Nintendo Wii

The Wii is a home games console which is manufactured by Nintendo, its release was announced on November 19th 2006. This is a seventh generation console and battles within the market against the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony Playstation 3. Although Nintendo believes that the Wii appeals to a broader demographic than its two main competitors.

The console revolutionised the game console industry with its distinguishing feature being a wireless controller, this is used as a handheld pointing device and detects movement in three directions. There is also a feature named WiiConnect24, this allow messages to be received and updates over the Internet to occur whilst the console is on standby. The hugely successful Wii is the fifth console to be released by Nintendo; its direct successor was the Nintendo GameCube.

The wireless remote provided with the console is the main source of controller for the Wii. It uses a combination off built accelerometer and infrared detection to its position in 3D space when pointed at the LEDs within the sensor bar. The controller connects to the console using Bluetooth and features rumble as well as an internal speaker. Another device which can connect to the device is the Wii MotionPlus, this was announced as a device that connects to the Wii remote to supplement the accelerometer and Sensor Bar capabilities and enable action to be rendered identically on the screen in real time.

Regarding the technical details for the Wii console, few key facts have been released by Nintendo. Although reports within the press suggest that the console is an extension or advancement of the Nintendo GameCube architecture. It is understood that the Wii is 1.5 to 2 times faster than its predecessor. Advanced models are also now being rumoured after the original model has sold well across the world.

Although rumours around a new model, the Wii HD have been confirmed to be false by the Nintendo company. They have stated that there is not a significant reason to release a new version of the Wii. Nintendo have recently declared a large rise in their operating profits due to the sales of the Wii throughout the world. The Wii Menu interface is designed around the concept of television channels. Separate channels are graphically displayed in a grid and are navigated using the pointer capability of the Wii Remote. Except for the Disc Channel, it is possible to change the arrangement by holding down the A and B buttons to grab channels and move them around. There are six primary channels: the Disc Channel, Wii Channel, Photo Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Forecast Channel, and News Channel.

The Nintendo Wii has been successful due to its broad appeal, with reports stating that many care homes have purchased the consoles to get their elderly residents active. A well thought out marketing campaign involving numerous celebrities has also helped add to the success of the console.