Monday, July 14, 2008
Nintendo Wii Review
Nintendo Wii Review by Aaron Stanton, for About.com
In the 7 years I've been working as a journalist in the industry, the Nintendo Wii is the most unique console I've ever played. Nintendo's tiny system, by far the smallest of this generation, has received a tremendous amount of positive press in the time since its launch. But how has it survived since then? Now that the shine has dulled a little, how good is the Nintendo Wii? While there's no doubt that Nintendo's motion-sensing approach to the next generation is bold, it hinges on the success of the technology. If the Nintendo wand is capable of doing what it's supposed to do, the Wii is a success. If it can't, the Wii is in serious trouble.
Even after many months with the Nintendo Wii, my impressions are still extremely good. While the technology behind the Wii is not perfect, Nintendo can rest assured that their current popularity is not simply a fluke.
Within moments of plugging in the Wii, my living room attracted and retained the interest of non-gamers, people that didn't know what a Wii was before playing it in person. It continued that way throughout the week. It continued that way throughout the year. It continues to this day. While the graphics may be far below those of the competition, Nintendo managed to target the casual gamer in exactly the way that they wanted. The Xbox 360 might have brilliant graphics with a competitive price, and the PS3 is certainly beautiful and robust, but the Wii has a factor X that simply isn't available elsewhere.
Review Summary:
* Ups: Innovative controls. Strong appeal to the non-gamer. The physical focus adds a new dimension to gaming. Built in Wi-Fi. Comes with a game.
* Downs: Controls are not always responsive. Online support falls short of Xbox Live standards. Weak graphics when compared to other systems.
* Compare Prices: Nintendo Wii
* Images of the Wii
How Well Does the Controller Work?
Unlike the other next-gen systems, the Wii has one dominate characteristic that simply has to work in order for it to be a success. The Wiimote. The Wii's controller uses motion sensing technology to interact with your games. In the Legend of Zelda, for example, you make small slashing gestures with the Wiimote to swing your sword. In another title, you hold the Wiimote like a baseball bat and swing in order to hit a ball. The Wiimote is tracked in 3D space, including rotational orientation, and can be used as a pointer on the TV thanks an infrared sensor bar. But how well does the technology actually work?
The only way to answer that question is to take a look at it in the context of a game, and - even months after the system started selling - the most versatile use of the Wiimote is offered by the game that ships with it, Wii Sports. Wii Sports uses the Wiimote in several ways, different for each game it offers: Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Boxing, and Golf. Surprisingly, the Wiimote comes across as more responsive in some games in Wii Sports than others, ranging in accuracy from extremely good to mildly OK. For example, holding the baseball bat feels extremely responsive, and holding the controller differently results in holding the baseball bat differently in the game. You can consistently hit the ball up or down depending on how high you swing the bat, and it's evident that the Wii knows where the controller is. On the other end of the spectrum is the Wii Sports Boxing game. While extremely fun, throwing a punch in Boxing only sometimes gets your character to do what you want. Blocking and dodging, which involve holding the controllers up to your face and moving back and forth, is extremely gratifying, but don't expect to be able to throw a reliable series of punches. Punching high or low and in rapid succession is difficult to do reliably. The other games fall between those two.
Slight Problems:
There are other concerns that come up, though. For example, it's more accurate to use the pointer when sitting directly in front of the TV. The Wiimote still works if used from a side angle, but the cursor stops moving smoothly and jiggles on the screen when you point. On my system, this happens more when using the Wiimote on the left side of the TV screen than on the right - on the right, you can use the Wiimote at up to an almost 90 degree angle from the infrared bar, and a much smaller angle from the left. The concern, then, is whether or not all the players in a mulitplayer game are equal.
You can see the problem. If you want to win, I suggest grabbing the middle spot, because it's possible that you'll be at a disadvantage otherwise. Even when playing by myself I find I have to adjust the direction of the screen from time to time, which is something I've never worried about with past systems.
Potentially a bigger problem is the Wii's tendency to turn off the Wiimote in the middle of play, particularly in games that don't require you to push buttons. I've had this issue with every controller I've used. Tennis, for example, relies on motion instead of button pushing in order to play, and I miss at least one ball per game because, at some point, the Wiimote will put itself to sleep. A button push brings it back to life, but it's an odd problem and one that will make you angry more than once.
Is the Wiimote a Success?
So the question remains, how well does the Wiimote work? There are occasions when it works extremely well. At other times, not nearly as well. It's hard to decide how much is due to differences in programming and how much is the result of hardware limitations. Still, the simple answer is that the Wiimote works well the vast majority of the time, and I was left with positive impressions of the hardware after every game I've played. Does it work? Yes. Perfectly? No. Is it a success? Absolutely.
See more...
In the 7 years I've been working as a journalist in the industry, the Nintendo Wii is the most unique console I've ever played. Nintendo's tiny system, by far the smallest of this generation, has received a tremendous amount of positive press in the time since its launch. But how has it survived since then? Now that the shine has dulled a little, how good is the Nintendo Wii? While there's no doubt that Nintendo's motion-sensing approach to the next generation is bold, it hinges on the success of the technology. If the Nintendo wand is capable of doing what it's supposed to do, the Wii is a success. If it can't, the Wii is in serious trouble.
Even after many months with the Nintendo Wii, my impressions are still extremely good. While the technology behind the Wii is not perfect, Nintendo can rest assured that their current popularity is not simply a fluke.
Within moments of plugging in the Wii, my living room attracted and retained the interest of non-gamers, people that didn't know what a Wii was before playing it in person. It continued that way throughout the week. It continued that way throughout the year. It continues to this day. While the graphics may be far below those of the competition, Nintendo managed to target the casual gamer in exactly the way that they wanted. The Xbox 360 might have brilliant graphics with a competitive price, and the PS3 is certainly beautiful and robust, but the Wii has a factor X that simply isn't available elsewhere.
Review Summary:
* Ups: Innovative controls. Strong appeal to the non-gamer. The physical focus adds a new dimension to gaming. Built in Wi-Fi. Comes with a game.
* Downs: Controls are not always responsive. Online support falls short of Xbox Live standards. Weak graphics when compared to other systems.
* Compare Prices: Nintendo Wii
* Images of the Wii
How Well Does the Controller Work?
Unlike the other next-gen systems, the Wii has one dominate characteristic that simply has to work in order for it to be a success. The Wiimote. The Wii's controller uses motion sensing technology to interact with your games. In the Legend of Zelda, for example, you make small slashing gestures with the Wiimote to swing your sword. In another title, you hold the Wiimote like a baseball bat and swing in order to hit a ball. The Wiimote is tracked in 3D space, including rotational orientation, and can be used as a pointer on the TV thanks an infrared sensor bar. But how well does the technology actually work?
The only way to answer that question is to take a look at it in the context of a game, and - even months after the system started selling - the most versatile use of the Wiimote is offered by the game that ships with it, Wii Sports. Wii Sports uses the Wiimote in several ways, different for each game it offers: Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Boxing, and Golf. Surprisingly, the Wiimote comes across as more responsive in some games in Wii Sports than others, ranging in accuracy from extremely good to mildly OK. For example, holding the baseball bat feels extremely responsive, and holding the controller differently results in holding the baseball bat differently in the game. You can consistently hit the ball up or down depending on how high you swing the bat, and it's evident that the Wii knows where the controller is. On the other end of the spectrum is the Wii Sports Boxing game. While extremely fun, throwing a punch in Boxing only sometimes gets your character to do what you want. Blocking and dodging, which involve holding the controllers up to your face and moving back and forth, is extremely gratifying, but don't expect to be able to throw a reliable series of punches. Punching high or low and in rapid succession is difficult to do reliably. The other games fall between those two.
Slight Problems:
There are other concerns that come up, though. For example, it's more accurate to use the pointer when sitting directly in front of the TV. The Wiimote still works if used from a side angle, but the cursor stops moving smoothly and jiggles on the screen when you point. On my system, this happens more when using the Wiimote on the left side of the TV screen than on the right - on the right, you can use the Wiimote at up to an almost 90 degree angle from the infrared bar, and a much smaller angle from the left. The concern, then, is whether or not all the players in a mulitplayer game are equal.
You can see the problem. If you want to win, I suggest grabbing the middle spot, because it's possible that you'll be at a disadvantage otherwise. Even when playing by myself I find I have to adjust the direction of the screen from time to time, which is something I've never worried about with past systems.
Potentially a bigger problem is the Wii's tendency to turn off the Wiimote in the middle of play, particularly in games that don't require you to push buttons. I've had this issue with every controller I've used. Tennis, for example, relies on motion instead of button pushing in order to play, and I miss at least one ball per game because, at some point, the Wiimote will put itself to sleep. A button push brings it back to life, but it's an odd problem and one that will make you angry more than once.
Is the Wiimote a Success?
So the question remains, how well does the Wiimote work? There are occasions when it works extremely well. At other times, not nearly as well. It's hard to decide how much is due to differences in programming and how much is the result of hardware limitations. Still, the simple answer is that the Wiimote works well the vast majority of the time, and I was left with positive impressions of the hardware after every game I've played. Does it work? Yes. Perfectly? No. Is it a success? Absolutely.
See more...
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