What It Is

Nintendo will reshape the home entertainment and video game landscape—once again—with the launch of its heralded Wii home video game console. This next generation system combines the latest in improved game graphics and features with a revolutionary wireless control system.

Why It's Fun
 
Wii's unique control system is an inventive controller whose position can be detected in a 3-D space. The new controller allows users to interact with games by physically moving the controller. For example, in the Wii Sports tennis game, players swing the Wii Remote like a racket to hit the ball, as in real life. They can add topspin or slice the ball just by angling their hands and wrist like they would in a real match.

This innovation allows players to feel more like their "in" the games than ever before, something that will no doubt enhance game development in the future as well and gives it a significant point of difference in the game world.

Who's Going To Love It

Nintendo's goal for Wii was to develop a system that would appeal to gamers of all levels, from beginners to hard-core. One such feature is a series of on-screen "channels" that make up the Wii Channel Menu, the starting point for all of the console's functions. The "channels" offer a gateway to a rich variety of entertainment options. The Wii Channel Menu offers a simple interface, letting users pick games to play, get news or weather, view and send photos or even create playable caricatures of themselves to use in actual games. Additional functions allow users to redeem Wii Points and download classic games to Wii's Virtual Console.

What To Be Aware Of

At $249.99, Wii is by far the most affordable of the next generation game systems. However, the system, which will come with one Wii Remote and a Nunchuk, will support a bevy of accessories, sold separately, that can quickly drive up that price.

While Wii is the most talked about Nintendo product of 2006, it should also be noted that the Nintendo DS Lite was also released in 2006 and definitely worth checking out. This updated DS is slimmer, sleeker and more stylish than the original handheld DS unit, giving the DS a broader appeal.

If you're buying this for a child, always make sure you know the content of the games and that it is appropriate for the child for which they are being purchased.