Nintendo Wii: Nintendo's big comeback?

Part 1 of this article mentioned that the next generation of video games might have something in store for people who don't usually play video games. This is the market that Nintendo is aiming for this time around, while hoping to maintain its "hardcore" gaming crowd. It is true that the vast majority of video gamers are 18-35 year old males, while most of them jumped the Nintendo ship some time ago in favor of PlayStation or X-Box.

Ask a female, or maybe a middle-aged person, what their favorite game is, and they may well mention an old-school title such as Super Mario Bros. or Sonic the Hedgehog or Duck Hunt. Why is that? Think about what they would probably say today if you handed them a game controller and popped in Madden or Halo. "What do all these buttons do? There's too many buttons!" While video games today are probably better than ever due to technological advancements, they've probably gotten too complex for most of the population. Basically I've just outlined Nintendo's argument for creating their next gaming system. Somewhere along the way Nintendo fell behind in appealing to the typically "hardcore" gamers, so they're pretty much saying, "We're through playing that game. We could focus on creating better graphics and more complex games like everyone else, but ultimately we probably wouldn't offer consumers much of a reason to pick up our system over theirs. Let's go back to the basics and create something that people will find new and fresh, like we did with the NES. We may not be able to win over the hardcore gamers anymore, so let's go after everyone else, and maybe draw them back in as well." So we have the Nintendo Wii.

It's kind of difficult to explain the Wii. With the PlayStation 3 you only have to think of a typical video game system, with the usual upgrades typical of a next-generation system. The Wii is nothing like that. Picture yourself holding a DVD remote controller in your right hand (or left hand if you're left handed). Except that there's very few buttons; just a larger sized "A" button near the top, a directional pad (up, down, left, right pad) just above it, and a "B" button or trigger button on the bottom side where your index finger would go (there are a few others, which I'll get to later, but 99% of the time those are the only buttons you'll use). You're probably thinking "huh? How are you supposed to play video games with just that?"

Now, swing that DVD remote controller around like it was a tennis racket. Except on the TV screen, you see a tennis player swinging his arm around and hitting the ball the exact same way you're swinging yours, with all the lobs, backhands, and everything included. Now you've got a better picture of what the Wii is all about. It has the ability to recognize every twist, turn, swing, and rotation the controller makes in a full, 3-D area in front of your television. It's unlike anything ever attempted before with video games, and this is what Nintendo means when they say they want to keep it simple and intuitive at the same time. Go ahead, let your imagination run wild with holding a sword, baseball bat, cooking utensil, gun, surgeon's utensils, light saber, paintbrush, or fishing rod in hand (most all those ideas are confirmed as Wii games). As a side note, this is where Sony has been accused of cheaply ripping of Nintendo with the tilt-function on their controller, though Sony's controller has nowhere near the functionality of the Wii controller; it just tilts around one point in the center of the controller (and something I forgot to mention in Part 1, the "vibrating" function on the PS3 controller has been scrapped in favor of this tilt function, even though Nintendo's controller will actually be able to do both).

To keep the hardcore crowd happy, Nintendo is including an accessory to give the controller added functionality. This "nunchuck" attachment is held in the other hand, and has a control stick on top with two shoulder buttons on the bottom, connected to the main controller by a long cord. Of course this is still keeping it simple, but it's useful, for instance, in a first-person shooting game, where you move the character around with the control stick on the nunchuck attachment and aim and shoot with the main controller.

This may all sound cool (and according to hands-on reports it really is), but the biggest drawback to the Wii is its lack of graphical prowess. In terms of graphics it's not going to look too much better that Nintendo's current-gen system, the GameCube. While Sony and Microsoft recognize that we are entering the hi-def era, the Wii has no HD capabilities at all, just the typical 480p resolution. Nintendo has gone out of their way to emphasize that it's not all about graphics anymore. People are getting tired of that, they claim, and the "next-generation" graphics of the X-Box 360 and PS3 aren't as huge a leap over the previous generation as, say, the PS2 was over the PS1 and so on (or that essentially we're reaching the level of competency in terms of graphics). We have to depend on creativity instead, says Nintendo. Still, you can't help but feel that Nintendo could have done more in this department. Their decision to not go with HD has often been compared to their decision not to do online gaming with the GameCube as proof that they're not caught up with the times.

However there is a huge benefit to the Wii's lack of graphical horsepower: the price; and this is where the Wii will look eons better than the PlayStation 3 (and the X-Box 360). Nintendo has promised that it will retail for no more $250, without officially stating the price yet. It's widely believed that the Wii will end up being $200, or if it is $250, might include an extra controller and/or game. Come holiday season, the price of the Wii may end up being Nintendo's biggest advantage.

Another key element of the Wii is what's being dubbed as its "Virtual Console." You'll be able to get online and download many of the best games from the NES, Super Nintendo, N64, Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafix 16, as well as newer arcade-type games (think X-Box Live Arcade). Nintendo hasn't announced pricing details yet or what games will be made available at first, though prices are expected to be cheap. This is where the controller's other buttons will come into play. There are two buttons toward the bottom of the system that, for instance, you could turn the controller on its side and use it like an old NES controller to play the NES games. Also on the online front, a small part of the Wii will stay turned on 24 hours a day so that Nintendo can send new content to your console, perhaps while you're in bed at night. An example of this could be a new level in a game or a new outfit for a character, you just never know. Again, not many details have been released yet about Nintendo's online plans, so stay tuned for that.

Other Wii tidbits: up to four players can play the Wii at a time. Something really cool, each controller also has a speaker on it! In a tennis game, when the ball hits the paddle, you'll hear the resulting "pop" sound coming out of the controller's speaker. The Wii is backwards compatible with the GameCube, a Nintendo first, and the Wii discs (same size as a typical CD) and GameCube discs are loaded into the same slot on the front of the system. The system itself is small, no bigger than three DVD cases stacked up, and has hidden controller ports for GameCube controllers (the Wii controllers, of course, will be wireless). And, also a Nintendo first, the system can play DVD movies, but you'll have to purchase a separate accessory like you had to with the first X-Box.

So the Wii is certainly an interesting concept; nothing before has ever been tried quite like it. On one hand, the games could end up being really gimmicky and developers could have a hard time making the games easy to control. So far most of the games shown don't have a gimmicky concept attached; Nintendo has shown several full-fledged titles like Zelda and Metroid. Its launch lineup looks a little more appealing than most (Metroid and Zelda both be there, with an incredible looking Mario game to follow a few months later). But again, it's unfair to make any judgments now about how the system will hold up in the long run, we'll just have to wait and see. I also want to note that Nintendo is applying the same philosophy of creating a system that appeals to everyone, non-gamers included, with their current portable system the Nintendo DS, and it's working splendidly. The Nintendo DS is the hottest system right now, portable or not, and it's due to games like Brain Age, NintenDogs, and New Super Mario Bros. which are selling through the roof. This could be a good indication of the Wii's potential success.

And a short bit on Microsoft's X-Box 360. The reason I'm not dedicating a full write-up to the 360 is because it's already out, and people pretty much know what it's all about. Despite its lackluster lineup of launch games the 360 is seeing more and more quality titles being released, and the year-end should be a blast with Gears of War, Bioshock and other really nice looking titles. Perhaps the biggest advantage Microsoft has scored, however, isn't an upcoming Halo 3 (which looks fantastic BTW, but is still a ways off). It's the fact that they've secured the rights to have Grand Theft Auto 4 launch on their system the same day as Sony's. One of Sony's biggest advantages this past generation was its exclusive rights to GTA games, with X-Box versions coming out many months later. Not any more, and that should help even up the playing field for Microsoft. Otherwise, Microsoft will have an HD-DVD movie player add-on available later this year (no price announced yet), which many feel Sony should have done in the first place with Blu-Ray playback. Things are going just peachy for Microsoft.

So, judgment day cometh: Which system should you buy? I know I've emphasized a half-dozen times that we won't really know which system is best for a couple more years, but that's not going to stop me from making predictions now. In my opinion, Sony's system is a little too ambitious this time around, while not necessarily giving us enough reason to want the PS3 over the 360, and that could be their downfall in the next generation. The X-Box 360 seems to be a safe bet, as it will have plenty of quality titles by the year's end and a fantastic (though not free) online service, and an overall bright future ahead. The Wii is somewhat of a tossup, just because of how different it is from anything else. However, reaction from the press who have spent hands-on time with the Wii has been extremely positive, and I believe Nintendo has a real hit on their hands. There's a very good chance that this system will be Nintendo's big comeback. If you have $600 to blow, buy an X-Box 360 and a Nintendo Wii, and pass on the PlayStation 3 this time around.

(Photo Credit: http://www.e-jul.com/images/wii.png)