So Nintendo's Wii (what a terrible name) will come out in the U.S. on Nov. 17 and cost $250.

That's two days after the PS3's launch, and just $50 less than the Core Xbox 360.

While the Wii will include a game (Wii Sports) and those other consoles will not, Nintendo may have just deflated a lot of the enthusiasm around its new system.

Frankly, the PS3 is going to dominate the headlines when it comes out, particularly since the system will be in such short supply. Nintendo could have stolen a march on Sony by launching the Wii in late October. Now, Nintendo has to fight an uphill publicity battle.

Furthermore, several weeks ago, Nintendo promised the Wii would not cost more than $250. So how does $249.99 hit you? Yes, technically, that is less than $250. But Nintendo knew most gamers were anticipating a much lower price, and this feels like a mild betrayal. Plus, gamers may compare the Wii and the lower-priced version of the 360 and think, hey, I can get a much more powerful system for just 50 bucks more.

The Wii ain't dead, but Nintendo's job just got a whole lot harder.