Wii and Remote

Our Nintendo Wii arrived yesterdays, finally propelling our family into 21st century gaming. The last console in our house was a hand-me-down PS1!

I ordered the Wii from Cyberport, a German online retailer something like six weeks ago, who were not even guaranteeing delivery in the first quarter of 2007. That’s how frantic the demand for the Wii currently is. I have heard reports that in Japan, the land of gaming, the Wii is outselling the Sony PlayStation3 by three to one.

Then, last week, I got an email from the store telling my the Wii it’s on it way to my in-laws in Germany, who brought it over to Jordan. Just for your info, some video game shops in Amman have been peddling Wii at the crazy price of JD 400-500, taking advantage of the global shortage. In Europe, the Wii retails for 250 Euros.

So when I arrived home on the evening the Wii arrived, I found that my 9 year old son had already installed it and was ready to play. I could not wait to get my hands on the Wiimote (the innovative wireless, motion sensitive Wii controller). And let me tell you: the experience of pointing the controller at the screen and interacting with menus and games is really amazing.

The controller which has a little built in speaker, as well as a vibrating function, provides excellent feedback as you interact with the screen. For example, the controller vibrates as you move over a clickable button on the screen, giving the interaction a more ‘tactile’ feel.

Once the Wii’s infrared sensor bar was correctly placed over our TV set, the accuracy of pointing was really good. The console can also sense the rotational movement of the controller as well as its distance from the screen.

Of course, I immediately tried out the games that came with the Wii and the extra controller that I purchased. Wii Sports and Wii Play are two collections of simple games that are meant to familiarize users with the Wii’s controllers (both the remote and the gun-style Nunchuck controller). While really straightforward, these games are a lot of fun and encourage family participation (which is another aspect of the Wii’s identity that made it the unexpected winner it currently is).

But let’s leave game playing aside for a moment. The Wii is also a wireless internet machine. In minutes the Wii found our home’s WiFi network. Once the machine was online I took it through the motions.

First, I updated the software online, a process that went very smoothly. Then I ventured onto the Wii online store where one can buy old Nintendo and Sega Megadrive games, which are compatible with the Wii (another differentiator).

But the real surprise was that the store was offering a free download of the Opera web browser. My son was asking me earlier if he will be able to play on one of his favorite websites, the flash-based ClubPenguin.com virtual world for kids. I hadn’t been aware of the free browser offered and I quickly told him that I don’t think he will be able to play flash-based games on the Wii. I was dead wrong!

As soon as I fired up the Opera browser I was on my blog page. One of my articles had an embedded YouTube video in it and, lo and behold, the video played. Next, I logged into my son’s ClubPenguin account and there it was: the virtual world of penguins in all its glory!

The browser has a nice zoom functionality which makes reading text on the low quality TV screen easier. The browser is not as usable as the one on your PC (no keyboard, no mouse, no multiple open windows) but its really great to get internet access on your TV from this little device which mainly is, please remember, a gaming console. If the Opera people improve their browser along the line of what Steve Jobs has shown on the iPhone recently, TV based browsing could become even better.

Apart from the browser, the Wii also has a news channel (Associated Press news) which has a nifty interface, allowing you to spin a globe (a bit like Google Earth) and zoom in on news items strewn across the world and read them. A weather forecast channel is also provided.

Just for fun I went back to the Wii’s online shop and actually bought the Sega Megadrive platform game Sonic the Hedgehog. I was happy to see my Jordanian WebSurfer MasterCard debit card accepted at the store. The purchase itself went fine and a minute later I was playing a classic platform game, which felt weird because I am someone who from around 1987 to 2002 has almost touched no computer or console game!

Sonic the Hedgehog

The online store is OK. Don’t expect something as slick as the iTunes music store though. The interface and content of the Wii’s virtual console store can benefit a lot from a makeover. And the games are way too expensive. I mean, why should I pay 800 Wii points (which is 8 Euros) for a 16 year old video game? Give us a break Nintendo. The same games can be bought second hand for much cheaper than that (actually a TENTH of that) on Ebay and Amazon.

Rayman and the Raving Rabbids

Finally I tried the major game that we bought for the Wii, Rayman and the Raving Rabbids, just to see how the graphics on a new-generation console game look. This game, which consists of maybe dozens of little funny mini games has been praised in reviews and seems to be a lot of fun. And to my non-expert eyes the graphics looked pretty amazing.

Nintendo have written a new page in the book of innovation with the Wii. Who would have thought a strong contender to the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 could emerge. But innovative controllers, the concentration on engaging game play, a family friendly brand and, not to forget, a reasonable price point have made the Wii a winner.

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7 responses to “We have Wii!”

  1. kinzi Avatar
    kinzi

    Thanks alot, Ahmad. I used to be able to say to my boys: “See? Even that tech writer for JT doesn’t have a PS2-3/XBox/Wii”. Guess we’ll have to dig into the college fund :(

    lol…the 9 year old installed it!

  2. Roba Avatar
    Roba

    awesome!

  3. Daniel Goldman Avatar
    Daniel Goldman

    The Opera browser on the Wii is only in beta version now. I suggest you head over to our official forums and give some valuable feedback:

    http://my.opera.com/community/forums/forum.dml?id=2081

  4. Hussein Avatar
    Hussein

    WoW.. i remember my first Atari!!

  5. Nizar Avatar
    Nizar

    i had to travel to Denmark to get my self a wii (from sweden)
    its really cool.

    check out this function, the ORB http://www.orb.com
    no installation on thw wii, just download the software
    on your computer.

    then simply you can listen and watch all your favourite
    movies, songs pictures on your wii :D

    enjoy!

  6. michael micallef Avatar
    michael micallef

    So how much is the Wii in abu dhabi ? can anyone help please

  7. Forbidden Avatar
    Forbidden

    hi there
    can you post the link of the site you orderd the wii from and did it came already moded and how long did it take to be shipied to you
    and another question
    howmuch did you pay for the shiping is it the fastest type
    or not ?