CNN Money: Wii Could Launch As Early As September

A new report from CNN/Money has speculated that Nintendo could launch its upcoming next generation Wii console as early as late September, which would put the console on store shelves well before competitor Sony's PlayStation 3, which is set to be released on November 17. In the report, writer Chris Morris notes that according to a note released by American Technology Research analyst PJ McNealy on June 21, Nintendo has already begun the final manufacturing of the Wii for retail, which would seem to put the company several steps ahead of Sony. The report notes that Sony still not begun manufacturing its PlayStation 3 for the impending launch. Morris adds that Microsoft's Xbox 360 went on sale just 69 days after manufacturing of the system began. Morris is quoted in the report as believing that "October is a reasonable timeframe" within which to expect the launch of the Wii, though Nintendo has yet to comment on any official launch date. Speaking at a recent marketing event in Japan, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata simply confirmed that a release date will be announced “before September.” The price also remains unknown for the upcoming console as well, though Nintendo senior managing director Yoshihiro Mori indicated in May that the Wii would not sell for more than ¥25,000 ($223) in Japan, and not more than $250 in the U.S., with a similar price being promised for Europe. [UPDATE: Speaking to the news service Bloomberg, an unnamed Nintendo spokesperson commented that: “There's no change in our plan to release the console in the last quarter of this year. We are planning an announcement in September, and it may be causing some confusion." It's not clear that Morris was referring to this announcement, however.]