It's official -- gaming fans can put the Nintendo Wii on their Christmas wish lists for 2006. The company has announced the new console will hit store shelves in the U.S. starting November 19, with the launch in Japan to follow on December 2.

As expected, Nintendo said the Wii (pronounced "we") will sell for $250, which is about half that cost of Sony's forthcoming PlayStation3 that will go on sale two days after the Wii debuts. It's also considerably less than Microsoft's Xbox 360, which has a year's head start on the competition.

For Nintendo's $250 price you get the new, first-of-its-kind wireless Wii controller and five sports games loaded on a single disk. The new console's primary feature is the motion-sensor remote that lets you swing it like a baseball bat or a tennis racket.

Reinventing the Wheel

The device has a channel menu for quickly accessing entertainment options, including games and TV programs. You can also view and send digital photos, as well as download classic Nintendo games. Internet connectivity is also offered for those who want to compete against other players online or surf the Web using Wi-Fi wireless broadband connectivity.

Unlike Sony and Microsoft, which are touting powerful consoles with high-tech graphics aimed at avid gamers, Nintendo sees the Wii as a product that is easy to use and will appeal to novice players as well as those with more experience.

"Wii reinvents games for the devoted player," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime in a statement. "But more importantly, Wii breaks the wall separating players from non-players."

Nintendo will deliver 30 games for the Wii by the end of the year, including its own "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess" and "Excite Truck," as well as offerings from well known publishers like Electronic Arts and Activision. The new titles will sell for $50 each, and the console will also play any of the earlier GameCube games.

Stiff Competition

Such support from game publishers is critical if the Wii is to maintain its audience and compete with both Sony and Microsoft, said Yankee Group analyst Michael Goodman. "This product will certainly satisfy Nintendo fans, but it may be hard to draw people back into the fold and away from the Xbox 360, which has been available for a year, and Sony's PS3," he said.

Internet connectivity and the ability to look at photos are assets, Goodman said, but are not ground-breaking in the gaming realm. "The Wii doesn't offer any way to store or edit those photos, although the interactive channels feature is appealing."

Nintendo plans to ship 4 million Wii consoles by the end of the year, with 6 million available by next March, although there was no breakdown on how many units would be available in each global region. At the same time, Sony recently reduced the number of PS3s to be made available in the U.S. and Japan this year to 2 million from 4 million.