This article explains the history of the Nintendo Wii Console...

The vision for the Nintendo Wii was in the works as early as 2000. However, the public didn’t get a taste of the concept until mid 2004. The goal of Nintendo with this product was to revolutionize the home gaming console industry. Many consumers were very excited about the ideas but some worried that they wouldn’t be able to materialize.

Those doubts were soon cast aside though when Nintendo revealed their concept for the wireless controller at a show in Japan in 2005. In late 2006 The Nintendo Wii was in high demand. In fact, stores couldn’t get enough of them to fill the demands for the holidays. Many people were paying thousands of dollars for them on eBay and other online auction sites. There were also plenty of charity fundraisers selling high volumes of tickets due to the prize being a Nintendo Wii.

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Today Microsoft confirmed that the budget “Arcade” model of the Xbox 360 will be priced at $200 from this Friday. That is an $80 dollar saving on the previous price of $280, bringing it well under the price of the $250 Nintendo Wii.

The standard and Elite versions of the Xbox 360 models will also be reduced by $50 each.

As of yet there is no news on price drops of the Xbox 360 in the UK or Europe.

Microsoft is obviously thinking that they can boost sales with a sub $200 price tag.

So will Nintendo and Sony follow Microsoft’s lead and reduce their console prices? Only time will tell, but there is only one winner here and that is the consumer.

What out for further updates on WiiFirst.net

The Nintendo Wii console comes with an inbuilt and user-friendly WiFi feature. The Wii WiFi feature is a wireless connection that allows you to get your Nintendo Wii online and play the latest Wii online games. The Wii online service is very similar to the other major game console’s online services (such as Microsoft’s Xbox Live service), in that you can surf the Internet, purchase Wii games, and of course play against your friends over the internet.

What do I need to get my Wii Online?

With the inbuilt Nintendo Wii WiFi feature, you can get online with very little effort, providing of course you already have a wireless modem or router set-up at your home. You simply need to change your Wii’s console settings to use the WiFi feature. If you don’t have wireless at home then you can buy a Wii LAN adapter that will allow you to connect to your broadband connection using an Ethernet cable.

INTEC DUS0204-I Nintendo Wii LAN Adapter creates a high speed lan connection via usb no wireless network required, use existing lan wired connection supports nintendo wii connection at full speed includes 5 ft patch cable

When you start up your Wii, you will notice a variety of Wii Channels that allow you to do a number of things. Most of them are Nintendo Wii online based options that can be customized to suit your individual needs. Let’s talk about the Wii Channels a little further…

The Mii Channel

You can use the Mii Channel to customize your own "Mii character", which is a computer generated caricatures of yourself. You friends will see this character when you "meet" them online.

Wii Weather Channel

The Wii weather channel allows you to select the area you live in so that you can receive real-time weather updates and forecasts via your Wii Internet connection.

Wii Message Board Channel

Another Nintendo Wii online option you can access through your gaming console is the Wii Message Channel, which allows you to send messages to friends who also own a Wii. Each console has a unique "friend code" which can be found in the Wii’s configuration menu. The "friend codes" provide a safe way for youngsters and teenagers to communicate with their friends online without parents worrying about predators.

Wii Shop Channel

On the Wii Shopping channel you can use Wii Points to purchase Wii accessories and download your favorite classic Nintendo games from Nintendo’s extensive games library. In order to get Wii Points you need to purchase a Wii Points Card, which for a 2,000 point card works out at around $20 in the USA , €20 in Europe, £14.99 in the UK, or $35 in Australia. You can play your Nintendo Wii download games via the Wii’s "Virtual Console".

Wii News Channel

When you turn on your Wii you can always check the latest news on your TV, both your local news and abroad.

Wii Internet Channel

The Wii Internet Channel turns your Wii console in to an Internet browser by using the full internet browser from Opera Software, which also supports Adobe Flash. Unfortunately, this will set you back 500 Wii Points to install it.

Some Great Wii Online Tips and Features

As long as your Wii is connected to the internet it can download critical system updates, which keeps your console up to date and provides you with new features as they become available.

Unlike the Wii’s competitors online service’s that allow open play with anybody, the Wii limits you to playing with friends online who have your "friend code". There is no blocking or accepting of a player invitation which bumps up the safety factor of the Nintendo Wii Online service. This means parents have total access and control as to who their children may be playing with on the internet.

Anonymity is the name of the game when it comes to the Nintendo Wii WiFi as no one would no who you are beyond a nickname and friend code. In addition, there is no voice chat option which serves as a great protective measure for kids against cyber bullies. The WiFi feature is free for Wii users and requires no additional accessories as it is already built into the system.

As time goes by, there will be even more features and channels available for the Nintendo Wii Online. Will additional free and paid downloads the options of this great gaming console make it a great buy for families with children because it offers safe internet browsing and safe game play with known friends online.

When you go to your local store to buy a Nintendo Wii Console, more often than not your friendly sales person will tell the unsuspecting buyer that you need to buy an SD memory card. The line they will most probably use is that you will need a Wii memory card to save your games onto.

This is absolute rubbish!!  The Wii comes with a built-in 512MB flash memory card that is more than enough to store your game saves on.

However, if you want to download music, video, or games to your Wii then you will definitely need to purchase a SD memory card.

What Memory Cards can I buy for the Wii?

The Wii has one SD slot and supports SD memory cards from 512MB to 2GB. You can buy more than one SD card if you wish, but you can only use one at a time. For example, you could store a few movies on 1 SD card and your music on another SD card and then swap them around.

Where can I buy Wii Memory Cards?

Virtually all store that sell Wii consoles will sell Wii memory cards, buy you could pay 2-3 time the prices if you buy a card from a store. You will save a considerable amount of money if you order your memory card online. We recommend:

USA and Canada: Buy.com or UnbeatableSale

UK and Ireland: Micro Direct or PC World online

Europe: Pixmania

Where can I download free games, music, and film for the Wii?

We have already provided in-depth reviews of the top Wii game download services here.
 

Being a video-game thoroughbred, Nintendo was always going to come out tops over its most formidable competitors Microsoft (Xbox) and Sony (PS). It admittedly took a while but with a stroke of genius in the Wii, it was finally mission accomplished. So just what exactly is the gem that is found in Wii?

Needless to say, the video game industry is highly lucrative and everybody wants a bite of the pie. To occupy pole position, the Nintendo Wii had to be top-notch as a lifestyle item. It is multimedia, personal computer, internet browser, communication device and most of all, the mother of all video game consoles, all-in-one.

Everything about Wii revolves around the remote controller and Nintendo Wii Games are no exception. Its motion sensing technology makes the gaming experience feels like the real thing be it tennis, bowling, baseball, boxing and so forth. So much for the ‘couch potato’ image of video gaming as the intrinsic specialty of Nintendo Wii Games is the players’ movement.

Nintendo Wii Games are inherently played without clutter or restraint through its wireless remote. It is the tennis racquet, steering wheel, gun or bowling ball depending on what game is on. Coupled with the Nunchuck secondary controller, it truly brings Nintendo Wii Games into a gaming dimension previously unknown. There is even an adaptor that fits over the remote for those who are more accustomed to the old-version controller.

Game consoles are generally tended to kids but Nintendo Wii Games can be family affairs, they have the range. There’s even a menu channel for setting up personal profiles called Mii so involvement and participation can be even and well-matched regardless of age, gender and other conditions. A wide variety of games are available spanning sports, action, fighting, puzzles, casino and others.

Classic and retro games are also widely available. For one thing, the Nintendo Wii is backward compatible to the games of GameCube and even Entertainment System series. 4 GameCube controller ports are actually provided although some of the old games can be played with the Wii remote. The media bay will also accept the old GameCube discs along with the newer Wii version.

Nintendo Wii Games are sold mainly through the games store. They can also be purchased and downloaded from Wii Virtual Console. Of late, heavy-duty Wii gamers are increasingly turning to third-party online download services especially for the new mainstream games. These download service providers appear to be quite a savvy alternative, at least in terms of cost.

The Nintendo Wii has gained notoriety since its launching in the four key markets in December of 2006. The concept of the Wii was first spoken of during the E3 press conference in 2004. Later, it was unveiled at the 2005 E3 when Satoru Iwata showed a prototype of the controller at the Tokyo Game Show in 2005.

November 2006 saw Wii Sports bundle introduced to the USA. Nintendo Wii sports bundle became a run away favorite. From juniors to seniors all are praising the name of Wii. The Nintendo Wii Sports Bundle is the cool present to be giving your loved ones. Nintendo Wii won the Best Hardware and Best of Show Awards from the Game Critics Awards at the 2006 E3. Even after all this time if you pick up any reputable gaming magazine it is singing the praises of Wii as a major game console breakthrough. What other game can claim to have won an Emmy? Will won the award given out by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for Game Controller Innovation.

What is driving the popularity of Wii? Everyone is curious as to what is making this game so popular? Why is Wii outselling PS3 and XBOX360 and why can’t they keep up and surpass Wii’s fan base?

It begins with our media mavens complaining about how our kids are getting fatter and rounder sitting at the computer chatting or playing video games. In a moment of genius, Nintendo came up with its revolutionary gaming console that is now Wii. So in addition to unwitting addressing the dilemma of our kids being couch potatoes, Nintendo Wii provided interactive gaming that allows the player to feel like he or she is in the game.

The most motivating factor in the rise of the Wii is the Nintendo Wii Sports Bundle. They sell the console together with 5 cool sports game. You can really express yourself when you play the Wii.

Some people out there are now proposing that Nintendo Wii Sports be unbundled from the initial purchase. If you break up the bundle it will bring the price of the console down. Your initial purchase is currently around $300. But that could be lowered by as much as $100 to make it "more affordable". One conclusions the marketing prophets are making is that the Nintendo Wii Sports bundle sales will be heading for a decline unless Nintendo considers unbundling its Wii Sports offering. Sales would bounce in 2009 if they did.

When we view Wii’s popularity it is of value to note that part of what makes it popular is the very fact that it is sold as a bundle. On top of that, one has to question the market predictions of Nintendo Wii Sports Bundle decline when in fact Nintendo is currently scrambling to fill all of purchase orders. When you have this kind of demand that is exceeding the supply even as Nintendo produces 1.8 million consoles a month, one has to question the wisdom of the marketing prophets.

Lastly Nintendo Wii Sports bundle is so popular not only with the younger demographics but also the older ones. Some people are even saying that they don’t buy any other games after purchasing a Nintendo Wii sports bundle. Why mess with a good thing, when people are perfectly happy with the Nintendo Wii sports Bundle just as it is?