On Sept. 14, Nintendo announced the day it would "revolutionize" video games and how much, or how little, it would cost.
Nintendo Wii, the new console that is appropriately code-named Nintendo Revolution, is scheduled to be available in America on Nov. 19 at a manufacturer's suggested price of $249.99.
This is two days after Sony is scheduled to release the PlayStation 3, whose 20-gigabyte system will retail at $499, and the 60-gigabyte system for $599.
Jeremy Morgan, a Best Buy customer service representative at an Ahwatukee store, and a gamer himself, doesn't think the lower price and close release date of Wii will affect the sales of the PS3.
"There is a huge fan base for Sony and they will buy the PS3," he said.
Tim Sargent, store manager at EB Games in Arizona Mills mall agrees.
"I don't think PS3 sales will be affected by Wii at all," he said.
Sargent added that he thought Wii is popular and will sell well.
"I think Nintendo Wii is such a big thing because it's a new platform and because of the controller," Sargent said.
"The controller has a full-motion sensor, so every action your hand makes has a reaction in the game," he said.
The controller is made up of two parts: the remote and the "nunchuck." These are sold separately, but one of each will be included with the console, Sargent said.
Also, the remote has a built in speaker to give the player a surround-sound effect.
Nintendo GameCube controllers can also be used, Morgan added.
In addition to one controller, Nintendo Wii will also come with the Wii sports game. Up to four players will be able to play tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing.
The PS3 won't come with any games, but a number of games will be released for it. The specific number of games is not yet known, but gamers will be able to play PlayStation and PS2 games on the PS3.
Nintendo Wii players will also be able to play their GameCube games on the new system.
Morgan said he plans on buying both the Nintendo Wii and the PS3.
"Wii has all the retroactive, old school games I like and they're available for downloading," he said. "I'm getting the PS3 because I'm a Sony fan."
Reach the reporter at Jennifer.Oconnor.1@asu.edu.
