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History of video games/Platforms/Wii

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  • The original Wii and Wiimote.
    The original Wii and Wiimote.

History

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Wii logotype.

Development

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The preceding console to the Wii was the Nintendo GameCube. Wii development began almost immediately after the launch of the GameCube.[1]

Prototype Wiimotes for the Revolution were wired controllers that reused GameCube controller plugs and GameBoy Advance SP buttons, as well as back and pause buttons instead of + and -.[2]

On April 27th, 2006 the Nintendo Revolution had its name revealed as the Nintendo Wii.[3]

Launch

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The Nintendo Wii saw a North American launch in November of 2006.[4] For over a year after launch, the Wii was regularly sold out.[5] The Wii was advertised using music composed by the Yoshida Brothers.[6]

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    Wii launch in Hamburg, Germany.
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    Wii launch in Hamburg, Germany.
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    Sign for the Wii launch at a Target.
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    The Wii often sold out during its lifespan, especially early on.
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    The Wii Hall at E3 2006

Revisions

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In October 2011 a hardware revision of the Wii was released that removed GameCube support.[7]

The Wii Mini was released in Canada in December 2012.[8] The Wii Mini also lacks GameCube support.[7]

Legacy

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101.63 million Wii consoles and 921.85 million Wii games were sold over the course of Wii production.[9]

The Wii was succeeded by the Wii U.

On January 30th, 2019 the Wii shop channel shut down.[10]

Releases for the Wii continued long after the system was discontinued, with the multi platform Shakedown Hawaii receiving a limited 3000 copy physical release in 2020.[11]

Nintendo stopped repairing Wii consoles in March 2020 due to an inability to find parts needed for repairs.[12]

Technology

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Technical strategy

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Please understand, I am not saying that technology is unimportant. I understand that technology is important. But if we are just focusing on technology and investing in an IT manufacturing plant to come up with higher performance processing [chips], we will not succeed.
—Satoru Iwata, then president of Nintendo., Interview with GameSpy[13][14]

The Wii represented a technological departure from previous home console strategies from Nintendo, focusing on features over raw compute performance. The system was effectively an evolution of the previous GameCube architecture, leading to the common developer idiom that the Wii is "two Gamecubes duct-taped together".[15] This idiom was famously used by Maxis developer Chris Heckler at a speech given at GDC (Game Developer Conference) in 2007.[15][16] While not literally true, as could be effectively be said for some console designs from the 1990's, the idiom is mostly accurate when referring to the general performance of the system, where most specifications are roughly double what the Gamecube offered.

Console

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The Wii is powered by a 32-bit PowerPC architecture IBM 750CL Broadway CPU clocked at 729 megahertz.[17] The Wii has 64 megabytes of GDDR3 RAM for general use, and 24MB of 1T-SRAM located close to the GPU.[17] The Wii uses an ATI GPU named Hollywood, clocked at 243 megahertz.[17] The GPU also includes an undocumented independent computer based on an NEC ARM926EJ-S processor, unofficially known as Starlet, and clocked at 243 megahertz and has independent ROM and RAM, which handles security tasks.[17][18]

The Wii has 512 megabytes of NAND flash storage.[17][19] The Wii's SD & SD-HC card reader supports cards with up to 32 gigabytes. Initially the system software supported SD cards with a capacity of up to 2 gigabytes. However the Wii Menu 4.0 update increased the card size support to 32 gigabytes.[19][20] The Wii uses a slightly modified full size DVD disks with special burst cuttings for game media, which are capable of holding either 4.7 or 8.45 gigabytes for one layer disks and two layer disks respectively.[21] Due to using it's own proprietary media, the Wii is unable to play standard DVD or CD disks.[21]

The Wii supports 2.4 gigahertz Wi-Fi b/g.[22][23]

The Wii Shop channel played synth Bossa Nova music while shopping.[10]

Wiimote

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The Wii became one of the first major consoles to use micromachine technology, with its integration of the MEMS Analog Devices ADXL330 three axis linear accelerometer in the Wiimote.[24]

Development Kit

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The Wii Development kit is internally similar to a Wii, but has 128 megabytes of RAM,[25] double the amount used in the consumer model. This was a common feature of development kits, as developers often required the additional overhead for tooling and technical reasons.

Notable Games

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2006

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Wii Sports

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Wii Sports at E3 2006

There was debate between Reggie Fils-Aimé and Shigeru Miyamoto as to whether Wii Sports should be a pack in title or not.[26][27] The ultimate decision to pack in this high quality casual game as a showcase of the system capabilities helped contribute to the massive success of the Wii.[28][29][30]

Read more about Wii Sports on Wikipedia.

Pokémon Battle Revolution

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Wii music at E3 2006.

Read more about Pokémon Battle Revolution on Wikipedia.

2007

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Mario Party 8

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In the United Kingdom initial copies of this game were pulled after it was discovered there was an offensive word used in game.[31]

Read more about Mario Party 8 on Wikipedia.

2008

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The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces

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Read more about The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces on Wikipedia.

2009

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Then Nintendo President Satoru Iwata at E3 2009. This photo shows the Wii Vitality sensor being promoted.

2010

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2011

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Skyward Sword demo at E3 2011.

Fortune Street

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In 2019 Fortune Street gained internet notoriety after a reference to the character Yoshi dodging taxes was found in the game, predating the meme "Yoshi commits tax fraud" by several years.[32]

Read more about Fortune Street on Wikipedia.

2012

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Special Editions

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Special editions and versions of the console.

  • Starlight Gaming Station - Kiosk for hospital use.[33]
  • Gold plated Wii - One off THQ modified Wii intended as a 2009 gift for Queen Elizabeth II.[34][35][36][37]
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Console Hardware

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    The Wii viewed from the back
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    Early Wii models offered backward compatibility with GameCube games.
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    The Wii Connect 24 Notification light.

Wii Mini

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    A late model Wii Mini
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    The Wii Mini from the front.
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    The Wii Mini from the rear.

Controllers

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    A Wiimote and Nunchuck
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    Wiimote with Motionplus
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    Wiimote with safety protector.
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    A Wii Classic Controller
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    Wii classic controller connection.
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    The Wii Wheel holds the Wiimote.
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    The Wii Fit balance board in use.
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    The Cyberbike for Wii at GamesCom.

Accessories

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    The WiFi Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector, used to create hotspots for the Wii and DS.
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    A Wii disk in case
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    A GameCube disk compared to a Wii disk.
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    Wii Remote Strap versions. Newer on left, older on right.

Development

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    A Wii development kit on display at DigitalLife 2006.
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    Illustration of an IBM Broadway chip, made on a 90nm copper SOI process.
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    Illustration of an IBM Broadway B chip, made on a 65nm copper SOI process.
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    A Wii optical disk up close. Note the two of six burst cuts visible used for copy protection.
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    Removal of Gamecube support on the Wii Family Edition

Homebrew, Technology, and Mods

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    The Homebrew Channel
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    An early version of the Homebrew Browser
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    Wii Key Modchip installed
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    Installation of a DriveKey modchip into a Wii.
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    Wii balance board circuit board.

External Resources

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Wikipedia has related information at Wii, Wii Remote, Wii MotionPlus, Classic Controller  and Wii Zapper

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wii

References

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Parts of this page are based on materials from:
 Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia.
  1. ↑ "Iwata Asks". iwataasks.nintendo.com. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  2. ↑ Frank, Allegra (28 October 2018). "Wiimote prototypes surface, and they’re a perfect throwback" (in en). Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/28/18034348/wiimote-prototypes-nintendo-revolution. Retrieved 26 October 2020. 
  3. ↑ "Nintendo Revolution name revealed". Wikinews. 27 April 2006. https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Nintendo_Revolution_name_revealed. 
  4. ↑ "Nintendo's Wii launch goes smoothly". NBC News. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Moskovciak, Matthew. "The Wii is still sold out". CNET. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "With Their Music Heard Worldwide on Nintento's Wildly Popular Wii TV Ad Campaign and the Release of a New CD, The Yoshida Bros. Continue to Capture New Fans All Around the Globe As They Embark on a US Tour and Host an Amoeba Music Instore Performance in Los Angeles on May 10th". PRWeb. May 8, 2008. https://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/05/prweb924194.htm. 
  7. ↑ a b "Nintendo Support: What Is the Difference between the Models of Wii Consoles?". en-americas-support.nintendo.com. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "Nintendo to Launch $99 'Wii Mini,' But Only in Canada. Why?". Wired. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "IR Information : Sales Data - Dedicated Video Game Sales Units". Nintendo Co., Ltd. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  10. ↑ a b "Nintendo's Wii Shop Channel shuts down today" (in en). Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2019-01-30-wii-shop-channel-shuts-down.html. Retrieved 26 October 2020. 
  11. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (27 June 2020). "Shakedown: Hawaii coming out on the Wii and the Wii U" (in en). Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-06-27-shakedown-hawaii-coming-out-on-the-wii-and-the-wii-u. Retrieved 26 October 2020. 
  12. ↑ "Nintendo will stop repairing Wii consoles in March" (in en). Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2020-01-27-nintendo-ends-wii-repairs.html. Retrieved 26 October 2020. 
  13. ↑ "GameSpy: Nintendo's New Direction - Page 1". web.archive.org. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  14. ↑ Orland, Kyle (13 July 2015). "The quotable Satoru Iwata: Nintendo's late president, in his own words". Ars Technica. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  15. ↑ a b "Wii is two duct taped Gamecubes and other publisher rants". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2007-03-08-wii-is-two-duct-taped-gamecubes-and-other-publisher-rants.html. 
  16. ↑ "GDC 2007: "The Wii is a Piece of $#&%!" - IGN" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/03/07/gdc-2007-the-wii-is-a-piece-of. 
  17. ↑ a b c d e "Wii Architecture A Practical Analysis". Rodrigo's Stuff. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  18. ↑ "Hackers Discuss Wii Security Technology, Undocumented Chip - News". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  19. ↑ a b Agne, Tim (2 October 2008). "Wii getting SD card storage solution for downloadable games". mlive. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  20. ↑ "Identifying Compatible SD Cards". Nintendo of Europe GmbH. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  21. ↑ a b "Nintendo optical discs". Wikipedia. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  22. ↑ "Nintendo Wii Specs". CNET. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  23. ↑ "Nintendo Support: Compatible Wireless Modes and Wireless Security Types". en-americas-support.nintendo.com. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  24. ↑ "MEMS Plays in Nintendo’s Wii". May 10th, 2006. https://www.edn.com/mems-plays-in-nintendos-wii/. 
  25. ↑ "NDEV Wii Development Unit (RVT-001) – The Video Game Kraken". Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  26. ↑ "How Reggie Fils-Aimé got ‘Wii Sports’ included with the Wii". Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/05/03/reggie-fils-aime-book-wii-sports/. 
  27. ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (3 May 2022). "Reggie Had To Fight For Wii Sports As A Pack-In, And Miyamoto Wasn't Happy". Nintendo Life. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/05/reggie-had-to-fight-for-wii-sports-as-a-pack-in-and-miyamoto-wasnt-happy. 
  28. ↑ Greenbaum, Aaron (29 April 2022). "Why Wii Sports Is the Best-Selling Nintendo Game Ever". Den of Geek. https://www.denofgeek.com/games/wii-sports-best-selling-nintendo-game-ever-explained-retrospective/. 
  29. ↑ "The Most Influential Games Of The 21st Century: Wii Sports". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-most-influential-games-of-the-21st-century-wii/1100-6466810/. 
  30. ↑ "Why Wii Sports Became a Classic". Game Rant. 31 March 2022. https://gamerant.com/wii-sports-classic-fan-favorite-success-history-explained/. 
  31. ↑ "Party video game banned in UK for having offensive word". Wikinews. 13 July 2007. https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Party_video_game_banned_in_UK_for_having_offensive_word. 
  32. ↑ "Yoshi actually might not pay his taxes, according to Fortune Street" (in en). Nintendo Everything. 16 January 2019. https://nintendoeverything.com/yoshi-actually-might-not-pay-his-taxes-according-to-fortune-street/. 
  33. ↑ "Announcing the Starlight Nintendo Switch Gaming Station!". www.starlight.org. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  34. ↑ "What happened to the Queen's Golden Wii?" (in en). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvChVZjgV3k. 
  35. ↑ Good, Owen S. (19 January 2019). "They found the Queen’s golden Wii!" (in en). Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/wii/2019/1/19/18189516/golden-wii-queen-elizabeth-thq-video. 
  36. ↑ "Random: What Ever Happened To The Queen's Golden Wii?". Nintendo Life. 17 January 2019. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/01/random_what_ever_happened_to_the_queens_golden_wii. 
  37. ↑ Phillips, Tom (17 January 2019). "Where in the world is the Queen's golden Wii?" (in en). Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-01-17-thq-once-made-a-golden-nintendo-wii-for-the-queen. 


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