Wii (pronounced as the word "we",)is Nintendo's seventh-generation video game console. Its official project code name was Revolution.
About The Wii:
A major feature of Wii is the console's wireless controller, the Wii Remote, that may be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. The controller also contains a speaker and a rumble device to provide sensory feedback, and can be used to turn Wii on and off. The console also features a stand-by mode entitled WiiConnect24, enabling it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while consuming very little electrical power. This will be the first Nintendo console to include a game (Wii Sports) with the system at launch since Super Nintendo, and the second Nintendo console to launch without a Super Mario title (Gamecube being the first). This will also be the first Nintendo console to have a Legend of Zelda game as a launch title.
Nintendo unveiled the system under the code name Revolution in 2005 at its E3 press conference. Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's President, revealed a prototype of the system's game controller at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show during his keynote speech in September 2005. For E3 2006, Wii won the Game Critics Awards for Best of Show and Best Hardware. Wii is set to be released on November 19, 2006 in North America, December 2, 2006 in Japan, December 7, 2006 in Australia and New Zealand, and December 8, 2006 in Europe.
Hardware
Design
Wii is Nintendo's smallest home game console yet; measuring 44 mm wide, 157 mm tall, and 215.4 mm deep in the vertical orientation without the included stand (which itself measures 55.4 mm wide, 44 mm tall, and 225.6 mm deep). It is approximately the size of three standard DVD cases stacked together (approx. 4.5 cm x 15 cm x 20 cm). The console can be stood either horizontally or vertically. The front of the console features a slot-loading media drive illuminated by a blue light and accepts both 12cm optical discs for Wii software and 8cm discs from Nintendo's prior console, the Nintendo GameCube. The ability to load differently sized discs is uncommon in slot-loading media drives, which typically only accept discs of a single size. Two USB ports (at the rear) and one SD card slot (behind a flap cover at the front of the console) are provided.
Nintendo has shown Wii and the Wii Remote in various colors, including silver, lime green, white, black, and red. The console will initially be available only in white.
The systems shown at E3 2006 and in various trailers have several small changes from the original design. Not only has the Nintendo branding on the case been replaced with a 'Wii' logo, but the disc-loading slot has been enlarged slightly, the reset button has been moved from next to the eject button to beside the power button, and the power indicator light has been moved from next to the power button to inside that button.
Controller
The primary controller for Wii uses a one-handed, Bluetooth, remote control-based design with force-feedback capabilities. It features an integrated accelerometer, which allows it to sense linear motion along three axes, as well as tilt. The controller also contains a tracking image sensor, which, in tandem with a sensor bar, gives the controller light gun-like pointer capabilities within 5 meters (approx. 16.5 ft) of the screen. Up to four controllers can be connected at once and operated as far as ten meters from the console. It can be utilized like an NES gamepad when rotated. An internal audio speaker can be used to play sound effects and provides an enhanced depth of sound field. The Wii Remote features 4KB of non-volatile memory. It can run up to 60 hours using only the accelerometer function with two alkaline AA batteries and up to 30 hours when using the precision aim. The buttons on the controller are digital and include a D-pad, A, B, 1, 2, -, +, Home and Power buttons as well as a SYNC button located underneath the battery cover.
The Zapper shell at an event at the Hotel Puerta America (Under Development)
Enlarge The Zapper shell at an event at the Hotel Puerta America (Under Development).
The Wii Remote can be augmented by various add-ons. Announced expansions include: the included Nunchuk controller (which also has accelerometer capabilities, but no pointer ability) featuring an analog stick and two additional digital buttons (C and Z), a Classic Controller for playing Virtual Console games and a "Zapper Style" shell for first-person shooter gameplay which also includes a control stick on the top. The first third-party add-on is a steering wheel peripheral that will be packaged with Ubisoft's GT Pro Series and Monster 4x4 World Circuit.
Shigeru Miyamoto has expressed an interest in releasing re-makes of existing GameCube titles, stating that some titles would benefit from the functionality of the Wii Remote. In an interview, Miyamoto revealed that Nintendo hopes to allow Wii controllers to be personalized for each gamer. Applications would include different game settings determined by the preferences of the controller that turned on the console. Wii's controller will even allow your dynamic "Mii" Avatar to be saved to the remote, so that custom settings and even the character itself can be used on other Wii consoles.
Wii Channels
The operating system interface for Wii is designed around the concept of television channels, with a Wii Menu used to access them. Separate channels are graphically displayed in a grid, and are navigated using the pointer capability of the Wii Remote. The grid is completely customizable apart from the disc channel which will always be in the top left slot and users can place links to different channels or virtual console games in the menu's 48 slots. Some of the major channels include:
Disc Channel
With a Wii or Nintendo Gamecube game disc, the Disc Channel will boot up the game. This channel shows an image (usually the game's logo).
Internet Channel
Similar to its use as the Nintendo DS Browser, the Opera web browser will be available for download, according to Nintendo, and it will be purchased using Wii Points. It will be available as a free download until June 2007 in all regions.
A June 2006 interview between Wired News and Katsuya Eguchi (producer of Animal Crossing and Wii Sports) confirmed that the custom player avatar feature shown at Nintendo's E3 Media Briefing would be included in the hardware. The feature was described as part of a "Profile" system that contains the caricature and other persistent player information. This application was officially unveiled by Nintendo in September 2006. It is incorporated into Wii Channel's operating system interface as the "Mii Channel". Users can select from pre-made caricatures or create their own by choosing custom body part shapes, colors, and positioning. For games such as Wii Sports, each player's caricature will be shown as their in-game character appearance. Mii's can also interact with other Wii users by showing up on their Wii through Wiiconnect24 or by talking with other Miis created by Wii owners all over the world. This feature is called Mii Parade. In addition, Miis you created long ago might show up in the audience of one of your games. When you are done creating your Mii creations they can be downloaded to Wii's Controller, and be taken to another Wii.
Virtual Console Channel
When a Virtual Console game is bought through the Wii Shop Channel it will be placed in the Virtual Console channel. However, the user can give the game its own channel in the main menu if they wish to do so. The Virtual Console is an online service, similar to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade, that allows users to download games not only for the NES, Super NES, and Nintendo 64, but also Sega's Genesis/Mega Drive, NEC's PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16, and the MSX home computer. NES games will cost 500 Wii Points / JP¥500 (US$5), Super NES games 800 Wii Points / JP¥800 (US$8), and Nintendo 64 games 1,000 Wii Points / JP¥1,000 (US$10). (approx. €4 to €8 including VAT, c.2006). In the November 2006 issue of Nintendo Power, editors commented that adding additional systems like the Commodore 64 would be possible.
In a financial report issued by the publisher Tecmo, it was stated that the company promised to support the Virtual Console "aggressively", however, no further specifics were mentioned. Approximately 30 games will be released though the Virtual Console between the console's launch and the end of the calendar year, with 10 additional games being released every month after that for at least the next year.
Nintendo has stated the service "...will be home to new games conceived by indie developers whose creativity is larger than their budgets."
