The last game console we'll examine is the Wii (pronounced 'we' to
accentuate its universal appeal). This is the 5th game console from
Nintendo and succeeds that company's popular GameCube. In September of
2007, the Financial Times newspaper announced the Wii was the sales
leader for seventh generation game consoles. So what makes it so
special?
With measurements of 1.73 inches wide, 6.18 inches tall and 8.48 inches deep, the Wii is Nintendo's smallest home console so far. And its weight of 1.2 kg (2.7 lb) makes it the lightest of the big three consoles. The optical drive takes both 12 cm Wii Optical Discs and Nintendo GameCube Game Discs, but unlike its two competitors, it can't play standard CDs or DVDs.
One of the great features of the Wii is the Bluetooth wireless controller. Known as the Wii remote, it uses a built-in accelerometers and infrared devices to sense its location three-dimensionally when pointed at the Sensor Bar. This permits players to use physical gestures along traditional button presses to play games.
The Wii remote also has pointer capability which is used to navigate the graphical interface. This interface works on the principle of television channels which are graphically displayed in a grid on the screen.
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is a free service which offers Virtual Console, WiiConnect24, Internet Channel, Forecast Channel, Everybody Votes Channel, News Channel and the Check Mii Out Channel. Internet connectivity in the Wii gaming console is via built-in Wi-Fi or a USB-to-Ethernet adapter.
As for available games, the Wii is backward compatible with all Nintendo GameCube software.
With measurements of 1.73 inches wide, 6.18 inches tall and 8.48 inches deep, the Wii is Nintendo's smallest home console so far. And its weight of 1.2 kg (2.7 lb) makes it the lightest of the big three consoles. The optical drive takes both 12 cm Wii Optical Discs and Nintendo GameCube Game Discs, but unlike its two competitors, it can't play standard CDs or DVDs.
One of the great features of the Wii is the Bluetooth wireless controller. Known as the Wii remote, it uses a built-in accelerometers and infrared devices to sense its location three-dimensionally when pointed at the Sensor Bar. This permits players to use physical gestures along traditional button presses to play games.
The Wii remote also has pointer capability which is used to navigate the graphical interface. This interface works on the principle of television channels which are graphically displayed in a grid on the screen.
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is a free service which offers Virtual Console, WiiConnect24, Internet Channel, Forecast Channel, Everybody Votes Channel, News Channel and the Check Mii Out Channel. Internet connectivity in the Wii gaming console is via built-in Wi-Fi or a USB-to-Ethernet adapter.
As for available games, the Wii is backward compatible with all Nintendo GameCube software.