History of video games/Platforms/Vii

History edit

 
The Sport Vii in box

The Vii mimics the appearance and name to the Nintendo Wii. The Vii also attempts to mimic the motion controls of the Wii,[1] but is otherwise unrelated.

The Vii was launched in China in 2007 for a price of 1,280 yuan, though by 2009 the price had lowered to 443 yuan.[2] The system was marketed as an exercise machine to circumvent the ban on gaming consoles in effect at the time.[3]

By 2007 the Vii had sold over 300,000 units.[4]

In the west the console is mainly known for its name, though some found the gameplay better than expected.[5] In China, the console holds a different legacy, as a curious device which lead some gamers to seek out authentic Wii consoles.[6]

Technology edit

The Vii uses an unspecified SunPlus 16-bit SPG2xx series processor with a custom instruction set.[7][2]

Game cartridges use NOR flash chips.[7] The system itself has 8.5 megabytes of storage for save data.[4]

Most of the chips on the motherboard are epoxied instead of packaged.[7]

The controller connects over a 2.4 gigahertz wireless connection.[4]

A flame decal for the controller was shipped with some systems.[1]

Game Library edit

 
The VG Pocket Caplet shares many games with the Vii.

Many Vii games are also found on the VG Pocket Caplet, Zone 60, Wireless 60, and Wireless Air 60.[4]

Built In edit

Cartridge Games edit

  • MaJong13[4]
  • MaJong16[4]
  • Bubble Blaster[4]
  • Jewel Master 2[4]
  • Pinball Fish[4]
  • Squirrel Bobble[4]
  • Lightning Plan[4]
  • Plumber[4]
  • Mr Onion[4]
  • Fire Fighter[4]
  • Dream Bubble[4]
  • Bump Jump[4]
  • Brave Kaka[4]
  • Hero Legend[4]
  • Rapid Stream[4]
  • Super Move Fun[4]
  • Magic Jelly[4]
  • Bump Bomb[4]
  • Tiger Rescue[4]

External Resources edit

  • Engadget - News article featuring photos of Chinese language promotion for the Vii.

References edit

  1. a b "Unboxing $50 FAKE Nintendo Wii - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  2. a b "Funny Names. • SGamers.org Singapore Gamers". forums.sgamers.org. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  3. "A Brief History of Chinese Game Consoles" (in en-us). Kotaku. https://kotaku.com/a-brief-history-of-chinese-game-consoles-1516392921. 
  4. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai "Vii". Wikipedia. 25 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  5. "Jungle Soft (Chintendo) Sport Vii". AtariAge Forums. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  6. Liao, Sara X. T. (2016-05-01). "Japanese Console Games Popularization in China: Governance, Copycats, and Gamers". Games and Culture. 11 (3): 275–297. doi:10.1177/1555412015583574. ISSN 1555-4120. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  7. a b c "SunPlus: The biggest chip company you've never heard of". Retrieved 1 November 2020.