Your ultimate Wii launch guide

Thursday 7December 2006
Nintendo's Wii isdue to hit the UK on Friday so we've put together a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about this momentous launch and revolutionary console.

First things first: the price. The basic console package will cost you £179 but getting hold of one for this Friday will prove very difficult. All major retailers have reported that their stock has been taken up by consumers who have pre-ordered. This may not be the case at some smaller independent shops so it is worth visiting your local indie if you don't mind getting the odd "are you kidding?!" sneery response.

There is better news for those who just want Wii to show up for Christmas, though, as these pre-order sell-outs are generally for launch-day machines. Major retailers are more than likely to get new batches of Wii consoles before 25 December so there's every chance you'll be swinging a Wii-mote come Christmas Day - providing you keep an eye on store stock notices. Amazon.co.uk has already confirmed that it will be getting new stock in, and you can sign up to receive an email alert when it happens.

So demand is, of course, high but that shouldn't stop you being one of the fortunate ones to have a Wii this Christmas.