The launch date of the much heralded Wii game console, said to "reshape the home entertainment and video game landscape", has been finally revealed - well, almost. Wii will go on sale in the US on November 19th and in Japan on December 2nd, and the European launch date will be announced at a press conference in London, tomorrow (Friday 15th).

The suggested retail price in the US is $249.99, and the price includes one wireless Wii remote controller, one Nunchuk controller and a collection of five different Wii Sports games on one disc, all playable using the fancy controller.

Besides its unique controller, another distinctive feature is a series of on-screen "channels" that make up the Wii Channel Menu, which makes the console highly customizable and gives access to all its functions. When connected to a TV, the Wii Channel Menu offers a simple interface that lets users pick games to play, get news or weather, upload and send photos, or even create caricatures of themselves to use in actual games.

"Wii reinvents games for the devoted player," said Reggie Fils-Aime, the President of Nintendo America. "But more importantly, Wii breaks the wall separating players from non-players by delivering the best game experiences for the most affordable price. We believe the next leap is games for the masses - young and old, gamer or non, alone, with a friend or with the whole family."

Some 30 games are expected to be available by the end of the year - among which, some top Nintendo titles including Wii Sports, a compilation of tennis, baseball, golf and bowling, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Excite Truck - and the entire library of more than 530 Nintendo GameCube titles will be available from day one. First-party Nintendo titles have a suggested retail price of $49.99, although publishers are free to set their own prices.

"I believe the Wii will attract new and casual gamers to the world of interactive entertainment," said Larry Probst, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Arts. "It's a fun, easy and economical system that will become a bridge to gaming for mainstream audiences. At EA, we are putting more support behind the Wii than any Nintendo hardware launch since the Super NES."