Nintendo has recently announced a plan to get as many as four million Nintendo Wii Consoles onto store shelves worldwide by the end of 2006. While some might think this is an unrealistic goal, I assure you they will not only meet their goal but probably exceed it.

Unlike the PS3 and the Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii is essentially Gamecube 1.5. It plays the games, the graphics are only marginally better, and there is nothing inside that is state of the art. In fact the only real difference is the new Wii controller and the online capability. Since none of the parts are like the cell chip or a high end graphics card, Nintendo has been quietly manufacturing the Wii since July, working hard to have the biggest launch of a console in the history of video games. Because when they ship four million systems by Christmas, it will be the biggest console launch ever. Sony will be lucky to have a million PS3’s shipped in the same time.

And make no mistake, gamers and families are going to buy every system that Nintendo ships. With a $249 price point and the fact that the console comes with a great 1^st party game, Wii Sports, the system will be on everyone’s Christmas list. Also unlike both the Xbox 360 and the PS3, the Nintendo Wii is also aimed at the casual gamer, a market that both rivals really under serve.

The only problem that I see for the new Wii console is a lack of really great first and third party games. Yes we are getting a new Zelda game on launch day. And yes Mario is not too far behind. But when you look at the list of games that are due by March 31^st of next year, it is not that impressive. But if you look at Nintendo’s history, this is no surprise, they never have enough games.

Another problem for the Wii is games that will exist on all three platforms. You couldn’t force me to play Call of Duty 3 on a Wii even with the cool controller when it is going to look so much better on the 360 and PS3. While the new Wii controller is not only amazing, but revolutionary, I think they are going to learn a valuable lesson as time goes on. Gamers are definitely going to want games that use the controller in new and innovative ways, but no matter how cool the controller is, putting a game like Call of Duty 3 side by side on a Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 is going to make the Wii look bad. The key to survival is creating new and original properties that can’t be compared with the other consoles. With this new controller, the more exclusives they have the better.

That is also why their online component for downloading classic games is not only important, but critical to their surviving this next-gen war. Millions upon millions grew up playing a NES and Super NES. Many of those people are now adults who have stopped playing games and might even have families of their own. With the new Wii Virtual Console, gamers will be able to download all of their favorite games from when they were a kid and play them again as adults. While the selection is only thirty games at launch (the list is below), they do have the big boys on launch day - all the Zelda’s and Mario’s, plus classic Sega Genesis and Turbo Grafx 16 games. In fact of one my favorite Genesis games of all time is on the Wii Virtual Console on launch day, Toe Jam and Earl.  

A number of you have emailed me asking what I think they should do to try and get a Wii or PS3 on launch day. I am currently working on an article to try and give some advice as to what I would do. I hope it will be online tomorrow, but realistically it will be Friday. If you have to get one opening day, I really suggest reading it.

Below is some of the press release stuff from Nintendo. I am including the list of virtual console games as well as the list of 3^rd party games that are due.

Finally, no matter how I may write about the mediocre graphics of the Wii, or the lack of great games, I want one on opening day. Being able to get some of my favorite old school games as well as an amazing new Mario game is too much to pass up.

Third-Party Wii Titles Available from Launch through March 31, 2007