Home video game console by Nintendo
This article is about the video game console. For other uses, see Wii (disambiguation)
The Wii[g]🌝 ( ; WEE) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19,🌝 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major🌝 home game console, following the GameCube and is a seventh-generation console alongside Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.
In developing🌝 the Wii, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata directed the company to avoid competing with Microsoft and Sony on computational graphics and🌝 power and instead to target a broader demographic of players through novel gameplay. Game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda🌝 led the console's development under the codename Revolution. The primary controller for the Wii is the Wii Remote, a wireless🌝 controller with both motion sensing and traditional controls which can be used as a pointing device towards the television screen🌝 or for gesture recognition. The Wii was Nintendo's first home console to directly support Internet connectivity, supporting both online games🌝 and for digital distribution of games and media applications through the Wii Shop Channel. The Wii also supports wireless connectivity🌝 with the Nintendo DS handheld console for selected games. Initial Wii models included full backward compatibility support for GameCube games🌝 and most accessories. Later in its lifecycle, two lower-cost Wii models were produced: a revised model with the same design🌝 as the original Wii but removed the GameCube compatibility features and the Wii Mini, a compact, budget redesign of the🌝 Wii which further removed features including online connectivity and SD card storage.
Because of Nintendo's reduced focus on computational power, the🌝 Wii and its games were less expensive to produce than its competitors. The Wii was extremely popular at launch, causing🌝 the system to be in short supply in some markets. A bundled game, Wii Sports, was considered the killer app🌝 for the console; other flagship games included entries in the Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and Metroid series. Within🌝 a year of launch, the Wii became the best-selling seventh-generation console, and by 2013, had surpassed over 100 million units🌝 sold. Total lifetime sales of the Wii had reached over 101 million units, making it Nintendo's best-selling home console until🌝 it was surpassed by the Nintendo Switch in 2024.[h] As of 2024, the Wii is the fifth-best-selling home console of🌝 all time.
The Wii repositioned Nintendo as a key player in the video game console marketplace. The introduction of motion-controlled games🌝 via the Wii Remote led both Microsoft and Sony to develop their own competing products—the Kinect and PlayStation Move, respectively.🌝 Nintendo found that, while the Wii had broadened the demographics that they wanted, the core gamer audience had shunned the🌝 Wii. The Wii's successor, the Wii U, sought to recapture the core gamer market with additional features atop the Wii.🌝 The Wii U was released in 2012, and Nintendo continued to sell both units through the following year. The Wii🌝 was formally discontinued in October 2013, though Nintendo continued to produce and market the Wii Mini through 2024, and offered🌝 a subset of the Wii's online services through 2024.
History
2001–2003: Development
Satoru Iwata as Nintendo's president directed the company to design the🌝 Wii out-of-the-box to appeal to a broader range of players.
Shortly after the release of the GameCube, Nintendo began conceptualizing their🌝 next console. The company's game designer Shigeru Miyamoto said that, in the early stages, they decided they would not aim🌝 to compete on hardware power, and would instead prioritize new gameplay concepts.[23] Miyamoto cited Dance Dance Revolution's unique game controllers🌝 as inspiration for developing new input devices.[24] Later in September 24, 2001, Nintendo began working with Gyration Inc., a firm🌝 that had developed several patents related to motion detection, to prototype future controllers using their licensed patents.[25]
Over the next two🌝 years, sales of the GameCube languished behind its competitors—Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox. Satoru Iwata, who had been promoted🌝 to Nintendo's president in May 2002 following Hiroshi Yamauchi's retirement,[26] recognized that Nintendo had not been keeping up with trends🌝 in the video game industry, such as adapting to online gaming. He also thought that video gaming had become too🌝 exclusive and wanted Nintendo to pursue gaming hardware and software that would appeal to all demographics.[27] Nintendo's market analysis found🌝 that their focus on novel hardware had created consoles that made it difficult for third-party developers to create games for,🌝 hampering their position. One of the first major steps Iwata had made based on the company's research was directing the🌝 development of the Nintendo DS, a handheld incorporating dual screens including a touchscreen, to revitalize their handheld console line.[29]
In 2003,🌝 Iwata met with Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda to discuss their market research. Iwata instructed Takeda "to go off the tech🌝 roadmap" for this console, but said it had to be appealing to mothers. Iwata wanted their next console to be🌝 capable of playing past Nintendo games, eliminating clutter in houses.[24] Takeda led the team building the console's hardware components, and🌝 Miyamoto spearheaded the development of a new type of controller, based on Gyration's motion-sensing technology.[25] Iwata had proposed that this🌝 new console use motion sensing to simplify the gaming interface, increasing appeal to all audiences.[31] An initial prototype was completed🌝 within six months.
The Nintendo DS was said to have influenced the Wii's design, as the company found that the DS's🌝 novel two-screen interface had drawn in non-traditional players and wanted to replicate that on the new console.[24] Designer Ken'ichiro Ashida🌝 noted, "We had the DS on our minds as we worked on the Wii. We thought about copying the DS's🌝 touch-panel interface and even came up with a prototype." The idea was eventually rejected because of the notion that the🌝 two gaming systems would be identical. Miyamoto also stated, "if the DS had flopped, we might have taken the Wii🌝 back to the drawing board."[23]
2004–2005: Announcements
Prior to E3 2004, Iwata had referred to Nintendo's upcoming console offering as the GameCube🌝 Next (GCNext or GCN).[33] Iwata first unveiled some details of Nintendo's new home console at E3 2004 under the codename🌝 "Revolution", as Iwata believed the console would revolutionize the gaming industry.[27] BBC News' technology editor Alfred Hermida wrote that Nintendo's🌝 struggle to match Sony and Microsoft in the home console market made success crucial.[34]
The console, still named "Revolution", was formally🌝 presented to the public at E3 2005. The motion controller interface had not yet been completed and was omitted from🌝 the unveiling.[23] Iwata held the console above him with one hand to emphasize its size relative to its rivals. A🌝 smaller device meant it would draw on less power as to not overheat, and thus appealed to parents who were🌝 willing to have an attractive, small, power-efficient device in the living room. Iwata reportedly used a stack of three DVD🌝 cases as a size guide. The prototype held by Iwata was black, but at release the following year, the console🌝 was only available in white. In their book on the console, two Loyola University Chicago professors suggested that Nintendo was🌝 inviting comparisons with Apple's first iPod line.
Iwata later unveiled and demonstrated their current prototype of the Revolution controller at the🌝 Tokyo Game Show in September 2005. At this stage, the controller unit resembled the final Wii Remote device along with🌝 the separate Nunchuk attachment. Iwata demonstrated its motion sensing gameplay capabilities, and incorporated commentary from developers, such as Hideo Kojima🌝 and Yuji Horii, who had tested the controller and believed people would be drawn in by it.[38][39]
The Wii and several🌝 of its peripherals on display at E3 2006
The console's name was formally announced as the Wii in April 2006, a🌝 month prior to E3 2006. Nintendo's spelling of "Wii" (with two lower-case "i" characters) was intended to represent both two🌝 people standing side by side, and the Wii Remote and its Nunchuk.[40] In the company's announcement, they stated: "Wii sounds🌝 like 'we', which emphasizes that the console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world,🌝 no matter what language they speak. No confusion."[40]
The name resulted in criticism and mockery. Forbes expressed a fear that the🌝 console would be seen as juvenile.[41] BBC News reported the day after the name was announced that "a long list🌝 of puerile jokes, based on the name," had appeared on the Internet.[42] Some video game developers and members of the🌝 press stated that they preferred "Revolution" over "Wii".[43] Nintendo of America's Vice President of Corporate Affairs Perrin Kaplan defended the🌝 choice.[44] President of Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aimé justified the new name over Revolution by saying that they wanted something🌝 short, distinctive, and easily pronounceable for all cultures.[45]
The Wii was made available for a press demonstration at E3 2006. Planned🌝 launch titles were announced at a press conference alongside the unveiling. At the same conference, Nintendo confirmed its plans to🌝 release the console by the end of 2006.[46]
2006–2010: Launch
Busy inside of a shop during the Wii launch in Hamburg
Nintendo announced🌝 the launch plans and prices for the Wii in September 2006. The console was first launched in the United States🌝 on November 19, 2006, for US$249.99.[7] Other regional release dates and prices included Japan on December 2 for ¥25,000,[8] followed🌝 by Australasia on December 7 for A$399.95,[10] and was later launched on December 8 in the United Kingdom for £179.99🌝 and for the majority of Europe for €249.99.[9] Nintendo planned to have around 30 Wii games available by the end🌝 of 2006, and anticipated shipping over 4 million consoles before the end of the year.
As part of its launch campaign,🌝 Nintendo promoted the Wii in North America through a series of television advertisements (directed by Academy Award winner Stephen Gaghan);🌝 its Internet ads used the slogans "Wii would like to play" and "Experience a new way to play". The ads🌝 began in November 2006 and had a budget of overR$200 million for the year.[48] The ads targeted a wider demographic🌝 compared to ads for other consoles, inviting parents and grandparents to play on the Wii.[49] Nintendo hoped that its console🌝 would appeal to a wider demographic than that of others in the seventh generation.[50] In December 2006, Satoru Iwata said🌝 that Nintendo did not think of themselves as "fighting Sony", but were focused on how they could expand the gaming🌝 demographic.[51]
It took several years for the Wii to launch in other regions. It was released in South Korea on April🌝 26, 2008,[52] Taiwan on July 12, 2008,[53] and Hong Kong on December 12, 2009.[54] Nintendo had planned work with its🌝 localization partner iQue to release the Wii in China in 2008, but failed to meet the requirements to circumvent the🌝 ban on foreign-made consoles the Chinese government had put in place.[55][56]
2011–2024: Successor and discontinuation
The Wii U, with its GamePad in🌝 front
Nintendo announced the successor to the Wii, the Wii U, at E3 2011.[57][58] Nintendo had recognized that the Wii had🌝 generally been shunned by the core gaming audience as it was perceived more as a casual gaming experience. The Wii🌝 U was aimed to draw the core audience back in with more advanced features atop the basic Wii technology.[59][60] The🌝 Wii U features the Wii U GamePad, a controller with an embedded touchscreen and output 1080p high-definition graphics that serves🌝 as a secondary screen alongside the television. The Wii U is fully backward-compatible with Wii games and peripherals for the🌝 Wii, including the Wii Remote, Nunchuk controller and Wii Balance Board, and select Wii U games including support for these🌝 devices.[61] The Wii U was first released on November 18, 2012 in North America; November 30, 2012 in Europe and🌝 Australia, and December 8, 2012 in Japan.[62]
Nintendo continued to sell the revised Wii model and the Wii Mini alongside the🌝 Wii U during the Wii U's first release year. During 2013, Nintendo began to sunset certain Wii online functions as🌝 they pushed consumers towards the Wii U as a replacement system or towards the offline Wii Mini, though the Wii🌝 Shop Channel remained available.[63] Nintendo discontinued production of the Wii in October 2013 after selling over 100 million units worldwide,[64]🌝 though the company continued to produce the Wii Mini unit primarily for the North American market.[65] The WiiConnect24 service and🌝 several channels based on that service were shuttered in June 2013.[19] Support for online multiplayer games via the Nintendo Wi-Fi🌝 Connection were discontinued in May 2014,[18] while the Wii Shop was closed in January 2024, effectively ending all online services🌝 for the console.[20][66] The Wii Mini continued to be manufactured and sold until 2024.[67]
Despite the Wii's discontinuation, some developers continued🌝 to produce Wii games well beyond 2013. Ubisoft released Just Dance games for the Wii up to Just Dance 2024🌝 (2024).[68] Vblank Entertainment's Shakedown: Hawaii along with Retro City Rampage DX are the most recent Wii games, which were released🌝 on July 9, 2024 (more than 13 years after the Wii's launch).[69][70] On January 27, 2024, Nintendo announced that they🌝 will no longer repair any faulty Wii consoles in Japan starting on February 6 due to a scarcity of spare🌝 parts.[i]
Hardware
Console
The Wii (top) compared in size to the GameCube, Nintendo 64, North American Super NES, and NES
In building the Wii,🌝 Nintendo did not aim to outpace the performance of their competitors. Unlike the company's previous consoles, they built the Wii🌝 from commercial off-the-shelf hardware rather than seek out customized components. This helped to reduce the cost of the Wii system🌝 to consumers.[72] Miyamoto said "Originally, I wanted a machine that would costR$100. My idea was to spend nothing on the🌝 console technology so all the money could be spent on improving the interface and software."[73]
The console's central processing unit is🌝 a 32-bit IBM PowerPC-based processor named Broadway, with a clock frequency of 729 MHz.[74][75] The reduced size of Broadway—based on🌝 a 90 nm process compared to the 180 nm process used in the GameCube's CPU—resulted in 20% lowered power consumption.[76]🌝 The Wii's GPU is a system on a chip produced by ATI and named Hollywood; the core processor runs at🌝 243 MHz, 3 MB of texture memory, digital signal processors, and input/output functions.[74] Additionally, the GPU included an additional 24🌝 MB of 1T-SRAM and an additional 64 MB of 1T-SRAM on the motherboard, totaling to 88 MB of memory for🌝 the console.[74] The Wii's computational power was roughly 1.5 to 2 times as powerful as the GameCube,[75][77] but was the🌝 least powerful of the major home consoles of its generation.[78]
The Wii's motherboard has a WiFi adapter which supports IEEE 802.11🌝 b/g modes, and a Bluetooth antenna that communicates with its controllers. A USB-based LAN adapter can connect the Wii to🌝 a wired Ethernet network.[77]
The Wii reads games from an optical media drive located in the front of the device. The🌝 drive is capable of reading Nintendo's proprietary discs, the 12 cm Wii discs and 8 cm GameCube discs, but cannot🌝 read other common optical media—namely, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio or compact discs. Although Nintendo had planned on incorporating this feature into later🌝 revisions of the Wii, the demand for the console meant a delay in their schedule, until the feature lost interest.[79][80][81]🌝 The slot of the optical drive is backed by LED lights which show the system's status. For example, it will🌝 pulse blue when the system is communicating with the WiiConnect24 service or when reading a disc after being inserted.[82][83]
The Wii🌝 includes 512 MB of internal flash memory for storing saved games and downloaded content from the Wii channels. Users could🌝 expand their storage for downloaded games and saved games, as well as provide photos and music that could be used🌝 with some games and Wii channels, through SD cards (and later SDHC cards) inserted into an external slot on the🌝 console located under a front panel. A later system update added the ability to launch Wii channels and play Virtual🌝 Console and WiiWare games directly from SD cards.[84][85][86]
The rear of the console features the unit's video output and power connections🌝 along with two USB ports. The top of the console, when placed vertically, includes a panel that includes four ports🌝 for GameCube controllers and two GameCube memory cards.[75]
The Wii was Nintendo's smallest home console at the time (the current smallest🌝 is hybrid home-portable console Nintendo Switch, when in portable mode); it measures 44 mm (1.73 in) wide, 157 mm (6.18🌝 in) tall and 215.4 mm (8.48 in) deep in its vertical orientation, slightly larger than three DVD cases stacked together.🌝 The included stand measures 55.4 mm (2.18 in) wide, 44 mm (1.73 in) tall and 225.6 mm (8.88 in) deep.🌝 The system weighs 1.2 kg (2.7 lb),[87] making it the lightest of the three major seventh-generation consoles. The Wii may🌝 stand horizontally or vertically.[87]
Wii Remote
A Nunchuk, Wii Remote and strap shown in hand
The Wii Remote being used to play Metroid🌝 Prime 3 at E3 2006. The Sensor Bar can be seen at the base of the television screen.
The Wii Remote[j]🌝 is the primary controller for the console. The remote contains a MEMS-based three-dimension accelerometer, along with infrared detection sensors located🌝 at the far end of the controller.[89][90] The accelerometers allow the Wii Remote to recognize its orientation after being moved🌝 from a resting position, translating that motion into gesture recognition for a game.[89] For example, the pack-in game Wii Sports🌝 includes a ten-pin bowling game that had the player hold the Wii Remote and perform a delivery of a ball;🌝 the Wii Remote could account for the player's position relative to the Sensor Bar, and their arm and wrist rotation🌝 to apply speed and spin to the virtual ball's delivery on screen.[91] The infrared detectors are used to track emissions🌝 from LEDs in the included Sensor Bar, which is placed just above or below the television display, as to track🌝 the relative orientation of the Wii Remote towards the screen. This gives the Wii Remote the ability to act as🌝 a pointing device like a computer mouse on the television screen, with an approximate 15 feet (4.6 m) range for🌝 accurate detection.[89][92] In addition, the Wii Remote features traditional controller inputs, including a directional pad (d-pad), three face action buttons🌝 and a shoulder trigger, and four system-related buttons include a power switch. The Wii Remote connects to the Wii through🌝 Bluetooth with an approximate 30 feet (9.1 m) range,[92] communicating the sensor and control information to the console unit. The🌝 Wii Remote includes an internal speaker and a rumble pack that can be triggered by a game to provide feedback🌝 directly to the player's hand.[89] Up to four Wii Remotes could connect wirelessly to a Wii, with LED lights on🌝 each remote indicating which controller number the Remote had connected as.[92] The remote is battery-operated, and when the Remote is🌝 not powered on, these LED lights can display the remaining battery power.[88]
A wrist-mounted strap is included with the Wii Remote,🌝 with one end affixed to the bottom of the unit. Nintendo strongly encouraged players to use the strap in case🌝 the Wii Remote accidentally slipped out of their hands. Nintendo recalled the original straps in December 2006 and provided a🌝 free, stronger strap as a replacement, as well as packaging the new strap in future bundles after the company faced🌝 legal challenges from users that reported damage to their homes from the Wii Remote slipping from their hands while playing.[93][94]🌝 In October 2007, Nintendo also added a silicon-based Wii Remote Jacket to shipments of the Wii and Wii Remote, as🌝 well as a free offering for existing users. The Jacket wraps around the bulk of the remote but leaves access🌝 to the various buttons and connectors, providing a stickier surface in the user's grip to further reduce the chance of🌝 the Remote falling out of the player's hand.[95]
Accessories can be connected to a Wii Remote through a proprietary port at🌝 the base of the controller.[92] The Wii shipped with the bundled Nunchuk—a handheld unit with an accelerometer, analog stick, and🌝 two trigger buttons—which connected to this port on the Wii Remote via a 4 feet (1.2 m) cable. Players hold🌝 both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in separate hands to control supported games.[90][96]
The Wii MotionPlus accessory plugs into the port🌝 at the base of the Wii Remote and augments the existing sensors with gyroscopes to allow for finer motion detection.[88]🌝 The MotionPlus accessory was released in June 2009 with a number of new games directly supporting this new functionality, including🌝 Wii Sports Resort which included the accessory as part of a bundle.[97] The MotionPlus functionality was later incorporated into a🌝 revision of the controller called the Wii Remote Plus, first released in October 2010.[98][99][100]
A number of third-party controller manufacturers developed🌝 their own lower-cost versions of the Wii Remote, though these generally were less accurate or lacked the sensitivity that Nintendo's🌝 unit had.[101]
Other controllers and accessories
The Classic Controller, hooked up to the Wii Remote
The Classic Controller is an extension for the🌝 Wii Remote, released alongside the Wii in November 2006. Its form factor is similar to classic gamepads such as that🌝 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, with a d-pad, four face buttons, Start and Select buttons alongside the Wii connection🌝 button, and two shoulder buttons. Players can use it with older games from the Virtual Console in addition to games🌝 designed for the Wii.[102] In 2009, Nintendo released the Wii Classic Controller Pro, which was modelled after the GameCube's form🌝 factor and included two analog sticks.[103]
The Wii Balance Board was released alongside Wii Fit in December 2007. It is a🌝 wireless balance board accessory for the Wii, with multiple pressure sensors used to measure the user's center of balance.[104] Wii🌝 Fit offers a number of different exercise modes which monitored the player's position on the board, as well as exercise🌝 gamification, as to encourage players to exercise daily.[105] In addition to use in Nintendo's Wii Fit Plus that expanded the🌝 range of exercises using the Wii Balance Board, the accessory can be used in other third-party games that translated the🌝 player's balance on the unit into in-game controls such as Shaun White Snowboarding and Skate It.[106] Namco Bandai produced a🌝 mat controller (a simpler, less-sophisticated competitor to the Balance Board).[107]
One of Iwata's initiatives at Nintendo was focused on "quality of🌝 life" products, those that encouraged players to do other activities beyond simply sitting and playing video games as to promote🌝 physical wellbeing. The use of motion controls in the Wii served part of this, but Nintendo developed additional accessories to🌝 give awareness of one's health as a lead-in for the company to break into the health care field.[108] At E3🌝 2009, Nintendo had presented a "Vitality Sensor" accessory that would be used to measure a player's pulse as a lead-in🌝 to a larger quality of life initiative, but this product was never released. In a 2013 Q&A, Satoru Iwata revealed🌝 that the Vitality Sensor had been shelved, as internal testing found that the device did not work with all users,🌝 and its use cases were too narrow.[109] Despite this, Nintendo has continued Iwata's quality of life program with further products🌝 on later consoles and games.[110]
A number of first- and third-party accessories were developed that the Wii Remote could be slotted🌝 into and then used in a more physical manner that took advantage of the accelerometer and gyroscopic functions of the🌝 controller. Some copies of Mario Kart Wii shipped with the Wii Wheel, a plastic steering wheel frame with the Wii🌝 Remote could be inserted into, so that players could steer more effectively in game.[111] Rhythm games that used plastic instruments,🌝 such as Guitar Hero III, shipped with instruments that the Wii Remote could be slotted into; the remote powered the🌝 various buttons on the controller and relayed that to the Wii.[112]
Variants and bundles
The Wii launch bundle included the console; a🌝 stand to allow the console to be placed vertically; a plastic stabilizer for the main stand, one Wii Remote, a🌝 Nunchuk attachment for the Remote, a Sensor Bar and a removable stand for the bar to mount on a television🌝 set, an external power adapter, and two AA batteries for the Wii Remote. The bundle included a composite A/V cable🌝 with RCA connectors, and in appropriate regions such as in Europe, a SCART adapter was also included.[113] A copy of🌝 the game Wii Sports was included in most regional bundles.[114]
Although Nintendo showed the console and the Wii Remote in white,🌝 black, silver, lime-green and red before it was released,[115] it was only available in white for its first two-and-a-half years🌝 of sales. Black consoles were available in Japan in August 2009,[116] in Europe in November 2009[117] and in North America🌝 in May 2010.[118] A red Wii system bundle was available in Japan on November 11, 2010, commemorating the 25th anniversary🌝 of Super Mario Bros.[119] The European version of the limited-edition red Wii bundle was released on October 29, 2010, which🌝 includes the original Donkey Kong game pre-installed onto the console, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Wii Sports.[120] The red🌝 Wii bundle was released in North America on November 7, 2010, with New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Wii Sports.[121][122]🌝 All of the red Wii system bundles feature the Wii Remote Plus, with integrated Wii MotionPlus technology.[119][120][121][122]
Revisions
The prefix for the🌝 numbering scheme of the Wii system and its parts and accessories is "RVL-" for its codename, "Revolution". The base Wii🌝 console had a model number of RVL-001, for example.[123]
Redesigned model
RVL-101 layout with its labels aligned horizontally, just as the console🌝 was designed to be placed, unlike the original version
A cost-reduced variant of the Wii (model RVL-101) was released late into🌝 the platform's lifespan that removed all GameCube functionality, including the GameCube controller ports and memory card slots found on the🌝 original model. This model is sometimes referred to as the "Wii Family Edition", the name given to the bundle in🌝 which it was first sold in Europe. Additionally, it does not include a stand, as it is intended to be🌝 positioned horizontally. Nintendo announced the new revision in August 2011 as a replacement for the original Wii model which it🌝 was discontinuing in certain regions including Europe and the United States.[14][124] The new unit in its bundles was priced atR$149.99,[125]🌝 a further reduction for the Wii's MSRP at the time ofR$199.99 established in September 2009.[126]
The console was first released in🌝 North America on October 23, 2011, in a black finish, bundled with a black Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk, along🌝 with New Super Mario Bros. Wii and a limited-edition soundtrack for Super Mario Galaxy.[125] It was released in Europe on🌝 November 4, 2011, in a white finish, bundled with a white Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk, along with Wii Party🌝 and Wii Sports.[127] A special bundle featuring a blue version of the revised Wii model and Wii Remote Plus and🌝 Nunchuk with the inclusion of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games was released in Europe on November🌝 18, 2011, in collaboration with Sega.[128] Nintendo later revised the North American bundle by replacing the prior pack-in game and🌝 soundtrack with the original Wii Sports duology; the new bundle was released on October 28, 2012.[129]
Wii Mini
A Wii Mini with🌝 Wii Remote
The Wii Mini (model RVL-201)[124] is a smaller, redesigned Wii with a top-loading disc drive. In addition to the🌝 lack of GameCube support, the Wii Mini removes Wi-Fi support and online connectivity, along with the removal of the SD🌝 card slot. It also removed support for 480p and component video output.[15] According to Nintendo of Canada's Matt Ryan, they🌝 stripped these features to bring down the price of the console further as to make it an option for those🌝 consumers that had not yet gotten a Wii or for those who wanted a second Wii in a different location.🌝 Ryan stated that while removing the online functionality would prevent some games from being played, most Wii games could still🌝 be played without it.[130] The Wii Mini is styled in matte black with a red border, and includes a red🌝 Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk. According to Ryan, the red coloring was indicative of the planned exclusive release in Canada.[130]🌝 A composite A/V cable, wired Sensor Bar and power adapter are also included.[131]
The Wii Mini was first released on December🌝 7, 2012, exclusively in Canada with a MSRP of CA$99.99.[5] It was later released in Europe on March 22, 2013,[4]🌝 and in the United States on November 17, 2013.[6] The Canadian and European releases did not include a game,[131][132] while🌝 Mario Kart Wii had been included in all launch bundles in the United States.[6] Nintendo added several best-selling and critically🌝 acclaimed Wii games to its Nintendo Selects label and marketed those alongside the Wii Mini's release.[5]
Software
The console has many internal🌝 features made available from its hardware and firmware components. The hardware allows for extendability (via expansion ports), while the firmware🌝 (and some software) could receive periodic updates via the WiiConnect24 service.
Wii Menu
Wii Menu
The development of the Wii Menu, the main🌝 user interface for the Wii, was led by Takashi Aoyama of Nintendo's Integrated Research & Development Division. The project, named🌝 the "Console Feature Realization Project", was to figure out what the Wii interface could show running in a low-power mode🌝 on an around-the-clock schedule that would be of interest for people to look at if they were not playing games.[133]🌝 The idea of having continually updated weather and news reports made logical sense from testing, and this led to the🌝 idea of presenting these similar to a row of televisions each set to a different television channel as if in🌝 an electronics shop, creating the "channels" concept. A user can navigate to any channel window to bring that to the🌝 forefront, whether to launch the game or application or to get more information that was being displayed.[133] For example, the🌝 Forecast Channel would display a brief summary of the local area's temperature and short-term weather forecast, while clicking on the🌝 channel brought up an interactive globe that the user could manipulate with the Wii Remote to explore real-time weather conditions🌝 across the Earth.[134]
The Wii launched with six channels: the Disc Channel which was used to launch Wii and GameCube titles🌝 from an optical disc; the Mii Channel to create Mii avatars; the Photo Channel which could be used to view🌝 and edit photos stored on an SD card; the Wii Shop Channel to purchase new games and applications; the Forecast🌝 Channel and the News Channel.[87] In addition to default channels that came with the Wii, new channels could be added🌝 through system updates, downloaded applications from the Wii Shop Channel, or added by games themselves.[133] Shortly after launch, other free🌝 channels created by Nintendo were made available to users, including the Internet Channel, a modified version of the Opera web🌝 browser for the Wii which supports USB keyboard input and Adobe Flash Player.[87][135][136][137]
The Wii Menu channels feature music composed by🌝 video game composer Kazumi Totaka.[138][139][140]
Mii
Default Miis
The Mii Channel, the first application used to create and view Mii characters on the🌝 Wii
The Wii introduced the use of player-customized avatars called Miis, which have been continued to be used by Nintendo in🌝 the Wii U, the Nintendo 3DS family, and, to a lesser extent, the Nintendo Switch. Each player on a Wii🌝 console was encouraged to create their own Mii via the Mii Channel to be used in games like Wii Sports🌝 and some of the system software like the Mii Channel. For example, players would select their Mii in Wii Sports,🌝 creating their in-game avatar for the game. Miis could be shared with other players through the Mii Channel.[87][141]
Nintendo DS connectivity
The🌝 Wii system supports wireless connectivity with the Nintendo DS without any additional accessories. This connectivity allows the player to use🌝 the Nintendo DS microphone and touchscreen as inputs for Wii games. The first game utilizing Nintendo DS-Wii connectivity is Pokémon🌝 Battle Revolution. Players with either the Pokémon Diamond or Pearl Nintendo DS games are able to play battles using the🌝 Nintendo DS as a controller.[142] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, released on both Nintendo DS and Wii, features🌝 connectivity in which both games can advance simultaneously. Nintendo later released the Nintendo Channel, which allows Wii owners to download🌝 game demos of popular games such as Mario Kart DS, or additional data to their Nintendo DS in a process🌝 similar to that of a DS Download Station.[133][143] The console is also able to expand Nintendo DS games.[142]
Online connectivity
The Wii🌝 console connects to the Internet through its built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi or through a USB-to-Ethernet adapter; either method allows players to🌝 access the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service.[75] The service has several features for the console, including Virtual Console, WiiConnect24, the Internet🌝 Channel, the Forecast Channel, the Everybody Votes Channel, the News Channel and the Check Mii Out Channel. The Wii can🌝 also communicate (and connect) with other Wii systems through a self-generated wireless LAN, enabling local wireless multi-playing on different television🌝 sets. Battalion Wars 2 first demonstrated this feature for non-split screen multi-playing between two (or more) televisions.[144]
Third-party applications
Third-party media apps🌝 were added to the Wii's online channels, typically offered as free downloads but requiring subscriber logins for paid services. Among🌝 some of these included the BBC iPlayer in November 2009,[145][146] Netflix in November 2010,[147] Hulu in February 2012,[148] YouTube in🌝 December 2012,[149] Amazon Prime Video in January 2013,[150] and Crunchyroll in October 2024.[151] In June 2024, YouTube ended support for🌝 its Wii channel.[152] In January 2024, Nintendo ended support for all streaming services on the Wii.[67]
Parental controls
The console features parental🌝 controls, which can be used to prohibit younger users from playing games with content unsuitable for their age level. When🌝 one attempts to play a Wii or Virtual Console game, it reads the content rating encoded in the game data;🌝 if this rating is greater than the system's set age level, the game will not load without a password. Parental🌝 controls may also restrict Internet access, which blocks the Internet Channel and system-update features. Since the console is restricted to🌝 GameCube functionality when playing GameCube Game Discs, GameCube software is unaffected by Wii parental-control settings.[153]
The Wii also includes a system🌝 that records the playtime based on any game or app on the system. While Nintendo decided against a profile system🌝 that would require each user to identify themselves, they kept the cumulative playtime tracking system, which cannot be erased or🌝 altered, to give parents the means to review their children's use of the Wii.[133]
Games
Wii optical disc in case
Retail copies of🌝 games are supplied on proprietary, DVD-type Wii optical discs, which are packaged in keep cases with instructions. In Europe, the🌝 boxes have a triangle at the bottom corner of the paper sleeve-insert side. The triangle is color-coded to identify the🌝 region for which the title is intended and which manual languages are included. The console supports regional lockout: software available🌝 in a region can be only played on that region's hardware.[154]
Twenty-one games were announced for launch day in North and🌝 South America, with another twelve announced for release later in 2006.[155] Among the system's launch titles in all regions included🌝 Wii Sports, which was bundled in all Wii packages except in Japan and South Korea,[156] The Legend of Zelda: Twilight🌝 Princess,[157] Sega's Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, and Ubisoft's Red Steel.[155] Metroid Prime 3: Corruption had been slated as a🌝 Wii launch title,[158] but was pushed into 2007 a few months before the Wii's launch.[159] Nintendo had also planned to🌝 release Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a launch title, but its director Masahiro Sakurai stated there were difficulties in adapting🌝 the format to the Wii's motion controls to require more time for the game's development.[160]
New Wii games included those from🌝 Nintendo's flagship franchises such as The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Pokémon, and Metroid. Nintendo has received third-party support from🌝 companies such as Ubisoft, Sega, Square Enix, Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and Capcom, with more games being developed for Wii🌝 than for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.[161] Nintendo also launched the New Play Control! line, a selection of enhanced🌝 ports of first-party GameCube games that have been updated to capitalize on the Wii's motion controls.[162]
Backward compatibility
The first model of🌝 the Wii has GameCube Memory Card and controller slots to provide backward compatibility.
The original launch Wii consoles are backward-compatible with🌝 all GameCube software, memory cards, and controllers, although Korean Wii consoles are not backwards compatible at all.[163] Software compatibility is🌝 achieved by the slot-loading drive's ability to accept GameCube discs. A Wii console running a GameCube disc is restricted to🌝 GameCube functionality, and a GameCube controller is required to play GameCube titles. A GameCube memory card is also necessary to🌝 save game progress and content, since the Wii internal flash memory will not save GameCube games.[164] Also, backward compatibility is🌝 limited in some areas. For example, online and LAN-enabled features for GameCube titles are unavailable on the Wii, since the🌝 console lacks serial ports for the GameCube Broadband Adapter and Modem Adapter.[165] The revised Wii model and the Wii Mini🌝 lack the GameCube backward compatibility features.[125][15]
Virtual Console
The Virtual Console service allowed Wii owners to play games originally released for Nintendo's🌝 older consoles, including the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and the Nintendo 64.[166] Later updates included games from🌝 third-party consoles and computers, including the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and Sega Mark III/Master System, NEC TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, SNK Neo Geo,🌝 the Commodore 64 computer, the MSX computer (only in Japan), and various arcade games through Virtual Console Arcade.[166][167][168][169] Virtual Console🌝 games were distributed over broadband Internet via the Wii Shop Channel and were saved to the Wii internal flash memory🌝 or to a removable SD card. Once downloaded, Virtual Console games can be accessed from the Wii Menu as individual🌝 channels or from an SD card via the SD Card Menu.[170]
WiiWare
WiiWare was Nintendo's foray into digital distribution on the Wii,🌝 comparable to the existing Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. The service allowed players to purchase games digitally through the🌝 Wii Shop, downloading the games to their local memory cards to be run from them. Besides facilitating this form of🌝 distribution, WiiWare was also envisioned to help support smaller and independent game developers, offering these teams a less expensive route🌝 to produce Wii games without having to go through retail production and distribution channels.[172][173] The WiiWare channel launched on March🌝 25, 2008, and remained active including through the Wii U's lifetime until the Wii Shop Channel was discontinued in 2024.[20][174]
Reception
Critical🌝 reviews
The system was well received after its exhibition at E3 2006, winning the Game Critics Awards for Best of Show🌝 and Best Hardware.[175] Later in December, Popular Science named the console a Grand Award Winner in home entertainment.[176] The game🌝 proceeded to win multiple awards; the console was awarded Spike TV's Video Games Award,[177] a Golden Joystick from the Golden🌝 Joystick Awards,[178] and an Emmy Award for game controller innovation from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.[179] IGN🌝 and The Guardian named the Wii the 10th greatest video game console of all time out of 25,[180][181] and GameSpot🌝 chose the console as having the best hardware in its "Best and Worst 2006" awards.[182]
The Wii was praised for its🌝 simple yet responsive controls, as well as its simplicity that appeals to broader audiences. Although Dan Grabham of Tech Radar🌝 enjoyed its simple mechanics, stating how "even grandparents can pick things up pretty quickly", he also enjoyed the depth of🌝 content carried over from the GameCube.[183] CNET likened the "no-brainer" setup and the easy to navigate home screen.[184] Will Wright,🌝 the creator of The Sims, called the Wii "the only next gen system I've seen", and rather considered the PS3🌝 and the Xbox 360 as simply successors with "incremental improvement". He believed that the Wii did not only improve on🌝 graphics, but also complimented how it "hits a completely different demographic".[185] Reviewers were fond of the compact design,[184] with Ars🌝 Technica comparing it to an Apple product.[186]
By 2008, two years after the Wii's release,[187] Nintendo acknowledged several limitations and challenges🌝 with the system (such as the perception that the system catered primarily to a "casual" audience[188] and was unpopular among🌝 hardcore gamers).[189] Miyamoto admitted that the lack of support for high-definition video output on the Wii and its limited network🌝 infrastructure also contributed to the system being regarded separately from its competitors' systems, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.[190] Miyamoto🌝 originally defended Nintendo's decision to not include HD graphics in the Wii, stating that the number of HDTV's in people's🌝 homes at the time was "really not that high, yet. Of course I think five years down the road it🌝 would be pretty much a given that Nintendo would create an HD system, but right now the predominant television set🌝 in the world is a non-HD set."[191] In 2013, Miyamoto said in an interview with Japanese video game website 4Gamer🌝 that "Even for the Wii, no matter how much it made the system cost, it would have been great if🌝 it were HD in the first place."[192]
At the same time, criticism of the Wii Remote and Wii hardware specifications had🌝 surfaced. Former GameSpot editor and Giantbomb founder Jeff Gerstmann stated that the controller's speaker produces low-quality sound,[193] while Factor 5🌝 co-founder Julian Eggebrecht stated that the console has inferior audio capabilities and graphics.[194] UK-based developer Free Radical Design stated that🌝 the Wii hardware lacks the power necessary to run the software it scheduled for release on other seventh-generation consoles.[195] Online🌝 connectivity of the Wii was also criticized; Matt Casamassina of IGN compared it to the "entirely unintuitive" service provided for🌝 the Nintendo DS.[196]
Although the Wii Mini was met with praise for being cheap, considering it was bundled with a Wii🌝 Remote, Nunchuk and a copy of Mario Kart Wii,[197][198] it was considered inferior compared to the original console. Critics were🌝 disappointed in the lack of online play and backwards compatibility with GameCube games,[197][199][200] and also believed the hardware was still🌝 rather quite large, being about half the size of the Wii;[197] Eurogamer's Richard Leadbetter thought the Wii Mini was not🌝 any more "living room friendly", as he believed the "bright red plastics make it stand out much more than the🌝 more neutral blacks and whites of existing model's casing." He stated that the overall design was rough in texture, and🌝 seemed to have been built with emphasis on durability.[198] Nintendo Life reviewer Damien McFerran said that the lightweight design of🌝 the Wii Mini makes it feel "a little cheaper and less dependable" with empty space inside the shell.[199] CNET criticized🌝 the pop-open lid for inserting disks to be "cheap-feeling".[197]
Third-party development
The Wii's success caught third-party developers by surprise due to constraints🌝 of the hardware's distinct limitations; this led to apologies for the quality of their early games. In an interview with🌝 Der Spiegel, Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot and Alain Corre admitted that they made a mistake in rushing out their launch titles,🌝 promising to take future projects more seriously.[201] An executive for Frontline Studios stated that major publishers were wary of releasing🌝 exclusive titles for the Wii, due to the perception that third-party companies were not strongly supported by consumers.[202] 1UP editor🌝 Jeremy Parish stated that Nintendo was the biggest disappointment for him in 2007. Commenting on the lack of quality third-party🌝 support, he stated that the content was worse than its predecessors, resulting in "bargain-bin trash".[203]
Additionally, the lack of third-party support🌝 also came from the fact that first-party games released by Nintendo were too successful, and developers were having issues with🌝 competing. Game developers, such as Rod Cousens, CEO of Codemasters were having issues with the slow sales on the Wii.🌝 The Nikkei Business Daily, a Japanese newspaper, claimed that companies were too nervous to start or continue making games for🌝 the console, some of which considering the Wii to be a fad that will eventually die down in popularity.[204] Nintendo🌝 considered why this was the case was due to the fact that they "know the Wii's special characteristics better than🌝 anyone", and began developing the games for the console long before its release, giving them a head start.[205]
Due to struggling🌝 sales during 2010, developers began creating alternative options. Capcom took note of the difficulty of making money on the Wii,🌝 and shifted their content to making less games, but with higher quality.[206] According to Sony, many third-party developers originally making🌝 games for the Wii started focusing attention more of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[207]
Sales
Global Wii sales (cumulative). See or🌝 edit source data.
Initial consumer reaction to the Wii appears to have been positive, with commentators judging the launch to have🌝 been successful.[208] The launch of the Wii in November 2006 was considered the largest console launch by Nintendo in the🌝 Americas,[209][210] Japan,[211] Europe and Australia.[212][213] The console outsold combined sales of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in several regions🌝 in its launch period.[214][215][216] The Wii remained in short supply through the first year. The company had already shipped nearly🌝 3.2 million units worldwide by the end of 2006,[217] and worked to raise production amounts to 17.5 million through 2007,🌝 but warned consumers that there would be shortages of the Wii through that year.[218][219][220] Wii sales surpassed Xbox 360 sales🌝 by September 2007.[221] To meet further demand, Nintendo increased production rates of the Wii from 1.6 million to around 2.4🌝 million units per month in 2008, planning to meet the continued demand for the console.[222][223]
At the March 2009 Game Developers🌝 Conference, Iwata reported that the Wii had reached 50 million sales.[224] Nintendo announced its first price reductions for the console🌝 in September 2009, dropping the MSRP fromR$249.99 toR$199.99. The price cut had come days after both Sony and Microsoft announced🌝 similar price cuts on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. Nintendo stated that the price reduction was in anticipation🌝 of drawing in more consumers who still cautious about buying a video game console.[126] The Wii became the best-selling home🌝 video game console produced by Nintendo during 2009, with sales exceeding 67 million units.[225][226]
In 2010, sales of the Wii began🌝 to decline, falling by 21 percent from the previous year.[227] The drop in sales was considered to be due to🌝 a combination of the introduction of the PlayStation Move and Kinect motion control systems on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox🌝 360 systems, and the waning fad of the Wii system.[228] Wii sales also weakened into 2011 as third-party support for🌝 the console waned; major publishers were passing over the Wii which was underpowered and used non-standard development tools, and instead🌝 focused on games for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and personal computers. Publishers were also drawn away from the Wii🌝 with the promise of the more powerful Wii U in the near future.[229][230] Wii sales continued to decline into 2012,🌝 falling by half from the previous year.[231] After its release in Canada on December 7, 2012, the Wii Mini had🌝 sold 35,700 units by January 31, 2013.[5][232]
The Wii surpassed 100 million units sold worldwide during the second quarter of 2013.[233]🌝 The Wii had total lifetime sales of 101.63 million consoles worldwide as of March 31, 2024, the last reported data🌝 for the console by Nintendo.[k] At least 48 million consoles were sold in North America, 12 million in Japan, and🌝 40 million in all other regions.[234] As of 2024 , the Wii is the fifth-best-selling home console of all time,🌝 surpassed by the original PlayStation (102.4 million units), the PlayStation 4 (117.2 million units), the Nintendo Switch (125.62 million units),🌝 and the PlayStation 2 (159 million units).[235] As of 2024 , the Wii is Nintendo's second-best-selling home console, having been🌝 outsold by the Nintendo Switch at 125.62 million units.[h][235][236]
As of September 30, 2024 , nine Wii games had sold over🌝 ten million units globally, which included Wii Sports (82.90 million, including pack-in copies), Mario Kart Wii (37.38 million), Wii Sports🌝 Resort (33.14 million), New Super Mario Bros. Wii (30.32 million), Wii Play (28.02 million), Wii Fit (22.67 million), Wii Fit🌝 Plus (21.13 million), Super Smash Bros. Brawl (13.32 million), and Super Mario Galaxy (12.80 million).[237] A total of 921.85 million🌝 titles had been sold for the Wii by June 30, 2024.[238] The popularity of Wii Sports was considered part of🌝 the console's success, making it a killer app for the Wii as it drew those that typically did not play🌝 video games to the system.[239]
Legal issues
There were a number of legal challenges stemming from the Wii and Wii Remote. Several🌝 of these were patent-related challenges from companies claiming the Wii Remote infringed on their patents. Most of these were either🌝 dismissed or settled out of court. One challenge was from iLife Technologies Inc., who sued Nintendo over their Wii Remote's🌝 motion detection technology for patent infringement in 2013. iLife initially won a US$10.1 million judgement against Nintendo in 2024. The🌝 case was overturned in 2024, with the appellate court ruling that iLife's patents were too broad to cover the specific🌝 motion detection technologies developed by Nintendo.[240]
There were lawsuits against Nintendo claiming physical damage done by ineffective wrist straps on the🌝 Wii Remote when they slipped out of players' hands and broke television screens or windows.[93] The first class action suit🌝 filed in December 2006 led Nintendo to issue a product recall for the existing wrist straps and send out new🌝 versions that had an improved securing mechanism for the wrist.[241] A second class action lawsuit was filed by a mother🌝 in Colorado in December 2008, claiming the updated wrist straps were still ineffective.[242] This suit was dismissed by September 2010,🌝 finding for Nintendo that the wrist straps were not knowingly faulty under Colorado consumer protection laws.[243]
Legacy
Impact on Nintendo
The Wii has🌝 been recognized as Nintendo's "blue ocean" strategy to differentiate itself from its competitors Sony and Microsoft for the next several🌝 years.[244] The Wii has since become seen as a prime example of an effective blue ocean approach. While Sony and🌝 Microsoft continued to innovate their consoles on hardware improvements to provide more computational and graphics power, Nintendo put more effort🌝 towards developing hardware that facilitated new ways to play games. This was considered a key part to the success of🌝 the console, measured by sales over its competitors during that console generation.[245][246] However, Nintendo did not maintain this same "blue🌝 ocean" approach when it took towards designing the Wii U, by which point both Sony and Microsoft had caught up🌝 with similar features from the Wii. These factors partially contributed towards weak sales of the Wii U.[246]
Part of the Wii's🌝 success was attributed to its lower cost compared to the other consoles. While Microsoft and Sony have experienced losses producing🌝 their consoles in the hopes of making a long-term profit on software sales, Nintendo reportedly had optimized production costs to🌝 obtain a significant profit margin with each Wii unit sold.[247] Soichiro Fukuda, a games analyst at Nikko Citigroup, estimated that🌝 in 2007, Nintendo's optimized production gave them a profit from each unit sold ranging fromR$13 in Japan toR$49 in the🌝 United States andR$74 in Europe.[248][249] The console's final price at launch ofR$249.99 made it comparatively cheaper than the Xbox 360🌝 (which had been available in two models priced atR$299 andR$399) and the then-upcoming PlayStation 3 (also to be available in🌝 two models priced atR$499 andR$599). Further, Nintendo's first-party games for the Wii were set at an retail price ofR$50, aboutR$10🌝 less expensive than average games for Nintendo's competitors. Iwata stated they were able to keep the game price lower since🌝 the Wii was not as focused on high-resolution graphics in comparison to the other consoles, thus keeping development costs lower,🌝 averaging aboutR$5 million per game compared toR$20 million required for developing on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.[250][72]
Health effects
The Wii🌝 was marketed to promote a healthy lifestyle via physical activity. It has been used in physical rehabilitation, and its health🌝 effects have been studied for several conditions.[251][252] The most studied uses of Wii for rehabilitation therapy are for stroke, cerebral🌝 palsy, Parkinson's disease,[251][253][254] and for balance training.[252][255][256][257] The potential for adverse effects from video game rehabilitation therapy (for example, from🌝 falls) has not been well studied as of 2024.[251]
A study published in the British Medical Journal stated that Wii players🌝 use more energy than they do playing sedentary computer games, but Wii playing was not an adequate replacement for regular🌝 exercise.[258][259] Some Wii players have experienced musculoskeletal injuries known as Wiiitis, Wii knee, Wii elbow (similar to tennis elbow) or🌝 nintendinitis from repetitive play; a small number of serious injuries have occurred, but injuries are infrequent and most are mild.[260][261]
In🌝 May 2010, Nintendo gave the American Heart Association (AHA) aR$1.5 million gift;[262] the AHA endorsed the Wii with its Healthy🌝 Check icon, covering the console and two of its more active games, Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort.[263][264]
Homebrew, hacking,🌝 and emulation
Demonstration of the Wii Remote used as the sensor for a light pen-type computer input device
The Wii has become🌝 a popular target for homebrewing new functionality and video games since its discontinuation. For example, homebrew projects have been able🌝 to add DVD playback to unmodified Wii consoles.[265] The Wii also can be hacked to enable an owner to use🌝 the console for activities unintended by the manufacturer.[266] Several brands of modchips are available for the Wii.[267]
The Wii Remote also🌝 became a popular unit to hack for other applications. As it connected through standard Bluetooth interfaces, programmers were able to🌝 reverse engineer the communications protocol and develop application programming interfaces for the Wii Remote for other operating systems, and subsequently🌝 games and applications that used the Wii Remote on alternate platforms. Further hacks at the hardware level, typically taking apart🌝 the Wii Remote and Sensor Bar and reconfiguring its components in other configurations, led to other applications such as remote🌝 hand and finger tracking, digital whiteboards, and head tracking for virtual reality headsets.[268][269]
The Wii has been a popular system for🌝 emulation; while the act of creating such emulators in a cleanroom-type approach have been determined to be legal, the actions🌝 of bringing the Wii system software and games to other systems has been of questionable legality and Nintendo has actively🌝 pursued legal action against those that distribute copies of their software. The open-source Dolphin project has been able to successfully🌝 emulate the Wii and GameCube through several years of cleanroom efforts.[270]
Music
Joe Skrebels of IGN has argued that the Wii's greatest🌝 and longest lasting legacy is that of the music composed by Totaka for the console, writing: "Motion controls, Miis, and🌝 balance boards have all been removed or diminished as Nintendo moved on, but take a quick look across YouTube, TikTok,🌝 or Twitter, and I guarantee it won't take all that long to hear a Wii track. Covers and memes featuring🌝 music from the Wii are everywhere. Music written for the Wii has taken on a new life as a cultural🌝 touchstone, and inspired people far beyond the confines of the little white wedge it was composed for."[138] The Washington Post's🌝 Michael Andor Brodeur described the Mii Channel music as "a cultural touchstone",[139] while Martin Robinson of Eurogamer called the theme🌝 of the Wii Shop Channel "a song so infectious it went on to become a meme";[140] both the Mii Channel🌝 theme and Wii Shop Channel theme have inspired jazz covers.[139][140]
Notes
See also
References
Works cited
