Wii launch details likely to be announced in Leipzig

The long-awaited unveiling of the price point and launch date for the Wii console looks likely to happen at the Game Convention, which takes place from August 24th to 27th in Leipzig, Germany.

The timing of the announcement has been the subject of intense speculation, with many anticipating that it would come at the Tokyo Game Show in late September - but this week the firm revealed that it plans to announce the date by September.

Meanwhile, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said that the company is not expecting to make a loss in the year following the launch of its next-generation console - unlike rivals Sony and Microsoft.

Speaking at a Tokyo press conference, Iwata said: "It is a strange notion that a game console always leads to mounting losses in the beginning."

"We can't promise we won't have even a one-yen loss, but we are not expecting an enormous loss... We are working to make the Wii business a healthy one from the first year."

Nintendo has forecast a growth in operating profit of 22 per cent this business year, thanks at least in part to the huge popularity of the DS handheld. Sony, however, has warned that the operating loss for its games subsidiary is due to stand at YEN 100 billion (EURO 691 million) due to costs associated with the launch of the PS3.

Via Gamesindustry