Wii
| Wii | |
 A Wii and a Wii Remote | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo |
| Manufacturer(s) | Foxconn |
| Type(s) | Home console |
| Generation | Seventh |
| Release date |  November 19, 2006  December 2, 2006  December 7, 2006  December 8, 2006  September 20, 2007  September 28, 2007[1]  April 26, 2008  July 12, 2008 |
| Introductory price | US$249.99*[2] ¥25,000[3]  GB£179.99[4] €249.99[4] A$399.95[5] |
| Discontinued | Wii (overall): October 21, 2013[6] Wii (original): October 23, 2011 November 4, 2011 November 11, 2011 |
| Units sold | 101.63 million |
| Media | Wii Optical Disc GameCube Game Disc Digital distribution |
| Input | Wii Remote (Plus) Nintendo GameCube controller Nintendo DS Wii Balance Board |
| CPU | IBM PowerPC Broadway @ 729 MHz |
| Memory | 24 MB 1T-SRAM @ 324 MHz (2.7 GB/s) + 64 MB GDDR3 SDRAM |
| Storage | 512 MB NAND flash memory Removable: SD/SDHC card GameCube Memory Card]] |
| Display | S-Video (480i (NTSC)) Composite video (480i, 576i (PAL)) RGB SCART (576i (PAL)) Component video (YPBPR) (480i, 576i (PAL), 480p) |
| Dimensions | Width: 157 mm (6.2 in) Height: 60 mm (2.4 in) Depth: 197 mm (7.8 in) |
| Weight | 1,220 g (43 oz) |
| Best-selling game | Pack-in: Wii Sports (82.90 million) Standalone: Mario Kart Wii (37.32 million) |
| Predecessor | Nintendo GameCube |
| Successor | Wii U |
The Wii (pronounced "we") is a seventh generation video game console created by Nintendo and a successor to their previous console, the Nintendo GameCube. The Wii is Nintendo's fifth major home console, not including the Color TV-Game systems. The console was initially released in America on November 19, 2006, and was released in other countries shortly after. The Wii's two main competitors were the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but it managed to outsell both during its lifespan.
The Wii comes packaged with a Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The Wii Remote is capable of detecting movement in three dimensions, and can be held in one hand. The Nunchuk can be connected to the Wii Remote via a long cord, allowing for greater freedom in use of the Control Stick. Motions made with the Nunchuk can also be registered through the Wii Remote.
Building off the basis of the Nintendo DS, Nintendo is using what they refer to as the "blue ocean" strategy. This involves marketing the system not only to the general public, but also those who have never or rarely played games. It has been designed with simplicity and familiarity in mind, which explains the Wii Remote and the Wii Channels.
The Wii is approximately the size of three DVD (or Wii) cases stacked on top of one another. It comes with a stand as well, so it can sit upright when in the vertical position. To insert a game, there is a large slot on the front of the system surrounded by a glowing blue neon light. The slot can accept the 3.1 in (8 cm) discs used by the Nintendo GameCube, or Wii games on standard 4.7 in (12 cm) discs. The system will also come with a Wii Sensor Bar that is used to detect the motions of the Wii Remote.
The Wii is the first console by Nintendo that has the ability to update its Operating System automatically, due to WiiConnect 24 which allows the console to receive updates even if on standby mode. Most Wii consoles came bundled with Wii Sports, and is first console since the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Mario World) to be bundled with another game at launch.
Name origin[edit]
Nintendo revealed the final name of the console right before E3 2005. Prior to this, the console was simply known as the Nintendo Revolution. Nintendo stated in the beginning that the name was simply Wii, rather than the Nintendo Wii. In fact, the name Nintendo is not shown anywhere on the console itself.
The plural form of Wii is, according to Nintendo, not "Wiis" as some tend to believe, but rather should be "Wii consoles" or "systems". The two lowercased "i"'s in the name are supposed to represent two players enjoying the game together, or the Wii's unique controller.
Following the game's announcement, both developers and fans alike expressed their dislike towards the name, with both groups explaining how they felt the name displayed a sort of "kidiness" to it, and how they preferred the Revolution. Reggie Fils-Aime explained that the name Revolution was long and was hard to pronounce in some languages, while Wii would be pronounced the same in every country.
Backward compatibility[edit]
Wii is backward. It is able to play every Nintendo GameCube game, although the Game Boy Player is not compatible. The GameCube discs go into the same slot as the main Wii discs go into, even though it is smaller in size. In addition, the Wii is also able to use some of the Nintendo GameCube peripherals such as the Nintendo GameCube Microphone and DK Bongos. The Wii also has four Nintendo GameCube controller ports and two Memory Card slots. This is the first Nintendo console to be backward compatible with a previous Nintendo console. The only thing the GameCube can do but the Wii can't is to use the Game Boy Player.
Channels[edit]
This is a list of all the channels for the Wii. These are shown on the Wii Channel Menu, and can be selected from there.
| Channel | Wi-Fi | Active? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disc Channel | Some games optional | Partial (Online play shut down after May 20, 2014) | Runs current disc in console. It can run both Wii games and Gamecube games. |
| News Channel | Needed | No (closed May 20, 2014) | Displays news from around the world. |
| Weather Channel | Needed | No (closed May 20, 2014) | Shows weather in popular cities around the world. |
| Mii Channel | Optional | Partial (Roaming feature shut down on May 20, 2014) | Create avatars, and display them in Wii Sports and other future games. Internet connection required to allow avatars ("Mii"s) from other Wii consoles to roam. |
| Photo Channel | Not needed | Yes | Allows the user to store photos on the Wii, and make puzzles, sideshows, and movies out of them. |
| Wii Shop Channel | Needed | No (closed January 31, 2019) | Buy software and games for the virtual console. |
| Everybody Votes Channel | Needed | No (closed May 20, 2014) | Vote on multiple choice questions which builds a profile of the user's personality. |
| Virtual Console Channel | Not needed | Yes (no longer obtainable after January 31, 2019) | Play games purchased from the Wii Shop Channel. |
| Internet Channel | Needed | Yes (no longer obtainable after January 31, 2019) | Browse the internet from the Wii. |
| Check Mii Out Channel | Needed | No (closed May 20, 2014) | Post and view Miis posted from around the world. Also compete in Mii-making contests. |
| Nintendo Channel | Needed | No (closed May 20, 2014) | Allows the user to view special game movies, info about new games, play demos of Nintendo DS games, and rate games that they have played. |
| WiiWare | Some games optional | Partial (no longer obtainable after January 31, 2019; online play shut down after May 20, 2014) | Play Wii games purchased on the Wii Shop Channel |
Virtual Console[edit]
- Main article: Virtual Console (Wii)
A built in feature of the Wii is the Virtual Console games are available to be downloaded (for a price) from previous systems including the TurboGrafx-16, Sega Genesis, Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64 and Neo-Geo. The Wii Remote is also designed so, when turned on its side, closely resembles an Nintendo Entertainment System controller. The games were priced between $5 to $10 USD prior to the Wii Shop Channel's closure on January 30, 2019. The Wii has a controller named the Wii Classic Controller, which is designed to have compatibility with all Virtual Console games.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ https://www.iol.co.za/technology/nintendo-wii-launches-in-south-africa-901795
- ^ Sanders, Kathleen; Casamassina, Matt (September 13, 2006). "US Wii price, launch date revealed". IGN.
- ^ Sanders, Kathleen (September 13, 2006). "Japanese Wii price, release date revealed". IGN.
- ^ a b Cocker, Guy (September 15, 2006). "Wii arrives in Europe on December 8 for £179". GameSpot.
- ^ Bramwell, Tom (September 15, 2006). "Aussie Wii: December 7th". Eurogamer.
- ^ http://www.reinodocogumelo.com/2013/10/wii-e-oficialmente-descontinuado-no.html
