Reggie launches Wii in NYC

Midnight launch of Wii at Times Square Toys "R" Us draws thousands; Fils-Aime is big hit with the Nintendo faithful.

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Imagine yourself at the Wii launch at Times Square as you hear the stage show outside Toys R Us with MTV veejay Susie Castillo, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime, and Toys R Us CEO Gerald Storch. Uncut. No edits. Live.

NEW YORK--Isaiah "Triforce" Johnson's eyes were feeling heavy, but even after getting little to no sleep over the past few days, the man could not help but smile very early on Sunday morning.

Johnson was sold the first Nintendo Wii at the Toys "R" Us in Times Square after waiting several days outside the retail giant's flagship store. And it wasn't just any normal store employee who rang the register; Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, did the honors of handing out the first system.

It was the conclusion to a four-hour long launch event staged by Nintendo and officially marked the first time all three next-gen consoles were available at retail.

Susie Castillo talks to some "nongamers" who were entranced by the Wii.

Earlier that evening, the line of gamers waiting to purchase a console hit the corner of the street and wrapped around all four sides of the city block.

Nintendo started its launch festivities at 8 p.m. on 44th Street, which was partially closed off to traffic. A stage was set up in the street, where entertainment ranged from drummer/disc jockey DJ Ravidrums, acrobats AntiGravity, and MTV veejay Susie Castillo.

But the real hit was Fils-Aime, who was welcomed to the stage with chants of "Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!" and "We love you Reggie!" While gamers professed their love for the exec, Fils-Aime gave the usual rah-rah pep talk, and even made a reference to his famous "taking names, making games" speech from the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2005.

Reggie hyped the crowd up.

Unlike the PlayStation 3 launch party--which was limited to a few hundred who lined up for days, each one competing fiercely for a place in line--Nintendo welcomed everyone to their block party. The crowd was incredibly diverse, featuring the mix of people that Fils-Aime claimed the Wii targeted--young, old, casual, and hardcore gamers.

To keep the line entertained, several Wii demo stations were placed right on the sidewalk and gamers entertained themselves and relaxed by trying out titles like Wii Sports and Excite Truck. Nintendo also gave out several Wii-branded knit caps, which gamers wore with pride.

Wii tennis, anyone?

But it wasn't just Nintendo helping the crowd out. A group of visual-arts students were handing out seat cushions, coffee, buttons, and patches to those waiting in line, all in the name of spreading good will.

Behind the scenes, Fils-Aime chatted with the press, talked to fans, and even spent a little bit of time playing the Wii. At one point, he played a round of Wii Sports tennis with a fan in line, which caused a near riot in the streets as fans rushed over to get a closer look at their idol.

Luigi was there. Sort of.

Earlier in the evening, Fils-Aime urged gamers buying Wiis to purchase their consoles in an orderly fashion, and when 12:01 a.m. hit, they obliged. Several registers were open to sell consoles, games, and accessories, and the line moved along at a quick pace.

Overall, the launch appeared to be a big success for Nintendo, with plenty of units on hand for those who waited throughout the launch event. For those who did not have one of the necessary wristbands to buy a console, Nintendo promised that there would still be plenty of additional consoles available today.

Johnson and his personalized Wii.

While Wii fever was almost ubiquitous among those outside the toy store, it didn't quite ring with everyone. One woman walking by Toys "R" Us after the launch asked her friend what everyone was milling around for, then realized it was for the Wii.

"Oh, it's for that dumb game thing," she said.

Apparently Nintendo's quest to make gamers out of everyone still has a way to go.

437 Comments

  • blueflamedino

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 5:18 pm PT

    Happy things and free stuff during the wii launch, burglaries, riots, and angry mobs at the PS3 launch. Hmm... I don't like what this foreshadows...

  • 7_armageddon_7

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 5:14 pm PT

    "Nobody can even pronounce his last name.......the games look so dated.........if I was older than 14 I would be embarrassed to use the wii-wii , and I would never invite anyone over!!!!!!"

    Lol, this has to be the funniest comment I've read in a while! "Nobody can pronounce his last name..." hahaha! So what if it's French? And the Wii is definetely not for 14 year olds and under; only stuck-up egotists would consider playing the Wii to be an insult to their pride.

  • strife22

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 5:12 pm PT

    acu02151
    "Well there hasn't been that huge a demand here in Scotland I mean there are still stores taking pre-orders but I still intend on getting one as soon as I can."

    wot are u talking about where i stay there is much hype about it when i preodered mine i was number 10 then next day my friend got his and he was number 25 and they are growing more. to the people that live in big countries do remeber scotland has a population of 5 million unlike america which is 40 times more . so i think thaat is impressive. one thing is for sure in scotland we have people called neds, and they follow the crowd like lamb to the slaughter and now that the wii is the big news they seem to be changing their ideas (really is a miricale if u knew wot they are like). one thing i havent heard about is the ps3 probably coz of the fact we get it next year which make me sick , we always get things last lol. the xbox360 seems to be a good games console in scotland. time will tell how the 3 do.

  • Max_Hydrogen

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 5:09 pm PT

    Oh, by the way, his first name: Reggie or Reginald, derives from Rex which is Latin for king. With a name like King Beloved Son, is it any wonder he's at the top?

  • mhder

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 5:04 pm PT

    I can't believe the diverse crowds I saw at the different lines I passed by today. But I saw a lot of late teens- late 20s .. And lots of people with gfs and bfs. Nice mix in the crowd and most of the "kids" being polite.. just parent acting like A-holes

  • DEZITH

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 5:03 pm PT

    tell you the truth i dont think of the wii's release as a rival to the 360 or the PS3...nintendo even said this themselves...The Wii is going to be a great console without it having to waste tons of money on graphics like Sony's doing. I don't know how many of you agree with me but i feel as though my logic is sound

  • Max_Hydrogen

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 5:02 pm PT

    I can pronunce his last name: Feess-ehmé (like the i in internet)

    For all of you who know the IPA: fis emI

    It's French and means beloved son which is fitting seeing as how he is so appreciated by a lot of Nintendo fans.

    Notre fils aimé, en charge de la mission.

  • Murpheus007

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:59 pm PT

    I am a fool. For some reason I thought once all three systems were on the market, Gamespot would go back to some sense of civility. Not that it really ever had one, but I was hoping. Now that they are all available, why aren't any of you playing your new games? I know why I'm not. I don't have one yet. I did however finally get a chance to play Motorstorm on the PS3 at a kiosk at Walmart. I loved it. It was pure fun. Could be one of the most fun racers I've played in a long, long time. I'm not much for simulation, so games like Mario Kart and Ridge Racer are fun for me. Motor Storm is gonna be great. Saw some video for Zelda, and it looks like it will hold up to some of the greats. Still haven't gotten my hands on a Wii yet. I'm waiting for my Gamestop to get one in for a demo.

  • King_Dodongo

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:54 pm PT

    Reggie will offer a small, white pill and a huge, black pill to decide to enter the new world of Wiitrix, or stay in the actual world and get bored playing with a sixaxixaxixaxis

  • Mush_Mouth

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:47 pm PT

    "Oh, it's for that dumb game thing." Leave it to some idiot woman to be oblivious to anything except her cell phone, her hair, or her reality shows. People like her are the reason the game industry gets blamed in so many lawsuits where their idiot children end up doing something to imitate a game (let's not blame parents for anything, even though they're the #1 reason kids in this country are screwed up).

    If I were Nintendo I'd rather not make gamers out of people like that...just let them stew in their own sh*tty way of thinking.

  • Doctor_GiGs

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:42 pm PT

    "Nobody can even pronounce his last name.......the games look so dated.........if I was older than 14 I would be embarrassed to use the wii-wii , and I would never invite anyone over!!!!!!"

    Coming from the person who said IF he was over 14. I haven't been this into gaming since the SNES days. The Wii is awesome, and that's coming from a person who is actually over 14.

  • Flame_Sniper

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:29 pm PT

    "if I was older than 14 I would be embarrassed to use the wii-wii , and I would never invite anyone over!!!!!!"

    I see that immature punks who actually care if they are "cool" or not frequent GameSpot.

  • SteveTwo

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:27 pm PT

    4quarters has the stupidest fan-boy logic I've ever witnessed, ever.

  • Maquis_UK

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:17 pm PT

    SoRealYetSoFar
    Why the hell would u want this piece of crap anyway? all their games suck really badle, specially red steel and twilight princess will get eaten up by GOW. if g0w is so fantastic, why arent you playing it now instead of trolling? it's only a couple of days old, are you bored of your "classic" already? anyone who professes Zelda to "suck" without even playing it is just showing how closed to the whole thing they actually are. 360 is for n00bs anyways.

  • GatoFeo

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:13 pm PT

    Omg!! U see Luigi.. I thought that he.........well this change my mind, Wii is defenidly goin to be at top # 2.

  • PoTGaiden78

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:13 pm PT

    To SoRealYetSoFar,

    Stop with the criticism. The PS3 isn't doing all that great either.

  • acu02151

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:13 pm PT

    Well there hasn't been that huge a demand here in Scotland I mean there are still stores taking pre-orders but I still intend on getting one as soon as I can.

  • Phaje

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:04 pm PT

    though the launch of a system is important, the way the system performs over the next year is more important. it looks like nintendo has done it again (i refer to the badass DS), and hopefully they can keep it up. though they may not get ranked number one in the long run, i see a good possibility of being number 2 this time around. good piece of news

  • Tehnubbin

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:03 pm PT

    Gamespot seems to be blowing off the Wii, way before the console gets its legs. The Wii coverage is nowhere near as positive as it is for the PS3, and that launch has been dubbed a disaster by nearly everyone in the industry. The fact that Nintendo had consoles ready and available seems to have disappointed the GS staff, as it seems like they were looking for more drama, than actually paying attention to the fact that this was one of the most positive console launches I've ever seen.
    However, to everyone saying the fact that they gave Zelda an 8.8 is ridiculous, let me ask...when did 8.8 become a bad score? Last I checked anything above 7.0 means the game is fairly decent. If you disagree with the score, just remember that this site once gave PD0 for the 360 a 9.0, and realize that sometimes, a reviewers personal bias is going to affect the rating, just a bit.

  • decebal

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 4:03 pm PT

    Yeah, GS really became biased in the past year. All the Sony and Nintendo news are editied always putting them in a bad light. MS news on the other hand it's always reported in the best posible way. Whatever, I don't really care. GS doesn't dictate what I should play and what I shouldn't.

  • bunnyfoo_foo

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:58 pm PT

    "I see the Wii as a hardcore gamers console that will also allow the wife to join in on simple games, thats got to be good for any relationship."
    -puppiemaster

    I agree with you entirely. I got mine today and I was fist-fighting with my brothers friends mum and she had a blast! She had never played game before and I easily just sold a Wii for nintendo (the woman was so impressed she decided to buy one for the family for Xmas)

  • Maquis_UK

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:56 pm PT

    yes GS is at least a bit biased against Nintendo. as a case in point, compare their Red Steel review to others.. GSs is the lowest score. then note they give Zelda review to a Wii-dismisser and ensure a sub-90% score.

    contrast this with the ps3 defects not being mentioned...
    PS3 Not Playing Nice With High-Def:
    "PS3 Downscales 720p on Incapable TVs
    If your TV doesn't support a specific resolution, expect to go low-res."

    http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/746/746282p1.html

  • Oni

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:46 pm PT

    The Reggie guy is creepy ... all the people saying they love him and what not .. uh, alrighty then. lol, gross.

  • Flame_Sniper

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:42 pm PT

    I don't think that GameSpot as a whole is biased away from Nintendo, but I think that it's ridicules to give Twilight Princess a 8.8 when it's truly one of the best games of the year, if not the decade so far. I do listen to GS's reviews, but I don't let them be the final verdict on what games I should or should not play. For that, I trust myself and GameInformer because I seem to agree with their reviews the most of any other magazine or website.

  • eric2mrng

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:38 pm PT

    reggie is awesome

  • swinghi_basic

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:34 pm PT

    I agree with you, it seems GS kinda is a little biased away from Nintendo, I am thinking I may go elsewhere for my news.

  • Kempatsu_basic

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:33 pm PT

    well lets face it - some people will just not like games. ever. no matter how innovative they are. their idea of fun may different from our idea of fun. maybe their idea of fun is crunching numbers and doing taxes.

  • puppiemaster

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:22 pm PT

    Have ordered my Wii for its 8th Dec launch in the UK, (have actually pre ordered 4, one for my daughter and 1 each for my parents,) The console may not be the most powerful, but I can see my wife playing me at tennis on it, and its got Legend of Zelda on the virtual console, 21 years later and I still remember where all the hidden points are. now thats a great game!!

    Also convinced the wife to buy me an Xbox360 for Xmas, good deal at Blockbuster at the moment Premium console, GOW, PES6, PGR6 and SCDA for £349,

    I see the Wii as a hardcore gamers console that will also allow the wife to join in on simple games, thats got to be good for any relationship.

  • yeuj

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:19 pm PT

    It does seem that Gamespot downplays Nintendo stuff on most things they do. These days I get more news from google news because it gives a vast range of articles so I can get both sides of a issue. I WANT A WII...

  • slickvic1990

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:08 pm PT

    that dumb lady

  • keeperofgames

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:06 pm PT

    Let's face it: Gamespot is anti-nintendo, they have been since their inception but it's only gotten worse. 8.8 for Twilight Princess is a freakin' joke, I got my Wii and the game on day 1 and it's awesome! I haven't played it much because of college (conflict of interest here but I beleive it could very well be better than OoT. Everyone else is giving it a perfect or near perfect score which is what it deserves

    Gamespot has lost all validity to me when it comes to rating or giving their "expert" advice anymore.

  • Fallen_One_28

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 3:03 pm PT

    The WII Controllers look awsome, but the actual console isnt anything special. Hopefully the next nintendo console will be competitive to the other systems in performance. If not, meh Metriod still rules!

  • DoubleDragon1

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 2:48 pm PT

    Love Nintendo. The Wii launch in my neck of the woods went of without a hitch. All those who either preordered or got a ticket go their system without any problems. Glad to see Nintendo is finally making strides back in the business they made possible to begin with...

  • pencilpusher69

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 2:29 pm PT

    Nintendo sells out of 2 million systems, and this site tries to make it sound like they've "got a ways to go".

    Whatever. I'm done with Gamespot.

    Also, the review on Excite Truck almost convinced me not to buy it. Thank god, I gave it a chance, because it's freaking fun as hell.

  • thebrazenone

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 2:18 pm PT

    Liquid_Snake
    . . . i gotta wonder why noone wants to punch nintendo for their handheld work. come on, a new system literally every year(for the same 'better lighting' reason) . . .

    yeah, i always end up spending twice the money for a system because i buy the old one and then the new. this time i might wait until next holiday season for the wii redesign since it is basically inevitable.

  • Liquid_Snake

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 2:04 pm PT

    i was there too! and i gotta wonder why noone wants to punch nintendo for their handheld work. come on, a new system literally every year(for the same 'better lighting' reason). o well, wii is coooooooooooooool so far

  • dnlrico

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 2:04 pm PT

    I think you might be right "Belgium_1830"

  • CHAMPANERIA

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 1:56 pm PT

    I was there

  • alber

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 1:54 pm PT

    Reggie owns'em all !!!

  • Belgium_1830

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 1:53 pm PT

    I really get the feeling Gamespot is trying to downplay the most successful console launch ever.

  • Ryo_Kensen

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 1:45 pm PT

    Reggie=the king

  • remembamlilf

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 1:40 pm PT

    Damn...................

  • helluvagood

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 1:33 pm PT

    triforce! lucky guy

  • Igwababa

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 1:26 pm PT

    From what I read and my understanding of the wii hardware, it sounds like a piece of cake to manufacture these things (not that its bad but I have a point) So I am guessing Nintendo is shipping short, creating a slight shortage. I think the reason they are doing this is to let people think it is selling like crazy. I mean not to say it wont sell but seriuosly look at the PS2 it has sold alot but over a period of time, so understand when I say the wii will sell just not like 4 million units in a month if you get my drift. Anyway so nintendo is making sure their is supply but not too much soo their are always units on shelves. If consumers always see fully stocked shelves some people assume that no one buys it so their must be something wrong. So my guess is that if nintendo wanted they could have 5-6 mill SHIPPED NOT SOLD by end of 2006.

  • XRaurosX

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 1:25 pm PT

    my parents thought me not to play with my wii...
    it's highly mediocre stuck in a time loop Nintendo, just tell people that you don't have the resources due to the huge amount of losses made on the gamecube to go next-gen and have to re-use nearly every part of the gamecube...

    ...

    The Gamecube didn't do very well, but Nintendo owns the handheld business. The DS is killing the PSP in sales.

  • mark_unix

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 12:59 pm PT

    my parents thought me not to play with my wii...
    it's highly mediocre stuck in a time loop Nintendo, just tell people that you don't have the resources due to the huge amount of losses made on the gamecube to go next-gen and have to re-use nearly every part of the gamecube...

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