by Loy Bond

Created on: June 10, 2008   Last Updated: November 16, 2009

What is the Nintendo Wii?

The Nintendo Wii is a family-friendly next-generation video game console from Nintendo, one of the original home gaming giants. It is the fifth installment of Nintendo's home video game consoles, succeeding the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), the Nintendo 64 and the Nintendo Gamecube. The Wii currently sells for $249.99 at most major retailers in the United States, and several retailers offer combo deals with games and additional controllers. Every Wii comes with Wii Sports, a 5-in-1 sports games title that includes tennis, golf, bowling, baseball and boxing.

The Wii currently competes against Microsoft's XBOX 360 and Sony's Playstation 3. Both of its competitors are significantly more powerful and more expensive. The Wii differentiates itself from its competitors by offering a more fun, family-friendly gaming experience, with the method of interaction being the main differentiation point, and the Wii's raison d'tre. The Wii uses a proprietary controller lovingly called the Wiimote, which has motion-sensing abilities, thanks to embedded accelerometers as well as optical sensor technology. In addition to that, the Wiimote has a small built-in speaker for player-specific sounds, and a convenient on-off button for the console. It allows players to interact with the games with physical motion that sometimes resembles realistic movement, such as the swing of a tennis racket, the punch of a boxer or the strike of a sword. Nintendo, in its advertisements claims that Wii and its games are easy for anyone to pick up and play, from toddlers to seniors, and to quite some extent, this is true. The Wiimote also has an accessory called the Nunchuk. It plugs into the bottom of the Wiimote, and when in use, the player would hold the Wiimote in one hand, and the Nunchuk in the other. It is not required for all games. Up to four Wiimotes can be connected for a fun, involved gaming experience, though only one Wiimote and one Nunchuck are included in the box. Additional Wiimotes and Nunchucks are sold separately, and cost $39.99 and $19.99 at most retailers.

Even though the Wii uses a DVD-ROM drive for its games, it currently cannot play DVD movies. It does however, have built-in Wi-Fi, which allows gamers to play games online, surf the Internet with the included Opera browser, and receive news and weather updates. No Ethernet port is included, but a Nintendo-branded USB Ethernet adapter sells

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