Nintendo WII Review
Friday, December 15, 2006

Already heard about Nintendo WII or have no idea about it?

WII is released in United States and Canada on November 19, 2006 with the price of US$ 249.99. In other countries like Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Europe and United Kingdom, it was around Dec 2, 7 and 8.

While Sony PlayStation 3 was released at the same month on November 11 in Japan and November 17, 2006 in US. And the war begins!

Currently, more than 1 million WII sold worldwide. But is it worth to buy?

THE BOX
It looks like a bigger version of ipod, sleek, white and quite cool looking. Saves its games on SD card. Able to play movies although only from quicktime. There are 2 USB PORTS for future enhancement. There is wifi inside but no ethernet port. Supports standard (4:3) and widescreen (16:9), 480i and 480p. Comes with a WII remote controller and a nunchunk.

FEATURES

A distinguishing feature of the Wii console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. The console also notably features WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while consuming very little electrical power.

For me, the Wii's biggest and most obvious appeal is the ability to use its motion-sensing controller to play Wii-specific games. Just look at the controller. You can hold it in your hand like a remote control. You point,swing, do lots of movement to interact with the games. There have internal sensors to sense it when you're moving stuff around.

Another great feature is the little speaker at the controller. When you're playing games,lots of different sounds and signals will pop up on ur hands which make your movement even real and interesting. It has a vibrator built in as well.

When you played it, there will be some force feedback.. nice isn't it? They communicate wireless or infrared.

THE CONS
Based on the review by CNET Asia, The Wii's controller is very advanced and innovative, its processing power is not. The system uses a more powerful version of the Nintendo GameCube's processor, and it doesn't have nearly as much polygon-pushing power as the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3. While Microsoft's and Sony's consoles support high-definition outputs of up to 1080p, the Wii can hit only the GameCube's ceiling of 480p.

Many have doubts, is the controller sensitive enough?

The graphic is terrible. But look at the features, the new way of controlling. You can even exercise while u're playing. When you're playing baseball games, you are as if really playing baseball. So, for those who are lazy to exercise, try WII. Haha.. just joking!

CONCLUSION

Is the Wii worth picking up? It all depends on what you're looking for. If you've been clamoring for an all-purpose next-generation multimedia box with blinding HD graphics, the Wii will be a disappointment. But Nintendo was never competing in that arena anyway: The Wii is focused squarely on delivering fun and innovative gameplay, leaving Sony and Microsoft to battle it out at the high end.

What do you think? Feel free to comment on this post.