The Nintendo Wii
The Latest Next Generation Console. Did Nintendo Live Up To The Expectations, Or Fall Pathetically Short?
The Nintendo Wii was, without a doubt, one of the most look-forward to next gen game systems of all time.
Not to mention the revolutionary controller that many have claimed to literally change the way we look at controllers forever.
So, with so much to look forward to in the way of gaming, does the Wii live up to the hype?
The History Of The Wii
The Wii first started out as early as 2001, but then it was only a thought – not until two years later were designers and engineers brought into the mix.
The consoles code name was Revolution, and any who kept up with the progress of the console knew it by that. When Nintendo announced in April of 2006 that it would be named Wii instead of Revolution, many weren’t happy.
Why should they be? Wii does just what Nintendo feared – when you combine the look, usage, and name, it makes you think of a kiddy toy. A seventh generation system geared directly towards those under thirteen years old.
The Wii was made available in the US on November 19th, 2006, with 15 games available in stores. As of March 3rd, 2007, over 2,083,880 consoles had been sold in the US alone.
A whopping 6.18 million consoles have been sold in total – which dwarves the 3.15 million that the PlayStation 3 sold.
The Cheapest Next-Gen Console Available.
Seventh Generation Console Prices:
Xbox 360 Elite System: 479.99 USD
Playstation 3 60 Gigabyte Hard Drive: 599.99 USD
Wii with Wii Sports: 249.99 USD
No joke. The Wii is literally less than half the price of the Playstation 3, and considerably lower than the Elite 360. So is the Wii worth the price?
What Do You Get For The Cheap Price?
Everything you need to hook your new-fangled Wii up to a standard TV comes in the box – a power adapter, a set of composite A/V cables, the sensor bar needed to use the remote, a cradle for mounting the Wii vertically, a wireless controller with nunchuk adapter, and of course, the console itself.
The console itself is more than tiny – clearly the smallest, lightest of the next generation systems, it’s only 1.75 inches high and 6.25 inches wide, and 8.5 inches deep. It comes in only white, and you can mount it vertically or lay or horizontally.
The console accepts the full-sized Wii game disks, and the smaller GameCube disks without any need for an adapter, though doesn’t play DVD’s or music CD’s. Even if you don’t like the games available, there’s hope!
Ready… Set… Download!
Indeed, if you’re not a fan of the current games out – as many aren’t, although no one can deny that Zelda: Twilight Princess is awesome, you can actually download games off of the Wii Store.
Before you can go and blow your entire allowance, however, you have to buy Wii Points. You can use a credit card, or go into most game stores and buy a Wii Points card. After getting the actual points, you’re off.
You can browse through tons of old-school games, and downloading can take as little as a few seconds for an NES game, or over ten minutes for a Nintendo 64 game. Most will agree that this is the best feature the Wii has, and some have even argued that it is the only reason the Wii is worth the money.
Shake It! Shake It Real Good!
I’ve been holding off explaining what exactly makes the Wii so wonderful because so many people have had different thoughts on it. Many love the controller and the way it works, and actually have a hard time returning to a basic controller, while others throw it down and never touch it again.
The Wii controller is extremely similar to a normal remote in size and shape, but that’s about where the similarities end. Instead of just pushing a button on the controller, it’s controlled by motion, too. For example, while playing Wii Sports, instead of pushing a button to hit the baseball that’s coming to you at 90mph, you swing the controller. This, of course, is dangerous in close quarters, but insanely fun.
It is incredibly hard to adjust to, especially for old-time gamers who have completely adapted themselves to the PlayStation controller. For many who are taller, but have a lower TV, using the controller is a pain – and forget if one of you is tall, and one is short, and you want to play a two player game. Chances are one of the controllers isn’t going to be in range, and not work right.
However, there are a lot of upsides – once getting used to the controller, you can have one amazing gaming experience. And that’s over six million Wii consoles have been sold.
It can be a damn good machine.
