a sneak peek at the Wii console" and feature some musical acts. However, the extent of the sneaking and peeking at the system (hands-on? Tech demos?) haven't been disclosed. A Nintendo rep would only say, "We haven't announced specific details yet but hope to in the weeks ahead."

Nintendo's marketing strategy with its new products has been "playing is believing,"--that is, give it a shot and you'll like it. At this year's Game Developers Conference, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told a tale about how the company, as an assignment, gave copies of Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day to employees and had them show the game to friends and family members in order to drum up interest. The idea worked, and Iwata attempted to replicate that by giving attendees of the Nintendo GDC press conference their own copies of the game, with instructions to let others try it out.

Hands-on time with the Wii at E3 was particularly successful, and personal demos of the console seem to fit into Nintendo's strategy. Expect the Wii to be shaking hands and kissing babies all across the country later this year--however, it's unlikely it will be the musically focused Fusion Tour.

Bogus or not bogus?: Though nothing is official, this appears to be two scoops of not bogus.

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