Each Wii maintains its own Message Board, a kind of virtual pin-up board and calendar on which users can post notes to each other and add appointment reminders. The console even sends you a memo whenever you use it, telling you what games you played that day and how much time you spent on each.
It's all vaguely nannyish, as are the occasional suggestions you get to stop sitting in front of the TV and move around a bit - presumably more an attempt on Nintendo's part to avoid its customers getting RSI than because it doesn't want you to spend too much time gaming. So too is Wii Sports' so-called Fitness option, which runs you through a daily series of virtual exercises using the Remote.
And I mean daily - it will not let you play again until the following day. That's a level of regimentation that I can see being acceptable in some cultures, but not ours, and certainly not to your average surly videogames player. The latter are likely to scoff at the Wii's parental controls, but given the console's family friendliness, they're not exactly inappropriate here.
Verdict
Is Nintendo's Wii the revolution its codename was intended to imply? Well, Nintendo's own DS has already targeted casual and older gamers, so there's nothing new there. The Wii brings some social networking technology to the table, but its presentation is perhaps a tad twee for Western grown-ups and hardcore gamers, and will reinforce Nintendo's reputation as a company that targets junior gamers.
But look beyond all that. Wii introduces an amazing new control system that not only provides players with a fresh take on traditional videogames but creates a platform for a diverse array of new, more physical computer entertainment. Maybe it won't win over folk who dislike console gaming, at least not straight away, but it does present an opportunity to offer something for everyone.
Anyone who finds a Wii under their tree this Christmas is in for a cracking - and physically active - time. ®
Nintendo Wii
COMMENTS
Specs aren't so important to some of us
I see a lot of people moaning about the lack of HD and comparitively low specs. Not all of us have the money to spend on a PS3 not to mention the additional hardware required to really appreciate it. A 720 HD LCD and a 5.1 surround sound setup arent exactly cheap, and neither is the PS3 itself.
The Wii is an attractive choice for anyone looking for a console for casual use. It's relatively inexpensive, with innovative (and not to mention fun) controls. The PS3's HD graphics and 5.1 surround sound might be really awesome for so-called hardcore gamers. Many of us are buying a Wii simply because its good clean fun. An absolutely perfect excuse to get the mates round with a few beers and some pizza.
Mario Kart is still a firm favourite with my friends after a night out. The Xbox usually sitting forlornly powered down on the next shelf.
utter rubbish
quote:
A lot of the current high-def craze is really just fashion. Eyes have a limited resolution to start with and that resolution drops off rapidly at the periphery (and if stuff starts moving around). Our color resolution is also nothing like as good as black-and-white (brightness) resolution. TVs were designed around this knowledge, so while its neat to look at the textures of the clothing in a PS3's character in practice you won't notice it at normal viewing distances, particularily if you're fighting for your life!
What utter nonsense! I have a 2k LCD and the 360 is outstanding as would a ps3 hooked up. I work in the tv industry also. To say HDTV doesnt matter since you cant tell the differ is about the most dumb thing I have hear in years. YOU must be blinded by sheer wii ignorance!! its the only reason. 720 or 1080p are so sharp and vivid.
As for not seeing differencesin textures. lol omg are you for real. Your blind!
Wiii... a wiii behind
Nintendo is very far behind in terms of hardware specs. Anyone who says that does not matter should take a closer look at games like Gears of War (x360) on a 1080p TV and then try to play Mario. Nintendo games will look exquisitely bad in comprising.
The only thing that Nintendo has going for it is the new controller, and few good titles (Zelda, etc). I am very intrigued with the new controller, however at launch; there are simply no real killer games to sell it. Wii sports is fun enough but embarrassingly bad looking (why not just release the new controller for the gamecube if you plan on making games like this). I had high hopes for Red Steel, but… wow is that ever bad. I am yet to see a game rated 9/10.
Zelda, Mario and Metroid will only get you so far, and I would love to see more innovation on the kind of games are being released on Nintendo systems.
Innovation should not mean a MAJOR sacrifice in quality. I love the fact they have a new cool controller. At the same time they are pushing it along with substandard hardware that in no way can compete with other modern consoles. I would not mind if Nintendo was not quite as powerful as Xbox360/PS3, but it is almost an entire generation behind…. With more people getting HD TVs this will become more evident with time.
Do any of you own a wii, PS3 and XBOX 360?
well i do, and i have a little something to say about them all. The Wii is an excellent party console. Having friends round to play video games has never been more fun and anyone can play, not only those who play games on a regular basis. Hell, even my mother can play!
There is no completion to the way xbox live works, sony are trying, but they really arnt quite there at all, live may cost you £40 a year, but its worth every penny and alot less than many MMO's you find today. The live tag system is great, its like haveing xfire and teamspeak built into your console on a system level.
The PS3 on the other hand does have blue ray, even though i hold no hope at all in this being a winning format in the next hi-def movie format due to sonys track record in inventing new formats. (betamax, minidisc, atrac-3, UMD, and the memory stick mostly only works with sony devices) it does provide a much much larger capacity for data then dvd, this will come into play about a year after the launch when developers are getting to grips with the tech and can start to make much more detailed environments. Yet this is see has the only good point for now.
So basically what i am saying is, if you like the aspect of online play, go buy a 360 and stop bitching about the PS3, If you like casual gaming and have alot of friends who dont really play computer games, go get yourself a Wii. If you really need a hi-def movie player now, have the TV to back it up and are willing to wait a while before you can play any really decent games due to giving the developers time to figure out how to get the best out of the hardware then go by a PS3 and stop moning about the 360 and Wii.
All 3 consoles have good points, all have bad. But mostly, all 3 companys are in it to win it in thier on way and will still be there for the next round of consoles and fan-boy hype 5 years down the line.
Appreciate the games. Its the developers that make a console what it is. Without them there would be nothing. (gizmodo, case and point)
Kramit out
lordy...
Well at least these comments give me a laugh. Really guys: very funny. After 3 years reading the register I finally, well, register to reply to the above:
I mean, reading a 5 page review of a gaming console, and having an account with el reg, and then taking the trouble to say "you're all geeks, go out and get a life"...? That's one of the funniest posts I've ever seen on the web. If you can't see the irony there, then ignore my comments, thanks - no doubt the healthy outdoor game of soccer you were enjoying when you posted this will distract you anyway.....?
And then there's this practise of calling console features a "gimmick"...?
Last I looked, video game consoles are probably the closest thing I can think of to being a "gimmick" in and of themselves: by their very nature, if you want to be a puris. They flash and bleep as much as possible, do no real "job" and have no real "function" (bar "recreation" which we all know requires no specific hardware LOL) - I mean, what a plainly dumb remark. All innovation in a game is a "gimmick" - moot point.
Honestly, the QWERTY keyboard I'm typing on this is just a "gimmick", too - the altair 8800 didn't need one, why should this machine?
But Hey, I could pick holes all day: fact is I'm no nintendo freak but time after time after time they point the way for everyone else. This is not an opinion, there is a thing called "the videogames industry" which proves it.
Remember the way the games market collapsed in 1983 because of the lack of structure for royalties, rights management and designers being paid? Remember who came along and rebuilt it with solid ideas based on gaming markets?
Remember the famicom / NES? Remember those wierd controllers - cross arrows on the right, two buttons on the left - they introduced... and how everyone now uses them? Joypads?
Remember who put the most effort into forming JAMMA and making coinops and consoles the same industry?
Please, don't be so silly: Nintendo are a games company. Sony and Microsoft are (naff) Stereo and (terrible) Operating system brokers, respectively. To try and say that Nintendo is using "gimmicks" when the Xbox and PS3 are just graphic processors with expensive optical drives attached is hilarious.
After all, in 30 years time what Sony or MS titles will people remember like they remember Donkey Kong?
Hats off to nintendo, they seem, as ever, to actually give a damn about their target market - kids and young adults - by producing intelligent, innovative devices at low prices with high usability.
The rest of the industry could take a couple hundred pages out of their book, really.
