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Nintendo Wii


$200.00 Released November, 2006

Product Shot 1 The Pros:Controller is innovative and allows for new game types. Runs very quiet. No loud fans. Console can be played by anyone from any age bracket.

The Cons:No HD resolution (480p maximum). Less powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3. Graphics are last-gen.

September 27th Update: Wii sees a price drop of $50, to $199 in the US. The Wii is Nintendo's fifth console and successor to the Nintendo Gamecube. It is part of the seventh generation of home consoles which includes the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, however Nintendo has opted for a different strategy compared to its two competitors.

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Product Shot 2 Instead of advancing the graphical capabilities of their system to the "next-generation" Nintendo has changed the way people interact with their games using the Wii Remote (Wiimote), while making a relatively modest improvement in graphics over the Gamecube.

Nintendo's Wiimote contains motion sensing capabilities that allow the console to measure 6-degrees of motion (accelerating up-down, side-to-side, front-to-back, and rotation with pitch, yaw, and roll). Using the included sensor bar that is placed above or below the television for triangulation, the console can also determine where on the screen the player is pointing, giving the Wiimote cursor-like capabilities.

The Wiimote has a port where controller attachments can be connected. Up until now the only attachment that is available is the Wii Nunchuck which has a analogue stick and has the same 6-degrees of motion capabilities that the Wiimote contains.

Wii Hardware

The console itself measures in at 44 mm wide, 157 mm tall, and 215.4 mm  deep which makes it the smallest console by far, relative to the 360 and PS3. Despite this small size Nintendo has included a host of ports that extend the system's capability, such two USB ports, four Gamecube controller ports and an SD flash reader.

Nintendo's Wii also contains an integrated B/G wireless network interface for connecting to home wireless networks. No ethernet port is built into the system, however a separate ethernet to USB accessory is available for purchase.

The Wii is fully backwards compatible with all Gamecube games, and plays them with no problems or enhancements. Regular Gamecube controllers are required to play Gamecube games as the games don't recognize the Wiimote or the Wii Classic controller.

High-definition output is also not available on the Wii. The console ships with composite cables in the box which limits the output resolution to 480i. Component cables are available to purchase separately which will increase the output picture to a progressive 480p.

Wii System Software

In line with the trend of seventh generation consoles, the Wii ships with many software services available as part of the standard operating system. Photos and videos that are loaded into the Wii's flash slot can be viewed, Miis (which are game avatars) can be created and edited, and players can access the Wii store to download new services and Virtual Console games. Following the TV aesthetic the different OS services are known as channels.

The console ships with the Photo Channel, Mii Channel and Wii Shop Channel. Available for download on the Wii Shop Channel are the Internet Channel, Everybody Votes channel, News Channel and Forecast Channel (for weather). Thus far all of the channels are free, however in the future the non-beta version of the Internet Channel will cost money.

Another of the Wii's capabilities is its ability to play classic titles through the Virtual Console. From the Wii Shop Channel users can purchase old games from a variety of consoles including the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super NES, Nintendo 64 and even non-Nintendo consoles such as the Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16.

More information on the specifics of the hardware and a demonstration of the various channels can be found here.

User Reviews (139)

  •  
Add Pros & Cons
60
ProScore
Pros
  • 105

    Controller is innovative and allows for new game types

  • 89

    Runs very quiet. No loud fans.

  • 82

    Console can be played by anyone from any age bracket

  • 77

    Backwards compatible with Gamecube games

  • 76

    Cheaper than competing systems.

  • 74

    Built in Wi-Fi connection

  • 60

    Integrated Web browser with Flash support

  • 60

    Ability to Download classic games in Virtual Console

  • 45

    Very few reported defects (as opposed to thousands of dead 360s, and many PS3s)

  • 44

    Allows exercise while playing.

  • 33

    NES & SNES through Virtual Console (retro games)

  • 28

    Able to connect with Nintendo DS on certain games

  • 24

    Parents can monitor what and how much their children are playing.

  • 17

    Shorter loading times compared to competing systems

  • 17

    Small size

  • 2

    Sega Games within Virtual Console

  • 1

    good inteface

  • 1

    A lot of the bundles out there--Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort with a control WITH Motionplus?

  • -1

    Ability to use in conjunction with SD cards/external hard drive.

  • -1

    Console create strong virtual reality feeling

  • -21

    Cool Wiimote accessories (steering wheel, tennis racket, etc.)

Cons
  • 65

    No HD resolution (480p maximum)

  • 38

    Less powerful than the Xbox 360 and PS3

  • 23

    Graphics are last-gen.

  • 22

    Games that are not built specifically for Wiimote are awkward.

  • 18

    No built in ethernet port

  • 15

    Virtual console games are too expensive ($5-12 each)

  • 11

    Wiimote is required to navigate the menus, even just to start up a GameCube game

  • 10

    Many games are built around the wiimote as a gimmick.

  • 9

    Virtual Console games do not support online multiplayer

  • 7

    Cant be used as a media centre

  • 6

    No wired Ethernet port (USB-to-Ethernet dongle sold separately)

  • 5

    Tough to find in stores

  • 4

    Numerous expensive accessories are required to take full advantage of the system

  • 0

    Nintendo doesn't upgrade system like PS3 or XBox (i.e. media centre, Mii's etc)

  • -4

    Lack of quality games

  • -4

    Wiimote accelerometers inaccurate, movements do not always translate to on screen action.

  • -4

    Does not have support for flash

  • -5

    Expensive, especially when you consider Wiimote accessories

  • -10

    Audio (Dolby Prologic 2) is awful compared to audio on the Xbox 360 or the PS3.

  • -10

    Online service is completely unintuitive.

  • -15

    The speaker on the the Wii Remote is a monospeaker and produces low-qualitiy sound.

  • -17

    The only good games are made by Nintendo

  • -21

    Novelty of Wiimote wears off quickly

  • -29

    Wiimote wrist strap not as strong as it should be. (may have been fixed in newer shipments due to bad press)

  • -33

    the people on Wii are cute, but i wish they had the graphics of xbox games

Videos
Gallery
  • Nintendo Wii1
  • Nintendo Wii
  • The Wiimote
  • Wii gameports
  • Wii Nunchuk Controller
  • Mario Strikers Charged
  • Super Mario Galaxy
  • Nintendo Wii Nunchuk & Remote Controller
  • Mario Kart Wii
  • Logitech Speed Force Wireless
  • Wii Music
  • Call of Duty: World at War
  • World of Goo
  • Sonic and the Black Knight
  • Major League Baseball 2K9
  • The Conduit
  • Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
  • Punch-Out!!
  • Wii Fit Plus
  • Wii Sports Resort
  • Super Mario Galaxy 2
  • No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
  • Rabbids Go Home
  • The Beatles: Rock Band
  • Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars (US) Nintendo DS Game Card
  • Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince
  • FIFA 10
  • NBA 2K10
  • The BIGS 2
  • Disney Sing It
  • Nintendo Wii System HD Ready with Wii Fitness Bundle
  • Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
  • Cars: Race-O-Rama
  • Where The Wild Things Are
  • WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010
  • Bakugan: Battle Brawlers
  • Madagascar Kartz
  • CSI Deadly Intent
  • DJ Hero
  • Marvel Super Hero Squad
  • The Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the 5th Sun
  • Buck Fever
  • Medieval Games
  • Walk it Out
  • Alien Monster Bowling
  • Cabela's Outdoor Adventure
  • Pop'n Music
  • 101-in-1 Party Megamix
  • Hasbro Family Game Night 2
  • Wii Wish You A Merry Christmas
  • The Biggest Loser
  • Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter
  • SpongeBob's Truth or Square
  • World of Zoo
  • Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympics Games
  • iCarly
  • SimAnimals Africa
  • Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Game Time
  • Squeeballs Party
  • Spore Hero
  • A Boy and His Blob
  • Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2010
  • Game Party 3
  • Shimano Xtreme Fishing
  • New Super Mario Bros Wii
  • Tony Hawk: RIDE
  • Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen!
  • Scene It? Twilight
  • Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
  • Fast Food Panic
  • World Party Games
  • Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll
  • Free Running
  • Endless Ocean: Blue World
  • WiiWaa
  • Monster Hunter Tri
  • 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
  • 38 in 1 Athletics kit for Wii
Nintendo Wii1 zoom

Comments (18)

What's on your mind? See more ProductWiki Talk
Omar
Omar: November 2010 NPD results are in (http://bit.ly/hxmV8F). Looks like #microsoft_xbox_360 is the big winner. Most likely boosted by #microsoft_kinect and #call_of_duty_black_ops it sold 1.37 million units which is the biggest November its ever had. Considering we're in the 5th year of the 360's life, that's pretty darn impressive.

#nintendo_wii did really well too, coming in at 1.27 million units. This bucks the trend that the Wii has been suffering from up until now where it was seeing massive year over year declines. If the Wii sees another big bump in december like in 2009, then it'll actually do really well for the year.

#sony_playstation_3_slim selling 530,000 is pretty sad. Particularly when #gran_turismo_5 comes out in the same month. Not sure what Sony can do at this point... focusing on Europe is probably the best strategy since the US is pretty much hopeless at this point.

And holy crap wow at Call of Duty!! In one month it has become the 7th best selling game of all time. That's crazy. I wonder if next year's installment will sell even more - it seems crazy that it can. But at the same time it seemed crazy that Black Ops would sell more than Modern Warfare 2, so who knows! Dec 10, 10
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gbchaosmaster
gbchaosmaster: #nintendo_wii I agree with cdpage in that the Wii Remote is definitely not a novelty. It is unique and fun. It is very fun, which totally makes up for the graphics, which, though not bad at all, aren't amazing either. Either way, I love it. My favorite video game console by far. Apr 15, 09
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cdpage
cdpage: #nintendo_wii 1. WiiWare is fairly priced... they are new games and deserve some revenue

2. Virtual Console is NOT fairly priced. They would make more sales if the games were significantly less. If NES, SNES, SEGA, and Genesis were $1-$5, i would have bought them all buy now. but instead, i have only purchased just a small handful of games.

3. Wiimote is NOT something that will tire. It is Far better than Pads on the PS' and Xbox remotes. It's intuitive, and 'Aiming' is 'aiming'.

4. while i love that old NES games still bog down when too much is on the screen, this should not happen to New games... System is too slow.

5. Only web browsing is OK, but could really use a firmware upgrade for new flash versions. Jan 8, 09
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Omar
Omar: #nintendo_wii November 2008 NPD figures came out yesterday and it looks like the Wii has shattered sales records once again, selling the most units in one November that any console has sold ever. At 2million the Wii almost sold as much in one month as the PS3 has the entire year!

I give major kudos to Nintendo for making an absolutely brilliant business move with the Wii and matching it up with first-class marketing. However, as an enthusiast in the industry I have to reiterate my disdain for the Wii's shallow experiences that provide me with absolutely no satisfaction whatsoever.

Some folk out there have the hope that with the Wii's gargantuan sales that regular game developers will be FORCED to develop "good" games for the Wii. However, I don't share that same optimism. I'm still trying to resolve what this means for the market and what the long-term implications are. My gut is telling me it's not a good thing, but it could be. It could be. Dec 12, 08
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Howlsthunder
Howlsthunder: #nintendo_wii I have had my Wii for half a year now; my last system was a PS1 (before that was a Genesis). While I appreciate the quality of graphics that are available for games today, I am not concerned that the Wii doesn't have the same level of quality, only that the games I get have quality of PLAY.

That said, I do notice that there are too many games that are centered around the sensor capabilities of the Wiimote that are pure novelty and become old after a short while. I do like that some games combine more traditional control use with a few motion elemens, though, like in "Zelda: Twilight Princess", I find it second nature to actually slash to hit with my sword but do more technical things with buttons. Or in "Marvel Ultimate Alliance" you can choose to use motions OR press buttons to fight (here I revert to buttons) - but in this game in particular the ability to rotate the screen with the tilt of the Nunchuck is pure awesome and doesn't distract from the game at all. Other games, like "Resident Evil 4" I think benefit from the ability to aim at the screen.

So far I like the new control scheme possibilities but I think developers need to find a middle ground, designing the controls for intuitive motions and not designing games around the novelty of movement. (if the graphics were there, could you imagine "Halflife 2" on the Wii? :D) Jun 24, 08
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ambrown
ambrown: #nintendo_wii I think some of you are a little hard on the wii. I bought the wii for my kids mostly. They have to get up and move to play it. The message board lets me keep track of what they are playing and how long. There is also the wii fitness that comes with wii sports. That seems to be the big area that the wii was marketing for. My kids will love most of the games that are available for the wii. As for selling the wii on ebay, the big one being sold I would say is the 360. There are almost 2000 used 360s selling on ebay. Both the 360 and ps3 are lucky to meet retail value on ebay while the wii is selling for more then retail most of the time. Nov 5, 07
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sdpguy
sdpguy: #nintendo_wii The controller is the key to the Wii. It presents tremendous opportunity for the Wii to draw in new gamers and provide a new gaming experience. However as of Fall 2007, nearly a year into it's lifespan there are only 15 or so good titles for the Wii. Either companies don't know how to tap into the Wiimote's potential yet or the device itself needs an upgrade. In my opinion, the Wiimote is simply not accurate enough yet. Perhaps the learning curve is steep for a new type of control such as the Wiimote and maybe complainers aren't trying to adjust but wasn't the Wiimote supposed to be an intuitive and simplifying control scheme? Oct 7, 07
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dakalvia
dakalvia: #nintendo_wii I think the Wii is a great new system with an innovative take leaning towards virtual reality. This is truly an "ALL-AGES" system...and by that I mean people over 35 years old can actually figure out how to play. Jul 17, 07
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HK-47m4
HK-47m4: #nintendo_wii I don't know many developers such as Sega, Free Radical Design, and Insominiac Games think the Wii is a fad. I also read about many people on gamespot selling their Wii's on Ebay after a few months because they are getting bored. Jun 16, 07
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GT-D
GT-D: #nintendo_wii really slickly pulled off all in all. Quite the success for Nintendo after the lackluster performance of the GC... On that note, did anyone see the Wii-Helm april fools joke on thinkgeek? hilarious! Jun 7, 07
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Erik
Erik: #nintendo_wii I agree with tekn0wledg. My brother got a Wii on Thursday and it's almost been going non-stop. Addicting for sure. Let's see if it has the legs to continue to outpace the competition. Apr 15, 07
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tekn0wledg
tekn0wledg: #nintendo_wii This thing is addicting; mainly due to the immersion the control affords. No more button tapping! Now you can actually hack and slash your way through games. Mar 27, 07
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SilenceOmo7
SilenceOmo7: #nintendo_wii Yeah, though I prefer bowling myself. So violent boxing is. My mom thought I was having a slap fight with the TV LOL. Mar 6, 07
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Omar
Omar: #nintendo_wii Congratulations! Wii Boxing is awesome. Dec 14, 06
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ajiemar
ajiemar: #nintendo_wii woo hoo! thanks productWiki! Dec 14, 06
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SilenceOmo7
SilenceOmo7: #nintendo_wii The controller is kinda small, I'm wondering if it will be too light. A little weight is good to give realistic feedback and to have more precise controll, plus it could fly out of your hand if not for that wrist strap. Nov 15, 06
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Erik
Erik: #nintendo_wii I disagree. I think the remote/controller is very innovative and is a disruptive technology. I can see using the wiimote over a typical remote for my home theater setup. Oct 17, 06
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riku0093
riku0093: #nintendo_wii This thing is gonna rock but is so stupid because of the controler is a remote and is so small. Oct 6, 06
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