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Introducing Nintendo Wii…

Nintendo’s new generation console, which was formerly codenamed Revolution, is now simply named Wii. For the record, it’s pronounced like “we,” despite the different and deliberately odd spelling. Nintendo announced the official name of Wii on April 27, 2006.

The Wii brand is designed to accentuate the console’s unique controller (as represented by the ‘ii’ in the title) and its ability to bring gamers of all types together, hence the name “we.”

The Wii system is the fruit of a new Nintendo philosophy that is determined to emphasize original and fresh gameplay endeavors over dramatically enhanced graphic presentations. Where as both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are designed from the ground up to deliver more detailed, high-definition graphics, Wii’s biggest innovation lies with a potentially revolutionary new controllerand not raw horsepower. It is this controller, dubbed the Wii remote (or Wii-mote for short), which truly distinguishes the Big N’s new platform from its competitors.

Hardware

Wii retail display boxes

The Wii console is Nintendo’s smallest home unit yet; measuring 44 mm wide, 157 mm tall, and 215.4 mm deep in the vertical orientation without the included stand (which itself measures 55.4 mm wide, 44 mm tall, and 225.6 mm deep). It is approximately the size of three standard DVD cases stacked together (approx. 4.5 cm x 15 cm x 20 cm). It also weighs 1.74kg(3.84 pounds), which makes it the lightest of the three current-gen 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 project code name of “Revolution”.

The front of the console features an illuminated slot-loading optical media drive that accepts both 12cm Wii game discs and 8cm Nintendo GameCube discs. The blue light in the Disc slot illuminates briefly when the console is turned on, flashes when new data such as messages have been received from WiiConnect24, and remains on if the WiiConnect24 “Slot Illumination” setting is set to “Bright” or “Dim”. The disc slot light does not stay illuminated during game play or when using other features of the Wii console. Two USB ports are located at its rear, and an SD card slot hides behind the cover on the front of the console. However, the usefulness of the SD slot remains in question since, although it can be used to backup saved game data and downloaded Virtual Console games, Virtual Console data cannot be restored to any system except the unit of origin, presumably as a rudimentary form of digital rights management. Also, to utilize SD slot, a software update must be downloaded, so game saves cannot be transferred to or from a system which has not been connected to the internet.

Nintendo has shown the console and the Wii Remote in various colors, including white, black, silver, lime green, and red, but initially it is only available in white. At E3 2006, the Wii Remote was shown in light blue. Numerous minor changes were made to the design between its original unveiling and launch, mostly in the Nintendo branding used and button placements.

The launch Wii 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 sensor bar, one external main power adapter, two AA batteries, AV cables (component video and other types of cables are available separately), and (in all regions excluding Japan) a copy of Wii Sports.

A Nintendo spokesperson has confirmed that Nintendo plans to release a version of the console with DVD-Video playback capabilities in Japan, but that release in other territories is not currently planned. This corroborates an earlier press release by digital media company Sonic Solutions, stating that Nintendo had chosen their CinePlayer CE DVD Navigator software engine to provide this functionality. Even though software will be used to enable DVD-Video functionality, it apparently “requires more than a firmware upgrade” and cannot therefore be implemented through the WiiConnect24 network.

Wii Channels

The operating system interface for the console is designed around the concept of television channels, with a Wii Menu used to access them. Separate channels are graphically displayed in a grid, and are navigated using the pointer capability of the Wii Remote. There are eight primary channels: the Disc Channel, Mii Channel, News Channel, Forecast Channel, Photo Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Internet Channel and Virtual Console Channel(s).

Backward compatibility

The top of the Wii consoleThe Wii console is backward compatible with all Nintendo GameCube software and most GameCube peripherals. This backwards compatibility is achieved with the help of the slot-loading drive being able to accept GameCube discs, and a set of four GameCube controller ports and two Memory Card slots, concealed by flip-open panels. A GameCube controller is required to play GameCube games, as neither the Wii Remote nor the Classic Controller functions in this capacity. A GameCube memory card is also necessary if you want to save, as the Wii internal flash memory will not save GameCube games. Nintendo has stated that the Wii console is not compatible with the GameCube modem adapter, broadband adapter, Game Boy Player, AV cable, or AC adaptor.

Nintendo DS connectivity

The Wii console supports wireless connectivity with the Nintendo DS. Shigeru Miyamoto said Nintendo was still working out when features using this connectivity would be available, but that it would be soon after the launch of the system, due to the popularity of the Nintendo DS. At Nintendo’s corporate policy meeting in June 2006, Satoru Iwata explained that the DS uses its wireless connectivity to communicate with Wii and that no further accessories are needed.

The connectivity allows the player to use functions like the Nintendo DS’ microphone and touchscreen as inputs for Wii games. The first example Nintendo has given of a game using Nintendo DS-Wii connectivity is that of Pokémon Battle Revolution. Players with either Pokémon Diamond or Pearl are able to play battles using their Diamond or Pearl Pokémon on Wii with the Nintendo DS as a controller.

It has also been confirmed that the Nintendo DS is able to play game demos downloaded from the Wii console which they would receive from Nintendo, similar to a DS Download Station. The console is also able to expand Nintendo DS games.

Online connectivity

Main articles: Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, WiiConnect24, Virtual Console (Wii), and
Internet Channel (Wii)

The Wii console is able to connect to the Internet through its built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and through a USB-to-Ethernet adaptor, with both methods allowing players to access the established Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Nintendo has stated that the console implements standard Wi-Fi protocols. Wireless encryption by WEP, WPA (TKIP), WPA (AES), and WPA2 (AES) are supported. Just as for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo does not charge fees for playing via the service and the Friend Code system controls how players connect to one another. This system also implements console-based software such as the Wii Message Board, for which a feature is being considered for alerting registered friends for the Wii Message Board about new games that have been purchased.

The service has several features for the Wii console, such as the Virtual Console, WiiConnect24 and Wii Browser. 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. Nintendo announced two Wi-Fi enabled games at LGC 2006 in Leipzig: Mario Strikers Charged, and Battalion Wars 2. Although the console features an online mode, Nintendo has not provided the programming tools for 3rd party developers yet, meaning that only first party Wii games are online so far.

Firmware

The Wii console requires firmware updates from time to time. As reported by IGN, it was discovered that to use the Online Channels, a firmware update was required. Some earlier produced units were reportedly shipped with older firmware, and had some problems. Most units, however, shipped with the latest version.

The first firmware update for the Wii console via the WiiConnect24 feature caused a small portion of units to become unusable. This forced users to either send the unit to Nintendo for repairs where saved data was retained, or exchange it for a free replacement. The latter option had a faster turn around time but led to a loss of saved data.

The latest firmware version for Wii Consoles is 2.0. A letter ‘U’, ‘J’, or ‘E’ follows the version number, signifying an NTSC US, NTSC Japan, or PAL region console.

Wii controller

Nintendo’s official Wii site has opened with more info on the controller. They confirm the use of accelerometers in the Nunchuck: “The Nunchuk controller and the accelerometer contained within it are the next leap in gaming.” That being said, they also state that: “Both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers include a three-axis motion sensor.” This would lead one to believe that both the Wiimote and the Nunchuck use the same sensors, confirmed as accelerometers.

They also have a visual breakdown of the different functions of the Wiimote controller, notice that the “Wave” and the “Point” are two seperate functions. Also of interest is the use of the word “Wave” to describe the movement portion of the controller, the way the sword-swinging worked at E3 could best be described as reading fast waving movements rather than true freehand control.