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08 December 2006, 15:00
Nintendo's newest machine of joy has officially spread across the globe.
Wii Launches Everywhere Else, Sells Out
The Nintendo Wii is officially a worldwide phenomenon. The new console last week launched in most parts of Europe, Australia and New Zealand and was greeted by gamers in the similar fashion of the North American and Japanese launches.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe Wii (pronounced as the pronoun "we," IPA: is a video game console released by Nintendo. The console was previously known by its project code name of Revolution, and is the successor to the Nintendo GameCube. Although the Wii console primarily targets a demographic different to that of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3, as part of the seventh-generation of gaming consoles it competes with the other two on some levels. A distinguishing feature of the Wii console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote. It 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. Nintendo first mentioned the console in the 2004 E3 press conference and later unveiled the system at the 2005 E3. Satoru Iwata revealed a prototype of the controller at the September 2005 Tokyo Game Show. At E3 2006, the Wii console won the Game Critics Awards for Best of Show and Best Hardware. In the December 2006 issue of Popular Science the console was awarded with the Grand Award Winner in Home Entertainment. Spike TV's Video Games Award also granted the console the award in breakthrough technology.
 Just as how Nintendo used Toys ‘R’ Us and EB Games in the U.S. as official launch stores, HMV was the official launch partner for the UK launch – but reports say that retailer GAME received the greatest number of units. Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, GAME CEO Lisa Morgan said of the launch, “I have to say, I've just walked around the corner, and I think that's the biggest queue I've ever seen for any of the launches I've attended – and I've done every single one.”
Police were called in the night before the morning of launch to keep order over the hundreds of gamers who were lined up outside major shops. London Police went even further by proactively providing a written safety warning with every Wii console sold advising new owners of the dangers of owning one of the season’s most coveted items (see image lower right).
Name
The console was known by the codename of "Revolution" until April 27, 2006, immediately prior to E3. According to the Nintendo Style Guide: A Guide to the Proper Usage of Some of Nintendo's Products, the name "is simply Wii, not Nintendo Wii." This means it is the first home console Nintendo has marketed outside of Japan without the company name featured prominently in its trademark. Nintendo spells "Wii" with two "i"s to imply an image of players gathering together, as well as to represent the console's controllers. The company has given many reasons for this choice of name since the announcement; however, the most well known is:
Wii sounds like 'we', which emphasizes that the console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii.
Despite Nintendo's justification for the name, members of the press, online communities and game developers initially reacted negatively to the name change. Some wished "Nintendo had stuck with 'Revolution'," pointing out phonetic similarities to the French word oui and several words in English. Fear was also expressed "that the name would convey a continued sense of 'kidiness' to the console." Reggie Fils-Aime acknowledged the initial reaction and further explained the change:
Revolution as a name is not ideal; it's long, and in some cultures, it's hard to pronounce. So we wanted something that was short, to the point, easy to pronounce, and distinctive. That's how 'Wii,' as a console name, was created.
Nintendo defends its choice of "Wii" over "Revolution" and suggests to that those who dislike the name: "live with it, sleep with it, eat with it, move along with it
 Nintendo’s UK General Manager David Yarnton said that around 50,000 Wii units were sold within the first 12 hours of release. “We are delighted with the amazing response to Wii and that people of all ages and gaming experience are embracing the way that we are turning the industry on its head. With so many units sold it is great to see that people will be enjoying Wii with their families this Christmas,” Yarnton said.
As much as Yarnton is pleased to see people enjoying Wii with their families, there are even more who are frantically searching to put a console either next to their television sets or underneath the Christmas tree. Gamers, mothers, fathers, significant others and friends all throughout North American have been on the hunt for a Wii ever since launch day, only to find that even the millions of Wii promised by Nintendo to be not enough. The situation looks to be no different on the other side of the pond.
“We're hoping to get more deliveries next week. We haven't had anything confirmed as of yet so we don't want to over promise and under deliver, but as soon as we get stock it will be turned around and in the stores the following day,” said Morgan.
Gamers down under were in the hundreds outside an EB Games location in Melbourne, though the situation is a little bit different in the southern hemisphere. Australia has always been a tough market for Nintendo, and according to reports, some stores are not experiencing complete sellouts within minutes of launch. Some gamers were able to walk into stores without preorders and walk out with a Wii.
New Zealand, on the other hand, appears to experience the rapid sellouts that the rest of the world has. A store manager of a GamePlanet in Auckland believes that finding a Wii before Christmas would be near impossible. “It would be like finding a golden egg,” he said.
Hardware
The Wii console is Nintendo's smallest home unit yet; measuring 44 mm wide, 157 mm tall, and 215.4 mm deep in the vertical orientation without the included stand (which itself measures 55.4 mm wide, 44 mm tall, and 225.6 mm deep). It is approximately the size of three standard DVD cases stacked together (approx. 4.5 cm x 15 cm x 20 cm). It also weighs 1.74kg(3.84 pounds), which makes it the lightest of the three current-gen consoles. The console can be placed either horizontally or vertically. The prefix for the numbering scheme of the system and its parts and accessories is "RVL-", after its project code name of "Revolution".
The front of the console features a slot-loading media drive illuminated by a blue light which accepts both 12cm optical discs for Wii software and 8cm discs from Nintendo's prior console, the GameCube. The Disc slot light briefly illuminates when the console is turned on, when connected to WiiConnect24 and when receiving new data, such as messages, and upon having selected "Bright" or "Dim" in the "Slot Illumination" settings for WiiConnect24. The disc slot light does not stay illuminated during game play or when using other features of the Wii console. Two USB ports are located at its rear, and an SD card slot hides behind the cover on the front of the console. However, the usefulness of the SD slot remains in questions since, although it can be used to backup saved game data and downloaded Virtual Console games, that data cannot be restored to any system, even the orginal, presumably as a rudimentary form of digital rights management. Also, to utilize the SD, a software update must be downloaded.
Nintendo has shown the console and the Wii Remote in various colors, including white, black, silver, lime green, and red, but initially it is only available in white. At E3 2006, the Wii Remote was shown in light blue. Numerous minor changes were made to the design between its original unveiling and launch, mostly in the Nintendo branding used and button placements.
The launch Wii package includes the console, a stand to allow the console to be placed vertically, a circular clear stabilizer for the main stand, one Wii Remote, one Nunchuk attachment, one Sensor Bar, a removable stand for the sensor bar, one external main power adapter, two AA batteries, AV cables (component video and other types of cables are available separately), and (in all regions excluding Japan) a copy of Wii Sports.
A Nintendo spokesperson has confirmed that Nintendo plans to release a version of the console with DVD-Video playback capabilities in Japan, but that release in other territories is not currently planned. This corroborates an earlier press release by digital media company Sonic Solutions, stating that Nintendo had chosen their CinePlayer CE DVD Navigator software engine to provide this functionality. Even though software will be used to enable DVD-Video functionality, it apparently "requires more than a firmware upgrade" and cannot therefore be implemented through the WiiConnect24 network.
Wii Remote
The Wii Remote is a one-handed controller that uses a combination of accelerometers and infrared detection (from an array of LED's inside the Sensor Bar) to sense its position in 3D space. This allows users to control the game using physical gestures as well as traditional button presses. The controller connects to the Wii console using Bluetooth, and features force feedback, 4KB non-volatile memory and an internal speaker. The controller can connect to other devices through a proprietary port at the base of the controller. Perhaps the most important of these is the Nunchuk unit, which features an accelerometer and a traditional analog stick with two trigger buttons.
Technical specifications
Nintendo itself has released few technical specifics regarding the Wii console, but some key facts have leaked to the press. Known details include:
Processors:
CPU: PowerPC based "Broadway" processor, made with a 90 nm SOI CMOS process, clocked at 729 MHz GPU: ATI "Hollywood" GPU made with a 90 nm CMOS process,[33] clocked at 243 MHz
Memory:
88 MB main memory (24 MB "internal" 1T-SRAM 64 MB "external" 1T-SRAM RAM) 3 MB GPU texture memory
Ports and peripheral capabilities:
Up to four Wii Remote controllers (connected wirelessly via Bluetooth). One SD memory card slot. Two USB 2.0 ports. One Sensor Bar port. One accessory port on the bottom of the Wii Remote. Four Nintendo GameCube controller ports. Two Nintendo GameCube memory card ports. Mitsumi DMW-W004 WiFi 802.11b/g wireless module Compatible with optional USB 2.0 to Ethernet LAN adaptor.
Storage:
512 MB built-in flash memory. Expansion available via SD card memory, 2 GB maximum supported capacity. GameCube Memory Cards (for saving GCN games only). Slot-loading disc drive compatible with: 8 cm GameCube optical disc. 12 cm Wii optical disc. Mask ROM by Macronix.
Video:
Up to 480p(PAL/NTSC) or 576i (PAL/SECAM), standard 4:3 and 16:9 anamorphic widescreen. Component (including Progressive scan), RGB SCART, S-Video, composite output, or D-Terminal.
Audio:
Main: Stereo - Dolby Pro Logic II-capable.Controller: Built-in speaker.
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