NeoGAF

Not yet! But it sounds like its due to begin very soon if certain people are to be believed. TrueDoogie at IGN boards posted this:

Originally Posted by TrueDoogie

A staffing agency for Nintendo is looking for 150 people to start packing Wii's tomorrow at North Bend.

Calling for the job now.

Nintendo does indeed appear to have vacancies at its North Bend facility:

http://www.nintendo.com/corp/jobs.jsp

Originally Posted by Nintendo Jobs page

Shipping Agent - Trainee

Description of duties
• Provides labor resources to the North Bend distribution facility
• Performs line functions in assigned area(s)
• Backs up other areas
• Assists with bundle pack projects
• Supports department by labor sharing
• Receiving: Unloads containers; processes and verifies receipts; uses electric pallet jack (requires DMV approval)
• Picking: Prepares product for picking (CAPS); picks product into totes; applies dunnage to cartons; scans product for verification; replenishes pick locations
• Material Move: Transfers product within the distribution center via electric pallet jack and/or stand-up reach truck (requires DMV approval); tracks inventory and product transfer
• Shipping: Prepares product labels and packing lists; labels and places product onto conveyors; loads trailers; processes, verifies and monitors shipments; operates electric pallet jack
• M Designation: In the absence of a Lead, provides training, guidance and task direction to assigned staff. Provides back-up for other areas, assists with special projects and provides labor resources in assigned area(s)

Originally Posted by Nintendo jobs page

Production Agent - Trainee

• Operate and maintain production equipment to package products in our state-of-the-art distribution facility
• Utilize specifications, oral, and written instruction to assemble products and subassemblies
• Monitor and evaluate line flow and suggest necessary process or personnel adjustments
• Monitor quality of product produced
• Monitor inventory
• Test products
• Keep work area clean and in compliance with safety guidelines

Interesting if true. Not long til the 14th!

Someone send me one by next week. Thanks in advance.

Seriously, I cannot wait 'til the 14th already. This feels worse than E3

His name is Truedoggie.

If they really plan on hitting 4 million by the end of the year, those units would have to start arriving sooner rather than later.

Originally Posted by Amir0x

Seriously, I cannot wait 'til the 14th already. This feels worse than E3

But but but: Waggle! Last-gen graphics! No Pikmin!

Originally Posted by Dragona Akehi

But but but: Waggle! Last-gen graphics! No Pikmin!

yeah... but, Metroid Prime III. *holds it tight*

SURPRISE LAUNCH

Can't wait for the surprise launch!

Kohler bait SET!

interesting news if true... maybe an October launch afterall?

Originally Posted by Amir0x

Seriously, I cannot wait 'til the 14th already. This feels worse than E3

Just four more freaking days. Watch a giant meteor smash into the earth on the 13th or something, sending us into a new dark age.

I'd still want my Wii.

Originally Posted by Dragona Akehi

But but but: Waggle! Last-gen graphics! No Pikmin!

It's too soon! This system was not intended to be released early!

Originally Posted by Amir0x

yeah... but, Metroid Prime III. *holds it tight*

Delayed! (Hopefully indefinately.)

Im sorry if I appear to be ignorant but what happens on the 14th?

Originally Posted by shuri

SURPRISE LAUNCH

No, surprise. TGS launch.

Originally Posted by Dragona Akehi

Delayed! (Hopefully indefinately.)

I don't know what would occur then. I guess I'd have a very snazzy looking system to look forward to while I play Zelda GCN on :lol

Originally Posted by inthezone

Im sorry if I appear to be ignorant but what happens on the 14th?

Wii-Con 06. The begining of three such events, actually. All questions to be answered then.

Originally Posted by GDGF

Just four more freaking days. Watch a giant meteor smash into the earth on the 13th or something, sending us into a new dark age.

I'd still want my Wii.

:lol

Ah...yeah, any and all catastrophes will be about two days old by then, sadly.

ETA: Damn, that even depressed me.

Surprise launch to sabotage Sony´s TGS-appearance...you´re so evil, Nintendo :-/

Originally Posted by Amir0x

I don't know what would occur then. I guess I'd have a very snazzy looking system to look forward to while I play Zelda GCN on :lol

But why spend that money on a Wii when you can just play it on your GC? (And if you don't have one they're like 20$). I just don't understand. :P

Originally Posted by Amir0x

Seriously, I cannot wait 'til the 14th already. This feels worse than E3

I agree, it's starting to get difficult to wait knowing it's close, but not how close.

But then again, I rather have them announce a date when they're absolutely sure they can keep it.

Originally Posted by MasterMFauli

Surprise launch to sabotage Sony´s TGS-appearance...you´re so evil, Nintendo :-/

:lol They did the same thing with the NDS, as I recall. Nintendo's gotten really good at spoiler tactics lately.

Originally Posted by Dragona Akehi

Delayed! (Hopefully indefinately.)

They're turning it into a 2D sidescroller.

... :(

Originally Posted by MasterMFauli

Surprise launch to sabotage Sony´s TGS-appearance...you´re so evil, Nintendo :-/

:lol They get on stage for their big TGS thing and they're like "WTF is everyone", because everyone will be in line to buy their Wii.

Are your servers ready, GAF?

Originally Posted by Dragona Akehi

But why spend that money on a Wii when you can just play it on your GC? (And if you don't have one they're like 20$). I just don't understand. :P

well the system is still gonna get Metroid Prime III eventually, and apparently Super Paper Mario too now... it's inevitable as they say!

These job vacancies are false.

The packaging is being done entirely with Pikmin, and this was the main reason for the small size of the console. It only takes 20 Pikmin to carry one Wii.

Let's calculate how many Wiis can be packed by 150 people in a day.

Originally Posted by Y2Kevbug11

They're turning it into a 2D sidescroller.

... :(

DON'T PLAY WITH MY EMOTIONS!

Did they firebomb Retro too?


Seriously, even if they have packaging commencing now, it'll take more than a month to get enough systems ready for launch.

Originally Posted by Amir0x

well the system is still gonna get Metroid Prime III eventually, and apparently Super Paper Mario too now... it's inevitable as they say!

Was MPII good?

Originally Posted by Dragona Akehi

DON'T PLAY WITH MY EMOTIONS!

Did they firebomb Retro too?


Seriously, even if they have packaging commencing now, it'll take more than a month to get enough systems ready for launch.

NO SURPRISE TGS LAUNCH SONY SPOILED

Originally Posted by Bebpo

Was MPII good?

I love Metroid Prime I, and "like" Metroid Prime II... but your mileage will vary. Metroid Prime II's dark/light world made the game more tedious, whereas with the original the backtracking felt more natural and it was less annoying. All beautiful art direction and incredible gameplay remains of course.

Shipping Agent - Trainee

Number of positions: 1

Production Agent - Trainee

Number of positions: 5

Those six people are going to be busy.

I always thought Nintendo's packing center was a totally automated robot love affair, but maybe that's just in Redmond or something.

Originally Posted by consoul

Shipping Agent - Trainee

Number of positions: 1

Production Agent - Trainee

Number of positions: 5

Those six people are going to be busy.

Hm, so that news was actually meant for PS3 and the 100.000 units?
Nah, whatever, 5 people should be enough to package 1.000.000 consoles until September 22th....at least, i gues/hope so :P

The 14th will be in the history books :D

Definitely not a Nov. 17 launch then. :lol

Originally Posted by Luna104

Are your servers ready, GAF?

Judging by the Joystiq/ Nintendo/ IBM fiasco, I'd say no, they are not... :)

This thread makes me wonder if there is such a thing as the Nintendo Defense Force

Originally Posted by DyobolikaL.

The 14th will be in the history books :D

We need something like a new Nintendo On-video. September 14th won´t be such a disappointmenton, if there is no such video :lol

Originally Posted by MasterMFauli

Hm, so that news was actually meant for PS3 and the 100.000 units?
Nah, whatever, 5 people should be enough to package 1.000.000 consoles until September 22th....at least, i gues/hope so :P

So you're guessing/hoping that 5 people are enough to pack more than 80000 units a day? Wow.

So what exactly does this mean, then? Launch in a month?

Well according to the OP at IGN, they were handing out flyers locally. He asked about it and was told 150 people were needed. Kelly Services is apparently the agency doing that recruitment - and they do have north bend vacancies on their website (same job titles, but it doesn't say Nintendo). The Nintendo site as you point out offers fewer positions. Manpower are also recruiting:

http://www.us.manpower.com/uscom/Job.../US/NINTENDO20

http://www.us.manpower.com/uscom/Job.../US/NINTEMAP20

http://www.us.manpower.com/uscom/Job.../US/NINTEDIA22


He's hoping to hear back from the agency, and he plans to ask more. Its perhaps not enough to jump the gun and say Wii is definately being packaged now, but the possibility doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Its gotta be done sometime.

Remember that they need hardware AND software to launch.

Is the 14th the American event AND Japanese event? Or is the 15th the American event?

I can stay up on Thursday because I have no class on Friday. :D

Originally Posted by radioheadrule83

Well according to the OP at IGN, they were handing out flyers locally. He asked about it and was told 150 people were needed. Kelly Services is apparently the agency doing that recruitment - and they do have north bend vacancies (it doesn't say Nintendo). The Nintendo site as you point out offers fewer positions. Manpower are also recruiting:

http://www.us.manpower.com/uscom/Job.../US/NINTENDO20

http://www.us.manpower.com/uscom/Job.../US/NINTEMAP20

http://www.us.manpower.com/uscom/Job.../US/NINTEDIA22


He's hoping to hear back from the agency, and he plans to ask more. Its perhaps not enough to jump the gun and say Wii is definately being packaged now, but the possibility doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Its gotta be done sometime.

Heh, back in the day Kelly Services hired me to do factory labor at Liz Claiborne

jesus fug, only 3 days! c-a-n-n-o-t-w-a-i--t (this day is over :D )

Originally Posted by Polari

Remember that they need hardware AND software to launch.

True. There's an old Planet Gamecube article on the North Bend facilities. Aside from a crate of GBAs, the reporter got a lot of pictures of software - http://www.planetgamecube.com/specialArt.cfm?artid=2136

I dunno. How much time does it takes to package the units that are necessary for the launch? And yes, the waiting for the 14th is painful, not to mention that since it is going to be a 6 hours presentation, the information drop will be loooooong and tortuous.

I am a bit confused. Can an expert in console packaging please give a time frame for likely packaging that might coincide with a "certain period" before launch?