Is a cooler for Wii really that dumb?
Nintendo’s new Wii has taken the top spot in the home console war. The Wii produces only one-fourth of the pixel-crunching power of the other major consoles, and similarly only consumes one-fourth the power. This reduced power consumption translates into less heat produced by the unit, which makes it just as stable and trouble-free as any other home entertainment appliance.
Evercool has produced an external cooling solution for the Wii, called the “Fii” (product number TG-W1) and it exploits the established cuteness factor of the Wii. While a cooler may not be necessary, the Fii offers several “fii”tures that make it worth looking into.
Although Wii doesn’t consume much power, heat can still potentially build up within the cramped confines of the little white wonder, especially if the unit is not in the open air. Closed home theater cabinets or nearby heat-producing equipment can add stress to the Wii, but never “fii”r: a thermal shutdown situation is unlikely.
Here is Evercool’s description of the Fii, along with some speci”fii”cations:
Playing video games has suddenly become a ‘national sport‘; Wii repositioned Nintendo back to the No. 1 brand among leading household game consoles. As Wii is still at its peak of worldwide success, EVERCOOL developed ‘Fii’ cooler specificically for Wii and its dedicated players.
Compared with desktop computers, Wii’s power consumption and heat generated is not considerably high (45 Watts). Nontheless, with a Fii installed, Wii is protected agsint parts overheating and damage through extensive use; the life of the console is therefore extended. The easy installation and lower power consumption makes Fii a breeze to use. Fii’s stylish white color matches and incorporates Wii’s design; a side hook for decoration is also devised to create a personal touch and an individualized Fii. If you love Wii… You got to have Fii.
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The Fii is an external cooler that plugs into the two rear USB ports on the Wii. Fortunately, two passthrough USB ports are incorporated into the left side of the unit, which also changes the orientation of the plugs by ninety degrees. On the right side of the Fii is a small indentation with a bar, which can be used to tie little trinkets to customize your Wii (like your favorite “fii”line, Hello Kitty).
The Wii’s 40mm exhaust fan compliments a 40mm intake fan on the bottom of the unit, meaning that case pressure is equalized and fresh air is pulled in from the intake fan. The Fii also uses a 40mm fan, and manages to supply 4 CFM. At 25dB, it is easily quieter than most living rooms, and therefore will be virtually silent.
Installation
Installing the Fii is very simple. The only thing you need to do is plug the unit into the back. That’s it. The fan powers on immediately, and the USB passthrough ports work perfectly. Removing the Fii is also very simple, just unplug it.
Testing
Fii’s performance was measured using an IR thermometer while a game was being played. The unit was allowed to warm up for five minutes, and exhaust temperatures were taken both with and without the Fii installed.
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The Wii doesn’t get very hot at all. The console only gets 10 degrees hotter than ambient room temperature, which is a major engineering “fii”t. Although the Fii uses a similar 40mm fan, it does cool the unit by a few degrees.
If you’ve got the “fii”ver to customize your Wii, then Evercool’s Fii cooler is a “fii”sible solution. The Fii is also an excellent solution to quiet your Wii, if the original fan has died or becomes noisy.
The Wii is already rather “cutesy”, so the ability to customize your console with a cute little trinket will probably appeal to this crowd. The bottom line is that adding the Fii can’t hurt, and there really are no disadvantages to using it. It is also rather inexpensive, so adding another accessory for your Wii isn’t a problem.
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