Gaming companies have never been shy of playing games with release dates, and until recently the secrecy surrounding the release dates for the Nintendo Wii had been a prime example. The confusion and conflicting messages even prompted one site to suggest that Nintendo had released a DS game that, when completed, would tell you the secret Nintendo Wii release date. This turned out to be a hoax, but it had an awful air of credibility about it.

Now, though, Nintendo appears to have put its cards on the table. In North America, the Wii goes on sale on the 19th of November - two days after the expected release date of the PS3. Rather than racing to be first out of the box, Nintendo seems to be banking on Sega botching the release of the PS3 about as badly as Microsoft did that of the Xbox 360, chronic under-supply leaving many gamers badly frustrated. There is also considerable buzz around the innovative Nintendo Wii controller or 'wiimote' that may draw many American gamers away from the more traditional consoles: when you have something truly original to offer, releasing first becomes less important.

After this, the Wii rolls out across the world remarkably slowly - possibly to avoid under-supply problems - Amazon's attempts to take pre-orders for the Wii back in September caused total chaos.

Japan will be next on the 2nd of December, then Australia and New Zealand on the 7th. Europe follows on the 8th, except for Spain, as that day is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and a public holiday. The Wii will be released in Spain on the 9th of December.

Nintendo has promised an initial release of four million consoles available before the end of 2006, with the majority of the products distributed in North America. There have been conflicting messages about how many will be released in that market though, one million and two million both having been mentioned by senior figures in Nintendo. That leaves an uneasiness in the market that under-supply may still be a problem in the U.S. and Canada.

Nintendo has traditionally and consistently come third in the console wars in the U.S. and Europe. Not often recognised in those markets is Nintendo's huge popularity in Asia, where they regularly outsell their competitors. It's worth noting, then, that there are strong rumours that the Wii will not be released in South-East Asia until April 2007, after the end of the 2006 financial year. (This would coincide with the scheduled release of the PS3 in Europe, New Zealand, and Australia.) Given Nintendo have announced they will only be releasing six million console units before March, this wouldn't be sufficient to satisfy the market in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Strengthening the suspicion that South-East Asia will get a later release date, Nintendo have announced that while the Wii will initially be released only with white controllers, the wiimotes will be available in other colors 'in the spring'.

Nintendo has also announced that the recommended retail price for the Wii at release will be US$249 - about half the price of the cheapest PS3 bundle. The Wii comes with:
- console
- console stand
- wireless controller
- nunchuck adaptor
- sensor strip (allowing the controller to be used up to 10 metres from the console)
- av cable
- Wii Sports (except in Japan)