So you say you got two grand burning a hole in your pocket?
…Cause if you have that kind of cash, then you can buy every system that I talk about here and games and accessories for each.
Why you want the Wii:
The Wii is easily the most innovative system on the market now. Instead of making another tried and true formulaic console, the folks at Nintendo decided to make a system that dumps the traditional controller in lieu of a Wiimote, a remote control shaped device with several buttons and a trigger. This novel little item is tied into the game and system by way of the sensor bar, a thin optical device that sits either above or below the TV (you tell the system which during initial setup). Moving the Wiimote and its connection device, the nunchuk, registers on the screen and gamers will have one fine time swinging the remote around like a sword in games like Zelda and Red Steel, or whipping it around for the sports titles and some racing games are coming complete with a small steering wheel that the Wiimote locks into. The possibilities are truly up to the imagination of the developers.
In a world where you can buy a gaming system for thousands of dollars on eBay, the Nintendo Wii is a bright shinning spot in the battle of big budget consoles. Costing a paltry $249.99, this is easily the cheapest of all the new console systems. A fair price for what will arguably be an interesting gaming console that is guaranteed to include plenty of games featuring plumbers and pokemon.
The games are going to cost the same as the last generation of titles, that being $50 bucks. While other systems sell most of their games for $60, the Wii has remained rigid in its pricing, and that included A-list titles like Zelda and games that come with additional equipment. This is a boon for the consumer who hates to dump so much money for a game that may or may not provide entertainment value. If you don’t think a $10 differnce is a big deal, then think of it this way, ten Wii games costs $500, ten PS3 games costs $600, with the money you save you could buy two additional games.
Proprietary license, some of the biggest names in all of video games fly under the Nintendo banner, The Mario Bros., Pokemaon, Donkey Kong, in fact one of the biggest hits of the season is a launch title that will only be playable on the Wii, that being Zelda. You will not see these titles on the other systems, and there are fans of these characters that have been coming back for the past 20 years: now that’s loyalty.
The Wii features a wireless connection that allows players to go online, create a Mii (get it, me) and begin filling up these little boxes called channels with downloadable games from the past Nintendo systems. There isn’t a ton available yet, but the ones that are are top tier titles that Nintendo has produced over the years. Plus, Nintendo has secured several titles from the Sega Genesis as well, so you can look forward to some retro gaming.
Backwards compatibility. Popping off the two top panels on the Wii will allow you to plug in GameCube controllers and memory cards so you can play one of the four “worth a crap” titles the GC had on it. More importantly, you can pull the Gamecube out of that coveted entertainment center space without upsetting the kids who love to play their GC titles.
The SD card inputs. The Wii has this little door on the front that opens up and can accept media cards, so putting pictures and music is as easy as cake. This is also the format for saving game information if you want to bring it over to a friend’s house.
