Wavebird;New Price & Date
Nintendo’s new controller, the Wavebird, will have a sooner release date (June 10), and a new price($34.95). The Regular controllers are also have a new price of $24.95. Here is the press release.
REDMOND, Wash.–May 14, 2002–Nintendo gives gamers the ultimate freedom when it introduces the WaveBird(TM) wireless controller for NINTENDO GAMECUBE(TM) on June 10 at a new lower MSRP of $34.95.
Capable of maneuvering Mario, mastering Samus’s combat or piloting Fox McCloud’s Arwing from up to 20 feet (6 meters) without wires, the device transmits radio frequency (RF) signals to a receiver plug that fits into one of the controller sockets on a NINTENDO GAMECUBE. Nintendo is also lowering the price of the standard controller to a suggested $24.95, effective May 20, 2002.
The same size of the standard NINTENDO GAMECUBE controller, the WaveBird has a slightly extended lower end to accommodate two `AA’ batteries that provide more than 100 game play hours of wireless control. The RF standard enables the wireless connection to stand true – even under the covers or behind a wall.
With 16 different channel frequencies to choose from, four WaveBird controllers can easily hook up to a single machine, enabling a totally cordless multiplayer experience.
“Nintendo always strives to improve the players gaming experience,” says Peter MacDougall, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Nintendo of America Inc. “The WaveBird controller, with its new lower price point, exemplifies our commitment, allowing players to get comfortable and enjoy new freedom, while still being connected to the on-screen action.”
As the worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co. Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home video game systems. The systems include Game Boy(R), Nintendo(R) 64, Game Boy Advance and NINTENDO GAMECUBE. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.4 billion video games worldwide, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario(TM) and Donkey Kong(R) and launching such franchises as Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(R). As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere.
We will have more information on the Wavebird when and if there is any more new information.