Digital Journal — House music thumps from loudspeakers. Arms flail wildly, finely-coiffed heads are bobbing and weaving like young Hollyfields, and beads of sweat drip off foreheads. This isn’t a packed gym, though. All this strenuous activity is exerted by technology journalists covering the sneak peek of the Nintendo Wii, the company’s upcoming next-gen console and its first in the last five years.
It’s in the Atlantis Pavilion at Toronto’s Ontario Place that I experience Wii’s unique features fist-hand, five days before its launch on Nov. 19. It’s here where I grip the Nunchuk controller and Wii Remote, both outfitted with motion sensors, and I flick my wrists to make a quarterback pass in Madden NFL ’07. I feel silly at first, and admittedly it’s quite difficult to master the controls, but I soon warm up to the idea of actually moving my body to synchronize with my on-screen character. I look around and see other journalists — some who could be young grandfathers — acting as child-like as I am, grinning the whole time.
“We are going to change consumer behaviour with Nintendo Wii,” declares Ron Bertram, vice-president and general manager of Nintendo Canada. “We want to disrupt the market.”
After scanning the packed room filled with about 135 journalists and 38 Wii consoles, I can’t help but agree with Bertram. This is no ordinary video game system: Wii encourages physical interaction, the kind that should pacify parents who lose sleep over the bulging bellies of their fraggin’-and-strafin’ children.
So in Wii Tennis I’m actually swinging the Remote to over-hand smash a lob. In Boxing, I’m constantly moving as I duck jabs and then swing my arm to uppercut my opponent. It would be comical if the stakes weren’t so high — Nintendo is pitting its motion-sensor console against the high-def Xbox 360 and the home-theatre-lovin’ PlayStation 3, the latter due to launch Nov. 17.
Wii’s graphics may not be impressive compared to the Xbox 360’s mind-blowing visuals, but Nintendo is keeping consistent with its mission: Make gameplay priority number one.
Gamers should be well-served with the Wii’s 32 launch titles available. The most recognized titles include The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, Red Steel, Call of Duty 3, Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam and Need for Speed: Carbon. In Canada, games will retail for $60.
The Wii system will be sold for $280, a package that includes one Wii Remote, one Nunchuk controller and the five-games-in-one Wii Sports.
Another add-on to this next-gen console is the Wii Channel Menu, a key starting point for the console’s main functions. These “channels” let you pick games to play, get news or weather reports, view and send photos, and create playable caricatures of yourself to use in actual games.
The Wii Virtual Console is a highlight for the nostalgic gamer. This feature allows you to download games from NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx16 consoles. As well, any of the 530 GameCube titles will work perfectly on the Wii.
As I leave the media preview, I can’t help but notice two striking images that encapsulate the new console: in the lobby, a statue of Zelda‘s boy-hero Link greets visitors with a stern grin that embodies Nintendo’s mash-up relationship with gamers. The company is known for both its adventurous and legendary games, while also struggling to compete against Sony and Microsoft in the 21st-century video game market. Link’s face is genial yet also bold.
I’m also impressed by another sight when I leave the pavilion: A line of about 100 teens wait for the public preview of the Nintendo Wii. Some kids will be sitting on the floor for three hours until they can experience the next revolution in gaming technology. I notice how patient they all look, how frustration and boredom rarely creases their faces. I shouldn’t be too surprised — they’re waiting to finally touch their Holy Grail.
[url=http://wii.nintendo.com/]http://wii.nintendo.com
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Will Nintendo’s comeback kid sink or swim in a very busy holiday season for next-gen gaming? I talked to Nintendo Canada’s Ron Bertram to go beyond the press release to find out what avid gamers can expect from the Wii.
Digital Journal:Why do you think Wii is appealing to people who’ve never been interested in video games?
Bertram: The challenge we face is to convince the public that the Wii is right for them, that we are not the status quo. We want to shatter preconceived notions about video games, and we think we can do that with our impressive features.
Digital JournalAs much as the motion-sensor control is unique, it might also annoy the couch-potato gamer who prefers to relax rather than work out with his console. Could that be a problem for Wii?
Bertram: I’ve noticed that many players exaggerate their movements with Wii. They don’t have to take these huge swinging cuts in Wii Baseball. All they need to do is focus on minimalist movements to activate the motion sensor.
Digital JournalThere have been some rumours that the next version of Wii will feature DVD playback. Is that true?
Bertram: Yes, we hope to launch another Wii sometime in 2007 that can play DVDs. We’re not sure when, though.
