Squid of Man

September 14: New York. September 14: Tokyo. September 15: London.

Three press events held in each of the three primary video game markets within 24 hours, each being convened specifically to talk about the Wii.

So this is the day for launch details. And also the day for a slight pang of concern from Australian Nintendo fans.

At each of those conferences, each of those three regions will find out how much the Wii is going to cost, when it's going to launch and what games it's going to launch with.

I think it's cutting it a bit fine for an October launch if the events are in mid-September, so all signs are pointing for a November launch. For those three territories.

What worries me is that, like the 360, Nintendo may be looking to curry favour with those who matter most, and leaving markets such as Australia/NZ out in the cold. Nintendo have said repeatedly that they're aiming for a 16-week "launch period" in which the Wii will be released worldwide. Sixteen weeks is a nice way of saying four months. Which is a nice way of saying 2007.

Now, that's an absolute doomsday scenario. Nintendo have been kind to Australia of late, what with the early DS launch in 2005, and we may well get bundled in with the PAL announcements at the Euro conference in London.

But we may not. And I think each of us needs to find a way to prepare for that eventuality.