Features of the New Wii

The Nintendo Wii is a video game console developed by the Nintendo gaming company. We all know them for creating such gaming machines as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), the Nintendo 64, the Gameboy, Gamecube, Nintendo DS and others. This article is a comprehensive description of their new system, the Nintendo Wii. This is from the newest generation of gaming consoles, which will compete with the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360. The Wii is of completely different design from these other consoles. The focus is on game play and not on graphical excellence or power. Nintendo is able to achieve this through their totally new and innovative controller, the "Wii-mote." I will describe this feature and many others throughout this article. I, myself, am going to purchase this console when it is released on November 19th, so I will try to stay as unbiased and truthful as possible. If you, the reader, need more information feel free to visit the Wii's official website at http://wii.nintendo.com.

The Hardware:
The system itself is about the size of two DVD boxes stacked onto one another. The controller is one Wii-Mote and has many optional attachments, including the Nunchuck (includes control stick). The games are the exact size of a normal CD, unlike the games for the Gamecube, which were considerably smaller. The system has 512 MBs of internal memory and a slot for SD or secure digital cards for bringing memory and saved games with you. Also, hidden, under a lid on the top of the console are ports for two gamecube memory cards and four gamecube controllers. These ports for the gamecube hardware are necessary because the console is backward compatible, meaning it can play Gamecube games along with the new games for the Wii. There are many other accessories that will be available at launch and many more to come from 3rd party companies. For more information please visit Nintendo's website that is listed above.

The Innovation:
The whole reason that this console is so popular and hyped before launch is the completely new game play elements that the wii-mote bring to the table. In many of the demonstrations that I have seen, players are able to manipulate what goes on in the game by making movements with the controller. For example, in the driving games, you hold the controller horizontally and move it just like you would a steering wheel. As you turn it, the car on the screen moves with it. In the new Madden Wii, you can throw by making a throwing motion and catch by lifting you hands up quickly. It is these new aspects of the games that will revolutionize the industry. This is definitely going to be a great addition to any First Person Shooter or FPS game. By moving the controller, crosshairs on the screen move with it. One of the new additions is also the Virtual Console or VC, which is an application where you can, for a small fee, download games from NES, SNES, Genesis and Nintendo 64 games. These cost between 5 and 10 dollars a piece. The last innovation that I am going to talk about is the Wiiconnect24, which is a technology in which that allows the Wii to download updates, extra content and other things at anytime the console is plugged in and connected to the internet, even if it is off. All of these listed above are great additions to the console.

Games:
At a cost of only $50 dollars a piece, they will be the cheapest games of this console generation. As for launch titles, there are a great number, about 27, games that will be released on Nov. 19th. These may include some very recognizable titles including, Zelda: Twilight Princess, Red Steel, Rayman: Raving Rabbits, Trauma Center and Madden 07 to name a few. All of these are solid games that should be a great selling point for this system. There are many great games that will be launched early next year including Nintendo powerhouse franchises, Mario and Metroid. I am looking forward to getting my hands on these games as soon as possible.

Other Notes (Price, Availability, Etc.):
The price of this console is only $249 dollars and includes the system, a game (Wii Sports), a controller with nunchuck. This is the cheapest console of this generation. The Playstation 3 will cost $500-$600 dollars and the Xbox 360 costs $300-$400 dollars. At launch, on November 9th, Nintendo has promised to have almost one million units for sales and four million units for sale by the end of the year. This is because the parts are most readily available compared to the Xbox and Playstation. I think that the console will be the most available of the 3 new ones this Christmas and will make many people happy.

Conclusion:
This console is definitely the most innovative, least expensive and the most readily available for this Christmas season. It is for this reason that I, and many others, will be getting their hands on this product as soon as possible. From what I have seen and read on the internet, both through articles and videos, this console is very promising and should be a great investment by any gamer.