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Nintendo Wii ReviewAfter Atari launched the home video game craze, Nintendo was quick to follow on the heels of all their arcade classics - Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, etc. Their early Nintendo home game consoles were a smash hit, and their Nintendo 64, released in the late 90s, brought gaming graphics to a whole new level. Sony's PS2 put the heat on Nintendo, pushing them into second place, and then Microsofts Xbox pushed them further into the background. Nintendo focused largely on the younger gamer market with the GameCube and with their surprise handheld hit, the Nintendo DS. Now with the Xbox 360 already on the market for a year, the Sony PS3 launch imminent, Nintendo is ready to launch their most ambitious gaming platform in many years, called the Nintendo Wii (pronounced "we"). In this guide, we will take a look at the specs of the new Wii -- see how it works, what it looks like, what Nintendo Wii games will be available at launch, and how much it will cost.
Nintendo Wii hardware - game console and Wii remoteAll of the game makers have shrunk and streamlined their game consoles, and Nintendo is no different. The Nintendo Wii looks like something that would fit in nicely with the Apple iPod or iMac line - sleek white lines, thin, 8.5" long and 6" wide, about 2" think - a nice, clean small rectangle than can be set up horizontally or vertically. It includes built in wireless 802.11 WiFi connectivity for internet connection, and it will connect wirelessly to the handheld Nintendo DS game systems. It is backward compatible with the Nintendo Gamecube, with ports in the side (hidden under a flip open panel) for Gamecube controllers, and it will play all GameCube games - nice that you can carry your old games forward with you when you buy a new system. The front of the Wii has a self-loading slot for inserting optical discs - either the 12cm sized Wii games, or the smaller 8cm GameCube games. There is also an SD memory card slot hidden behind a flip up panel. The white box can lay flat on its side, or stand up vertically in a small grey plastic stand that is provided - we prefer that look. The Nintendo Wii is powered by a PowerPC chip made by IBM - certainly nothing that will compare with the graphics churning power found in the Xbox 360 or PS3.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 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 GamesWhat are the best Nintendo Wii games? How much do they cost? Only new games designed for the new Wii will take advantage of the new systems features. Some pre-announced games include The Legend of Zelda, WarioWare, Excite Truck, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Mario Strikers Charged, Big Brain Academy, and Battalion Wars. Games will be priced initially at $49, which will likely fall to $29 after a new release ages 9-12 months as has happened with past console games.Where can I buy the Nintendo Wii?GameStop will have exclusive rights to displaying sample kiosks, where you can test out and play with the Wii at your local video game store. But the Wii should be available from all major retailers in November 2006 - Wal-Mart, Circuit City, Best Buy, Frys, etc. How much does the Nintendo Wii cost? Price for the Nintendo Wii from Amazon.com is listed at $250, with a shipping date of 11/19/2006. It will come with a copy of Wii Sports.
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