The Nintendo Wii Has Been Released. Now What?

The Nintendo Wii Has Been Released. Now What?

The release of the Nintendo Wii is highly anticipated, since gamers have been curious about what the creators would do with their newest baby to get it to compete head-on with its main competitors, Xbox and PS 360. Is it worth the wait? You be the judge.

The specs
The buzz about the release of Nintendo Wii isn't without basis. The Wii's processor is IBM's 'Broadway' and its graphics come courtesy of ATI's 'Hollywood'. It has a hefty 512MB of internal flash memory, a slot for later expansion of SD memory and two USB 2.0 ports. To load both the 12cm Wii game discs and the 9cm GameCube discs, you only need to use one self-loading media bay.

The scene stealer
The specs of the Wii are sometimes overshadowed by the revolutionary turn of its game controller called the Wiimote (or Wii Remote). It looks like your basic TV remote, but it uses a combination of accelerators and sensors to 'sense' its position in space. So once you take a swing at that ball or try to punch your opponent in the face, you do so using hand movements instead of just pushing buttons.

At the base of the Wiimote is a port that can be used to connect game accessories, such as the nunchuk, named after the martial arts tool it vaguely resembles. The nunchuk features a thumbstick and some trigger buttons. The Wiimote is connected to the console via wireless Bluetooth and you can use up to four controllers with the Wii console.

Another feature of the Wiimote is its rumble pack, which can vibrate according to the intensity experienced in the game. This adds an extra dimension to the user's overall gaming experience.

The games
The Wii is released with Wii Sports, featuring popular games like baseball, tennis and boxing. At launch time, two of the most anticipated games were among the titles available: ExciteTruck and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. There's also plenty of choices for third party games like Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Far Cry: Vengeance and Madden NFL 07.

What it's all about
Nintendo had a reputation for creating games that cater to kids, but with the release of the Nintendo Wii, kids and adults alike will find its features, games and third party games appealing. The Wii isn't as impressive as its competitors in the graphics and audio department, but what it lacks, it more than makes up for with its strong specs and very affordable price.