Hardcore people wait in line for accessories and games.
Today Target, and Toys-R-Us had Wiis in-stock, and even though I did own a Wii already I braved a 2 hour wait to get a game, Wii Play. To top it off I already own 4 Wiimotes, which for many, is the only reason to buy it. I was looking for the game. I am still surprised at how many people are waiting in line for Wiis. The line was a little longer then the line that I was waiting in for my Wii. This time at target they only had 24 consoles, so a lot of people didn't get Wiis. There is also something else that I noticed while waiting in line both times, there are a lot of tween girls who want Wiis. I of course saw many boys as well, but it shows how well the Wii is penetrating into new markets. I will try to post another part of my Wiitastic post later.
wiiiiii-tastic! Part 1
So I've had a Wii for a little over 3 weeks now, and what can I say, but I'm totally in love! I'm not that much of a console gamer. I actually haven't been gaming much period. When these new consoles started coming out the parts from Sony and Microsoft both looked pretty impressive in terms of graphics capabilities, but not much else. I have had a chance to look and play with both in person and, at least to me, the graphics seems so so. I have to mention that I use to be a hard core PC gamer. So it seems that the things that I have been seeing from "next-gen" consoles was stuff I had already seen on the PC side, and to me consoles will always have an uphill battle when competing with the PC in terms of graphics quality. For example, Gears of Wars looks great when you compare it to other stuff on the console side. Once you compare it with the PC Unreal 3 engine tech thats coming over here, in terms of quality I think the PC side wins hands down. Not to mention that the PC has already surpasses the PS3, the self-proclaimed "most powerful console of the next generation" in terms of raw graphics horse power. The nVidia 8800GTX is twice as powerful as the PS3 graphics and alone, has twice the memory of a PS3's whole system (1gb video ram on the 8800 vs the 512mb total system memory on both PS3 and 360). So when I saw the Wii it was something completely different. The Wii brought innovation to the table where as the other two system seemed more like the next logical step.
When I bought the Wii I picked up an extra Wiimote and another game Rayman Raving Rabbids. Soon after I picked up Warioware Smooth Moves. The Wii itself is a very tiny system just wide enough for a DVD. It sort of reminds of the Mac Mini just slightly longer.
Design Featuring a compact design that makes it a natural addition to any television setup, the Wii console is white in color and can be displayed either vertically or horizontally.
Size
About 8.5 inches long, 6 inches wide and less than 2 inches thick (roughly the size of 3 DVD cases stacked on top of each other).
Network
The Wii console communicates wirelessly with the Internet via wireless or a Wii LAN adaptor. Wii also can connect wirelessly with Nintendo DS.
CPU / GPU
PowerPC CPU (code-named “Broadwayâ€), made with a 90nm SOI CMOS process, jointly developed with and manufactured by IBM; GPU developed with ATI.
Media
A single self-loading media bay plays single- or double-layered 12-cm optical discs for the Wii console, as well as 8-cm Nintendo GameCube discs.
Input / Output
Input: Four Wii Remotes can communicate with Wii, which features a bay for an SD memory card.
Output: An AV Multi-output port for component, composite or S-video.
WiiConnect24
The Wii console can communicate with the Internet even when the power is turned off. The WiiConnect24 service delivers a new surprise or game update, even if the system is idle. Users can connect wirelessly or by using a Wii LAN adaptor.
source: Nintendo.com
The Wii is more similar, in terms of technical specs, to the the last gen consoles then current gen ones. This certainly has some drawbacks to it. For one the graphics horsepower isn't enough to drive the hyper realistic environments of the Unreal 3 Engine, in fact, there are no plans to develop the Unreal 3 Engine on the Wii. This is the engine that is responsible for the Gear of War and the upcoming Mass Effect on the 360. However, graphics capabilities were never really the Wii's strongest selling point, what is though, is the unique Wiimote which allows you to play a game based solely on the physical movement of the controller. Sony also has a similar system that is built into the SIXAXIS controller on their PS3. However, after trying both of the system out I have to say that the Wii's system seems superior to me.
I'll post part 2 soon.
Got a Wii!
Picked up a Wii last Sunday morning. Really excited to get it and play will try to post more details when I have it time and am not playing it.