Wii Hardware Discussion

[Hellfire]

Really lovely interface very simple and easy to use.

[conzer16]

Was going to post these in a new thread, but decided to post here.

 

Some Wii Interface and Settings Pics

 

 

http://crunchgear.com/2006/10/13/new-wii-interface-screens/

[McMad]

The interface looks a bit boring.

[blender]

i think the last thing they would develop is the interface. its also probably easy to update online

[Cube]

i think the last thing they would develop is the interface. its also probably easy to update online

 

Apparantly, the Wii runs on an upgradeable custom Linux Operating System.

 

Anyway, what else do people want from the options visual interface? 4D backgrounds?

[Guest Stefkov]

True, I doubt they wanted to spend ages on the menu screens.

I mean listen to most of you: "i'm gona be playin Zelda all weekend" Not "I'm gonna be staring and playing around with the menu system all weekend"

The cube wasnt that great really, imo. I hardly used it anyway.

[Emasher]

linux cool

 

those are the preferences not the menue (wii chanels)

 

i'm not even going to hook mine up to wifi until i beat the first dungeon (or use will power and use the menues and stuff) (can you realy play zelda all day)

[Kraser]

The interface looks a bit boring.

I don't think is boring. It seems a simple interface too use the wiimote. Don't forget that this interface it's also to make feel people confortable on using it.

[Pit-Jr]

The interface looks a bit boring.

 

The menu almost looks exactly like i imagined it would

Those huge buttons should make it a breeze to navigate with the remote

[Dante]

UK mainstream media raves about Wii - Entertainment Wise

 

Review 1

 

Everyone else has played a Wii for around ten minutes in the UK, if at all. A handful of lucky journalists have got ten mins per title. Today, we can tell you what it's like after more than two hours of raw playing time, and that's what gamers everywhere need to know.

 

Hailed as the largest innovation in gaming history by some and as the biggest gimmick ever to strike the realm of console gaming by others, the Nintendo Wii is sure to top many gamers Christmas lists. The sexy, minimalist white box with its soft, blue glow around the disc port deserves a spot on any lounge TV unit, surely?

What we’ve been lacking up until now though has been lengthy play times on the Wii itself. Ten minutes at E3 2006 just doesn’t cut it. Will you get tired too quickly? Do you have to stand around or is it feasible to sit? Is waving the remote a fine art or is it just like waving a stick in a goldfish bowl and hoping to strike lucky? Finally Entertainmentwise's Kim Kaze is able to answer these and other pressing, REAL questions; after an extended, lengthy play test of four Wii launch titles at the UK offices of Nintendo themselves. No interruptions, no queue, no noise and advice from one of the QA Team to assist with game play questions. Also, this time there were controllers without wires of any kind. Who could ask for more?

 

We also got to hold a Wii unit in our hands and gain real perspective of how it’s going to feel to handle the unit itself and the literal size as it will be when we slot it into our lounge TV units at home.

 

First of all, it’s important to remind you that the Wii is selling on two very important and unique points:

 

1) It’s for everyone; the hardcore gaming nut through to grannies, girls and irregular gamers.

 

2) The remote which acts as the primary control device is utterly wireless and more than just a tilt sensor; every movement of the remote is detected in any fashion and relates to game play.

 

No other console either out now or set to launch this side of 2010 offers this. Coming close, Nintendo’s DS handheld has been used as inspiration for many of the Wii features relating to the casual gamer, but that’s where the similarities end.

 

Some gamers have shown concern that the activity level required to play Wii games, especially the sporty titles, may be too high. There are concerns that you have to stand for long periods of time and use body actions such as swinging your arm above your head or at the side of your body. After playing non stop for two hours, did this happen to me?

 

No. I’m not exactly Wonder woman in terms of fitness and I can assure you, as a regular player there was enough action to warrant perhaps making sure one has access to a tap before playing (you’re going to want a drink if you play for as long as we did!) and possibly ensuring plenty of moving around space in your living room. The key to the Wii control is that even the most active title on the launch line up, Wii Sports, doesn’t require you to make large body motions unless you want to. You can play it moving very little if you want, and some of the games can be played sitting down. I wouldn’t recommend trying golf sitting down, as this is a little tricky.

 

To test this, in terms of fitness we took along two regular gamers with average to low fitness and one gamer with ME/CFS. He was able to play for the two hour slot with only a fractional tiredness issue and was if anything, making the largest motions with the remote controller out of all three of us and owned at Wii tennis! If you have health related concerns that you or your friends and family suffer from a tiredness health problem, it’s not going to bar you from enjoying the Nintendo Wii. We’ve tested it now and after two hours, it’s safe to say that it’s possible to play on the Wii launch line up for two hours and not be dripping with sweat afterwards. Just remember that large body motions are not a requirement – they’re what players do to have fun with the game. Playing with smaller movements or sitting down is largely possible, doable and healthy.

 

The biggest shock we got on arrival was that not only is the Wii remote controller a truly remarkable tool, but the nunchuck controller also has a sensor inside, enabling it to be used in exactly the same way! When introduced to Wii Boxing, all a player has to do is hold a nunchuck in one hand and the Wii remote in the other and then move exactly as you would a boxer – lean back or side to side, blocking, jabbing, upper cutting etc. The Wii detects the movement of the nunchuck exactly the same way as it does your main remote. There’s no need to press buttons in this game, you simply move. This is truly an awesome innovation in gaming and not an experience you’d expect outside of the arcades. The QA guy on hand to talk us through the launch line up also informed us that there may be plans to invent shin remotes of some form to enable kicking in games in the future. As far as I am aware, this would definitely be a first in home entertainment, if not any entertainment!

 

During play in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, waving the nunchuck side to side quickly will perform a special sword attack which gets a crowd of enemies off your back. When you go fishing within the game, you use the nunchuck to ‘reel in’ your catch with a real, reeling motion. You don’t need a nunchuck for all the games though; on Wii Sports Boxing was the only title we needed it for and Excite Truck and Wario Ware didn’t require the use of it either.

 

The nunchuck itself is very light indeed, a lot smaller than it looks in the pictures and you almost forget at times that it’s in your hand at all! Giving you the thumbstick control as well as two buttons at the front of the nunchuck, the added factor that the nunchuck has a sensor inside and also acts like the main remote will is a massive bonus. We suggest that if you enjoy playing games with your friends, you purchase a nunchuck or two when you get your Wii.

 

Nintendo’s main Wii remote controller is the central feature of the Wii. The most talked about device quite possibly in the history of home console gaming, what did we make of using this thing to control all these different sorts of games for two hours straight? Practical or a gimmick?

 

It’s every independent journalist’s nightmare to sound like a hype generating machine; the very sight of hype sends us screaming for the hills. However, just sometimes there is hype well deserved. This is one such time. This controller, my friends, is to gaming what remote controllers were to TV sets. You have to play with this thing, and we’re convinced you’re going to love it. Really.

 

More than just a tilt sensor, if the entire beast makes one movement in any direction, or bends, twitches or turns then it will relate to the game you’re playing. All the games we played proved one thing to us over and over – the Wii is as versatile as a Swiss penknife. Holding a baseball bat is … well … like holding a real bat. If you pull it further back the angle of the bat on screen adjusts to suit. Swing it fast or at an angle and it will take this into account. Throwing the ball is similarly precise; though with ball throwing there are buttons to press which control the type of shot you do. In Wii Golf, you’ll discover that the remote picks up very accurately the power, angle and style of your swing. You are able to adjust whether you’re left or right handed in games so that left and right handed players can play together without one getting an advantage, or everyone having to use the same setting.

 

The Wii remote so far has been a tiltable steering wheel/handlebar (in Excite Truck), a balancing pole (Wario Ware), a fishing rod which you can pull up on and cast off with (Zelda), a bottle of champagne (Wario Ware), a boxing glove (Wii Sports), a golf club (Wii Sports), a baseball bat (Wii Sports), your hand (Wii Sports – Bowling & Wario Ware), a pen (Wario Ware), a sword (Zelda)….the list goes on and on, and these aren’t even all the games the Wii will launch with!

 

Whether you’re shaking a bottle of bubbly and taking your finger off the top at the right time to squirt people or you’re teeing up on the green, the Nintendo Wii remote is sensitive, versatile and feels natural after only a minute or so of gaming. Why would you ever go back to merely pressing buttons which are on or off, when the proportional and truly analogue element of your own body brings so much more satisfaction?

 

In terms of further details and a better breakdown of the games themselves, see our following articles, ‘The Wii according to Mat’ and ‘Jazz wants a Wii!’. Two of gaming’s most critical followers test the Wii for two hours and tell you what they think of the games and the experience.

 

The Wii unit itself has a very cool, flip-down side that covers the Game Cube four joy pad ports as well as the two Game Cube memory card slots. If you don’t ever want to use these ‘archaic’ devices, you need never seen them and the flip-down panels are not noticeable at all. If you do need them however, flip one or both of them down and access is yours. Discreet and sexy, it’s another thing about the physical Wii unit that’ll have gamers smiling.

 

Smiling. The Wii is about smiling gamers. I have seen the launch of many machines and gadgets, with expressions of surprise and admiration at graphics etc. But nothing comes close to this. No matter who you are and why you play games; you pick it up, you start smiling, even laughing straight away. The joy of gaming should be for everyone, and the Wii has brought joy to the face of every gamer I’ve seen touch it. Thanks, Nintendo. You’re brave enough to make fun once again the king of why we play games. Thank God someone thinks games should be fun before they’re anything else at all.

 

 

Review 2

Following Entertainmentwise's first long session play Nintindeo Wii report we look more in depth at some of the key titles we spent time playing. This was far better than a quick burst at E3 2006 or even the odd ten minutes at the previous Press event in the UK. This was like having a Wii at home, and what follows are my perceptions as an adult, male gamer in the UK.

 

Everyone's talking about the Wii remote; will it change gaming or become a gimmick for sporty titles and the odd bout of Wario Ware? Intuitive to pick up, after five minutes of use you'll get used to the sensitivity of the remote the control. The control over the games is very easy to pick up and really and truely - unlike anything else.

 

Sports games on the Wii are much like playing sports in real life, and you need to practice to get a really good 'feel' for them. If you’re bad in real life at sports, likely you won’t be much cop at Wii Sports pack certainly to begin with, but you will have a lot of fun. It is better to be fit and about that there's no doubt, but having said that I managed the session without any real problems, and I was going for it. A poor PR lady was almost wearing the Wii remote in her hair at one point. I think my forearm swing needs to be reeled in alittle!

 

The versatility of the remote is highlighted by the Wii Sports pack and the number of different ways you can hold the controller and the different ways it responds. The precision is excellent; you’re never left feeling like you’re just randomly twitching the remote hoping something will happen. It feels very interactive and you'll want more than a few minutes stuck in a que with fifty other gamers all wanting a go.

 

Excite Truck is an Arcade Racer essentially, similar in style to the Burn Out series but set off road, which means lots of air when you go over the jumps and interactive scenery that changes when you pick up icons, causing jumps to appear or rocks to fall. The sense of speed is very impressive and the remote use is again intuitive and very easy to pick up - did we mention it's a lot of fun? The handlebar position takes a bit of getting used to but once you're doing it, you realise that no other gaming machine you can take home with you offers this. If you're not already grinning like a kid in a sweet shop, you will be now.

 

Wario Ware is ... well ... Wario Ware. Almost undefinable as a game; mad mini games, all of which use the remote in differing ways, an excellent party game and also highlights once again the sheer versatility of the Wii remote. The title probably won't have you playing it for very long in a session but that's not what it's for. Definately one for quick bursts of mirth and stupidity, this is a party game that anyone can play but there is a learning curve for those who want to play it a little longer.

 

The one weakness of the Wii is the apparent lack of graphical horsepower. Not to say it looks bad - far from it, but you do notice it doesn’t look as good as some systems. But then you don’t notice it once you’re playing, because you’re having too much fun.

 

After two hours with the thing, I can say this with certainty. The remote is not a gimmick, it’s a well thought out interactive control system that will let people of any age and skill pick one up and have a go at gaming. They'll have a lot of fun in the process.

 

 

Review 3

 

Having spent countless hours reading up on the technology, development, arguements and so on surrounding the Wii, getting hands on wasn't as shocking as it would be had I not been well prepared. Having spent ten minutes or so on it before, I was ready to tuck into the most anticipated game on the system most likely, Zelda - The Twilight Princess.

 

The only sections playable on this E3 demo were a small dungeon sample and a fishing section. I chose the dungeon first and slowly got to grips with the controls, as the guy helped me out. The first thing I noticed as with my previous ten minutes of Wii playing was I found myself pointing too high with the pointer.

 

Anytime I had to use the pointer onscreen I'd have to drop my arm down more to my wait, or at least drop the aim down. Once I was aware of this, aiming was a breeze and I could arrow down a row of bad guys in no time. The movement of the nunchuck was superb, just running around naturally using the analogue stick, holding the z button to lock onto bad guys, and waving the nunchuck around to do whirling sword attacks.

 

Once you try the moves a few times it all seems 'natural' somehow, exactly what Nintendo promised from the system. I ventured through the dungeon and killed the boss, hurrah! I stopped a few times enroute to admire the views. It really did look pretty.

 

My only complaint graphics wise would extend to the whole system, whereby there seem to be more jaggies (not enough anti aliasing) than I'd hoped. But then I'm a spoilt PC Gamer.

 

Fishing was up next, and just like previous fishing subsets of rpgs (both Ocarina of Time and other rpgs have featured fishing), you find yourself strangely enjoying it even though you've no interest in real fishing at all. Possibly this is because you can actually catch fish unlike real life, and the fun of just chucking it out using the remote and then reeling a big fish in with the nunchuck spinning and the remote tugging up - it was all, again, 'natural'. Natural AND fun I'll point out. This will surely be going on my wishlist.

 

Excite Truck was the only other game I played a fair time on. I'd previously seen it and thought "what have they done to excite bike", and passed it off as a cheap tacky tech demo that would be no fun to play. How wrong I was.

 

After the initial turbulance of getting to grips with the movement sensitivity whilst holding the remote in 'handlebar' mode, I found myself sliding round the corners, turbo'ing over jumps and landing smoothly on any sloped surface, all using the remote's positioning. The racing was cheap and cheerful with item powerups to make things a little more fun and bonuses earnt by 'stunt' style landings and such, but it was definately fun - and what, ladies and gentlemen, is actually more important than that?

 

Sure you might think it's an arcade style of game, no lastability and you wouldn't want to play it for a long time.

 

Playing for prolonged periods of time doesn't seem to be Ninty's aim with most Wii titles. Having said that, I could've happily played a lot more Excite Truck - it simply kept you on your toes, ENGAGED with the game. Had I been racing with friends or even better online it would've been great!

[triforcemario]

Surely that must be a fake, I mean, since when did the British press have anything good to say about Nintendo?

[Tellyn]

I hope there are boards put up around Europe. Nintendo need to go all out this time.

 

 

 

That thing at the start must be the Wii start up noise...It sucks.

 

 

Listen to the sound at the end of this, I think that's it. Sounds more like a Nintendo startup.

[The Bard]

Hey, is it true that you can use usb drives as a memory device on Wii? Cause if you can, then that's perfect! I've got a 2gb one thats totally empty!.

[Emasher]

i'm getting a 1 or 2 gig for my cam and using the 512 i've got for my cam with wii.

 

i'm going to stick with sds for now

 

but yes u can use a memory stick (but it plugs in through the back)

 

even better if you can use a memory stick you can for sure use an external hard drive

[Kazzahdrane]

I thought Nintendo admitted that you could't use USB storage after all?

[Charlie]

Nintendo said you can't use USB harddrives, I presume that goes though USB thumb drives too....

[Nintendork]

Nintendo said you can't use USB harddrives, I presume that goes though USB thumb drives too....

 

I'm relatively certain Iwata said they will be including generic drivers for these devices. I see no reason why they wouldn't.

[Charlie]

I'm relatively certain Iwata said they will be including generic drivers for these devices. I see no reason why they wouldn't.

 

Iwata did a while ago, but Perrin Kaplin said a month or so ago (can't remember which event it was at) that hard drives wouldn't work. It will be on IGN somewhere.

 

Wired also questioned whether Wii owners would be able to add storage capabilities via a USB hard drive add-on. Kaplan's response was that, initially, storage would be limited to flash memory. Although she suggested a hard drive add-on could conceivably be released in the future, it doesn't sound like Nintendo has any official plans as yet. Whether enterprising Wii users will be able to use their own non-Nintendo USB hard drive accessories with the console from the off is unclear.

 

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/732/732748p1.html

 

I'm sure there was something better than that though...

[Nintendork]

USB thumb drives are flash in my eyes.

No different from SD being flash.

 

Thumb drives are easier to use than SD, slightly cheaper usually too.

 

By the way the GUI is very very uninspiring, I was expecting nice blue accents and white styling.

[Cube]

So, basically, that IGN quote says

 

"Nintendo currently have no plans to make official USB Hard drives"

[fukudasolokomalakikenanze]

Not exactly Wii hardware related, but still very relevant:

 

BULK OF PREVIEW SKIPPED...

 

Instead of duplicating that, we'll take a look at one last thing - possibly the most controversial aspect of the PS3: the controller. Prepare to be shocked though: we don't really like it all that much. True enough, you can go along with Phil Harrison's proclamation that it's already the industry-standard controller amongst umpteen-million gamers around the globe, but, arguably, that doesn't make it the best. Personally, we can't help but feel that the SIXAXIS (as it's now known) has been sadly neglected when viewed alongside the rest of the PS3. Compared to Microsoft's uber-comfortable Xbox 360 pad, the SIXAXIS feels cheap, plasticky, uncomfortable and disconcertingly light - almost as if it's going to fly out of your hands during those more extreme gaming moments.

 

More worrying still, the newly-designed lower L and R shoulder triggers feel more like they belong on an early controller prototype than the near-final model. Replicating the 360 pad, rather than being simple shoulder-mounted buttons, the triggers are now hinged horizontally along the controller, with pressure forcing them inward along the bottom - like triggers then, really. Trouble is, they're placed almost unnaturally low meaning we found ourselves operating them by jamming our fingers in between the hinges to apply pressure, rather than using the buttons themselves. What's more, the triggers are convex, with no grooves to keep your fingers in place - an issue further compounded by their smooth finish, offering no resistance against your finger tips. Invariably we found our digits slipping off with the triggers snapping back to their default position. Bah. Of course, the PS2's Dual Shock pad wasn't without its faults either but we still learned to live with it. It's just a shame that Sony hasn't used its resources to bring its controller up to next-gen standards along with its cutting-edge hardware.

 

Skipping over the four red LEDs sandwiched between the shoulder buttons, designed to show which player number your pad is assigned to, there's one last thing to mention about the controller - that's the PS button slap-bang in the middle of the pad. At present, it doesn't seem its full power has been truly harnessed, with our friendly Sony representative unable to explain what we can expect from it in final retail units. For the time being though, holding the button down for a couple of seconds - whether in-game of other wise - brings up a secondary menu, featuring options to turn off your console or disable the wireless controller you're using. Even more handily, the display shows the amount of play-time (in minutes, no less!) left in your current battery charge. Toot!

 

Source: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/738/738858p1.html

 

Irony here, Sony next gen graphics hardware, previous gen controller, Wii next gen controller, previous gen graphics hardware. Are Sony able to change the controller in time for launch or is it too late now?

[solitanze]

Not exactly Wii hardware related, but still very relevant:

 

BULK OF PREVIEW SKIPPED...

 

Instead of duplicating that, we'll take a look at one last thing - possibly the most controversial aspect of the PS3: the controller. Prepare to be shocked though: we don't really like it all that much. True enough, you can go along with Phil Harrison's proclamation that it's already the industry-standard controller amongst umpteen-million gamers around the globe, but, arguably, that doesn't make it the best. Personally, we can't help but feel that the SIXAXIS (as it's now known) has been sadly neglected when viewed alongside the rest of the PS3. Compared to Microsoft's uber-comfortable Xbox 360 pad, the SIXAXIS feels cheap, plasticky, uncomfortable and disconcertingly light - almost as if it's going to fly out of your hands during those more extreme gaming moments.

 

More worrying still, the newly-designed lower L and R shoulder triggers feel more like they belong on an early controller prototype than the near-final model. Replicating the 360 pad, rather than being simple shoulder-mounted buttons, the triggers are now hinged horizontally along the controller, with pressure forcing them inward along the bottom - like triggers then, really. Trouble is, they're placed almost unnaturally low meaning we found ourselves operating them by jamming our fingers in between the hinges to apply pressure, rather than using the buttons themselves. What's more, the triggers are convex, with no grooves to keep your fingers in place - an issue further compounded by their smooth finish, offering no resistance against your finger tips. Invariably we found our digits slipping off with the triggers snapping back to their default position. Bah. Of course, the PS2's Dual Shock pad wasn't without its faults either but we still learned to live with it. It's just a shame that Sony hasn't used its resources to bring its controller up to next-gen standards along with its cutting-edge hardware.

 

Skipping over the four red LEDs sandwiched between the shoulder buttons, designed to show which player number your pad is assigned to, there's one last thing to mention about the controller - that's the PS button slap-bang in the middle of the pad. At present, it doesn't seem its full power has been truly harnessed, with our friendly Sony representative unable to explain what we can expect from it in final retail units. For the time being though, holding the button down for a couple of seconds - whether in-game of other wise - brings up a secondary menu, featuring options to turn off your console or disable the wireless controller you're using. Even more handily, the display shows the amount of play-time (in minutes, no less!) left in your current battery charge. Toot!

 

Source: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/738/738858p1.html

 

Irony here, Sony next gen graphics hardware, previous gen controller, Wii next gen controller, previous gen graphics hardware. Are Sony able to change the controller in time for launch or is it too late now?

 

A subpar controller as a result of a reactive response to concerns about Nintendos WiiMote and a blatent attempt to bury Nintendo once and for all to get revenge for mistreating them all those years ago back in the mid 90s. Quite a few people will definitely be disappointed with the DS3 controller, but the console will probably still sell 100,000,000 units+, as most people won't care for the controller [the PS3 controller that is] as it will be overshadowed/overlooked due to the graphical capabilities as opposed to EVERYONE caring about the WiiMote as its the differerentiating factor that distinguishes their console from the other two, the sole reason why 9/10 people are buying a Wii console.

[Nintendork]

No need to bulk quote all the time Solitanze.

Especially when you are far short of a newspaper from the future stating all the crap you spout actually happened.

 

Sony are good at copying..

Shoulder pads.. lets put two on each shoulder

Analog sticks, lets put two on

Rumble... how about the dual shock?

Wii works on 3 axis? Well lets call it the sixaxis, it sounds cooler..

 

If it feels cheap and light, that's because cheap has been associated with light in the past.

 

iPod nano is light, the sixaxis is light.

But are they cheap? Hell no.. they're two of the most desirable gadgets on the market.

 

Cheap was associated with light.. but as technology adjusts and becomes better the focus can be switched and that assumption that light things are cheap will be broken.

 

I've still got my PSone controllers.. they're well built and work well. Sony has some okay build quality on their controllers.

 

I think they'll be good.

[Guest Stefkov]

To add another thing to this Hard drive debate. Didnt Ninty say it was a Linux software running the Wii. This could mean, if they want they could send updates to the Wii and add support for external hard drives.

That would be nice. I have a 250gb one only using less than 3 maybe 4 gig.

[Dante]

new pictures.

 

http://www.wii-fan.net