Nintendo’s offering in the seventh next-gen console war is, well, a little bit different from all the others. From its humorous name to its family-friendly games, the Wii represents Nintendo’s step in another direction.
Unlike the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, the Wii is designed to bring video gaming into the mainstream. This is evident even in the console’s name; Nintendo explains the choice in a statement on their website: “Wii sounds like 'we', which emphasises that the console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.”
While it does not have particularly impressive specs – in fact many have said that in terms of graphics, it is hardly an improvement on its predecessor, the GameCube – its appeal lies in its playability through the Wii remote. Nicknamed the ‘Wiimote’ by fans, the Wii remote is a wireless controller that connects to the main console through infrared and Bluetooth technology. This allows for physical action to be detected by the controller, which opens up a whole new revenue of play from traditional button-pressing methods. A detachable device, called the Nunchuck, is also included as an extra controller and is compulsory for several of the Wii’s games.
The Wii is accessed through the main menu, displaying several ‘channels’ to be selected. While one of these channels is dedicated to the game disc inserted into the console, the other channels are for extra features. As the Wii is wireless-compatible, an internet channel is offered (using the internet browser Opera), along with a news and a weather channel.
One of the more unique features is the Mii channel, where players can create cute and cartoon-ish digital images of themselves, known as Miis. These Miis are available to be used in other channels, such as the poll channel – where gamers vote on two-answer questions on their hobbies and habits – and the Mii creator channel, where competitions are held for gamers to design a Mii according to the competition theme. Most ingeniously, however, is the integration of Miis into a selection of Nintendo games. Wii Sports, a game that comes in the Wii console package in all countries except Japan, allows players to use their Miis to compete in sporting games such as tennis, baseball, bowling and boxing. Other Mii-integrated games include Wii Play, mini-games such as discus-shooting and cow-riding, Mario and Sonic at the Olympics, where your Mii can compete in various Olympics events and WarioWare: Smooth Moves, a series of random mini-games to rack up points and wave your Wii in a series of strange positions.
GameCube games can also be played on the console, though GameCube controllers and memory cards are needed. While older games for the N64, SNES and NES are not directly playable through the original cartridges on the new system, a Wii shopping channel is offered on the main menu, where the older games may be bought and played as an extra channel using the Wii remote.
The Wii was released in the Americas on November 19 2006, Japan on December 2 2006, Australia on December 7 and Europe on December 8 of the same year. So far, sales estimates have indicated that the Wii is the bestselling console out of the three next-gen consoles. In fact, in some areas, particularly North America and the UK, demand is exceeding supply and Wii consoles are often sold out. Despite the console shortages, recent figures have revealed that 6.3 million Wii units were sold in the US alone, outstripping its nearest competitor the Xbox 360 at 4.6 million.
It is thought that the success of the Wii is down to its more generalised demographic; rather than aiming for the hardcore gamers, the Wii is designed to appeal to everyone, young or old. This is reflected in their marketing campaign, which shows families, old people and young children playing together on the console. However, this has caused complaint from some gamers, as they feel that Nintendo has been abandoning their loyal fanbase. Nintendo has tried to cater to this by offering games such as Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Mario Galaxy, but this may be the beginning of a new era of gaming for the masses. After all, when the Wii attracts fans such as Queen Elizabeth II of the UK, you cannot say the progress it is making is a step in the wrong direction.
The Wii console costs £180 in the UK and $500 in the US, if you can find one.
