The chips powering the Wii, codenamed “Broadway,” have been in production for much of this quarter, starting sometime in late July or early August.
This disclosure comes after a day of rampant speculation, much of it incorrect, following hints at several news outlets that major console news would break in the Wii hours (sorry…) of the morning. The story, which was embargoed by Mario & Co. until 12:01 AM Friday, can be charitably described as a letdown by those who bought into the hype.
“The first chips are in our possession," said Nintendo’s Genyo Takeda, "Today’s milestone marks the final stage of our drive to reach both core and nontraditional gamers with an inviting, inclusive and remarkable gaming experience.”
With the significant headway in chip production, it is conceivable that Nintendo could launch the Wii as early as October 1. However, gamers will likely have to wait until the upcoming Nintendo event in New York, scheduled for next week, before learning anything new about the Wii’s launch.
The announcement comes on the heels of Nintendo’s reassurance that they would meet their projections for the Wii. “Wii is on track to ship in Q4,” Nintendo announced in a statement, “[We plan] to ship 6 million systems to retailers around the world between its launch in the fourth quarter of 2006 and the end of its fiscal year on March 31, 2007.”
