Wii Functions

Hardware

• While the Wii isn't the most glamorous of the current gaming systems, lacking the processing power or high-definition presentation of either the Playstation 3 or XBox 360, it's arguably sleeker and comes in at a lower price.

  The Wii sells for $200.00 new. Out of the box, the Wii will include the system, it's stand, one Wii-mote (the controller), a sensor bar and the necessary cords and cables to connect the Wii to the TV and power source. A game, Wii Sports, is also included.

  The Wii itself is light, at 7.5lbs and sleek, a readily portable slanted white square.

  Internally the Wii is equipped with a wireless Internet modem and 512 empty megabytes of memory. This will be used to save game data and download new games. A port for SD cards is also on the machine for additional memory.

  The Wii runs on a state-of-the-art CPU from IBM and a state-of-the-art GPU from ATI. The most important pieces of hardware associated with the Wii are the internal accelerometer, the motion sensor bar and the Wii-Mote. The accelerometer is the device that allows the Wii to detect motion, the sensor bar records the motion via light sent from the Wii mote which the player uses to interact with the Wii.

  Additional hardware is available for the Wii including steering wheels, guns, tennis rackets, the Wii fit board and other augmentations to the Wii-Mote that allow the player to interact in different games in different ways.

Software

• A Wii is ready to play Wii games, downloadable games and Gamecube games (Nintendo's previous system to the Wii).

  Downloadable content is available from the first screen the Wii presents, the home screen which appears as rows and columns of what looks like TV screens. These TV screens are Wii "channels," the internal Wii software.

  A Wii owner can access the Internet, get live news and weather, and even write a grocery list from these channels. Some of the basic channels, besides the Internet and news feed, include the Mii Channel, a place where players can create avatars to put into games, the Photo Channel where users can store photos and create slideshows, and the Wii Shop channel where the user can purchase additional software and more channels.

  Under Wii Shop, the user will find old Nintendo games, Sega Genesis games, arcade games, Neo Geo games and Turbo-Grafx games. Additionally, you can buy Wii Ware, which is games and programs developed specifically for download from the Wii Shop for play on the Wii. Everything on the Wii Shop is purchased using Wii points which are bought in increments from within the shop using a credit card.

  Some popular games currently available for Wii include the in-package Wii Sports, the latest installment of the Super Mario franchise, Mario Galaxy, and interactive titles such as Wii Fit--a fitness game that uses the system's motion sensors to create and follow workouts and fitness goals.

Gameplay

• The Wii is a step forward in gaming because it is the first gaming system to rely on motion. Using the Wii and playing Wii games does not rely purely on pressing buttons from the Wii-mote. Rather every motion the player makes is detected by the Wii. This means on a simple screen like the Wii home screen the Wii-mote functions like a computer mouse, allowing the user to point and click. But inside of games the Wii-mote, which detects motion, speed and angles, becomes a knight's sword, a bow and arrow, a baseball bat or golf club in Wii-Sports, a gun and trigger in shooters, and a quarterback's throwing arm in football games, making gaming on the Wii highly inventive, intuitive and interactive. This ultimately maximizes the Wii's appeal and opens it up to a broader segment of players with a focus on group and party games, bringing together family and friends.