At the Times Square Toys "R" Us store in New York, a line snaked around the block, with more than 1,000 gamers vying for first rights to take the new machine home, while more than 900 enthusiasts gathered for the West Coast release at the GameStop store at Hollywood's Universal City Walk.
At midnight, Isaiah "Triforce" Johnson, 29, purchased the first Wii as Toys "R" Us employees cheered and Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime helped ring up the sale.
"I had to get it first," said Johnson, who was dressed in a black leather Nintendo coat and "Legend of Zelda" sweatshirt. He immediately took the Wii out of its box and had Fils-Aime autograph it. The Nintendo Wii launch comes two days after Sony's PlayStation 3 hit the US market, setting the stage for a three-way video game console showdown this holiday season between the Wii, the PS3 and Microsoft Corp's already available Xbox 360.
Instead of trying to steal hard-core gamers from Microsoft and Sony, Nintendo hopes to expand the traditionally male video game audience by luring new players. Nintendo priced the Wii at $250, compared with the $600 premium PS3 and the $400 top-end Xbox 360.
The Kyoto-based Nintendo Co Ltd, which created video game characters Super Mario and Donkey Kong, has hooked girls and seniors with its "Nintendogs" pet training games and its "Brain Age" cognitive fitness title for its hand-held DS machine that is a break-out hit.
The device offers touch-screen and voice recognition capabilities that allow users to "pet" and speak commands to their dog or to write and speak answers to brain teasers. Nintendo has taken a similar approach with the Wii.