WII
Nintendo's Wii video game system (pronounced "we") brings people of all ages and video game experience together to play. This simple yet ground breaking idea is expressed not only though the system's evocative name, which is easily pronounced in a variety of languages, and suggests two players side by side, but also through its innovative list of features and extensive list of playable titles
The console was conceived in 2001, as the Nintendo GameCube was first seeing release. According to an interview with Nintendo's game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the concept involved focusing on a new form of player interaction. "The consensus was that power isn't everything for a console. Too many powerful consoles can't coexist. It's like having only ferocious dinosaurs. They might fight and hasten their own extinction."[12]
Two years later, engineers and designers were brought together to develop the concept further. By 2005, the controller interface had taken form, but a public showing at that year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was withdrawn. Miyamoto stated that, "[W]e had some troubleshooting to do. So we decided not to reveal the controller and instead we displayed just the console."[12] Nintendo president Satoru Iwata later unveiled and demonstrated the Wii Remote at the September Tokyo Game Show.[10]
The Nintendo DS is said to have influenced the Wii design. Designer Ken'ichiro Ashida noted, "We had the DS on our minds as we worked on the Wii. We thought about copying the DS's touch-panel interface and even came up with a prototype." The idea was eventually rejected, with the notion that the two gaming systems would be identical. Miyamoto also expressed that, "[...] if the DS had flopped, we might have taken the Wii back to the drawing board."[12]
Name
The console was known by the code name of "Revolution" until April 27, 2006, immediately prior to E3.[13] The Nintendo Style Guide refers to the console as "simply Wii, not Nintendo Wii", making it the first home console Nintendo has marketed outside of Japan without the company name featured in its trademark. While "Wiis" is a commonly used pluralization of the console, Nintendo has stated that the official plural form is "Wii systems" or "Wii consoles."[14] Nintendo's spelling of "Wii" with two lower-case "i" characters is meant to resemble two people standing side by side, representing players gathering together, as well as to represent the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.[15] The company has given many reasons for this choice of name since the announcement; however, the best known is:| “ | Wii sounds like 'we', which emphasizes that the console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.[15] | ” |
Despite Nintendo's justification for the name, some video game developers and members of the press reacted negatively towards the change. They preferred "Revolution" over "Wii"[16] and Forbes expressed fear "that the name would convey a continued sense of 'kidiness' [sic] to the console."[17] The BBC reported the day after the name was announced that "a long list of puerile jokes, based on the name," had appeared on the Internet.[18] Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime acknowledged the initial reaction and further explained the change:
| “ | Revolution as a name is not ideal; it's long, and in some cultures, it's hard to pronounce. So we wanted something that was short, to the point, easy to pronounce, and distinctive. That's how 'Wii,' as a console name, was created.[19] | ” |
Nintendo of America's then-Vice President of Corporate Affairs Perrin Kaplan defended its choice of "Wii" over "Revolution" and responded to critics of the name by stating, "Live with it, sleep with it, eat with it, move along with it and hopefully they'll arrive at the same place."[20]
Since its launch, the monthly sales numbers of the console have been higher than its competitors across the globe. According to the NPD Group, the Wii sold more units in the United States than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 combined in the first half of 2007.[42] This lead is even larger in the Japanese market, where it currently leads in total sales, having outsold both consoles by factors of 2:1[43] to 6:1[44] nearly every week from launch until November 2007.[45] In Australia, the Wii exceeded the record set by the Xbox 360 to become the fastest-selling game console in Australian history.[46]
On September 12, 2007, it was reported by the Financial Times that the Wii had surpassed the Xbox 360, which was released one year previously, and had become the market leader in home console sales for the current generation, based on sales figures from Enterbrain, NPD Group, and GfK.[47] This was the first time a Nintendo console had led its generation in sales since the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.[47]
On July 11, 2007, Nintendo warned that the Wii would remain in short supply throughout that calendar year.[48] In December 2007, Reggie Fils-Aimé revealed that Nintendo was producing approximately 1.8 million Wii consoles each month.[49] Some UK stores still had a shortage of consoles as of March 2007,[50] demand still outpaced supply in the United States as of June 2007,[51] and the console "selling out almost as quickly as it hits retail shelves" in Canada as of April 2008.[52][53] In October 2008, Nintendo announced that between October and December 2008 the Wii would have its North American supplies increased considerably from 2007’s levels,[54] while producing 2.4 million Wii units a month worldwide, compared to 1.6 million per month in 2007.[55]
Demographic
Nintendo hopes to target a wider demographic with its console than that of others in the seventh generation.[6] At a press conference for the then-upcoming Nintendo DS game Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies in December 2006, Satoru Iwata insisted "We're not thinking about fighting Sony, but about how many people we can get to play games. The thing we're thinking about most is not portable systems, consoles, and so forth, but that we want to get new people playing games."[87]This is reflected in Nintendo's series of television advertisements in North America, directed by Academy Award winner Stephen Gaghan, as well as Internet ads. The ad slogans are "Wii would like to play" and "Experience a new way to play." These ads ran starting November 15, 2006 and had a total budget of over US$200 million throughout the year.[88] The productions are Nintendo's first broad-based advertising strategy and include a two-minute video clip showing a varied assortment of people enjoying the Wii system, such as urban apartment-dwellers, country ranchers, grandparents, and parents with their children. The music in the ads is from the song "Kodo (Inside the Sun Remix)" by the Yoshida Brothers.[89] The marketing campaign has proved to be successful: pensioners as old as 103 have been reported to be playing the Wii in the United Kingdom.[90] A report by the British newspaper The People also stated that Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has played using the console.[91]
Hardware
The Wii is Nintendo's smallest home console to date; it measures 44 mm (1.73 in) wide, 157 mm (6.18 in) tall and 215.4 mm (8.48 in) deep in its vertical orientation, slightly larger than three DVD cases stacked together. The included stand measures 55.4 mm (2.18 in) wide, 44 mm (1.73 in) tall and 225.6 mm (8.88 in) deep. The system weighs 1.2 kg (2.7 lb),[100] which makes it the lightest of the three major seventh generation consoles. The console can be placed either horizontally or vertically. The prefix for the numbering scheme of the system and its parts and accessories is "RVL-" after its code name of "Revolution".[101] The console also features a recurring design theme: the console itself, the power supply and all the sockets have one of their corners chipped off in a triangular fashion.
The front of the console features an illuminated slot-loading optical media drive that accepts both 12 cm Wii Optical Discs and 8 cm Nintendo GameCube Game Discs. The blue light in the disc slot illuminates briefly when the console is turned on and pulsates when new data is received through WiiConnect24. After the update that includes System Menu 3.0, the disc slot light activates whenever a Wii disc is inserted or ejected. When there is no WiiConnect24 information, the light stays off. The disc slot light remains off during gameplay or when using other features. Two USB ports are located at its rear. An SD card slot hides behind the cover on the front of the console.
The Wii launch package includes the console, a stand to allow the console to be placed vertically, a circular clear stabilizer for the main stand, one Wii Remote, one Nunchuk attachment, one Sensor Bar, a removable stand for the bar, one external main power adapter, two AA batteries, one composite AV cable with RCA connectors, a SCART adapter in European countries (component video and other types of cables are available separately), operation documentation, and, in all regions except Japan and South Korea, a copy of the game Wii Sports.
The disc reader of the Wii does not play DVD-Video or DVD-Audio discs. A 2006 announcement had stated a new version of the Wii capable of DVD-Video playback would be released in 2007;[102] however Nintendo delayed its release to focus on producing the original console to meet demand.[103] Nintendo's initial announcement stated that it "requires more than a firmware upgrade" to implement and that the functionality could not be made available as an upgrade option for the existing Wii model.[102] Despite this assertion, third parties have used Wii homebrew to add DVD playback to the original unmodified Wii units.[104] The Wii also can be hacked to enable an owner to use the console for other activities than those intended by Nintendo.[105] Several brands of modchips are available for the Wii.
Although Nintendo showed the console and the Wii Remote in white, black, silver, lime green, and red before it was released,[106][107] it had only been available in white for its first two and a half years of sales. Black systems were made available in Japan in August 2009,[108][109] in Europe in November 2009,[110] and in North America on May 9, 2010.[111] A red Wii system bundle was made available in Japan on November 11, 2010, commemorating the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.[112] The UK version of the limited edition red Wii was released on October 29, 2010, preloaded with the original Donkey Kong game. It also featured the Wii Remote Plus, which is a new version of the controller with integrated Wii Motion Plus technology.[113] The red Wii bundle was released in North America on November 7, 2010 bundled with New Super Mario Bros. Wii and the Wii Remote Plus.[114]
On July 11, 2007, Nintendo revealed the Wii Balance Board at E3 2007 along with Wii Fit.[115] It is a wireless balance board accessory for the Wii that contains multiple pressure sensors used to measure the user's center of balance. Namco Bandai produced a mat controller, a simpler less sophisticated competitor to the balance board, that connects to the GameCube controller port.
Wii Remote
The Wii Remote is the primary controller for the console. It uses a combination of built-in accelerometers and infrared detection to sense its position in 3D space when pointed at the LEDs within the Sensor Bar. This design allows users to control the game using physical gestures as well as traditional button presses. The controller connects to the console using Bluetooth and features rumble as well as an internal speaker. The Wii Remote can connect to expansion devices through a proprietary port at the base of the controller. The device bundled with the Wii retail package is the Nunchuk unit, which features an accelerometer and a traditional analog stick with two trigger buttons. In addition, an attachable wrist strap can be used to prevent the player from unintentionally dropping or throwing the Wii Remote. Nintendo has also since offered a stronger strap and the Wii Remote Jacket to provide extra grip and protection. The Wii MotionPlus was announced as a device that connects to the Wii Remote to supplement the accelerometer and Sensor Bar capabilities and enable actions to be rendered identically on the screen in real time. Nintendo also revealed the Wii Vitality Sensor, a fingertip pulse oximeter sensor that connects through the Wii Remote.
Memory storage
The Wii console contains 512 megabytes of internal flash memory and features an SD card slot for external storage. An SD card can be used for uploading photos as well as backing up saved game data and downloaded Virtual Console and WiiWare games. To use the SD slot for transferring game saves, an update must be installed. An installation can be initiated from the Wii options menu through an Internet connection, or by inserting a game disc containing the update. Virtual Console data cannot be restored to any system except the unit of origin.[116] An SD card can also be used to create customized in-game music from stored MP3 files, as first shown in Excite Truck, as well as music for the slideshow feature of the Photo Channel. Version 1.1 of the Photo Channel removed MP3 playback in favor of AAC support.At the Nintendo Fall Press Conference in October 2008, Satoru Iwata announced that Wii owners would have the option to download WiiWare and Virtual Console content directly onto an SD card. The option would offer an alternative to "address the console's insufficient memory storage". The announcement stated that it would be available in Japan in the spring of 2009.[117] Nintendo made the update available on March 25, 2009. In addition to the previously announced functionality, it lets the player load Virtual Console and WiiWare games directly from the SD card. The update allows the use of SDHC cards, increasing the limit on SD card size from 2 GB to 32 GB.[118]
Technical specifications
Nintendo has released few technical details regarding the Wii system, but some key facts have leaked through the press. Though none of these reports has been officially confirmed, they generally point to the console as being an extension or advancement of the Nintendo GameCube architecture. More specifically, the reported analyses state that the Wii is roughly 1.5 to 2 times as powerful as its predecessor.[1][119] Based on the leaked specifications, the Wii is the least powerful of the major home consoles in its generation.Processors:
| Storage:
|
†None of the clock rates have been confirmed by Nintendo, IBM, or ATI.
Features
The console contains a number of internal features made available from its hardware and firmware components. The hardware allows for extendibility through expansion ports while the firmware and some other pieces of software can receive periodic updates via the WiiConnect24 service.Wii Menu
Main article: Wii Menu
The Wii Menu interface is designed around the concept of television channels. Separate channels are graphically displayed in a grid and are navigated using the pointer capability of the Wii Remote. Except for the Disc Channel, it is possible to change the arrangement by holding down the A and B buttons to grab channels and move them around. There are six primary channels: the Disc Channel, Mii Channel, Photo Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Forecast Channel, and News Channel. The latter two were initially unavailable at launch, but activated through updates. The Wii + Internet Video Channel was installed with consoles manufactured in October 2008 or later.[148] Additional channels are available for download from the Wii Shop Channel through WiiWare and also appear with each Virtual Console title. These include the Everybody Votes Channel, Internet Channel, Check Mii Out Channel, and the Nintendo Channel. As of October 18, 2010 Wii owners can download the Netflix Channel from the Wii shop Channel.[149]Backward compatibility
A Wii console running a GameCube disc is restricted to GameCube functionality. As such, a GameCube controller is required to play GameCube titles, as neither the Wii Remote nor the Classic Controller functions in this capacity. A Nintendo GameCube Memory Card is also necessary to save game progress and content, as the Wii internal flash memory will not save GameCube games.
Backward compatibility is limited in some areas. Online and LAN-enabled features for Nintendo GameCube titles are unavailable on the Wii, as the console lacks serial ports for the Nintendo GameCube Broadband Adapter and Modem Adapter. The console uses a proprietary port for video output and is therefore incompatible with all Nintendo GameCube audio/video cables (composite video, S-Video, component video and RGB SCART). The console also lacks the GameCube footprint and high-speed port needed for Game Boy Player support.
Online connectivity
Main articles: Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, WiiConnect24, Internet Channel, and List of Wii Wi-Fi Connection games
The Wii console is able to connect to the Internet through its built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi or through a USB-to-Ethernet adapter, with both methods allowing players to access the established Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service.[1] Wireless encryption by WEP, WPA (TKIP/RC4) and WPA2 (CCMP/AES) are supported.[152] AOSS support was discreetly added in System Menu version 3.0.[153] Just as for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo does not charge fees for playing via the service[6][154] and the 12 digit Friend Code system controls how players connect to one another. Each Wii also has its own unique 16 digit Wii Code for use with Wii's non-game features.[154][155] This system also implements console-based software including the Wii Message Board. One can also connect to the internet with third-party devices.[156]The service has several features for the console including the Virtual Console, WiiConnect24, Internet Channel, Forecast Channel, Everybody Votes Channel, News Channel and the Check Mii Out Channel. The console can also communicate and connect with other Wii systems through a self-generated wireless LAN, enabling local wireless multiplayer on different television sets. Battalion Wars 2 first demonstrated this feature for non-split screen multiplayer between two or more televisions.[157]
On April 9, 2008, the BBC announced that its online BBC iPlayer would be available on the Wii via the Internet Channel browser; however, some users experienced difficulties with the service. On November 18, 2009, BBC iPlayer on the Wii was relaunched as the BBC iPlayer Channel,[158][159] which is free to download from the Wii Shop Channel.[160] The service is only available to people in the United Kingdom.
On December 26, 2008, Nintendo announced that it will launch a new video channel for the Wii.[161][162]
As of October 18, 2010 American and Canadian Wii owners can watch Netflix instantly as a channel without requiring a disc.[149]
Parental controls
The console features parental controls, which can be used to prohibit younger users from playing games with content that would be considered unsuitable for their age level. When one attempts to play a Wii or Virtual Console game, it reads the content rating encoded in the game data; if this rating is greater than the system's set age level the game will not load without a correct override password. The parental controls can also restrict Internet access, which blocks the Internet Channel and system update features. Since the console is restricted to Nintendo GameCube functionality when playing Nintendo GameCube Game Discs, GameCube software is unaffected by Wii parental control settings.European units mainly use the PEGI rating system,[163] whereas North American units use the ESRB rating system.[164] The Wii unit supports the native rating systems of many countries, including CERO in Japan, the USK in Germany, both the PEGI and BBFC in the United Kingdom, the ACB in Australia and the OFLC in New Zealand.
Homebrew developers have reverse-engineered the function that Nintendo uses to recover lost parental control passwords and created a simple script to obtain parental control reset codes.[165] Software library
New games representing Nintendo's flagship franchises, including The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Pokémon, and Metroid, have been released, or are in development for Wii, in addition to many original titles and third party developed games. Nintendo has received strong third party support from prominent companies like Ubisoft, Sega, Square Enix, Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and Capcom, with more games being developed exclusively for Wii than for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.[167] Nintendo also launched the New Play Control! line, a selection of enhanced GameCube games for the Wii featuring updated controls.[168]
The Virtual Console service allows Wii owners to play games originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Nintendo 64, as well as Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis and SG-1000 Mark III/Sega Master System,[169] NEC's TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, SNK's Neo Geo console, the Commodore 64, and a selection of arcade games.[170] Virtual Console games are distributed over broadband Internet via the Wii Shop Channel, and are saved to the Wii internal flash memory or to a removable SD card. Once downloaded, Virtual Console games can be accessed from the Wii Menu as individual channels, or directly from an SD card via the SD Card Menu. There is also a Wii homebrew community dedicated to creating and playing content that does not receive Nintendo endorsement.
The game development suite Unity can be used to create official Wii games.[171] The developer must however be authorized by Nintendo to develop games for the console. Games must also be submitted to and accepted by Nintendo in order to be sold.
Over 509.66 million Wii games were sold worldwide as of December 2009, with 54 titles surpassing the million-unit mark.[38] The most successful game is Wii Sports, which comes bundled with the console in most regions, and has sold 67.71 million copies worldwide as of September 30, 2010,[4] and surpassed Super Mario Bros. as the best-selling game of all time.[172] The best-selling unbundled game is Wii Play, with 26.71 million units.[5]
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