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Wii Technical Specifications

While competing consoles from Microsoft and Sony battle for technical power, Nintendo's Wii gaming system focuses on gameplay aspects. Instead of overwhelming players with detailed graphics, Wii's innovative motion-sensor game controllers, called "Wii-motes," immerse players in the actions of their virtual selves. Nintendo's choices for the technical specs of the Wii resulted in a low retail price, giving its games a distinct look and helping to make the Wii the best selling of the three major gaming systems.

Processors
- The Wii's central processing unit, an IBM Broadway CPU, runs at 729 MHz and has a maximum bandwidth of 1.9 GB per second. The console's graphics are processed by an ATI Hollywood GPU, the same as that used for Nintendo's previous console, the GameCube. While the unit is the same, the Wii's GPU, running at 234 MHz and including 3 MB internal embedded graphics memory and 24 MB of high-speed memory, operates 50 percent faster than its predecessor.
Memory
- Nintendo's system utilizes 512 MB of built-in flash memory as well as 24MB of SRAM (static random access memory) and 64 MB of DRAM (dynamic random assess memory). The SRAM is considered the "main" memory. Information in the DRAM lasts a shorter period of time but has a greater density.
Ports and Connectivity
- Four ports for GameCube controllers, as well as two for GameCube memory cards, enhance the Wii's backward compatibility with the previous system. The back of the console includes two USB ports, a sensor bar slot and an AV multi-support slot. The Wii also uses an internal card for wireless capabilities.

Nintendo Wii