INTRODUCTION

Wii, pronounced as the word "we", is the name of Nintendo's seventh-generation video game console. Its official project code name was Revolution.  The key difference between the Wii console and its competition is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which may be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. The console also notably features a stand-by mode entitled WiiConnect24, enabling it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while consuming very little electrical power.

The Wii Remote is a one-handed controller that uses a combination of accelerometers and infra-red detection (in conjunction with the sensor bar) to sense its position in 3D space. This allows users to control the game using physical gestures as well as traditional button presses. The controller connects to the Wii using Bluetooth, and features force feedback, 4KB non-volatile memory and an internal speaker. The controller can connect to other devices through a proprietary port at the base of the controller. The most important of these is the Nunchuk, which features both accelerometers and a traditional analogue stick and two extra trigger buttons.

SENSING

The Wii Remote is able to sense movement and orientation. Sensors in the Wii Remote allow it to sense linear motion along three axes, as well as tilt.  The controller features an optical sensor, allowing it to determine where it is pointing. This can cause some detection problems when bright or fluorescent lights are in the area, requiring the controller be calibrated to a sensor bar which uses two sets of LEDs in each end of the bar as reference points for the Wii Remote.

THE SENSOR BAR

The sensor bar can be placed anywhere near the display screen and parallel to the screen's horizontal edge. It is not necessary to point directly at the sensor bar, but pointing away from the screen itself will disrupt position-sensing ability. The use of the sensor bar allows the Wii Remote to be used as an accurate pointing device up to 15ft away from the bar. The sensor bar is about 20cm in length and features eight IR LEDs, with four LEDs being arranged at each end of the bar.  The Wii Remote contains a one-mega pixel image sensor which is used to locate the sensor bar's eight points of light in the Wii Remote's field of view. The known real-world dimensions of the spacing between the LEDs on the bar, allows the Wii Remote to calculate its position and orientation in space relative to the bar. This information is in addition to, and supplemented by, the 3-axis acceleration and tilt sensors in the Wii Remote.

NINTENDO'S REPUTATION

Nintendo has the reputation of historically being both the oldest intact company in the video game console market and one of the most influential and well-known console manufacturers, as well as being the most dominant entity in the handheld console market. Wii would continue Nintendo's reputation for innovation by veering away from the traditional game console.

In less than one month, Japan’s Sony will release its much-anticipated PlayStation 3 video game console, Nintendo will follow a few days later with the release of its next-generation Wii system, and both will compete with Microsoft’s latest offering in the space, Xbox 360, which was launched last year.  And so the next-generation console wars will begin.

COSTS

Sony PlayStation 3 will launch on Nov. 17 and will be available for a base price of $499; Nintendo will go live with Wii on Nov. 19 and it will sell for $249; and Microsoft offers its Xbox 360 for $299.  Nintendo will be pricing its Wii games at $49.99 and is recommending that its third party contributors do the same. This is $10 cheaper than many games for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Players will be able to separately buy additional Wii-mote and nunchuk controllers, as well as the classic controller, as soon as the system launches. The Wii-mote will cost $39.99. The nunchuk unit will cost $19.99. And the classic controller will cost $19.99.

COMPARISONS

The three video game systems all include sleek design and a number of features unique to each, but the real war between the electronics titans will likely be waged on the Web, via the three systems’ online connectivity features.

Though Nintendo has devoted less focus to the Internet aspects of Wii, concentrating more on its new, innovative controller design instead, the company has said it too will feature online gaming functionality and the ability to download games via the Web.

CHANGING THE INDUSTRY

The Wii system is the fruit of a new Nintendo philosophy that is determined to emphasize original and fresh game play endeavors over dramatically enhanced graphic presentations. Whereas both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are designed from the ground up to deliver more detailed, high-definition graphics, Wii's biggest innovation lies with a potentially revolutionary new controller and not raw horsepower. It is this controller, dubbed the Wii remote, which truly distinguishes the Big N's new platform from its competitors. With Wii, Nintendo is betting everything on the belief that old and new gamers are looking for an entirely fresh way to play. The Wii-mote is designed so that it resembles a regular television remote.  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 remote acts as your weapon that you point at an enemy. The list of potential uses goes on and on. The controller also contains a speaker and a rumble device to provide sensory feedback, and is able to receive messages and updates over the internet.

The position and motion tracking of the Wii Remote allows the player to mimic actual game actions, such as swinging a sword or using a flashlight, instead of simply pushing buttons. An early marketing video showed actors miming actions such as fishing, cooking, drumming, conducting a string quartet, shooting a gun, sword fighting, and performing dental surgery.

Despite the controller's similarity to a light gun, which is only compatible with cathode ray tube televisions, Nintendo has stated that Wii and its controller will be compatible with all televisions including digital projectors.

Wii CONSOLE NUMBERS

            Although Nintendo is releasing Wii after PlayStation 3, the company is not worried about the competition. When quizzed on the subject, company executives dismissed PS3, saying that not only was it an altogether different videogame console, but that Sony wouldn't have enough units ready this holiday to provide a worthy challenge. Whereas around 400,000 PlayStation 3s are expected to hit in America this November, NOA president Reggie Fils-Aime recently confirmed that it would "absolutely" have more Wii systems ready from day one.

Nintendo expects to ship 4 million Wii units globally by the end of the year, with North American territories (America, Canada and Mexico) getting the largest chunk.

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