Video-game news: $250 Wii arrives Nov. 19

Nintendo maniacs can finally mark their calendars with the launch date for the new Wii console. Its U.S. debut is scheduled for Nov. 19, just two days after the arrival of Sony's PlayStation 3, setting up an interesting battle for hardware supremacy over the holiday season. Nintendo appears to be counting on significant shortages of the PS3, with plans to ship 4 million consoles before year's end, as opposed to Sony's 2 million. Nintendo's also hoping to attract cash-strapped gamers, with the $250 Wii selling for, at most, half the price of the $500-$600 PS3. Besides the slender Wii console itself, your $250 will get you a collection of "Wii Sports" games, including tennis, baseball, golf, bowling and boxing. All of them use Nintendo's new, wand-like, wireless controller; in the bowling game, for example, you swing the wand like you're rolling a ball.