The Wii (pronounced the same as the pronoun we, IPA: [wiː]) is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo. The console was previously known by its code name of Revolution and is the direct successor to the Nintendo GameCube. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3,[3] but it competes with both as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems.
A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. Another is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode.[4]
Nintendo first mentioned the console at the 2004 E3 press conference and later unveiled the system at the 2005 E3. Satoru Iwata revealed a prototype of the controller at the September 2005 Tokyo Game Show.[5] In the 2006 E3, the console won the first of several awards.[6] By December 8, 2006, it completed its launch in four key markets.
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Name
1.2 Launch
1.3 System sales
1.4 Demographic
2 Hardware
2.1 Wii Remote
2.2 Technical specifications
2.3 Technical issues
2.4 Legal issues
3 Features
3.1 Wii Channels
3.2 Backward compatibility
3.3 Nintendo DS connectivity
3.4 Online connectivity
3.5 Parental controls
4 Software library
5 Reception
6 References and notes
7 External links
History
The console was originally conceived in 2001, as the Nintendo GameCube was first seeing release. According to an interview with 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."[7]
Two years later, engineers and designers were brought together to further develop the concept. By 2005, the controller interface had taken form, but a public showing at that year's E3 was withdrawn. Miyamoto stated that "we had some troubleshooting to do. So we decided not to reveal the controller and instead we displayed just the console."[7] Satoru Iwata would later unveil and demonstrate the Wii Remote at the September Tokyo Game Show.[5]
The Nintendo DS is stated 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."[7]
Name
The console was known by the codename of "Revolution" until April 27, 2006, immediately prior to E3.[8] According to the Nintendo Style Guide, the name "is simply Wii, not Nintendo Wii." This means it is 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."[9] Nintendo spells "Wii" with two lower-case "i" characters meant to resemble two people standing side by side, representing players gathering together, as well as to represent the console's controllers. The company has given many reasons for this choice of name since the announcement; however, the most well 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.[10] ”
Despite Nintendo's justification for the name, some game developers and members of the press initially reacted negatively towards the change. They preferred "Revolution" over "Wii"[11] and expressed fear "that the name would convey a continued sense of 'kidiness' [sic] to the console."[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] ”
Nintendo 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."[15]
Launch
Main article: Wii launch
Starting September 14, 2006, Nintendo announced release information for Japan, North and South America, Australasia (Oceania), Asia, and Europe, including dates, prices, and projected unit distribution numbers. At an earlier policy briefing, Nintendo revealed plans to release 6 million console units and 17 million software units during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007.[16] This included the 4 million or more console units they expected to ship by the end of the 2006 calendar year.[17] It was announced that the majority of the 2006 shipments would be allotted to the Americas[18] and that 33 titles would be available in the 2006 launch window.[19] As reported, the United Kingdom suffered a large shortage of console units as many high-street and online stores were unable to fulfill all preorders when it was released on December 8, 2006.[20]
Nintendo announced that they would release their console in South Korea by the end of 2007.[21]
System sales
Region Units sold First available
North America 2,083,880+ as of February 28, 2007[22][23] November 19, 2006
Japan 1,961,727 as of April 1, 2007[24] December 2, 2006
Europe 700,000 as of December 31, 2006[25] December 8, 2006
Australia 68,000 as of March 1, 2007[26] December 7, 2006
Total 4.81 million+
Demographic
Nintendo hopes to target a wider demographic with its console than that of others in the seventh generation.[3] At a press conference for Dragon Quest IX, Satoru Iwata iterated "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."[27]
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.[28] 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.[29]
Hardware
Wii retail display boxesThe Wii console is Nintendo's smallest home unit 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, the near-equivalent of 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),[30] 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 project code name of "Revolution".[31]
The front of the console features an illuminated slot-loading optical media drive that accepts both 12 cm Wii Optical Discs and 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. When there is no WiiConnect24 information, the light is off. The disc slot light remains off during game play or when using other features. Two USB ports are located at its rear, and an SD card slot hides behind the cover on the front of the console. The SD card can be used for uploading photos as well as backing up saved game data and downloaded Virtual Console games. As a presently impenetrable system of digital rights management, Virtual Console data cannot be restored to any system except the unit of origin.[32] To use the SD slot for game save transferring, a software update must be downloaded, so a system that has not been connected to the Internet cannot utilize this feature.
Nintendo has shown the console and the Wii Remote in white, black, silver, lime green, and red,[33][34] but has initially been available only in white. At E3 2006, the Wii Remote was shown in light blue. Shigeru Miyamoto stated that other colors would be available after the easing of supply limitations, which were stated to continue until Spring.[35] Numerous minor changes were made to the design between its original unveiling and launch, including the Nintendo branding used and button placements.
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 (component video and other types of cables are available separately), operation documentation, and (in all regions excluding Japan) a copy of Wii Sports.
A Nintendo spokesperson has announced that the company plans to release a version of the console with DVD-Video playback capabilities in 2007.[36] 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.[36]
Wii Remote
From left to right: Nintendo DS Lite, Nunchuk, Wii Remote, and strapMain article: Wii Remote
The Wii Remote is a one-handed controller that uses a combination of accelerometers and infrared detection (from an array of LEDs inside the Sensor Bar) to sense its position in 3D space. 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, 4 kB user data non-volatile memory[37] and an internal speaker. The Wii Remote can connect to other 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. In response to incidences of strap failures, Nintendo is offering a stronger replacement for all straps.[38]
Technical specifications
Nintendo has released few technical details regarding the Wii system, but some key facts have leaked from the press. Though none of these reports have been officially confirmed, they point to the console as being an extension or advancement of the previous Nintendo GameCube architecture. More specifically, the reported analyses state that the Wii is roughly 1.5 to two times more powerful than its predecessor.[1][37]
Processors:
CPU: PowerPC based "Broadway" processor, made with a 90 nm SOI CMOS process, reportedly† clocked at 729 MHz[39]
GPU: ATI "Hollywood" GPU made with a 90 nm CMOS process,[40] reportedly† clocked at 243 MHz[39]
Memory:
88 MiB main memory (24 MiB "internal" 1T-SRAM integrated into graphics package, 64 MiB "external" GDDR3 SDRAM)[41]
3 MiB GPU texture memory
Ports and peripheral capabilities:
Up to four Wii Remote controllers (connected wirelessly via Bluetooth)
Nintendo GameCube controller ports (4) (one can be used in conjunction with four Wii Remote units for five-player multiplayer capability)
Nintendo GameCube Memory Card ports (2)
SD memory card slot
USB 2.0 ports (2)
Sensor Bar port
Accessory port on bottom of Wii Remote
Mitsumi DWM-W004 WiFi 802.11b/g wireless module[42]
Compatible with optional USB 2.0 to Ethernet LAN adaptor
Built-in content ratings systems:
BBFC, CERO, ESRB, OFLC, OFLC (NZ), PEGI, USK
Storage:
512 MiB built-in NAND flash memory
Expansion available via SD card memory
Nintendo GameCube Memory Cards (for saving GameCube games only)
IBM's Wii "Broadway" CPU
ATI's Wii "Hollywood" GPUSlot-loading disc drive compatible with 8 cm Nintendo GameCube Game Disc and 12 cm Wii Optical Disc
Mask ROM by Macronix[43]
Video:
Up to 480p (PAL/NTSC) or 576i (PAL/SECAM), standard 4:3 and 16:9 anamorphic widescreen[44]
Component (including Progressive scan), RGB SCART (PAL only), S-Video (NTSC only), composite output, or D-Terminal[45]
Audio:
Main: Stereo - Dolby Pro Logic II-capable[46]
Controller: Built-in speaker
†None of the clock rates have been confirmed by Nintendo, IBM, or ATI.
Technical issues
The first firmware update via WiiConnect24 reportedly caused a small portion of units to become unusable. This forced users to either send their units to Nintendo for repairs (if they wished to retain their saved data), or exchange it for a free replacement.[47] It has also been reported that during standby mode, the Wii can overheat to the point of damaging the GPU, causing pixelation problems, such as random dark or green pixels, to appear. Currently, it is possible to contact Nintendo and send it for repair.[48]
Legal issues
Interlink Electronics filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Nintendo over the pointing functionalities of the Wii Remote, claiming, "loss of reasonable royalties, reduced sales and/or lost profits as a result of the infringing activities" of Nintendo.[49] Anascape Ltd, a Texas-based firm, also filed a lawsuit against Nintendo for patent infringements.[50] Green Welling LLP filed a class action lawsuit against Nintendo for their "defective wrist straps."[51]
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 can receive periodic updates via the WiiConnect24 service.
Wii Channels
Main article: Wii Channels
Wii Channels menuThe Wii Channels operating system interface is designed around the concept of television channels; a Wii menu is 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 six primary channels: the Disc Channel, Mii Channel, Photo Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Forecast Channel, and News Channel. The Forecast Channel was released on December 19, 2006.[52] The News Channel was released on January 26, 2007.[53] Additional channels are available for download from the Wii Shop Channel and also appear with each Virtual Console title. A trial version of the Internet Channel was released on December 22, 2006.[54] The full version is to be released in April, which will be free if downloaded before June. After June, a fee of 500 Wii Points will be required for purchase.[55] The Everybody Votes Channel was released on February 13, 2007.[56]
Backward compatibility
Nintendo GameCube ports on the top of the Wii unitThe Wii console is backward compatible with all official Nintendo GameCube software, as well as GameCube Memory Cards and controllers. Compatibility with software is achieved with the slot-loading drive's ability to accept GameCube discs. Peripherals can be connected via set of four GameCube controller ports and two Memory Card slots concealed by flip-open panels.[1] A GameCube controller is required to play GameCube games, as neither the Wii Remote nor the Classic Controller functions in this capacity. A Nintendo GameCube Memory Card is also necessary to save, as the Wii internal flash memory will not save GameCube games. A GameCube Action Replay is also compatible with the Wii, and will work with all GameCube games.
The Wii is not compatible with the Game Boy Player, GameCube Component Video cable, Broadband Adapter, and Modem Adapter. These accessories will work only on a Nintendo GameCube.[citation needed]
Nintendo DS connectivity
The Wii system 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.[57] At Nintendo's corporate policy meeting in June 2006, Satoru Iwata explained that the DS uses its wireless connectivity to communicate with the console and that no further accessories are needed.[16]
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 Nintendo DS as a controller.[58] It has also been announced that the Nintendo DS is able to play game demos downloaded from the console, which they would receive from Nintendo, similar to a DS Download Station.[59] The console is also able to expand Nintendo DS games.[58]
Online connectivity
Main articles: Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, WiiConnect24, Virtual Console, and Internet Channel
The Wii unit 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.[1] Wireless encryption by WEP, WPA (TKIP/RC4) and WPA2 (CCMP/AES) are supported.[60] Just as for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo does not charge fees for playing via the service[3][61] and the Friend Code system controls how players connect to one another. It is reported that only one Wii system code is required.[62][61] This system also implements console-based software including the Wii Message Board.
The service has several features for the console including the Virtual Console, WiiConnect24, Internet Channel, Forecast Channel, and the News 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.[63]
Parental controls
The console features parental controls, prohibiting younger users from playing games with content considered unsuitable for their age level. When a Wii or Virtual Console game is attempted to be played, 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. However, the parental controls setting does not affect Nintendo GameCube titles.
European units mainly use the PEGI rating system,[64] whereas North American units use the ESRB rating system.[65] 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 and the OFLC in Australia and New Zealand.
Software library
See also: List of Wii games and List of video games published by Nintendo
Wii Optical Disc in keep caseGames representing Nintendo's flagship franchises, including The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mario, Animal Crossing, Pokémon, Super Smash Bros., and Fire Emblem have been announced for the console, with only The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and WarioWare: Smooth Moves being released to date in all territories. Likewise, there are original titles for it as well as expected third party games.[66] Ubisoft announced eight titles for release over the launch period, and have stated that they have a further six currently in development while Midway Games has announced six titles.[67] EA has declared their '100%' support for the system[68] and has since gone on to purchase long-time partner Headgate Studios, which now develops exclusively for Nintendo's console.[69]
Perrin Kaplan had originally stated that the system would be region-free.[70] However, corrections from Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe concurred that the console does support regional lockout.[71]
Retail copies of Wii games are supplied on DVD-like optical discs, which have a capacity of 8.5 Gigabytes. Wii Optical Discs are packaged in a keep case along with instruction information. On European releases, these retail boxes have a triangle printed at the bottom corner of the paper insert sleeve side. The hue of the triangle can be used to identify which region the particular title is intended for and which manual languages are included.
Reception
The system was well-received after its exhibition at E3 2006. At the event, Nintendo's console won the Game Critics Awards for Best of Show and Best Hardware.[6] In the December 2006 issue of Popular Science the console was awarded with the Grand Award Winner in Home Entertainment.[72] Spike TV's Video Games Award also granted the console the award in breakthrough technology.[73] GameSpot chose the console as the Best Hardware on their Best and Worst 2006 awards show.[74] The system was also chosen as one of PC World magazine's 20 Most Innovative Products of the Year.[75]
At the same time, criticism of the Wii Remote and the Wii hardware has surfaced. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot has stated that the controller's speaker produces low-quality sound,[76] while Factor 5 President Julian Eggebrecht criticized the hardware audio as being substandard for a console of its generation.[77] Free Radical Design has stated that the Wii hardware lacks the power necessary to run the software they have scheduled for release on other seventh generation consoles.[78] An executive for Frontline Studios also expressed that major publishers are wary of releasing exclusive titles for the console due to the perception that third-party companies are not strongly supported by consumers.[79] The online connectivity of the Wii was also subject to criticism, as Matt Casamassina of IGN compared it to the "entirely unintuitive" service provided for the Nintendo DS.[80]