Our look at the Nintendo Wii
For show 10 of our podcast, the FrequencyCast team had a good play with this new games console from Nintendo... Here's what we think...
What is the Nintendo Wii?
Following on from the Nintendo Game Cube, this is the next generation games machine from Nintendo. Launched in the UK on the 8th of December 2006, it makes use of some clever infrared and wireless technology to bring a new dimension to gaming... you have a magic wireless wand as the controller. The Wii can also do clever things when connected to the Internet.
Getting the Wii
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When the Wii was launched in December 2006, they were in very short supply, but now the supply situation has eased.
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Exploring the Wii
We featured the Nintendo Wii in Show 10 of our podcast, where the team spent an afternoon having fun with Wii Sport and Wii Play.
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When we reviewed the Wii for Podcast #10, Carl described the look of the Wii as like a car CD player on its end. The Wii is indeed a small, sleek beast, as the picture below shows...
The Nintendo Wii, plus Controller
Our Wii box came packed with leads, power supply, controller, and the Wii Sports game... Here's the picture of our unpacked Wii box, just before we plugged into our telly...
What's in the box
What's new about this games console is the way the remote works. Using a combination of infrared (a small bar you stick to your telly), and wireless technology in the handset, the controller is used to mimic natural movements, such as a golf swing or a bowling action. Impressive stuff, although check out wiihaveaproblem.com to see some of the damage that the controllers have caused...
The Wii Controller
Once it's all connected, it's time to switch on... When you start up the Wii, you're presented with the main menu:
The Nintendo Wii Main Menu
Enjoying the games
On our day with the Wii, the FrequencyCast team, Carl, Pete, Kate, Sarah and Harry, played each and every game on Nintendo Wii Sports and Nintendo Wii Play
Carl, bowling with Wii Sports
FrequencyCast, teeing off with Wii Sports Golf
Our verdict? A thumbs up from the whole team - fun gameplay, and a novel way to interact with a game... we love it. Shame about the silly name though...
Hear us having fun with the Wii in Show 10 - as you'll hear, we'll all now fans of this top console. If you can find one, get one!
Top Games for the Wii
In April 2008, we got our hands on the game we've been waiting for - Mario Kart Wii - supplied with a special steering wheel. Knockout! Available from Play.com and GAME
There's also Wii Fit - available from GAME, Tesco and Argos online
Listen to show 29, where the lads get fit with Wii Fit: |
Other links:
- Wi-fi information - More on using wireless connections
- Nintendo DSi - Information on the handheld games console
- Getting online with the Wii - Helping out with wi-fi access setup
- BBC iPlayer- Now available on the Nintendo Wii
Got a question on the Wii that we can answer in our next podcast?
Call 020 8133 4567 or send us a message
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