• The New York Times, Thursday, September 14, 2006 12:01 PM

Nintendo will unveil the Wii (pronounced "we") video game console today even as its main rival, Sony, has been forced to delay and scale back the introduction of its own game machine, the PlayStation 3. Wii, which will cost $250 in the U.S., will be available for the holiday selling season with more than 25 games. Wii's major innovation is a wireless controller that the user can tilt and point to produce action on the screen. It is less technically ambitious than Sony's PS3, however, which is why it will cost less. "Our goal is to bring gaming back to the masses," says Reggie Fils-Aime, president and COO of Nintendo of America, citing price and the number of units sold. The aim is to position Wii to appeal to every household member. To accomplish the latter, a photo channel will allow users to use Wii to display digital photographs on television. There also will be an easy-to-use interactive news channel and weather channel. Nintendo is No. 3 in the console video game market, behind Sony and Microsoft.

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