The Wii is the fifth video Game console of living room of the manufacturer Japan board Nintendo. This console is of the same generation as the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. It has like characteristic to use a system able to detect the position, the orientation and the movements of the lever in space.

The code name of the console at the time of its phase of development was Revolution .

Material

Comfort

The Design of Wii slices radically with the old consoles of the firm. It raises a dress sober and purified while being much finer and light that its competitors. The plays fit directly in a slit surrounded by a blue halation located in front of the machine. Beside this slit a valve is which once raised presents the slit for the charts SD. If the console were designed to be posed on its gray base with the vertical, it can also position with the horizontal one.

The main frame is named Broadway and the graphics processor Hollywood , because according to Satoru Iwata, “Broadway because it is the capital of the Music-hall and Hollywood because it is the capital of the Cinéma. The idea is simple: Wii will be the capital of the interactive entertainment”.

To build the architecture of Wii, the firm joined large computer makers: IBM deals with the processor PowerPC, ATI of the graphics processor and NEC of the central system.

Although the console is available only in one color, the white, during launching, of new colors should quickly be born, in particular the black which was used at the time of the first presentation of the console in May 2005 concerned video.

It is only new consoles not to support HD. A cable component, which clearly improves quality of image, is however available, making it possible to make it compatible with mode EDTV 480p.

Lever

See also: Wiimote

The Joystick is presented in the form of a true innovation of the console. According to Nintendo, it is revolutionist and completely changes the way of playing, from where the code name of the console at the time of its phase of development, referring at the same time to a revolution in the world of the Video game, but also to the revolution which the ground around the sun makes.

The Wiimote, like named it Nintendo (contraction of " Wii" and of remote which means Télécommande in English), resembles much a remote control and it is connected to the console thanks to technology Bluetooth in a ray of approximately 10 meters. Thanks to a Accelerometer, the remote control is able to determine a great number of movements which the player will produce in space: left-right-hand side, haut-bas, before-back, rotation, torsion, etc Very gesture with the arms and the hands is thus interpreted by the plays Wii.

Horizontally, the remote control becomes a lever near to that of the BORN, which is used in some Wii plays (more particularly for the sets of cars, the lever being caught in hand like a wheel, as for example in Excite Truck) and in certain downloadable retro plays (in particular the plays BORN and TurboGrafx).

The remote control has also a device of pointing, equivalent of the mouse of the computer, requiring the installation of a transmitter placed at the choice on or under the television set. This device functions in a ray from approximately 1 to 5 meters vis-a-vis the transmitter.

Nintendo published a video introducing the controller.

It is possible to connect up to 16 Wiimote S, including 6 in temporary synchronization, and four GameCube levers at the same time.

Wiimote is fed by two piles AA for an autonomy from approximately sixty or thirty hours (according to the use, or not, of Nunchuk).

The lever not using an Infra-red beam , no incompatibility with Téléviseur S is to be feared.

For more immersion in the play, this lever is equipped with a function vibration and a small high speaker. Thus, when, in a play of tennis, the ball strikes the racket, the sound of the contact is diffused by the lever then in the enclosures of the television set.

Wiimote has also a Mémoire flash of 4Mbits making it possible to store there its Mii. Wiimote is presented in fact like the central part of a whole control system. Indeed, it is possible, thanks to its port of extension, to connect it to several accessories as Nunchuk which has an analogical stick and which also has a detector of movements. A more academic lever, inspired of the lever Super Nintendo, is also available, it is used for the plays of the virtual Console like for the Wii plays not using the detection of movement. Nintendo also works on another extension: a Gun, named Zapper in reference to the optical gun of the BORN .

Sensor (Sensor Bar)

Wii has a device of pointing as precise as the mouse of a computer, made possible by the use of a transmitter. This bar, connected to the console with a simple electric cable, contains only some infra-red LED and does not send any information, whether it is in Wiimote or the console. The bar must be positioned on or under the television set, with the choice, and is only used to emit infra-red.

When the Wiimote is pointed towards the television set, and thus towards Sensor Bar, it collects the infra-red beams emitted by the latter and calculates the position towards which you point, thus sending information to the console via Bluetooth.

Technical specifications

Characteristic revealed by Nintendo at the time of E3 2006:

Wiimote

• Possibilities of connecting up to four Wiimotes (up to 16 Wiimotes synchronisables) at the same time in Bluetooth in a radius of ten meters.

• Nunchuk can connect in Wiimote.
• Wiimote as well as the “Nunchuk” allow a detection of movement in three dimensions of space.
• Wiimote is equipped with a Haut-parleur, a function vibration and a port of extension.
• Wiimote can be used as pointer with the proviso of finding itself with less than five meters of the sensor, normally positioned on or under the screen.
• Wiimote comprises a numerical cross, eight buttons: With, B, +, -, Home, 1 and 2 then a Power button. A button of synchronization is in the trap door of the piles.
• Wiimote needs 2 piles AA to function.
• Nunchuk includes/understands an analogical handle and buttons C and Z.
• Nunchuk is fed thanks to Wiimote.
• the console has four ports for the GameCube levers like 2 ports intended for the GameCube memory cards.
• a more academic lever (known as “traditional lever”) is available for the plays known as multimedia. One finds there two sticks analogical, the buttons has, B, X, Y, +, - (to replace traditional the start and select ), L, ZL, R, ZR, a numerical cross and a button Home giving access the menu of the console and a button to actuate a trap door behind the lever.

Principal processor

• the processor which equips Wii is a derivative of PowerPC of IBM whose code name is Broadway . According to site IGN (http://www.ign.com/), it is given rhythm to 729 MHz and is approximately twice more powerful than the “Gekko” (485MHz) which equipped the GameCube, which is equivalent to a power of approximately 2250 DMIPS and 21 GFLOPS.

In term of installed capacity Wii is weaker than its two competitors but that it empèche theoretically not to have a panel of graphic effects as packed as that of these last.

Graphics processor

• Code name Hollywood , developed by ATI.

• the graphics processor (GPU) Hollywood is given rhythm to 243 MHz and its built-in memory includes 3 Me of memory hiding place for textures and the polygons and 16 Me of embarked memory DRAM (embedded RAM developed by NEC) so dedicated to the sound, management of interface, etc Indeed the GPU of Wii integrates also a sound processor.

RAM

Data of the memories:

• MEM1: 24 Me of 1TSRAM identical to that of GameCube.
• MEM2: 64 Me of additional GDDR3.
• RAM total: MEM1 + MEM2 = 88 Me. Both RAM are addressable independently, and can store both any type of data.

Media and connector industry

• Wii integrates 512 Mo Mémoire flash for safeguards or storage of the plays of the virtual Console.

• the console has two ports USB 2.0 (480 Mbits/s), as well as a module Wifi B and G (up to 54 Mbit/s) integrated.
• It has a port Ethernet (in option via one of ports USB).
• Through its port audio/video multi, one can connect Wii to its television set or its monitor via a cable YUV, S-Video, composite or RVB.
• 1 port for the connection of the infra-red lamp (Sensor Bar)
• 1 port charts SD
• Cables: D Terminal (in option in Japan), RVB (in option in Europe), YUV (in option).
• Wii is equipped with a slot-in record player which makes it possible as well as to receive a disc Wii double-layer twelve centimetres in diameter (format traditional DVD) the Mini DVD GameCube of eight centimetres.
• Wii can be connected to the network Internet, even while being in mode takes care, by the means of the WiiConnect24. That makes it possible to download updates and files, in particular for acquired plays.
• a navigator Internet produced by the company Opera, paying (500 WiiPoints, to see low).
• 4 ports levers and 2 ports GameCube memory cards.

Additional details

History

Genesis

The development of the console just began fine 2001 after the exit of the GameCube. At that time Nintendo already thought that several consoles surpuissantes could not cohabit on the market, therefore the idea of a new interface of play appeared.

The console was officially announced on May 11th, 2004 concerned video by Satoru Iwata at the time of the press conference preceding the E3. It is then presented under the name of " Revolution " , hitherto, the console was evoked under the names of GCNext and N5 (N5 meaning fifth generation of Nintendo consoles).

The idea of the detector of movements was proposed by the Franco-Italian company STMicroelectronics at the beginning of 2005. Nintendo immediately noticed the potential of the sensor of movements and the two companies started to work together as from March 2005 concerned video.

The design of the console like some of its characteristics, like the virtual Console , was revealed in May 2005 concerned video at the time of the Nintendo conference preceding the E3.

The lever was presented at the time of TGS of September 2005 concerned video. At this period, Nintendo announced that the first plays would not be revealed before the E3 2006.

At the time of the Range Developers Conference from March in Tokyo 2006, Nintendo announced a partnership with Sega and Hudson Soft for the remote loading of plays of the virtual Console .

The final name of the console, Wii, was revealed with the general surprise on April 27th, 2006 concerned video and the final version of Wii like certain plays on May 9th, 2006 concerned video during the conference Nintendo pre E3 2006. Nintendo explains that this name was selected so that it is simple to retain in all the languages and that there does not need to shorten it. The double “I” symbolizes two people playing together as well as the two parts of the Wiimote. Wii decides “yes” or “ we ” (“us”, in English) and indicates that the console is addressed to a very large audience.

This market segmentation takes part in the will of Nintendo, already initiated with the Nintendo DS, to address itself to a public different from its competitors Sony and Microsoft. Instead of fighting on the market of the Hardcore gamer by proposing pushed graphics and a realism, Wii is addressed to a public of not initiated which had never had before of console; i.e. a more female public and intergénérationnel. That can be seen by comparing the marketing and publicities of the various marks of consoles.

Launching

June 7th, 2006 concerned video, Nintendo revealed that it intended to distribute six million consoles to the launching of Wii - including four million or more sold before the tax end of the year (on March 31st, 2007 concerned video), and to sell seventeen million plays lasting 2007. Japanese analysts of Nikko Citigroup provided that the console would be sold to thirty million specimens in the world.

These are September 14th and 15th 2006 concerned video that one learns by the means of three conferences given to the Japan, with the the United States and the the United Kingdom, final comings out date of the console. In Europe and North America, the console will be sold in bundle with the play Wii Sports.

September 14th, 2006 concerned video, it was announced that the majority of the production of 2006 would be allocated at the US market. In spite of the made estimate with 60  USD for much of plays next-gen .

November 19th, 2006 concerned video, Wii left to the the United States and the Canada respectively at the price 249,99  USD and of 279,99  CAD. November 28th, 2006 concerned video, Nintendo announced that its new console was sold with more than six hundred and thousand specimens on the North-American market and estimates at 190 million dollars of sales turnover the sales of accessories and plays. For this launching, the play headlight of the console The Legend off Zelda: Twilight Princess ran out with: 454,000 specimens.

Two weeks later, the console was launched to the Japan, on December 2nd, 2006 concerned video, for: 25,000  JPY, and finally in Europe December 7th, 8th and 9th 2006 concerned video at the price of 249  EURO. December 12th, 2006 concerned video, Nintendo indicates that: 325,000 consoles were sold for the Europe in only two days, of which: 105,000 with the the United Kingdom in the four days space. At the end of January, the firm announces that the sales reached 2 million with the the United States, 1,1 million with the Japan: 900,000 in Europe.

Reception

At the time of E3 2006, the stand being pointed out more barrel that of Nintendo which did not désemplissait players or journalists avid and curious to test the new way of playing proposed by Wii. Wii during this living room was noticed consoles eclipsing its direct competitors somewhat the PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360. A few months later, with Paris launchings of Wii and the PS3 strongly contrasted. Wii known a very good reception on behalf of an enthusiastic and excited public as for its possibilities, far from the icy environment which reigned at the time of the demonstration for the launching of the PlayStation 3 which was held in the general quasi-indifference. Thereafter, the difficulties of provisioning after the festivals of end of the year 2006 and all beginning of the year 2007 testified to the strong passion produced by Wii. In a general way the public, the specialized press and general practitioner accommodated in a very favorable way this new vision of the video game.

Online game

See also: WiiConnect24, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Nintendo announces that the connected mode will be entirely free and will use the service Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The program network is directly included in the console, which reduces work of the developers.

Wii as of the beginning is marketed with all the necessary one to play on line, and no subscription is necessary for the Nintendo plays. Nintendo thinks that the connected mode will be the decisive turn of the new generation of consoles and wishes to be present there. Indeed, after having a long time been sulky it with GameCube (only three playable plays on line) while the PS2 and Xbox especially applied to it in mass, Nintendo seems decided to integrate the online game into its policy.

The new service online of Wii is the WiiConnect24 . Even extinct, the console remains connected to Internet, which allows at Nintendo or the third editors to deliver with the players of information, the messages, the contents for their plays.

In addition Wii is equipped with the navigator Opera. This navigator is available in stable version since April 2007 for finally becoming paying (500 Wii points, is 5 EURO) as from June 2007.

The first play Online of Wii in Europe east Mario Strikers Charged Football, left on May 25th, 2007 concerned video to Europe.

Virtual console

See also: virtual Console

Thanks to this platform and with a connection Internet, Wii can emulate the plays of the consoles BORN (500 Wii points), SNES (800 Wii points), Nintendo 64 (1000 Wii points), Turbo Grafx (600 Wii points), NEO GEO (900 Wii points) and Megadrive (800 Wii points) which belongs to its area by downloading them directly via the Chain shop, using Wii Points. These points are available in various stores of video games or by the means of a chart credit, at the price of 20€ for 2000 Wii points. The number of points which certain plays can take on certain consoles can differ. According to Nintendo, many third editors will also propose their plays left on these consoles. Satoru Iwata named that the virtual Console .

Possibly, it will be possible to download demonstrations, bands advertisements, patches, to play on line and to even download complete sets in order to help the small developers not having the means of distributing their plays in the traditional way.

Wii chains

The chains Wii ( Wii Chanel in English) are a whole of chains (as for television), of which some are connected to Internet network making office of menu of the console and proposer various information or services. The majority of the Wii chains are free but certain can be bought. ; Chain disc: allows to launch the play Wii or GameCube inserted in the console. ; Photo chain: it is here that you can visualize and improve slightly, thanks to a software of final improvement of images, the photographs contained on your chart SD or received by email. It is then possible to send photographs to his friends. The chain is also able to read the video files with the format avi encodés in Motion-JPEG. ; Chain Mii: allows to create a misadventure, named Mii with its image, and then to use it like character in a compatible play (Wii Sports, Wii Play…). One can also safeguard it on the remote control to take it along everywhere with oneself and to play with for example in a friend on another Wii console. ; Chain weather: allows to consult on line the weather of many cities in the world and to reach at an interactive sight 3D of the sphere. ; Chain infos: allows to consult various information (effective since January 26th, 2007). It takes again the dispatches of the agency Associated Press and interactivement allows zoomer on the dispatches for a better legibility: the words reorganize in real-time according to the factor of enlarging. Moreover, one chart, on the right-sided, shows the place of the world concerned with the dispatch read. This chart also makes it possible “to travel” of dispatch in dispatch according to the desired city or country. The dispatches are classified according to eight categories: continental national topicalities, current events, international topicalities, sport, arts and leisures, economy, sciences and health, technology. ; Chain shop: plays virtual console makes it possible to buy or new Wii chains thanks to Wii points. Those Ci can be reloaded via a prepaid card, in store, or directly since the chain with a credit card. It tightened also possible to exchange its points Club Nintendo in Wii points (this option is still not available). ; Chain Internet: a navigator Internet, Opera produces by Opera Software, allowing of surfer on the Web. Le online service of Nintendo is also free. ; Chain votes: allows to answer surveys (effective officially since February 14th, 2007). You can, using the Mii, to answer various national questions or world. Moreover, you can choose, according to you, which tendency will take the vote. It is also possible to propose new surveys. ; Chain contest Mii: allows to download miis other users and to exchange to them his, there is also a system of grading per vote of the miis which is established with the international level and national. Last innovation, a contest which asks for to the creators miis of send their creations in order to approach an imposed model. ; Wii Bureau: here it is possible to leave messages with his friends, to consult the calendar or a diary to even store there its favorite photographs resulting from a chart to format SD. It is also here that you will find the various gifts (additional character, level no-claims bonus…) downloaded by the WiiConnect24.

Retrocompatibility and connection DS

Wii is rétrocompatible with all the plays and accessories (excluded modems and GameBoy Player) of the GameCube. Wii has of four ports levers and two ports GameCube memory cards.

Moreover, Wii could be connected to DS with the manner of the GameCube and Game Boy Advance.

Multi-media

When Wii was presented for the first time in May 2005 concerned video, Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, had announced that the console would read DVD.

Finally, Wii left without the function reading the video DVD. Nintendo made it clear that a new version of Wii would leave in 2008 with, inter alia innovations, the reading of the DVD, but without indicating when nor in which countries.

In addition it is possible to view its files DivX, Mp3 or JPEG present on your PC thanks to the software Orb whose special version Wii is available, at condition of having installed Opera. The quality of the vidéos depends on connection Internet.

Kits of development

Mid-February 2006, Reggie Wire-Likes declared that more than thousand kits of development had been distributed to the third editors. According to Internet site IGN, there would be four versions: the first would be a GameCube accompanied by a lever Wii, the second would be GameCube technically improved accompanied by a lever Wii, the third would have as for him of technical performances higher than those GameCube. Lastly, the fourth version would be that which would have the most raised technical performances and thus closest to the console.

The kits of Wii development are seems it sold between: 1,700 and: 2,000  USD with the developers.

A kit of development free amateur, the Wiiware, is planned for 2008. The plays programmed with this SDK would have a special license.

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