Introducing the Nintendo Wii Gaming Console

On November 19th, 2006 marked the release of the Nintendo’s newest console: the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo released the Wii just two days after Sony released their PlayStation 3 console on the 17th. Nintendo’s release of the Wii (pronounced “we”) was well received by gamers worldwide.

Nintendo is back to battle again in the fierce gaming console wars. After failing to meet expectations with the earlier released GameCube console, Nintendo has changed its focus and is taking console gaming into an entirely new direction. With the Wii, Nintendo intends to attract not only the hardcore gamers, but the many non-gamers as well. Even though it may sound a bit crazy, Nintendo may be on to something especially after the recent success of their handheld system DS Lite.

What makes the Nintendo Wii so special? Is it amazing graphics? No, the Wii’s graphics are only slightly better then the original XBOX. What truly has gamers excited is the way the Wii games are played. No longer do you have to ‘button mash’ on the gaming joystick … instead you simply move the wand-like controller so your actions are represented in real time.

The Wii’s controller does have buttons on it, but there are far fewer then the XBOX360 and PlayStation3 controllers. However, only a few basic games can be played with this remote as the more complex games require that you use a special remote attachment. The “nun-chuk” is an special attachment that you plug in to the base of the regular remote. It contains an analog stick, as well as two trigger buttons. The nun-chuk’s many uses include moving your character, shooting guns, interacting with various objects in the game.

The Nintendo Wii is also different from the other consoles in that it comes with something called the “Virtual Console”. The Virtual Console let’s you download games from older gaming systems. Currently not every game is available for purchase, but Nintendo plans to release new titles to its Virtual Console every week. Games from the following consoles will be available: the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and more. You can purchase these games with points that can be bought thru the Wii console itself, or at retailers nationwide. Prices currently range from $5 for NES games to $10 for Nintendo 64 games. A special remote can also be purchased to play the games of the Virtual Console, but that isn’t necessary as the games can be played with a GameCube controller.

The Nintendo Wii currently sells for $249.99, which includes the Wii game console, all the necessary wires and adapters, Wii Sports (game featuring 5 different sports), and two variants of the controller (the regular remote and the nun-chuk remote attachment). You can get extra remotes for $39.99 and extra nun-chuks for $19.99. The “Classic” controller used to play Virtual Console games are sold for $19.99 each. The Nintendo Wii as been a smashing hit … and all signs indicate that it will continue to be a hot selling console. Click Here For More Articles About: Video Games!