Smart Home Lifestyle

August 25, 2007

Wii bridges generation gap between the young and young-at-heart

S ince it launched in November, Nintendo's Wii has become a social phenomenon, changing the way we play video games, with real-life motion to bowl the ball, swing the club and punch out the opponent.

"Wii will be where gamers and their friends and family are gathering to have fun," said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "The best way to understand the fun of Wii is to try it for yourself."

The Wii package, which runs just less than $250, comes with a console, remote, nunchuck attachment and Wii Sport, which includes tennis, golf, baseball, bowling and boxing. Wii goes where you go. Measuring in at about the size of three stacked DVD cases, Wii can be transported from TV to TV or taken along in your travels. Wii can even be found in places like Six Flags Theme Parks and Norwegian Cruise Line Ships.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Wii is the hippest "halftime" offering at Sadgebrook retirement community in Lincolnshire, where the average age is 77.

"I've never been into video games, but this is addictive," said 72-year-old Flora Dierbach to the Tribune. "They come in after dinner and play. Sometimes, on Saturday afternoons, their grandkids come play with them. A lot of grandparents are being taught by their grandkids. But now, some grandparents are instead teaching their grandkids."

And what's the best part? Wii's simplicity.

"People have no fear of picking up a remote control, but they're hesitant to pick up a video game controller," said Beth Llewelyn, Nintendo's senior director of corporate communications. "So the idea was to make the controller look like a remote control with just a couple of buttons."

But Wii's not just about movement; it's also big on mind games.

"With Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree, users can come together socially while challenging themselves mentally," Harrison said. "Brain games have been a hit for Nintendo DS, so we're building on those successes for Wii and carrying the brain games series' fun and energy into the living room, where everyone can have fun together."

Any other perks? Wii's wireless networking ability.

"With an Internet connection rate reaching 40 percent, Wii owners have more options than ever to find the kinds of games they love to play," Harrison said. "Beyond the Wii Shop Channel, all types of people are getting connected and checking out the information and entertainment options available on the Wii Menu. Whether voting, creating a Mii or just checking the weather, everyone has a favorite channel."

Just remember that the Wii Channels can only be accessed when you have the Opera browser and your Wii console is connected to the Internet.

So, what about compatibility? The Wii is backward-compatible to all Nintendo GameCube games and includes four ports for controllers and two slots for memory cards.

Any downfalls? Wii may stand apart in the education and exercise department, but it doesn't stack up against the competition when it comes to standards like DVD players, Blu-ray DVD players and high-definition inputs. Plus, the good software titles stay consistent with the rest, with excessive prices as high as $50 to $60.

Some new software titles to look for are "High School Musical," for you singers, to be released in November; "Dance Dance Revolution," for you dancers in October. And for those Asheville golfers who can't wait for Tiger's real arrival, here's a preview: "Tiger Woods 08 PGA Golf Tour," available next week.

Author: Diana Kostigen, Marketing/Public Relations Director, Comtec