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Wii: The Total Story
Full technical specifications, price, release date, and much more.
Introducing Nintendo Wii...
Nintendo's new generation console, which was formerly codenamed Revolution, is now simply named Wii. For the record, it's pronounced like "we," despite the different and deliberately odd spelling. Nintendo announced the official name of Wii on April 27, 2006. The announcement can be read by clicking right here. The official Wii announcement trailer can be downloaded right here.
The Wii brand is designed to accentuate the console's unique controller (as represented by the 'ii' in the title) and its ability to bring gamers of all types together, hence the name "we."
The Wii system is the fruit of a new Nintendo philosophy that is determined to emphasize original and fresh gameplay endeavors over dramatically enhanced graphic presentations. Whereas both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are designed from the ground up to deliver more detailed, high-definition graphics, Wii's biggest innovation lies with a potentially revolutionary new controller and not raw horsepower. It is this controller, dubbed the Wii remote (or Wii-mote for short), which truly distinguishes the Big N's new platform from its competitors.
Technical Breakdown
The Wii system has been designed to be "small, quiet and affordable," according to Nintendo. The machine, available at launch in glossy white, is just 8.5 inches long, 6 inches wide and less than two inches thick (the exact dimensions are 157mm x 215.4mm x 44mm.) The Big N is fond of comparing the system to the size of roughly three stacked DVDs. Wii can be placed horizontally or vertically. The console is roughly twice as powerful as a GameCube, putting it in horsepower territory beyond Xbox, but well shy of Xbox 360. Tech specs do not tell the whole story, which is probably why Nintendo itself has chosen not to provide intricate breakdowns for Wii's CPU and GPU. Bearing that in mind, here's everything we know about the console's internal makeup:
| 729 MHz IBM PowerPC "Broadway" CPU | 243 MHz ATI "Hollywood" GPU |
| 24MBs "main" 1T-SRAM | 64MBs other 1T-SRAM |
| 512MBs internal flash memory | 3MBs texture memory on GPU |
| Built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi capability | One SD memory card bay |
| AV multi-port: S-video, composite, component | Analog (left/right) audio / DPLII |
| Four GameCube controller ports | Two GameCube Memory Pak slots |
| Two USB 2.0 ports | Compatible with up to four wireless Wii-motes |
| Self-loading media drive | Accepts 12cm Wii and 8cm GCN discs; no DVD movies |
The specs are good and fine, but they do little to paint Nintendo's full plan for Wii. The Big N hopes its new platform will captivate the elusive non-gamer market. To do this, Wii will come packed with a number of extra features - some of which branch out of games-only territory.
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In addition, using Wii's Virtual Console, users can download classic games to their system. Players will have access to more than 20 years of classic games on beloved platforms including NES, SNES, N64, TurboGrafx 16 and Sega Genesis, among others. Virtual Console games will cost between $5 and $10 depending on the title.
Wii will be able to wirelessly connect to Nintendo's popular DS handheld.
Although Nintendo is focused on Wii's Wi-Fi Connection, which delivers wireless access to online games and Web browsing, among other things, users who do not own a wireless router will be able to connect a separately sold USB 2.0 LAN adapter to the machine, at which point they can plug in a network Ethernet cable and gain online access.
Click here to learn all about the Wii-mote and attachments Nintendo's new generation console has been designed from the beginning to be affordable and so as a result it will be cheaper than any competitor. Unlike either Microsoft's Xbox 360 or Sony's PlayStation 3, Wii will also come packed with a game - or, depending upon how you view it, multiple games. Wondering what we're talking about? Let's get down to the nitty-gritty.
What's in the Box?
The Wii system comes packaged with one Wii-mote, one nunchuk attachment, a Wii stand (which supports the system in its vertical position), an AC adaptor, a composite audio/video cable, a sensor bar, a sensor bar stand, and two AA batteries for the controller. In the US and Europe, Wii will also come bundled with a copy of Wii Sports, a five-game compilation (on one disc) that features such titles as Wii Sports Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf and Boxing. In Japan, however, Wii Sports will be sold separately for approximately 4800 yen.
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Wii will retail for $249.99 in the US, £179 in the Europe and 25,000 yen in Japan.
The Release Date
Wii is scheduled to release first in America in order make the Thanksgiving time frame, which Nintendo considers critical for the US market. The console will go on sale in the US on November 19 - two days after Sony releases PlayStation 3.
Wii will release in Japan on December 2.
The console will go on sale in Europe on December 9.
Finally, Wii will launch in Australia on December 7 for $399.95.
Wii Console Numbers
Although Nintendo is releasing Wii after PlayStation 3, the company is not worried about the competition. When quizzed on the subject, company executives dismissed PS3, saying that not only was it an altogether different videogame console, but that Sony wouldn't have enough units ready this holiday to provide a worthy challenge. Whereas around 400,000 PlayStation 3s are expected to hit in America this November, NOA president Reggie Fils-Aime recently confirmed that it would "absolutely" have more Wii systems ready from day one.
Nintendo expects to ship 4 million Wii units globally by the end of the year, with North American territories (America, Canada and Mexico) getting the largest chunk.
Games and Controllers
Nintendo will be pricing its Wii games at $49.99 and is recommending that its third party contributors do the same. This is $10 cheaper than many games for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Players will be able to separately buy additional Wii-mote and nunchuk controllers, as well as the classic controller, as soon as the system launches. The Wii-mote will cost $39.99. The nunchuk unit will cost $19.99. And the classic controller will cost $19.99.
What do Wii game boxes look like?
Click here to see the official Wii box art for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
