The Console System with the Stupid Name

It is. Really.

But it's so fun. And given how infrequently I see them in stores, Nintendo is having a hard time meeting demand for the Wii. Even at a million-plus units a month. But it is fun.

In some ways, it's a return to the days where games weren't dependent upon high-end graphics processors, and 'realism' meant that everything was made out of blocky pixels. The Wii has better graphics than that, sure, but the lack of concern for uber-realistic rendering is still there. Characters with bodies, and hands, but no arms. Or disembodied hands wielding fishing rods and ping-pong paddles.

Honestly, I think much of the fun is in using controllers *as* things in-game.

I found An article on CNN Money that seems to agree with me, and elaborates more on the success of the Wii from a technical standpoint -- it was built with commodity, off-the-shelf parts, and with a hope for future expansion. Compare this to the traditional 'put the latest, greatest and most expensive technology in a box' approach, and you have the answer to the question of how the Wii can sit beside its neighbours on store shelves (if, even, for a scarce moment) at about half the price.

The 'casual gamers' target market was one of the reasons for the lower price tag, but the launch focus on minigames was another approach to getting that audience to pay attention. Minigames have no long-term committment and can be played in 15 or 20 minutes. Try doing that with most console RPGs. I would like to see a breakdown of which demographics are buying the Wii. It must have successfully targeted the non-gamer & casual gamer market: there simply aren't enough hardcore gamers to explain how the systems are flying off store shelves.

The network integration is nice, too. Wireless is very handy, and the downloadable Opera-based browser makes the Wii another avenue for casual web-surfing right in your living room.

Of course, there are two forces on this earth that could persuade me to buy a PS3: Final Fantasy XIII, and another Hitman game. But those aren't coming out yet. Maybe once Sony has stopped whimpering at the sales laggard PS3, the price will drop. After all, I waited four years for a PS2.