Pros and cons of Nintendo Wii

Gamecore takes a bird eye view of the Nintendo Wii

(CBS)  GameCore is a column by CBSNews.com's Chad Chamberlain that focuses on gamers and gaming.

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Nintendo's Wii, formerly known as Nintendo Revolution, has stirred up quite a bit of noise in the industry because of its revolutionary (no pun intended) approach to gaming.

I'm talking about the motion-sensitive control system known as the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The Wii Remote resembles a standard TV remote but with far fewer buttons. Both controllers contain a three-axis motion sensor that translates movement directly onto the TV, using wireless Blue-tooth technology when standing within 10 meters of the console.

If you're playing a tennis or baseball game, you can swing the Wii controller like a tennis racket or like a bat. How cool is that?! The Wii Remote controller also includes a speaker, rumble feature and expansion port, and can be used as a pointer within 5 meters of the screen.

The Wii remote controller has a power switch, plus pad, A, B, minus, home, 1 and 2 buttons. The Nunchuk controller includes an analog control stick and C and Z buttons.

The console looks like a Mac mini, featuring a very compact and light design that sits in a cradle and can be placed vertically or horizontally.

It's completely backwards compatible with the GameCube (GC), with four ports to connect your GC controllers, stylishly hidden for convenience. You can play your GC games using the 8-centimeter Nintendo GameCube discs, and you can also use your old GC memory cards in the two memory card slots.

Don't expect to save a whole lot of things on your unit because it only comes with half a gig of internal flash memory. However, don't panic, they've provided a SD memory card bay to help give you more disc space to work with.

The unit also runs quietly. Don't think you can go around and warm your house with this baby because it practically runs cool, utilizing some very snazzy processing technologies that minimize power consumption.

This is always good news to a home owner especially if you've got some pretty intense gamers at home that like to play games into the Wii hours of the morning (pun intended), which could do wonders to one's electric bill.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the system, let's examine the pros and cons.

Cons:
The internal storage is bleak at best with only a 512 internal flash memory — definitely not the hefty storage capacity of its competitors, PS3 and Xbox 360.

The graphics are not at the level of PS3 or Xbox 360, either, only pushing a moderately better video processor made by ATI than its predecessor, the Game Cube. Don't expect to see jaw-dropping graphics, incredible cell shading, bump mapping, or any of the graphic terminologies that give some credibility to consoles performance capabilities.

Nintendo has repeatedly expressed that its unit's main purpose is to bring gaming back to the masses. Playing games in high definition at 1080p, photo realistic environments, is just not something you will get out of the Wii.

The games themselves will certainly not have the kind of graphically stunning visuals that you would expect from a next gen platform either. Wii games are being built on double-layered, 12-centimeter optical discs that don't have the storage capacity of a Blue-Ray disc, or HD for that matter.

Pros
One of the major selling points of the Wii is the price. At a MSRP of $249 (plus tax), the Wii unit will not be as burdensome as PS3 or Xbox 360. You certainly won't need to take a second mortgage out in order to buy this system.

Wii is the first console in at least a decade that includes a pack-in game. For $249, not only do you get the console, but you're getting five games in one so you can start with the gaming goodness as soon as you hook up your system.

Wii sports titles aren't going to win any awards for graphic superiority but it will win for revolutionary game play, thanks in part to the Wii remote controller. By just holding what resembles a TV remote in your hand and then waving it around like a racket or swinging it like a baseball bat, anyone can pick it up and participate. I've actually tried this in the office. We set up the Wii, loaded up the Wii sports game and started off playing tennis.

My co-workers, who are anything but gamers, are often turned off by video games because of the complexity of the controller mainly. They were quickly drawn to the Wii sports games, and some even asked to play and were able to pick up and play with very little instruction.

The Wii remote controllers are certainly changing the way games are going to be played on the Wii. Gamers can now swing, punch, dodge, throw, point, pull, etc. simply by performing those exact motions with the Wii remote control in hand.

The console is completely backwards compatible with the Game Cube, allowing you to even connect up four GC controllers and memory cards as well. So, if you've traded in your GC for a Wii now you can play all your favorite GC games on the Wii system without a hitch.

WiiConnect24 mode allows your Wii, to remain connected to the internet either wirelessly using IEEE802.11, or with a Wii LAN Adapter, even if it's powered down. This allows for your Wii system to receive updates, game info, etc. The Wii console can also communicate wirelessly to Nintendo DS.

Through this service, Wii offers downloadable access to 20 years of fan-favorite titles originally released for Nintendo 64, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), or the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). You can also get Sega Genesis titles and games from the TUBRO GRAPHIX16 console, as well as indie games made by developers with huge imaginations but really low budgets.

By no means will you be blown away by graphics nor will you have the savvy online support that Xbox 360 has, but you the easy pick up and play mechanic of this system might turn a few heads maybe even yours.

To see photos from the New York release of Nintendo Wii, click here

[saransk]

I think UberSavant is trying too hard to justify the insanity of spending $500+ for a game...
Yes it is a "blue-ray player too but I refuse to be pulled into another Beta-VHS war. A pox on both their houses.

Considering what the price of a Playstation 3 will buy you in real computing power why just a game.
We have a Mac Mini with Intel Duo. My kids create music with Garage Band, I do movies and we create real content with iMove and iDVD. I run Apature on the big MAC.

Games are great but until the manufactureres stop with false shortages, until there is some sanity in DVD-HD, I won't support this insanity.
Kudos to Nintendo for looking in a different direction. If you need cutting edge graphics to enjoy a game, maybe the game is really lame to begin with. There's a reason some of the older games remain classic and favorites.

[rf35]

Before I even contemplate spending over $500 on any system, I have some questions. First, are there even any games out for the PS3 yet? I still see PS2 games advertised TV. Are new games still going to be made for the PS2? Are the PS3 games going to be as prohibitively expensive as the console (like $75+ each)? I think I'll just drop a couple hundred on a new graphics card and wait for the games to get proted to the PC. Maybe in a year or so when all the systems get the first release bugs fixed and the prices drop, I'll see what looks best and go from there.

Maybe you guys and Nintendo need higher goals. Nintendo believed that graphics were overpowering gameplay. Their solution was for gameplay to overpower graphics? That's not smart. That's not innovative. That's mediocrity. Why sacrifice either, when you could have both?

Speaking of HD gaming. Sure, few people own an HDTV. First, why should those who do own one be shunned?Why not provide them with content that validates their purchase?Second, a lot of people have PC monitors, no? MOST of them have resolutions equivalent to 720p, at least. I don't know about PS3, but my Xbox 360 has a first party cable to give me the full HD experience through my PC monitor that I already owned.Third, you need to look to the future, anyway. Look beyond today and yesterday, when HD content "wasn't needed".

Have fun with your Wii's (lol). I'll be sure to have a blast with my Xbox 360.

Basically, this is what some of you believe:
"If a game looks good, it plays badly."

You know, just because people like the way the game looks doesn't mean that they don't like the way it plays just as much, if not more. GoW, seen as the best looking console game to date, is getting high marks for gameplay as well as graphics.

If I play a game, and it looks like a picture I drew myself with 8 crayons, I won't be that into it. It's CLEARLY a game.It's not immersive.

Graphics can actually inhance gameplay. Look at Fight Night R3. You don't need a health status bar or HUD of any kind. Why? You can see all you need to see in the visuals.

[lost_seraph]

I like games :)

[watchmedie85]

I think Wii will put the fun back into gaming. Instead of checking specs for each game people will say "How fun is it to play?". I admit I was weary of this system. I thought the Gamecube was one of the worst systems Nintendo put out, but I have faith in them. I have a 360 and graphics ARE nice but if its not fun then why play it?

Its a whole new generation for gaming. All these pricey systems with all kinds of features you really dont need. Wii has online gaming, interactive controllers, decent graphics, and fun games. Thats all you need.

I know im going to grab one to accompany my 360. Forget PS3. Out of the box obsolete blu ray garbage that I can pay way more for.

[foobarbaz-2009]

funzone36 said:

"Cool, Wii is not a next gen console. Wii is still a sixth generation console.

Wow, you know the remote will provide better gameplay without actually using it first."

Wii is not next gen. Wii is a whole NEW gen.

I have tried the wiimote at a preview event, and let me tell you, it is every bit as sweet to use as everyone is saying it is.

[Benripdime]

i comend nintendo for pointing out that no matter how breathtaking the grafix of a platform are if its boring to play and/no one can aford it y in gods name would anyone buy it. and for that matter the new consols should be oforing new and inovative ways off enjoying the gaming expirience or in simple terms your buying a the ps2 with a hardrive and better grafix with the same oring games youv bin stuck with for years thats wy i belive the wii is the gaming revolution its so simple yet so fun and mebe som kids will get in better shape swinging that remote around instead of turing in to a vegetable playing halo online for hours anyway peace game people im going to have *** with my extreamly hot girlfriend

[Benripdime]

i comend nintendo for pointing out that no matter how breathtaking the grafix of a platform are if its boring to play and/no one can aford it y in gods name would anyone buy it. and for that matter the new consols should be oforing new and inovative ways off enjoying the gaming expirience or in simple terms your buying a the ps2 with a hardrive and better grafix with the same oring games youv bin stuck with for years thats wy i belive the wii is the gaming revolution its so simple yet so fun and mebe som kids will get in better shape swinging that remote around instead of turing in to a vegetable playing halo online for hours anyway peace game people im going to have *** with my extreamly hot girlfriend

[funzone36]

spkuja, so you have some great nostradamus prophecy skills that 50% of people aren't going to own HDTVs in the next 10 years? Nice......

Cool, Wii is not a next gen console. Wii is still a sixth generation console.

Wow, you know the remote will provide better gameplay without actually using it first.



I appreciate your bias. You will be a great journalist.

[funzone36]

spkuja, so you have some great nostradamus prophecy skills that 50% of people aren't going to own HDTVs in the next 10 years? Nice......

Cool, Wii is not a next gen console. Wii is still a sixth generation console.

Wow, you know the remote will provide better gameplay without actually using it first.



I appreciate your bias. You will be a great journalist.

[spkuja]

Your cons are a bit weak don't you think?

* Why would it need loads of storage, its a GAMING console, not a PC, and seeing as the average N64 game is about 12mb, that is plenty! And you neglected to add that it has a slot for external storage too

* The graphics don't need to be better to have an amazing gaming experience. Is this all you people care about? Nintendo offer you some thing new and you whinge about the graphics.

* Sure, HD TV is cool, but not every one has one yet, and it will be another 10 years before even 50 % of the population have got one. Nintendo made it to work with "The masses", so I think your argument is a bit flawed there too.

* And lastly, we all know blu-ray is dead before launch, and also, one minor fact you neglected, the Wii IS NOT a next gen console, Nintendo them selves stated that, it is a completly different breed and therefore has no need to compete with the other two.


I think I have answered you "Cons" quite successfully, so maybe you should reconsider renaming your article to "The Cons of the Nintendo Wii".

Also, I would like to note, I am not a nintendo fanboy, seeing as I own a PS2 and a PSP, and the GameCube was a dreadful console (No real fanboy would ever admit that!)