New Phenomenon - Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii is the latest creation by Nintendo. It's the only games console of its type, capitalising on infrared technology like no one has ever done before to create a new gaming experience for the consumer. It also has and online internet connection where owners of the console can visit webpage such as goodle or myspace and input, the whole time browsing with the wii remote. Soon there will be games available to play online but at the moment Nintendo are still testing for bugs. Farthermore you can play Nintendo Gamecube games on the Wii, with slots at the top of the console for retro controllers and memory cards. There is also a memory card slot in the front of the machine which works like a memory card. Players can take saved data to friends houses and even store pictures which can be then transferred through the internet.

This new technology provides the audience with a new gaming experience. The games are far more interactive because the wii remote follows the actions of the player. Say for instance you are playing a shooting game, by pointing the remote at the screen it can be used as a gun. In 'Excite Truck', turning the Wii remote on its side can be used as a steering wheel as you race at the wheel of a monster truck. More famously the Wii remote can be used as a variety of sporting gear in the 1st game ever produced, Wii sports. It can be either a tennis racket, a golf club, a bowling ball, a baseball bat and by attaching the nunchuck (an additional controller) it can even be used to box with. All of these things involve the consumer into the product to make the entire gaming experience more fun.

Nintendo are the only people that benefit from this product. From the main menu there are icons that link the player to either a game on an inserted disk, news updates provided from Nintendo, a weather forcast provided by Nintendo, a feedback forum where players can leave comments regarding the Wii and even an online Nintendo store where players can purchase retro games for their console through the console itself. With a credit card you can buy old games such as 'Mario Kart' for the N64 and even more ancient arcade games such as PacMan.

This technology is attempting to move gaming into the next level. It's moving away from the conventional 2D gaming and finding ways to involve the consumer more, like a 3D simularion in a sense. On release date the Wii sold out in hours and it was over 2 months before stores srated stocking them due to their high demand. This alone shows how the Wii will revolutionise gaming as we know it.