Posted November 13, 200619 yr comment_7760 In the last console war, Nintendo’s GameCube wasn’t much of a world superpower. In fact, it was Canada. So instead of trying to compete with the PS3 and Xbox 360 this fall, the company dreamed up the Wii. Looking more like an environmental sound machine from the Sharper Image than a hardcore gaming console, the Wii swaps updated graphics for more interactive gameplay. Wii Features * 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). * Wii also can connect wirelessly with Nintendo DS. * The Wii is backward-compatible to all Nintendo GameCube games and includes four ports for controllers and two slots for memory cards * The Wii console can communicate with the Internet even when the power is turned off. * The WiiConnect24 service delivers a new surprise or game update, even if the system is idle. * Users can connect wirelessly using IEEE 802.11 or a Wii LAN Adapter. “Microsoft and Sony are doing the same things to attract the same people,” says Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary designer behind Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. “Rather than just create a next generation of the same old games, we’ve created a product that goes beyond what people expect from a video game.” To that end, the Wii scraps the fancy graphics—they look only slightly more impressive than those on the Cube—in favor of spastic gameplay with its two-handed motion-sensor controller. Instead of pushing a button to nail your receiver in Madden, you make a passing motion. To swing your sword in Red Steel, you actually swing the controller. In case you pull a muscle, the Wii spins all of your old GameCube games and can download two decades worth of NES, Super NES and Nintendo 64 classics, as well as a “best of” selection from the Sega Genesis and Turbo- Grafx-16 systems. But, why name it after the old bladder juice? “Well, the name may mean that in English,” Miyamoto says, “but we wanted something short and easy to remember.” And “Webster” was already taken.
November 13, 200619 yr comment_7761 Also read the articles where several big name people said the PS3 will flat out "fail" and Nintendo will outsell them.
November 14, 200619 yr comment_7767 Wii to have DVD playback next year. That at least adds a little functionality, but obviously not blu-ray or HD-DVD.
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