Nintendo Wii

The Wii (pronounced We) is the fifth video game console released by Nintendo and the successor to the GameCube. Released in North America on 19 November 2006 and then in Japan, Europe and Australasia in the first week of December 2006, the console sold over 3 million units by the end of 2006. However, the UK suffered a massive shortage of console units, and many online and high-street stores were unable to fulfill all pre-orders.

The seventh generation console was originally known by its project code name of Revolution until April 2006, with Nintendo changing the name to make it easily remembered and pronounced by people around the world, in any language. As 'Wii' sounds like 'we', the name also emphasises that the console is for everyone. Nintendo states that the console should be simply known as Wii, rather than the Nintendo Wii, and as such is the first home console marketed by Nintendo that does not feature the company name prominently in its trademark.

The Wii competes with both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360, but is designed to target a broader demographic than either of those consoles. The system uses 12cm Wii Optical Discs and is also backwards compatible with the 8 cm Nintendo GameCube Game Disc. One of the console's most distinguishing feature however is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. Another interesting feature is WiiConnect24, which enables the console to receive updates and messages over the Internet whilst consuming very little electrical power.

In this section, we take a closer look at the Wii, including games and parental controls, Wii Channels, accessories, physical details and technical specifications.