Well it seems that yesterday's part one post of my Wii experience has generated a considerable amount of chatter. Thanks to everyone who commented. It always amazes me who intensely passionate people are when it comes to politics, religion, Macs and video gaming.
But I digress....on to the Part II
From yesterday's post you know that I did indeed walk out Sunday morning with a Wii in hand. Yesterday somebody posted a comment asking about the graphics, wanting to know about the gaming experience itself. Others talked about the motivation behind purchasing a console is ultimately to play games you enjoy. So today let's look at the Wii experience once it reached home.
First, this is a Christmas present for my children, so I couldn't just set it up as soon as I arrived home. I had to wait till the evening, carefully unpack the unit and set it up once they were off to bed (and then re-pack it all up again).
One of the first things you note is how small the unit is. I could see from the store how much bigger the PS3 box was in comparison to the Wii box. The until itself is smaller than my PS2. You have the option of laying the Wii down flat or upright in a stand that is provided inside the box. What else is inside the box. You get the two part controller, the Wii remote and the Wii Nanchuk. I hadn't realized prior to purchasing the Wii that these units attach together when needed and that some games only employ/require the Wii remote. You also get a sensor bar that needs to be placed above or below the TV. Standard power and video cables. The Wii Sports game. Setting the whole thing up took about 5 minutes.
Starting the Wii Up / Configuration
Upon turning the Wii on you have the opportunity to configure it. Standard things like setting the date, the time, WiFi network settings, etc. You do this by using the Wii remote. Just point with the remote and when your pointer is over the option you want you simply press the A button that is on the face of the remote. One of the things I noticed right away is that as you move the Wii remote across the screen, any time you move over an on-screen button the Wii remote physically pulses in your hand. I love the tactile feedback. It is subtle but a very nice user interface touch.
The Wii Main Menu
When you finish configuring the Wii you are presented with the main menu screen. This menu is very intuitive and I've embedded a video I found on YouTube that demonstrates the Wii menu system (I didn't shoot the video you see below).
Ok, so enough about the configuration and menus, let's talk about the games shall we?
Games and Gameplay
In a word. Radical. That is what I said yesterday. Why radical? The controllers. I'm telling you...you may think it is no big deal, but it is. A video game controller is what brings you into the game. I think even more so than the visuals. If you don't believe me, well, there isn't much I can do about that. All I can say is...try it. I'll bet you that once you get the Wii remote in your hand, you won't be able to just sit or stand in one place. This controller and the interaction it brings with games gets you totally immersed in the experience. The included Wii Sports is a lot of fun. It offers 5 sporting events to participate in: tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing. My favorite was the tennis. Actually more than playing the games was watching my wife play. It was amazing to me to watch someone who never really plays any video games get so into the games. Another interesting note - she smoked me in many of the games. Why? Well, I think it is because the longtime gamer, like me, needs some time to adjust to the Wii remote and nunchuck. A new gamer, like my wife, finds it natural. She just picked up the Wii remote and held it like a racket, or a bat, or a bowling ball....you get the idea.
We moved the coffee table that normally sits in our sunroom to give us the room we needed to move around. Yes - you do move around. A lot. I broke a sweat playing the boxing game. You cannot help but get fully physically into the game. The Wii controllers are incredibly responsive with the sensor bar. It gauges everything - not just how you are moving the remote (up, down, side to side, twisting/rotating it), but it also tracks how fast you move the remote. For example, in baseball, while pitching. If you simply throw an over hand throw in slow motion (which you are initially prone to do because you think it is strange to pretend to throw an invisible ball), then the ball sails slowly toward home plate and is crushed out of the ball park by the batter. After a number of frustrating pitches, I was cranking out full out throws and the ball was registering 93mph speeds on screen. It is truly wild.
The graphics in Wii sports are mediocre at best and in some case not even equal to a PS2. That isn't the point in these games. It is obvious that these games are more or less demonstrations of what the Wii is capable of in terms of its controllers. They are there to allow you to learn how to use the system. Nevertheless the games in Wii sports are incredibly fun. My wife and I played for a little over an hour and then stopped....to catch our breath.
So does that mean the graphics are terrible but the game system is fun? No. After Wii Sports, in went Zelda. This is an incredibly rich game and the graphics are gorgeous. Are they Xbox 360 or PS3 quality. No, obviously not. At 480p how could they be in comparison to 1080p! The graphics in Zelda I would say are on par with some of the best graphics I've seen on the PS2. Again, if it is lush high definition graphics that get your motor running, than the Wii just isn't going to do it for you. But the gameplay, even in Zelda is awesome. I love the Wii remote and nanchuck and their utilization in this game. Again, I offer some video I've embedded from YouTube of the gameplay you get in Zelda (again...I did not shoot this video).
The other game I played/tested was Red Steel. A first person shooter type game that seemed to get harshly reviewed but is also being widely purchased. I found this game to be a lot of fun too. The sword play that you are able to do with this game coupled with the Wii remote is a ton of fun. As with Wii Sports and Zelda, the controllers of the Wii bring you right into the Red Steel game. I have always played video games sitting down. My time with the Wii is some sitting, but mostly standing and lots of moving around. Radical.
So there is my preliminary review. You can expect more, especially in December when we officially set the Wii up in our household and my kids get to use it. For now though, I reiterate my thoughts from yesterday. This system is fun to play. The games coupled with the controllers are definitely set to spark a radical change in the way games will be developed and played. I think it was brilliant and courageous for Nintendo to change the game plan and not try and compete directly, head-to-head with Microsoft and Sony. Someone commented in yesterday's post that Sony and Microsoft would be battling for first and second and that Nintendo would be left out in third place. I disagree. I think Microsoft and Sony are going to battle for 2nd and 3rd. I'd be willing to bet that one year from today, the number of Wii's sold will far out-strip the PS3, just as the Nintendo DS has outstripped the Sony PSP. It wouldn't surprise me to find that homes will have one Wii and one Xbox360. Why? Because each of these systems knows what it is doing.
Conclusions
I read a really good review of the PS3, you can see it here. I don't have a PS3 so my opinions are just that...my opinion. But if you read the review from Ars, you can see that what I'm saying is supported by those who have been playing the PS3. Read the whole, article, it is a good one, but the conclusions I quote below because it says it all.
I think my main problem with the PS3 is that philosophically, it's a confused system. It doesn't really know what it wants to do. The 360 wants to be a social system; it wants to get you online, talking to people, playing this fun little minigames, and going for the high score and bragging rights. It wants to bring you together and make you remember what you love about gaming.
The Wii wants to get you off the couch, for you to be physical and to be part of this game world. Wii wants you to connect and to get your friends and family involved even if they don't like games. The Xbox 360 and Wii are systems that know what they want to do.
The PS3 doesn't have any grand ideas; Sony wanted something high-tech, so they started from scratch with the processor and GPU, but what does it get them? Very little so far. The controller is a mash-up of ideas from their old systems, the 360's triggers, and the Wii's motion-sensing capabilities, but once it has that tech it doesn't really know what to do with it. The Blu-ray adds cost, but adds very little to the gaming experience for the user. It's great as a media player, but for those of us who love games first and foremost, we have to look at it skeptically. The PS3 is a system with no core message, and that is what keeps it from being elegant. Will it do great things in the future? I hope so, the possibility and potential are certainly there. For now, it's power looking for a mission statement.
Ok...that's enough talking...go out and get gaming.
This review is worse than yesterdays. You admit that the systems graphics suck. Is that suppose to be encouraging? And you go on and on about the controllers. Pleeeeease. The PS3 already has the motion sensing controllers so WTF are you so excited about? Casual gamers like your wife won't make Nintendo rich - they need hardcore gamers who buy lots of games. The Wii is fun to play with? I bet most people will just play the sports game that came with the unit and that'll be it. Not a very winning strategy for Nintendo.
I repeat what I said yesterday, the Wii is dead. A year from now this is what you'll see. Sony PS3, number one console in the market. Microsoft Xbox360, a distant second. Nintendo Wii, third place and forgotten.
Posted by: crackers-up | November 22, 2006 at 08:20 AM
People like crackers make me laugh. Your zeal regarding the PS3 is boarderline fanatasism. Why can't you just be happy with what you have? If you have the best console, great...enjoy it. Don't spew crap though if you don't know what you are talking about. The Wii is actually selling more games for each unit sold than the PS3. 3 games sold with every Wii versus the 1.5 games sold with each PS3. The reason is because most people buying the PS3 just intend to sell it on eBay and make a quick buck. Don't beleive me. Here's the proof.
http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=7259
Posted by: jereedo | November 22, 2006 at 08:29 AM
the wii sounds so awesome! i want one.
Posted by: rayman | November 22, 2006 at 09:50 AM
Great review mip. I just read yesterday and today's post. Sounds fun. Video game systems are a pretty polarized topic!! The real test will be to see who is most profitable. The Wii is a more profitable unit than the PS3. By that I mean that Nintendo isn't losing money with every console they sell. Microsoft was losing money but are now breaking even. Sony will lose money in the order of $300 for every unit sold (BluRay players cost $1000 alone, so in a $600 console, it is like getting a bllueray player for cheap and the gaming is thrown in for free). That strategy is not viable for long ter growth. Regardless of who sells more consoles in the next year, the real test will be to see who makes the most money from their consoles in the next year with regards to their game systems.
Now my question is, what happens to the PS2? Is Sony going to continue to support it? Or kill it? Good link from jereedo - if you read to the bottom, the PS2 has been selling at an even pace despite their being new consoles on the market. In my mind, Sony should not abandon the PS2 market, although it they might see it cutting into their PS3 sales.
Posted by: Sams | November 22, 2006 at 11:09 AM
crackers: hardcore gamers care about GAMES, and graphics simply are not enough to makes games enjoyable; i know gamers that are the hardest of the hardcore (they've owned every system in the last 20 years), and they will be picking up the Wii AND the PS3 (they already have the 360), because they like playing GAMES.
And as for the blu-ray player in the PS3, i will wait to see which of the two hi-def formats prevails in the war. that having been said, even if blu-ray wins, i will STILL buy a stand-alone blu-ray player to go with my PS3 because what I want is the best blu-ray player that i can get, and you can bet your bippy that it's not the one in the PS3.
Posted by: john doran | November 22, 2006 at 12:35 PM
Wow, so much passion when it comes to these gaming systems. I choose not to buy any of these gaming systems, but I do have the original Atari. Graphics sucked but boy did I have a blast playing it - when I was 10.
Posted by: rinoi | November 28, 2006 at 11:45 AM
Hope your kids don't read your blog - would sure suck the surprise out of Christmas ... or create some real anticipation ...
Posted by: Sean | November 29, 2006 at 09:32 AM