Wii Impressions

Now that I've had a few days to play with Nintendo's Wii I thought I'd share some impressions of it. First, I am pleased with the general experience of using the console and the fact that you can do more than just play games with it. You can download games and applications (a web browser is expected), view pictures, listen to music, send messages to friends, etc.

The wii-mote and nunchuck work well (they met my expectations going in) and are very responsive to motion. The mouse-like functionality (which as we said earlier, relies on infrared LEDs and a camera inside the wii-mote) also works well, though it's not 1:1. The cursor doesn't appear exactly where you point. This is okay, since it' just feels like using a mouse. It would have been nice if you could calibrate the cursor so it mapped perfectly to your TV. Interestingly, you can also roll the wii-mote and the cursor rotates on screen - a nice touch that shows what the wiimote is capable of. The wiimote can also tell how far you are from the screen. The wiimote seems to be able to tell how it's pointed in full 6DOF 3d though I suspect it might just be extrapolating that from the motion sensors, since it seems to be a bit slow or innaccurate in that department. My fiance was playing Wii Sports golf and the game thought she had swung when she moved the wii-mote in the opposite direction. Still, all these things aside, the experience of treating the controller like a bat or a golf club or a tennis racket really feels immersive and is kind of novel. It has been done before in games like Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and others but it will be the first console that really emphasizes this style of gameplay. And I think it's good that kids will be able to get some excercise. I wonder how long it will be before we see a fitness oriented game? I also think the wii-mote has the potential to be a very accurate input device for FPS games (as good as a keyboard / mouse setup).

I think the console will appeal to parents and non-game players more than past consoles. As a test, I showed my grandmother in-law Final Fantasy XII and then the Wii. She was fairly turned off by the fantasy stuff and the violence in FFXII, but she got excited when she saw Wii sports and watched us play for quite a bit. I've already heard several "grown ups" talk about the Wii around the office, so this is a good sign for Nintendo. It has a very good buzz right now.

The wii-mote is dangerous. I can easily see why people have broken TV's and/or injured onlookers with this thing. The problem is that the wiimote is both slippery (if you are perspiring) and fairly weighty. Excited gesturing could easily send it flying. My fiance has already smacked me a couple times with the controller. I think I will spray the battery door with some rubber spray that I have left over and see if that helps.

There are only a few downers for me about this system. One is the graphics. It's too bad that Nintendo couldn't find a way to add more graphical power to the system. Sure it's a nice, compact little system that's affordable, but I would rather have a slightly bigger box and pay a little more for better graphics. I'm not saying this ruins the system, but it could have turned a very good console into an even better one. Also, it's disappointing to think I'll be playing the same Gamecube grade graphics for the next 5 or so years. But, in a way it forces developers to be more creative and to leverage the unique controls rather than going for eye candy. The other downer is the current lack of content on the online service and lack of titles that support online play. Right now the weather and news channels are not working yet and there are only a dozen or so games available for download in the virtual console. But, I'm sure these things will be addressed in time. Hopefully Nintendo will make their online offerings equal to Microsoft and Sony's.