Gamestation's Midnight Wii Launch Woos Gamers
Competitions, DJs and console giveaways mark the launch of the new Nintendo games machine at Gamestation
Last night, hundreds of gamers flocked Gamestation stores up and down the country, all clamouring for a chance to get their hands on the Nintendo Wii games console, which launches today. Gamestation's Birmingham and Edinburgh stores held action-packed events, inviting gamers to a midnight countdown featuring competitions, live DJs and food served by models. The atmosphere was electric as gamers queued all night in eager anticipation of the moment they could take home their Nintendo Wii and enter the next generation in gaming. In total, over 200 Gamestation stores nationwide opened their doors at around midnight allowing gamers to get their hands on the must-have games machine of 2006.
In Birmingham, two lucky listeners from local radio station, Kerrang, won an evening sitting in Gamestation's window on launch night, giving them an exclusive preview of the Wii before it went on sale. The pair engaged in a heated contest, playing the hottest new console for a chance to take it home complete with a goody bag. While they played, models served them food and Kerrang DJ The Monk compered the contest, ramping up the excitement for people in the queue. The final winner was Peter Hall who went home with the must-have gift for gamers this Christmas.
The Birmingham Gamestation was also the only store in the UK to have Mario on the big screen, which was a real bonus for fans. Edinburgh also hosted a play-off in the window, giving away a Wii console and goody bag.
Martyn Gibbs, spokesperson for Gamestation, comments "Last night was the biggest launch event Gamestation's ever hosted and gamers rushed to the stores at midnight to get their hands on the Nintendo Wii. Anticipation was at fever pitch and we offered gamers entertainment and food to keep them going in the final moments before the doors opened. We were also the only store in the UK to have Mario on the big screen, which was a major bonus for fans and brought out a cheer from gamers. The Wii is a truly innovative machine and offers great value to gamers at just £179.99. The midnight openings were a huge success and hundreds of gamers left Gamestation stores in eager anticipation of entering the next generation of gaming."
History of the Console Wars
The console wars began in the 1980s, in America, the first being fought between Atari, Coleco and Mattel's Intellivision. In 1985 Nintendo launched the NES in Europe and Sega's Master System tried to challenge the NES The 16-bit era was the most viciously fought console war with the Sega Mega Drive going head to head with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) The launch of Sonic the Hedgehog secured Sega's success, however a number of commercial failures meant that in the following years, the SNES went on to outsell the Mega Drive in the US 1995 saw the birth of the 64-bit era when the Sega Saturn was launched, Nintendo's N64 was a straight contender, but both gaming giants struggled when Sony's PlayStation entered the fray GoldenEye 007, Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time all become known as some of the best games of all time and helped the N64 stave off the might of Sony's PlayStation Nintendo launched the GameCube in the UK in May 2002 at a price of £129.99 The competition was fierce with the early demise of the Sega Dreamcast and Microsoft's Xbox joining the party to try and dislodge Sony's dominance with the PlayStation 2 Although Sony is the undisputed market leader, the Gamecube has sold over 20 million units worldwide since launch The Nintendo Wii looks set to bring next generation gaming to an even wider market with its innovative controller, appealing games, offering a next generation experience starting at just £179.99 from Gamestation From NES to Wii Gamestation is the only games retailer still selling all Nintendo consoles past and present. All Nintendo Wii products are available from Gamestation stores nationwide or online at www.gamestation.co.uk For more information on the Nintendo Wii from Gamestation, including the latest videogames, please contact Sarah Morgan at the Gamestation Press Office on 020 7067 1597 or sarahm@attenborough.net