Nintendo Wii

Nintendo Wii

The Wii was the 5th video game console developed by Nintendo and was released worldwide in late 2006. The Wii was released as a part of the seventh generation of video game consoles, in primary competition with Sony’s Playstation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360. The Wii’s successor, the Wii U, was released in 2012, following which, the Wii was discontinued in 2013. The Wii’s services started being slowly shuddered throughout the next few years, with all online services for the Wii being discontinued in 2019. The Wii was unique from other video game consoles of its time due to its gameplay mechanics, utilizing motion controls as a primary method of input. Selling over 100 million units throughout its lifetime, the Wii remains one of the highest selling video game consoles of all time, ranked as the seventh highest selling video game console as of 2023.

Development

Development on the Wii began in 2001, under the concept name “Revolution”. This development began quickly following the release of Nintendo’s previous console, the GameCube. It became clear during the early period of the GameCube’s run of production that it was not competing very well with its competitors, the Sony Playstation 2 and the Microsoft Xbox, only outcompeting the Sega Dreamcast. In an attempt to differentiate itself from the competition, from the start, Nintendo’s next console was not intended to compete with their competitors, the Sony Playstation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360, on hardware power. Alternatively, Nintendo aimed to implement new methods of gameplay into the design of the console. As such, the Wii was not developed to be radically more powerful than Nintendo’s previous console, the GameCube, but was intended to stand apart due to its use of motion control technology.

To facilitate this difference in play style from traditional gameplay to motion based gameplay, in conjunction with the development of the Wii itself, Nintendo also developed a technologically advanced controller, the Wii Remote, which was notable for its motion tracking technologies and its ability to support accessories. These motion controls were especially appealing to a non-traditional video game crowd, otherwise known as casual gamers. This emphasis on motion controls rather than powerful hardware alienated some core video game-playing demographics.

Nintendo’s most recent handheld gaming console during the time of the Wii’s development, the Nintendo DS had a major influence on the design of the Wii. Since the DS’s unique touchscreen based input system had so much success with casual gamers and nongamers, Nintendo sought to implement mechanics which would engage a similar crowd in their next home console, the Wii. In an attempt to avoid completely alienating the traditional gaming audience, Nintendo introduced peripherals such as the Wii Classic Controller, which was similar to a more traditional video game controller. However, this endeavor did not make a substantial impact in preventing the Wii from being denoted as a system primarily for causal gamers.

Release

The Wii was released in the United States on November 19, 2006. It initially retailed for $250 and included one controller and the game Wii Sports. There was a substantial emphasis placed on the Wii by Nintendo in terms of its marketing. Nintendo spent 200 million dollars on advertising for the Wii. The primary messaging behind the marketing campaign placed attention on how the Wii was family-friendly and easy to use. This was a departure from how most video game systems were advertised prior to that point. The primary focus in advertisements for video game consoles was on hardware power and graphical capabilities. The Wii’s emphasis on advertising its methods of play and versatility set it apart from the rest of the industry.

The Wii’s release was exceptionally profitable, and supplies ran low. Nintendo sold over 600,000 Wii consoles in its first eight days on the shelves in North America. The demand for the console far surpassed the supply. The high demand created substantial shortages in supplies of the Wii, causing the console to be difficult to find for many years. This also stimulated demand, as the low supply meant the Wii continued to fly off shelves. One component that contributed to the supply issues was the fact that the audience for the Wii was a radically different audience than would typically purchase a gaming console. Wii consoles remained hard to find in stores through 2008.

Hardware

The Wii was not designed to outcompete its competitors in performance. The Wii was constructed using preexisting technology and focus was placed on software and gameplay. The Wii system was designed to be "small, quiet and affordable," according to Nintendo. The Wii was 8.5 inches long, 6 inches wide and less than two inches thick (the exact dimensions are 157mm x 215.4mm x 44mm.) The console was roughly twice as powerful as its predecessor, the GameCube. The console's central processing unit was an IBM PowerPC-based processor named Broadway, with a clock frequency of 729 MHz. The reduced size of Broadway—based on a 90 nm process compared to the 180 nm process used in the GameCube's CPU—resulted in 20% lowered power consumption. The Wii's GPU is a system on a chip produced by ATI and named Hollywood; the core processor runs at 243 MHz, 3 MB of texture memory, digital signal processors, and input/output functions. Additionally, the GPU included an additional 24 MB of 1T-SRAM and an additional 64 MB of 1T-SRAM on the motherboard, totaling to 88 MB of memory for the console.

The Wii Remote, also known as the Wiimote, was the primary input device for the Wii. The remote contained 11 regular input buttons as well as a power button, which powered off the console, and a sync button, which assisted with connecting the controller to the console via Bluetooth. Of the 11 regular input buttons, four are contained within a four-way directional control pad. The other four largest input buttons are labeled ‘A’, ‘B’, which was the only button on the rear of the controller, ‘1’, and ‘2’. The smaller input buttons are labeled ‘+’ and ‘-‘. The final input button was the home button, which sent the user back to the main menu. The Wii Remote also features a 6-pin expansion port for external add ons.

The Wii Remote used three methods of primary input to communicate with the Wii console. It primarily used Bluetooth to communicate button inputs. The remote used an infrared camera to communicate cursor information and to track moving objects on the screen. The final method of communication equipped within the Wii Remote was an accelerometer. The three-axis linear accelerometer measured the force exerted by the player’s manipulation in order to track motion data. The emphasis on motion controls was a primary feature of the Wii Remote’s design.

The Wii Remote was also equipped with built-in EEPROM memory, largely used to store calibration data and to transfer Mii avatar data between consoles.

There were a number of physical feedback systems implemented into the Wii Remote’s design, including a rumble feature and a built-in speaker. The rumble feature was implemented using a small motor which caused the controller to vibrate when activated. This rumble was used to create a more immersive experience, with events from within the games able to be expressed back to the player with physical feedback. The Wii Remote also incorporates a small 21mm piezo-electric speaker into its design which can play sounds during gameplay. These features enable the Wii Remote to be used as a typical game controller while also providing options to create a more immersive and unique gameplay experience.

Able to be attached through the 6-pin expansion port, the Nunchuck features additional input methods in addition to those offered by the Wii Remote. The Nunchuck includes a joystick, able to be used for more precise 360 degree motion in games, as well as two additional buttons, labeled ‘C’ and ‘Z’. Like the Wii Remote, the Nunchuck utilized an accelerometer to track motion but unlike the Wii Remote, does not have any infrared sensors for controlling a cursor using motion controls.

A popular accessory was the Wii Balance Board, which was bundled with the game Wii Fit. It used Bluetooth technology to connect to the Wii console. It was an input device, able to be used to communicate with the Wii as a type of controller. Four pressure sensors collected data about the weight distribution of the user and communicated it back to the Wii.

Software

The primary graphic interface for the Wii was referred to as the Wii Menu. Applications for the Wii are presented as “Wii Channels”. The channels are called such because they are presented to appear like a row of television each set to a different channel, for the user to choose between. Besides the disc channel, from which content inserted into the system’s disc drive could be accessed, other channels available from purchase included the Photo Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Forecast Channel, News Channel, Internet Channel, and Mii Channel.

The Photo Channel allowed the user to upload their own digital photos from a camera or other device via an SD card, which was able to be inserted into the Wii. Using the Photo Channel, the user was able to edit, share, and display their photos on their Wii. This feature enabled the Wii to be used as a seamless photo editing and sharing product. While this may not be remarkable by modern standards, when the Wii was released, this feature was highly impressive and useful for the Wii’s users.

The Wii Shop Channel allowed the user to download more Wii Channels which did not come preinstalled upon purchasing the Wii. It also added capabilities for downloading WiiWare titles, and Virtual Console games. WiiWare titles were games which were typically small in scope and available via download for the Wii. These games were developed especially for the Wii console. Virtual Console games were downloadable titles which were made originally available on one of Nintendo’s previous consoles. Many of the most popular games from the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, and Nintendo GameCube were made available on the Wii through the Virtual Console. Throughout the Wii’s lifespan, third party media apps were also given support for the Wii, enabling streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and more to be downloaded as channels for the Wii. These were downloadable via the Wii Shop Channel.

The Forecast Channel was a Wii Channel which provided live weather information, sourced via the Wii’s internet connection. Weather from nearly every major world city was able to be viewed using a virtual globe interface. The information which the Forecast Channel displayed was the temperature, weather conditions, ultraviolet index, and a five day forecast. The Japanese version of the Forecast Channel also displayed the laundry index and pollen count. Similar to the Forecast Channel, the News Channel provided live news articles and headlines, sourced via the Wii’s internet connection. The news headlines from around the world are displayed on a virtual globe interface. When it was active, the News Channel was updated daily.

The Internet Channel was available as a free download through the Wii Shop Channel. The channel featured a web browser created by Opera. The web browser was able to access websites, perform searches, and fulfill many other typical internet browser uses. A USB keyboard add on was available to use with the Internet Channel. Some capabilities, such as playing certain formats of video, were not available on the Wii’s Internet Channel.

The Mii Channel enabled users to create custom avatars called Miis. Many games supported the ability to use Miis within the gameplay, either as a playable character or a non-playable character. Miis became culturally impactful on their own, as it was the one of the most popular avatar creator interfaces and the most prevalent of its time. The Wii had some data tracking capabilities, as the browser supported cookies.

Online connectivity

The Wii was able to connect to the Internet through its built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi or through a USB-to-Ethernet adapter. Either method would yield access to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection enabled many games to be played with people over the internet. It also enabled for downloadable content to be available through the Wii Shop Channel. Any downloaded gamed would be accessed through the Virtual Console, which enabled players to play games available on previous Nintendo consoles.

Internet use was incorporated into the Wii in other ways as well. WiiConnect24 was a feature which allowed the Wii system to remain connected to the internet even when the console was in standby mode. This enabled the console to receive data even when not being actively used. Additionally, the Wii was able to surf the web with a downloadable browser. The Wii ran a version of the Opera browser using its internet connection.

Ethical Issues

The Wii had undergone criticism for presenting itself as an ‘active system’. Many Wii games such as Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, which both incorporated motions meant to simulate physical activity were deceptively characterized as having fitness advantages over other types of video games. While they technically were more active than traditional video games, they were in no way an adequate substitute or supplement for exercise. The misrepresentation of the Wii as an exercise substitute contributed in some ways to the health problems associated with the video game community.

Excessive video game playing has been shown to contribute to deep vein thrombosis. The Wii games in which the player only moved their arms did little to prevent this and was inaccurately portraying fitness advantages. Wii games which forced players to rise to their feet for gameplay, such as Wii Fit, which incorporated the Wii Balance Board as an additional input device, were also not adequate substitutes for exercise, though they were slightly more effective than Wii games which only incorporated arm motions. However, this attempt at full body motion in a video game setting had the capacity to be harmful as well. Those who were not prepared to perform physical actions may have faced potential injuries using the Wii Balance Board and playing some of these games meant to improve their health.