Nintendo Wii Review:

On the back are 2 USB ports, a sensor bar plug, power plug port, and video out. The real revolution comes in the user interface. Gone are the standard game pads held gripped between two hands, with thumb sticks, trigger buttons, and thumb buttons. Nintendo has re-thought and re-worked game interaction with its new "wii-mote" (sounds like remote). This game controller (see all Wii controllers here) looks like a slender white wand, with a variety of buttons on it. There is a power button at the top, a 4-way pad below, a main action button, 3 horizontal control buttons, a speaker, 2 more action buttons at the bottom, and a player indicator to show whose turn it is (1-4, for sharing the controller). When you hold it sideways, it looks a little like the regular game joystick controllers, just spread across an elongated rectangle, with a movement pad on one side and action buttons on the other. A sensor bar connects to the back of your game console and then sits somewhere near your TV. The remote communicates with the sensor via Bluetooth wireless technology, and the sensor detects the location and motion of the controller. This is where the new gameplay and interaction occurs. You can play tennis by swinging the controller through the air, and the Wii will sense your motions and move the player accordingly on the screen. Pretty novel stuff!! Of course, we will have to see how it works out in real life - I'm not sure everyone wants to stand up, jump, and swing their arms around when playing a video game.

More about the controller. A port on the bottom of the control allows you to connect additional devices. The first such device available is called the nunchuk control. A cord routes from the bottom of the controller into what's called "the nunchuk", which is another white plastic piece shaped to fit in the palm of your hand. It has an analog stick for moving around, and two button on the top edge. The nunchuk also has motion sensing capabilities. We will have to wait and see how they work together when some game titles are released, but this will not be your father's video game interface!

Nintendo has designed the Wii to run cool and be used as an always-on device, especially with its wireless internet connection. When you turn it on, you come to a main Wii Channel Menu screen, with weather forecast, options for viewing pictures, leaving notes, browsing the web, playing games, etc. Opera has promised a version of its web browser for the Wii, so we can assume you will have normal web browsing capabilities, making it a potential PC replacement for many kids/game rooms.

New Nintendo Wii Games

Where can I buy the Nintendo Wii?