Wii to launch on November 3

A source within the industry has revealed the official UK launch date of the Wii to be November 3, 2006.

Speaking to Pro-G, an unnamed source in marketing working for a leading third-party games publisher has told us that November 3, 2006 is the official release date for Nintendo's Wii. This news comes just days after EA listed the Wii version of Need for Speed Carbon as a November 3 release. Although EA stated that this was an error, it seems more than a passing coincidence that the dates match up.

With Nintendo not saying any more on the Wii until September, official launch details are still weeks away. What Nintendo has said is that the console will retail for under $250, which is predicted to translate to around £150 here in the UK. Of course, the Wii has competition from the established Xbox 360, but also from the PlayStation 3 which is scheduled for release across Europe on November 17. Getting a two-week head start over the PS3, combined with its low price point, should ensure a great launch for the Wii.

As usual, we'll bring you any further information on the Wii launch as we get it - for now, you can check out our hands-on with the console from a recent press event in London.