Nintendo Wii Console

Big kids, little kids, kids who climb on rocks.
Fat kids, skinny kids, even kids with chicken pox.

Basically, people from all ages love Wii.

First off, I'm not going to compare the Wii to Xbox 360 and Ps3, it's just not in the same category, it's the same as comparing a Harley to a Mustang and Camaro. Plus, as stated by Nintendo themselves, this is not made to compete in the same bracket as 360 and Ps3. The graphics with the included RCA cables are going to deliver the standard 480i, while an additional set of cables is required for the Wii's max of 480p. This isn't a $200,000 virtual reality machine like those found at Universal Studios, this is a console dedicated to fun game play, and the Wii definitely sticks to it's promise.

Why do I have no cons listed, could this be the perfectly crafted console? Has Nintendo created the solution for world peace and harmonious unity? Will Barney ever eat another delicious spoonful of Fred's Fruity Pebbles since last decade's Christmas commercial? - It's a beautiful world folks, but I'm going to level with you and say probably not.

I have no cons listed because in reality, you can not expect anything to be perfect. I expected SOME flaws with this system, and honestly the flaws aren't as numbered as I anticipated, but there definitely weren't any surprising disappointments that would classify as a "con" in my eyes. Including very rarely the action on screen doesn't really reflect my wiimote movement, while in sleep mode for WiiConnect24, the console gets very hot, so I limit this to a couple nights a week, and actually those are the only two flaws I've experienced so far.

Lets start from the beginning, shall'a we?

The packaging is great, 2 seperate cardboard compartments individually numbered and both making great use of space.
Not that this in any way enhances or faults the production of the Wii, but for some reason people love packaging. In the box includes the Wii console, 1 Wii Sports game disc, 1 wiimote with batteries and strap, 1 nunchuck, 1 sensor bar (for detecting wiimote movement), 1 Wii console base, 1 base stabilizer, 1 sensor bar mounting bracket, 1 power cord and adapter, 1 set of RCA cables, and of course instruction manuals and booklets.

Setup is easy, if you need the directions, they are very simple to follow and initial setup only takes a few minutes, and that includes inputting the Wii console nickname, time, date, etc..

To familiarize myself with the Wiimote and Nunchuck, I started out with the included game disc, Wii Sports, instead of jumping straight into Zelda. It's obvious Wii Sports is designed more to help you learn the controls rather than steal the Game of the Year award. It does a very nice job of doing so, starting out your first time on all games, it gives you helpful tips on how to hold the wiimote and nunchuck and how to move either one. After a few minutes with each of the 5 games included on Wii Sports (Boxing, Baseball, Bowling, Tennis, and Golf - My favorites being Bowling and Golf) you should feel confident enough to start playing your Wii. It's unbelievable how sensitive and accurate the wiimote can be, and I think this is mainly reflected in the bowling game when tilting the wiimote to either side when "letting go of the ball" does reflect how much or little curve your bowling ball will encounter.

Online setup was easy, my Wii had no problem automatically detecting my wireless setup, and after setting up my wireless settings to accept the MAC address from my Wii, then inputting my wireless access password and WEP code into my Wii, a connection test was performed and in less than a minute, I had a screen stating updates were available. I'm not sure how many or what they were, but the download process took no more than 3 minutes. You have the option to enable WiiConnect24 which allows you to put your Wii into a "sleep mode" once powered off (power light will turn yellow, so don't worry, this is normal) that way any downloads that are pushed down can be performed automatically, as well as receiving messages from friends and family.

I'm already registered on Nintendo's website, and once connected, your Wii will ask if you would like to coordinate the same account on your Wii, I chose to do so. Off the subject, but speaking of registering, I recommend registering your Wii on Nintendo's website as it extends your 1 year warranty by 90 days.

I have not downloaded any Virtual Console games (a couple dozen or more NES, SNES, N65, Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx-16 games are available at the moment, with more being added all the time) because I do not have the Classic controller yet, which will work for playing ALL downloaded Virtual Console games, GameCube controllers will work for some, and the Wiimote will work for some, but not all VC games. I've seen this controller going for $20 and it plugs into the bottom of your Wiimote just as the nunchuck does. If you're not already familiar with the Virtual Console concept, it's an "online store" full of the original games for the above said consoles, and yes, originals, some even still run at 50mhz.

To download virtual console games, you need to acquire Wii points. These can either be cards you buy locally for a pre-determined amount of points $5 USD for 500 points, and as of now, no discount is given for more points that are purchased, or you can use your Visa or MasterCard through the Wii itself and assign points to your account. NES games cost 500 points each, SNES, Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafx-16 games cost 800 points each, and N64 Games cost 1000 points each. What about GameCube games? Keep reading...

I have downloaded the free (until appx mid summer of this year) Opera web browser, which does work fairly well, still a little buggy, but more than sufficient for checking webmail, reading up on local news, etc...

Once programs are downloaded, they are assigned into certain blocks on your main menu, where you can see all of the other Wii channels (including the game disc (if inserted), Mii channel (for building Mii characters, more on this in a minute), Photo Channel, Online Channel, Weather Channel, and News channel (weather and news only added AFTER you have online connection)).

They can be saved internally, where you're only given 512 mb (I'm not sure the size it takes for downloaded games, I will update once I do download a few to make an honest comparison) or you can purchase SD memory cards (slot located under flap on very front of the console) and save your downloads there. These downloads are CONSOLE SPECIFIC, so you can NOT download games onto your SD card and transfer them onto someone else's Wii or SD card. Also, Nintendo has announced if your Wii needs to be replaced under warranty, they will resupply all downloaded content free of charge.

Speaking of slots and ports, along the top of the console (assuming you have it setting up in the included stand) are 4 GameCube controller ports and 2 GameCube memory card slots. The same disc slot you insert your Wii games in, also accepts the smaller GameCube discs automatically, no need for any special adapters! Never owning a GameCube I am yet to try playing any GameCube games or using a GameCube controller for Virtual Console. Once I do, I will update this review with the details. This console is the definition of backwards compatibility.

As of now, the Wii can only play standard music cds, though talks have reveiled a DVD-playback Wii can be expected in the future. Nintendo has claimed the Wii can play Mp3 and Quicktime movie files, but there is a catch. Mp3's can only be played in the Photo Channel's slide shows or on select games as a custom soundtrack. I have not tried to load any quicktime movies from a flash drive or disc, but I have played them successfully VIA the downloaded Opera web browser, as well as flash 7.0 or earlier files.

The Mii channel I mentioned earlier lets you create your own character(I actually believe its appx 100 per wiimote where these Mii's are saved) which is conveniently called.. you guessed it... a Mii. You create just about every physical aspect of the Mii using the templets provided, you can also assign birthday's, names, and whether your Mii can mingle or not with other console's Mii's connected online. Creating Mii's are addictive, I'm 1 person, yet I have about 20 Mii's created, including Bill Clinton, Bobby Hill, Michael Jackson, and The Fonz.. "AAAAEEEEEEYYYY!"

Though several more are available now, Wii was released with 21 launch titles for North America. The only game I've purchased has been The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess which I highly suggest for anybody even considering this game, most agree it is the best Zelda ever, and I'll setup a seperate review for this game alone once I have completed it, and I will link it here.

There are only a handful, or less, of launch titles that seem to be receiving top reviews, besides Zelda, Excite Truck (Remember Excite Bike? It's back in 4 wheel form), Elebits, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, and Rayman Raving Rabbits, all third party launces with the exception of Excite Truck. Though it's received mixed reviews, I still plan on buying Rampage: Total Destruction for the nastalgia gamer in me. Though it's the newest Rampage release, who wouldn't want to play this and get taken back in time 10 years, carelessly pounding building after building without a care of repitition because it was just plain fun?

I hope this review helps convince you that this may or may not be what you want to purchase, feel free to ask any questions and I will respond back ASAP.

Thanks for reading!