For months, we’ve been all speculating about the price tag Nintendo would slap on the highly anticipated Wii console. We’ve also been wondering just exactly when the heck it was going to arrive. Now, all the speculation can be put to rest. Although the press conference isn’t until later today, the news has already been leaked well in advance before even the Big N has rolled out their official press release. {Note: The information purportedly came from the New York Times. Go figure!)

Anyways, the news you’ve all been waiting for. Ready???

$250 for the Nintendo Wii, set to launch on Nov. 19

SOLD!!!

Nintendo plans to ship over 4 million units worldwide by the end of the year. The virtual console titles, which I know is a HUGE concern for many of you will run from $5-10 bucks. I’ve already got my eye on a number of SEGA titles which have been confiremd by the ESRB to be making their way to the Wii VC. Can you say Toejam & Earl?

WiiIGN also reports the following:

The Big N confirmed that it would charge $50 for its new Wii games, which is $10 cheaper than the cost of standard Xbox 360 titles.

In a surprise announcement, Nintendo said that it wanted to make Wii a living room centerpiece by shipping the system with features outside of the videogame realm. Wil will include a photo channel, enabling users to display their digital photos through the console. It will also boast regularly updated news and weather channels. In addition, the system will ship with the Opera Web browser, enabling users to connect online.

Lhadatt calls describes Nintendo’s strategy as “well-played” and I couldn’t agree more. The competition won’t be able to make any drastic adjustments to their marketing strategies, leaving Nintendo in the perfect position to launch their system with little obstacles. Now I’ve just gotta set aside $250 dollars… no wait… make that $400 tops… need to have extra cash for launch titles and accessories.

Edit: THIS is where you want to be:
Live Wii Press Conference Updates in NYC!