When the Nintendo Wii came out, it brought with it a whole new world of gaming, but with a retro twist. I was very excited at the prospect of being able to play games similar to those I grew up with, and everyone got very nostalgic when told that not only would we be able to re-experience the wonders of Nintendo gaming, but that we could actually play the very same games we always did, not only from Nintendo, but also from Gameboy, and Sega. A huge selling point in my opinion! They could have easily just expected everyone to buy new games as the console is affordable for everyone, but appealing to our past gaming pleasure was the best game plan they’ve had.
Nintendo really made the change with its wireless, motion control remote. I was very confused when I first saw the remote only featuring 3 small buttons, but like everyone else, I was psyched to try it out when I heard that I would basically be the remote. This brought a very fresh approach to gaming, which Sony and Microsoft have recently added to their consoles as an extra.
The Wii is not really in the same league as the PS3 and XBOX though, and it shouldn’t be compared, as it’s aimed at a very different market. I think that’s what makes the Wii so fun and likeable, is that it won’t be predominantly the husbands, sons and brothers hogging the telly with their gaming, everyone can join in. Many of the kids I know start as young as 3 years old and there is no age limit or gender preference.
I do however think that Nintendo could have focused more on the future and not only the past. Not having a HDMI port was a big oversight. We could have done with slightly better graphics considering that the gaming world is obsessed with how great graphics are, and some decent internal storage wouldn’t have hurt. Rumours of the Wii 2, promises to bring us all these things and more.
Not only will it be HD, with slightly better graphics for those who are concerned about that. But considering that it will probably still be able to play all old games, I’m sure they will also upgrade the onboard storage, or possibly even move to download-only games. I am also curious if the look of the console will change much, as it was small and compact to begin with, so can it be trimmed down even more? Or possibly just be given a new slick look and different colour? We’ll have to wait and see if the rumours are true.
I’m almost certain that it will expand on what made it stand out to begin with and possibly get rid of the remote all together. The technology is already out there, so we’ll see if Nintendo can refine it to suit the target market.
Overall it is an affordable, fun machine that marries the old and new beautifully. And I look forward to seeing what Nintendo bring us in the near future.