Nintendo’s Wii Challenging Sony’s PS3
Nintendo launches it latest video game console Wii on Sundays November 19, 2006, just two days after Sony launched it’s Playstation 3 in the US.
The PS3 priced at $500 to $600 but the Wii is half of that, $250. On the other hand, the Microsoft XBox 360 is cost $300 to $400 which was launched about a year ago.
With it’s lower price Nintendo have no DVD player and High Definition capability. However, by changing the way games are played, Nintendo hopes to attract a new generation of fans. The console comes with a motion-sensitive controller that acts as a tennis racket, baseball bat, steering wheel, gun or sword depending on the game.
By giving players the ability to physically interact with a virtual world, Nintendo has significantly changed the experience of videogaming. It’s suddenly more immersive, more compelling and potentially more appealing to consumers who have never considered buying a videogame console before.
Nintendo’s stated goal is to hook people with the lure of the wireless controllers, low price, and a small, cute main unit that will fit easily in most entertainment centers.
About Wii’s Console, as always, the specification:
Design:
Featuring a compact design that makes it a natural addition to any television setup, the Wii console is white in color and can be displayed either vertically or horizontally.
Size:
About 8.5 inches long, 6 inches wide and less than 2 inches thick (roughly the size of 3 DVD cases stacked on top of each other).
Compatibility:
The Wii is backward-compatible to all Nintendo GameCube games and includes four ports for controllers and two slots for memory cards.
Media:
A single self-loading media bay plays single- or double-layered 12-cm optical discs for the Wii console, as well as 8-cm Nintendo GameCube discs.
Input/Output:
Input: Four Wii Remotes can communicate with Wii, which features a bay for an SD memory card.
Output: An AV Multi-output port for component, composite or S-video.
CPU/GPU:
PowerPC CPU (code-named “Broadway”), made with a 90nm SOI CMOS process, jointly developed with and manufactured by IBM; GPU developed with ATI.
Network:
The Wii console communicates wirelessly with the Internet via wireless or a Wii LAN adaptor. Wii also can connect wirelessly with Nintendo DS.
Wii’s Controller, now this is exciteing!
To make gaming as accessible to people of all ages and all abilities, Nintendo wanted to create a controller that was as inviting as it was sophisticated. The outcome is the Wii Remote. Nintendo fused the familiarity of a remote control with the sophistication of motion-sensing technology to come up with an input device for the ages!
Sporting the size of a traditional remote control, the wireless Wii Remote is a multifunctional device that is limited only by the game designer’s imagination. In a tennis game, it serves as your racket you swing with your arm. In a driving game, it serves as your steering wheel. For first-person shooters, the Wii Remote acts as your weapon that you point at an enemy. The list of potential uses goes on and on.
In addition to its pointing and motion-sensing abilities, the Wii Remote also includes a speaker, rumble feature and expansion port for additional input devices, such as the Nunchuk.
Nunchuk Contoured to perfectly fit a player’s hand, the Nunchuk builds on the simplicity of the Wii Remote and goes an extra step to meet the needs of gamers. The Nunchuk connects to the Wii Remote at its expansion port and is used in conjunction with the Wii Remote.
The Nunchuk contains the same motion-sensing technology enabled in the Wii Remote but also includes an analog stick to assist in character movement. In several games, players will use the analog stick of the Nunchuk to move their characters and the Wii Remote to perform a specific action, whether that’s throwing a pass in football or aiming a ranged weapon in an action game.
Along with the analog stick, the motion-sensing Nunchuk also contains two buttons positioned for quick access. Because the Wii Remote and Nunchuk are only relatively dependent on each other, players are free to hold them in whichever hand is most comfortable. The ambidextrous nature of the Wii controllers grants accessibility seldom seen in game controllers.
Sensor Bar Using Bluetooth technology, the wireless Wii Remote sends your actions to the Wii console from as far as 30 feet away. As a pointing device, the controller can send a signal from as far as 15 feet away. Up to four Wii Remotes can be connected at once, making for some great multiplayer fun!
The Classic Controller allows you to play classic games available through the Wii Shop Channel with ease. This controller is sold separately.
Category: Electronics