Digital Home Thoughts: Non-HD Gaming Fun: The Nintendo Wii

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Monday, April 16, 2007

Non-HD Gaming Fun: The Nintendo Wii

Posted by Chris Baxter in "HARDWARE" @ 07:00 AM


Setting up the Wii
Setting up the Wii was a breeze. The sensor bar should be centered either on top or below the TV. It then plugs into the rear of the Wii. Next connect the power supply to the Wii and an available outlet. Last but not least plug the AV cable into the TV and the other end into the Wii. The system is now setup and ready to be turned on. You need not worry about the Wii remote because it is configured to work with the Wii from the factory. Any additional remotes need to be manually synced with the Wii. To synchronize a new remote to the Wii you simply press the sync button located behind the battery door on the remote and then press the sync button located inside the SD compartment.

The Wii Experience
One thing that annoyed me right from the start is that the Wii remote uses normal batteries instead of a rechargeable battery pack. Given that almost everything I own is rechargeable, I do not stock up on batteries. I realize that most people probably will not find this an issue, but considering that both the Microsoft XBOX 360 and the Sony PS3 have rechargeable controllers, it seems to me like this should have been a no brainer.

The system can be turned on from the Wii remote or a button on the front of the Wii console. When the system is turned on for the first time you are greeted with some setup questions which are easily answered and will not take much time. After this, you are taken to the Wii menu which is pretty much the center of the Wii universe. The Wii menu contains Wii channels, the system setup menus, and a messaging center. The Wii initially comes with six channels installed, but more can be added. The six channels are:

The Disc Channel – Manages any discs inserted into the Wii’s drive.
The Mii Channel – Here you create and manage Miis. Miis are graphical representations of yourself and anyone else that might want to play on the system. They can be used in certain games and are fun to create.
The Photo Channel – Used to display photos that you may have downloaded onto the Wii or that you have stored on SD cards.
The Wii Store Channel – Here is where you can download new channels or buy classic games. You can buy and play games from the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, or Turbo Grafix 16 platforms.
The Forecast Channel – Lets you view local weather if you have the Will connected to the Internet.
The News Channel – Lets you view news highlights if you have the Will connected to the Internet.

The system setup menus are where you go to setup preferences for the system and configure your Wii to connect to the Internet. I have a wireless network setup at home and I had no problems configuring the Wii to access it. Again I applaud the system on ease of use. The messaging center handles all system messages and other messages you might get from Nintendo.

Another thing that kind of stands out here is the lack of memory card support. The Wii has a channel designed to show off digital pictures, yet it only supports one memory card format. What if your camera takes memory sticks or compact flash cards? I think the non-technical user might find this very frustrating. Issues like this may seem small and insignificant, but they can really detract from the overall experience.

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