Wii
From RWP Wiki
| Wii | |
 |
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| Codename | Nintendo Revolution |
| Released | North America: November 19, 2006 Japan: December 2, 2006 Australia: December 7, 2006 Europe (excluding Spain): December 8, 2006 Spain: December 9, 2006 |
| Online Service | WiiConnect24 |
| Discontinued | |
| Predecessor | Nintendo GameCube |
| Successor | |
The Wii (pronouced "we") is Nintendo's fifth console, and the successor to the Nintendo GameCube.
The defining feature of the Wii is it's controller, nicknamed the "Wii-Mote." The control uses motion sensing as an input, as well as analog button input on its interface for gaming controls.
The Nintendo Wii launched in North America on November 19, 2006 at 250 USD. The Wii package at launch included the console, one Wii Remote with "Nunchuk" attachment, a Sensor Bar with stand, a power adapter, AV cables, and a copy of Wii Sports.
Contents |
Features
Backwards Compatibility
According to Nintendo, the Wii is compatible with all Gamecube software and most controllers and peripherals. This is possible because the slot loading drive can accept Gamecube optical discs, and two flip panels hide four Gamecube controller ports and two Memory Card slots. Nintendo has said that the Wii console will not be compatible with the broadband/modem adapters, Game Boy Player, or any of the Gamecube A/V, component and power cables.
Wii Channels
The Wii Channels are part of the operating system interface for the Wii. They are designed to remind the user of television channels, with a menu used to access them. The Wii-Mote is used to navigate the customizable grid. Listen below are some of the channels available.
- Disc Channel: The Disc Channel allows users to play their Wii or Nintendo GameCube titles. Wii games boot up with their own splash screen, while Gamecube titles simple have a Gamecube logo and none of the previous header information.
- Mii Channel: The heavily publicized Mii Channel is an avatar creator that allows users to create customizable 3D models. In some games, such as Wii Sports, the Mii model can be used as your character in game.
- News Channel: The News Channel lets users access headlines and news obtained from the Internet by the Associated Press.
- Wii Shop Channel: The Wii Shop is where users may obtain channels and other Wii features in exchange for "Wii Points". Nintendo has introduced Virtual Console titles and Wiiare titles through the service.
- Internet Channel: The Opera web browser can be used directly from the Wii. The browser supports Javascript, Flash, and AJAX. Once the browser is downloaded, updates from that point on for the channel are free.
Online Connectivity
Virtual Console
This is feature allows owners to buy old games which were released on previous consoles including Nintendo consoles(NES, SNES and Nintendo 64) and third party consoles (Sega's consoles: Mega Drive/Genesis, SG-1000 Mark III/Sega Master System; NEC's TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine; and SNK's Neo Geo). The games can be bought via the Wii Shop Channel, using the Wii points system.
The Donkey Kong Series are the only Rare games released on the service, however Rare has not denied the possibility of other Rare games being released on the service, stating on their website, "...it's ultimately Nintendo's decision what gets released (on VC). Beyond the DKC games, we don’t have anything in the pipeline at the moment, but that doesn't mean it won't happen in future."
WiiWare
The WiiWare part of the Shop channel features games and applications for the Wii itself. The Wiiware channel houses games such as Lost Winds and Dr. Mario RX. Applications include the Internet Channel and Everybody Votes.
