Wii launch Nintendo's 'biggest'

Nintendo UK chief David Yarnton has promised that the launch of the Nintendo Wii will be the company's biggest ever!

However, stock shortages are still inevitable, such is demand for the console. More stock will be delivered by Christmas than in any product launch previously - Yarnton boasted, clearly indulging in a spot of sabre-rattling in Sony and Microsoft's direction.

Yarnton also assured gamers in the interview that Europe remains crucial to the firm's expansion plans (countering previous criticisms aimed at the platform holder's approach to Europe), the big cheese pointing to the success of the DS as evidence of the continent's burgeoning importance. "[With the Wii] we're looking at about four million units before the end of the year globally and Europe will get a reasonable proportion of that," he explained. "The stock that we're looking to get we believe will probably be more than we've ever had for any console launch. But from the feedback we've had from our retailers, whatever we have won't be enough as the demand from people is really heating up for it."

Yarnton went on to claim that "I think if we could produce 20 million it wouldn't be enough on a global basis because it's really something that's going to appeal to people who are not gamers as well."

The system will be out across Europe on the 8th of December, and despite criticism of the 179 GBP UK launch price, Yarnton insisted that this represented 'good value' (despite currency conversions making it look somewhat higher than most other regional prices). More as we get it.

Source: Eurogamer.net