Wii (Nintendo)

Quote from: Wikipedia

Hardware
The Wii console is Nintendo's smallest home unit yet; measuring 44 mm wide, 157 mm tall, and 215.4 mm deep in the vertical orientation without the included stand (which itself measures 55.4 mm wide, 44 mm tall, and 225.6 mm deep). It is approximately the size of three standard DVD cases stacked together (approx. 4.5 cm x 15 cm x 20 cm). The console can be stood either horizontally or vertically. The front of the console features a slot-loading media drive illuminated by a blue light and accepts both 12cm optical discs for Wii software and 8cm discs from Nintendo's prior console, the GameCube. The Disc slot light illuminates briefly when the console is turned on and when WiiConnect 24 is turned on and when receiving new data, such as messages, and have selected "Bright" or "Dim" in the "Slot Illumination" settings for WiiConnect24. The disc slot light does not stay illuminated during game play or using other features of the Wii console. The ability to load differently sized discs is uncommon in slot-loading media drives, which typically only accept discs of a single size. Two USB ports (at the rear) and one SD card slot (behind a flap cover at the front of the console) are provided. A software update first needs to be downloaded from Nintendo to enable save/write functionality for SD cards.

Nintendo has shown the console and the Wii Remote in various colors, including white, black, silver, lime green, and red. The console will initially be available only in white. At E3 2006, the Wii Remote was shown in light blue. Numerous minor changes were made to the design between its original unveiling and launch, mostly in the Nintendo branding used and button placements.

A Nintendo spokesperson confirmed that Nintendo plans to release a version of the console with DVD-Video playback capabilities in Japan. The spokesperson also stated that releases of the DVD-Video capable version in other territories are not currently planned. On November 8, 2006, digital media company Sonic Solutions issued a press release stating that Nintendo has chosen their CinePlayer CE DVD Navigator software engine to provide DVD-Video functionality for a future version of the Wii console for release in the latter half of 2007. Nintendo of America confirmed to GameDaily BIZ on November 13, 2006 that the DVD-Video enabled Wii would be coming to North America at a higher price point than the standard Wii. Even though software will be used to enable DVD-Video functionality, it "requires more than a firmware upgrade" and could not be implemented through the WiiConnect24 network.

The Wii Remote
The Wii Remote is a one-handed controller that uses a combination of accelerometers and infrared detection (in conjunction with the sensor bar) to sense its position in 3D space. This allows users to control the game using physical gestures as well as traditional button presses. The controller connects to the Wii console using Bluetooth, and features force feedback, 4KB non-volatile memory[53] and an internal speaker. The controller can connect to other devices through a proprietary port at the base of the controller. Perhaps the most important of these is the Nunchuk unit, which features an accelerometer and a traditional analog stick with two trigger buttons.

Sensor bar
The sensor bar comes with the Wii console and can be placed anywhere near the display screen parallel to the screen's horizontal edge.[54] Nintendo's developers went through several versions of the sensor bar[54]. The final release version of the bar is approximately 20cm long[55] and comes with its own stand[55] for positioning in front of the TV. The use of the sensor bar allows the Wii Remote to be used as an accurate pointing device up to 5 meters.

"Sensor bar" is a misnomer as all sensing is done within the Wii Remote. The bar contains two sets of infrared LEDs, one set at either end. The orientation of the sets of LEDs relative to the remote are used to help determine its position and orientation. The functionality of the sensor bar has been shown to be reproducible using two ordinary TV remote controls.

Concerns about the sensor bar being adversely affected by halogen lights and sunlight were raised after demo units failed to function optimally when placed outside. Nintendo confirmed that the sensitivity can be decreased by extreme lighting. However, this issue is not likely to come up in most homes.

Software library
Games representing all of Nintendo's flagship franchises, such as the Zelda, Metroid, Mario, Animal Crossing, Pokémon, Super Smash Bros., and Fire Emblem series have been announced for the Wii console. Likewise, there are many original titles for it as well as many expected third party games. Ubisoft has upped their number of titles in development for the console to 14 (eight of which are to be launch games and only three of which were previously known about), while Midway Games has announced they have six titles in development, and EA has recently increased their development efforts for the console, declaring they are going to support it '100%'.

Following a statement from Perrin Kaplan that the system would be region-free, Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe have come to an agreement that the console will be region-locked. However, the information was conveyed through an interview followed by corrections from spokespersons and has left some uncertainty on the matter.