And there it is.  We know the price, we know the date, we know the package, and we know the games we'll get to play when it arrives.  And suddenly, we aren't happy campers anymore.

At least we've finally gotten over the name.

I'm surprised by all the grumbles, especially about the $250 price point.  Yes, Nintendo stated that the Wii would retail at under that.  Is there anyone out there who seriously expected that to mean anything except $249.99?  Sure, we all had our daydreams of a happy $200 sticker, but daydreams is all it ever was.

So, maybe it's because I didn't fool myself into believing otherwise that I'm not as disappointed by the price as so many others.  As soon as I heard "under $250", I instantly thought "right. . . by a penny."  And I was serious.  That said, I'm still very much looking forward to settling a Wii into my home as soon as I can.

The launch date is surprising, though, and it's hard to ignore the fact that Nintendo isn't running a steamroller over the downed, injured Sony by issuing a much earlier launch.  On the other hand, they're probably banking on the fact that once "all 400,00" US PS3's are sold out, the gamers who didn't score a PS3 will put their $600+ towards a "why not" Wii.  That, and all the gramammies and grampappies who might have been about to drop over $600 for a PS3 will hope little Jonny will enjoy a nice, clean, erm. . . inexpensive. . . Wii instead.

But what's with the hardware announced to be launched with the system?  Why isn't the Wii launching with enough controllers of every kind to fill every available slot?  Nintendo's talked a big game about bringing gaming to the masses, and then they launch this family-uniting system with one full controller?  And Wii Sports?

Bingo.  That's Nintendo for you.  While I'm only speculating on their release date rationale, I can guarantee anyone that Nintendo knows once the moms and dads out there give Wii Sports a try, they're going to be hooked.  Once they figure out they can play multiplayer without sharing the controller, they'll already be sold on buying one, two, or even three more.  I want to give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt here and call this smart business, but really, this is just cheap and low.  Seriously Nintendo, it wouldn't hurt to give back every once in a while.

Nevertheless, I'm sold, and I think this has been a very productive showing for last gen's underdog.  The Virtual Console is a bit overpriced, yet intriguing ($5 to play Mike Tyson's Punch-Out again?  Sold), the launch line-up looks to become the mack daddy of all launches (thanks in no small part to the new Zelda, officially cited as a Wii launch game), and a handful of tech we wouldn't expect to see in any Nintendo console, most of which involves some matter of internettery and Wii Connectoroo's and other somesuch.

So whether you're happy, disappointed, or livid about today's Wii announcements, one simple truth remains: you're paying attention.  PlayStation What?  Micro Who?  Exactly.  Yes, this shock and excitement will soon pass, and yes, people will get over their bellyaching soon enough, but right now, and probably for the next few days or so, it's all eyes on Wii.