The Wii

In the years leading up to 2006, Nintendo had been trying to maintain a balance between being kid/family friendly while appealing to more serious gamers with the GameCube, and the strategy hadn’t been working so well. So when the next round of consoles came around, Nintendo had a little trick up their sleeve. Instead of merely beefing up the number of polygons, the frame rate, and sound quality, they decided instead to change the way games are played.

Originally code-named The Revolution, the new innovation was the motion controller that resembled a TV remote more than a traditional game controller. The console would be renamed Wii, as a way of implying that it was meant for multiple players. Other than using standard sized DVDs as game media, the Wii wasn’t a huge upgrade in terms of graphics and sound. Overall, it was about 1.5 times as powerful as the GameCube, which seemed paltry compared to the other Seventh Generation consoles that boasted 7 or 8 times the power of their predecessors. Like other consoles of the era, it came with a stand to put it upright, but could also be placed horizontally if preferred. Its size was about the same size as 3 standard plastic DVD cases stacked together. 

The console had 3 buttons on the face. One for power (though it's far easier to turn it off and on with the Wiimote), one to eject a disc, and one to reset the system. A small flap near the disc slot concealed an SD card slot as well as a red button to sync a Wii Remote to the system.

The top (when standing upright) had 2 panels that hid GameCube parts. The larger panel has 4 GameCube controller ports, while the smaller panel has 2 slots for GameCube memory cards. The rear of the console featured the standard A/V cord port, a power cable port, and 2 USB ports for future accessory use, including putting a portable hard drive to store additional games. 

But the real story was the controller, called the Wii Remote (or as many call it, the Wiimote). Compared to most controllers, it featured fewer buttons but included both motion controls and point/click functionality. When held normally, the A button is easily accessed by the thumb and the B button on the bottom can be pressed by the index finger (similar to the Z button on an N64 controller). With a little reach, the thumb can get to the D-Pad, the +, Home, and – buttons, and with a bigger reach, the 1 and 2 buttons on the bottom. But the layout prevents pressing more than one button at a time with the thumb, usually. The other button is the power button, so the console can be turned off and on easily. The Wiimote communicates with the console via BlueTooth radio frequencies so it is completely wireless.

Besides the AV and power cables, the Wii comes with a wired sensor bar that is placed either above or below the TV. It functions as a simple IR signal for the Wiimote’s sensor to read to make pointing possible. Interestingly, while most people think the sensor bar is tracking the Wiimote, it’s actually the other way around. Early adopters experimented with the Wii and found that 2 ordinary wax candles (under the right lighting conditions) can replace the sensor bar. The point and click aspect of the Wii made navigating menus very easy, and enabled games that used to have a Light Gun feature (like arcade on-rail shooters or Duck Hunt) to work, but with much greater precision.

The Wiimote also had built-in rumble features as well as a speaker, allowing for some additional audio features. Lights at the bottom of the Wiimote would indicate which Player 1, 2, 3, or 4. Any Wiimote could be paired with any console by a simple push of a pairing button on the console and a similar button near the batteries of the Wiimote.

At the bottom of the controller is a port where an extension can be plugged in. Included with the Wiimote is the Nunchuk extension – a wired secondary controller for the left hand that added 2 more buttons (C and Z) as well as a control stick. The Nunchuk could also detect some motion as well. The Wiimote can also be held sideways and it effectively becomes an NES controller, with the + and – buttons replacing the Start and Select buttons. Several games used this configuration as the default.

Sold separately was the Wii Classic Controller, a controller that was similar to a SNES controller but with 2 control sticks (à la the PS2 controller) and 2 additional buttons (ZL and ZR). It connected to the end of the Wiimote with a cord just like the Nunchuk. Later the Wii Classic Controller Pro was released – basically the same idea but it had GameCube-style grips on the side for easier handling.

One new feature for a Nintendo console was the Home Button, which was similar to the “Back” button on an iPhone. It allowed players to instantly pause any game and access online instruction manuals, check battery power, or close the software to access the Wii Menu. While the GameCube had a built-in menu (which could be accessed by either starting the system with no game or by holding Z), beyond the initial set up it was rarely needed or used. However, the Wii had a home menu array with various “channels” that could be arranged in any order (except for the Disc channel).

The Disc Channel was for whatever game was inserted currently (and included an animated disc being inserted). Included were the (Weather) Forecast Channel and the News Channel, where players could access weather and news updates by clicking around a globe (provided the Wii was connected via Wifi). The Mii Channel is used to create a Mii, a personalized Avatar for use in some games, and the Photo Channel is used to display photos on the SD card, effectively making it a photo slideshow program (the photos would have had to have been transferred to the SD card via PC before use, or some games allowed screenshots to be saved to the SD card). The Shopping Channel allowed players to buy Virtual Console games – NES, SNES, and N64 games that were emulated by the Wii, or to download WiiWare – games specifically designed for the Wii (including many by indie developers), and even some demos or preview videos. Additional channels were made available in subsequent updates, like the Everybody Votes channel where users voted on preferences, the Check Mii Out Channel where popular Miis of celebrities are displayed, or the Internet Channel which featured a version of the Opera web browser. Later additional features such as Netflix and other channels were added.

The system featured internal memory for game saves and software updates, making buying memory cards unnecessary. It also had an SD card slot to expand additional memory (if needed) or to transfer data saves between systems. If the SD card happened to have photos taken by a digital camera or transferred via PC, they could also be displayed on the screen for audiences in the Photo Channel.

This was the first Nintendo console to feature Parental Controls, as well as a daily record keeping function of which games were played and for how long. In-game accomplishments were also saved and displayed using this Wiimail feature. It was also the first to feature online connectivity via Wifi. As Wifi was somewhat new, Nintendo offered a USB dongle (purchased separately) to give those without standard Wifi routers online capabilities for both the Wii and the DS with minimal hook-up hassle. The online features weren’t as robust as other consoles on purpose to prevent online predators from using the Wii as a means of contact.

Around the disc port was a blue LED that indicated that some new message had been received, there was an update to a game, or some other system notification needed to be addressed. The Wii also had a friend system to allow "Wii-Mail" messages to be sent between each other or send screenshots. Each Wii had a unique 20-character code that needed to be exchanged and entered by both parties for it to work - something Nintendo did to prevent online predators from gaining access to kids, though this didn't prevent people from exchanging them over the internet. 

Bundled with the system was Wii Sports, which was more of a tech demo really, but still very fun and included simple versions of Golf, Baseball, Tennis, Bowling, and Boxing. There were a few other games available at launch, but the biggest one was The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

The Wii featured GameCube backwards compatibility and had 4 GC controller ports and 2 memory card slots hidden under panels on the top of the console (assuming it’s in the upright position). Because it was essentially running as a separate console inside of the Wii, the Wii Menu features and use of Wiimotes weren’t available when playing a GC title. Later versions of the Wii omitted these features to save on cost and size.

After a few weeks of people losing grip on the Wiimote and smashing their TV or light fixtures, Nintendo released a new rubber jacket and thicker wrist strap to protect both the Wiimote and house furnishing. They were given away for free via Nintendo’s Website

Additional Wiimote accessories could be purchased, such as the Sports Pack – plastic shells that made the Wiimote feel more like a tennis racket, baseball bat, or golf club. Others were the Mario Kart steering wheel or the Link’s Crossbow Training Crossbow. While these weren’t necessary, it added to the charm of the Wiimote.

Along with Wii Sports, the “Wii” series included Wii Sports Resort (a deeper and more robust version of the original), Wii Music, Wii Play & Wii Play Motion (both came with either an additional Wiimote or the Motion Plus adapter), and Wii Fit. Wii Fit came with a balance board and was designed as a light work-out and Yoga tutor game to help keep people in shape. For the first time, games were being used to get people active instead of on the couch without buying extra equipment (like a DDR pad, for example).

Later Nintendo would release an update to the hardware – the Wii Motion Plus. It allowed for greater precision in controlling things. Not pictured is the extended rubber jacket that it comes with. Originally it was a small add-on to the bottom of the Wiimote, extending its length a little (it included a pass-through port for a Nunchuck so it didn’t lose the external controller functionality). It locked in the back to prevent it from falling off. Soon all Wiimotes were manufactured in normal size with this additional feature built-in.

The Wii was a hit and quickly became something of a cultural phenomenon. It was the best selling console of its generation because it was more modestly priced than the others, but mostly because it captured the casual gamer market better. For example, grandparents and other traditionally non-gamers could pick up a Wiimote and play tennis without having to learn complicated button schemes. In response to the success of the Wii, Microsoft released the Kinect, while Sony released the Playstation Move Motion, neither of which really captured the market the way the Wii did. While it was a "normal" gaming console that could play regular games like Call of Duty and Guitar Hero and had all the other functions of a console, many of the older generation only used it to play Wii Sports and probably didn't realize that it did more than that. Hardcore gamers look back on the Wii as a toy with gimmicky motion controls, but Nintendo’s dedication to innovative ways to play games has lived on in various formats through the Wii U, the Switch, and even in some motion control features in controllers for other consoles. 

Some years after the original release, two different revisions of the Wii were made. The first was called the Wii Family Edition, which was intended to lay horizontally and had the GameCube ports and functionality removed with a lowered price. Two years later it was made smaller with the Wii Mini, which had a flip-top lid similar to the GameCube as a bargain for people who hadn't had a Wii during its seven year lifespan. It is noteworthy that this came out a year after the debut of the Wii U. 

Adam Koralik's thoughts on the Wii.


Adam Koralik's thoughts on the 7th Generation of video games.