Nintendo Wii: Family Oriented Game System

The Wii is the latest game system by Nintendo. At about $250.00, the Wii is actually one of the cheaper consoles to come out in recent years. The distinguishing feature of the Wii is the wireless controller which can make the user be more active during play.

The first thing I noticed about the Wii was the price. While the Sony Playstation 3, and Microsoft's Xbox 360 were priced at anywhere between four to six hundred dollars, the Nintendo Wii was only about $250.00. The Wii was much m ore affordable. The game that is included with the Wii console, called Wii Play, actually has several separate games on the one game disc. With the one Wii Play disc one can play tennis, bowling, baseball and boxing, and each game offers different variations of each game for a total of around fifteen different games.

The main feature though is the interaction of the games themselves. With the wireless controller, one can play tennis just like you would if you were playing on a court with a racket and ball. When you bowl you hold the controller and you "throw" the ball just like you do at the bowling alley. The same goes for the golf and baseball games. They are much more realistic since you stand in front of the TV, and you swing the controller like you would actual sports equipment.

Another really positive thing about the Nintendo Wii is that everyone in the family can play it. Everyone from our five year old up to his 65 year old grandfather can and does play it. We all love to get in on the action and we challenge each other and have little mini tournaments.

When playing the Wii it gets you up on your feet and active. No longer are kids sitting in front of the television. Players have to be up and moving around. Someone can actually get a workout using the Wii. You move around enough when playing you get the feeling you've been exercising. The first two days of bowling with the Nintendo Wii my arms were slightly sore and I could feel where I had used muscles I hadn't worked in quite a while.

Another difference in the Wii is it has a sensor bar. It sits on the top of the television. This can pose a problem since you have to be in front of the sensor for it to pick up the remotes movements. So if you are playing in a small or narrow room it can make it difficult for two players to play side by side. It can also pose a problem if there are small children who are walking around. When you are using the remotes a child can walk in front of or behind the player and can be accidentally struck. So you have to pay close attention if you have toddlers who might get in the playing area.

Overall the Nintendo Wii was a great buy. If anyone can find one I would highly recommend buying it. It is a great family oriented game system.