It seems as though everyone has an opinion on Nintendo's latest press conference. Seeing as how I haven't written a blog entry in quite some time, I figured I'd put in my two cents. But I want that money back, folks. I'll need it to replace all the money I've shoveled into Nintendo's pockets this November.

The $249.99 price point doesn't bother me. As soon as they announced that it would be under $250, my handy-dandy marketing-speak to English dictionary told me that meant a penny under. What justifies the price for me, although I can understand how it wouldn't for others, is the Wii Sports pack-in. It's not a title I would've liked to have spent $50 on, but it's the perfect way for Nintendo to show off the systems capabilities. It's also a big draw for the so intensely sought after non-gamer, because retailers can tell the shopper that everything he needs is right there in the box.

Speaking of what's in the box, it appears that we're only getting one Wii-mote packed in. I guess I can understand that. The part that disappoints me is that a second, fully functional Wii-mote will fetch $60 ($40 for the controller and another $20 for the nunchuk). Granted, many of the games will be playable without the analog stick. But the whole thing smells a little nickle-and-dime-y to me.

I guess launching two days after the PS3 is neither here nor there when you consider the fact that Sony's systems are gauranteed to sell out regardless. Maybe Nintendo figured that distraught parents, upon getting into the store and hearing that there are no more PlayStations in stock, will opt for the cheaper Wii.

There've been a few changes to the launch line-up, and they're all fine by me. Twilight Princess, Trauma Center, and Rayman will keep me plenty busy until we see Mario Galaxy, WarioWare, and Metroid Prime later on. I'm still a bit skeptical about Red Steel, but it's definitely on my radar.

I was relieved that Nintendo opted for Microsoft's purchasing system rather than a subscription model. When I buy a game, I want to have it permanently. If it can't go up on my shelf, taking up residence on my memory card is better than renting space. The pricing seems fine, especially since it's right in line with Xbox Live Arcade titles. Hopefully they'll take a cue from Microsoft, releasing some classics with updated graphics, features, or online play.

Aside from that, the minor stuff doesn't bug me. I never cared about DVD playback in the first place, so I'm not disappointed that Nintendo nixed that idea. My 360 works just as well. I'm not sure how keen I am on the Mii Channel yet, but I have a feeling that's an aspect of the system better experienced first-hand. And I'm actually happy that they're only launching in one color. White matches my (still cracked) DS Lite, but not the rest of my entertainment system. Oh well. At least I'll be able to hide the censor bar better.

I've always said that I'd be there on launch day to get my Wii. Although, saying that I'm skeptical about the quality of launch hardware would be an understatement. My first Xbox 360 died within a week of purchase, my PSP had plenty of dead pixels, and my DS Lite's left hinge is still cracked (I really have to send that thing back to Nintendo). I'm still hoping that I won't have any problems with this one, though. Nintendo has yet to let me down in my nearly 20 years of game playing.