IBM Ships Chips for Nintendo's Wii

Just days after the disappointing announcement from Sony that its Playstation 3 (PS3) console will ship just 400,000 units in North America and a paltry 100,000 in Japan, IBM has publicly stated that its chip for Nintendo's upcoming "Wii" system is moving out.

The announcement by IBM confirms beliefs that the Wii is indeed on schedule, and unlike the PS3, should come relatively close to meeting a strong consumer demand when it is released in mid-November of this year.

IBM's chip for Nintendo's console is code-named "Broadway", and reportedly ushers in the next generation of gaming by reducing power consumption by as much as 20%. With that said, the Wii is coming under some serious criticism for a lack of muscle; where the Xbox 360 and PS3 are leaping ahead of most high-end PCs and the developers producing the games, Nintendo's next console is only a marginal improvement on the original Xbox: the most powerful machine from the last generation of home platforms.

Still, both IBM and Nintendo remain confident that the chip and console will sell. The Wii does have one important feature going for it: a low price tag. Reportedly priced at $250 USD, the Wii is significantly cheaper than its competition -- less than half of the cost for a PS3, in fact. (Source: betanews.com)

The announcment by IBM comes less than a week before Nintendo's scheduled September 14 press conference in New York, where the famous Japanese console producer is set to officially unveil the console and its pricing structure. In the wake of the 360 and PS3's expensive and somewhat confusing pricing tiers, expect Nintendo to relieve parents and casual gamers alike by offering its system in a simple (and cheap) format. (Source: arstechnica.com)

Both the statement by IBM and Nintendo's press conference are seen by the latter as part of the final stage before the Wii is officially released to the public.