The Nintendo Wii (abbreviated as Wii) is Nintendo's home game console for the seventh generation consoles, putting it at odds with the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. It launched on November 19, 2006 in North America; December 2, 2006 in Japan; December 7, 2006 in Australia; and December 8, 2006 in Europe.
The Wii introduced the Wii Remote controller, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and which detects movement in three dimensions. The console runs games supplied on Wii optical discs. It also supported the now discontinued WiiConnect24 service, which enabled Wii to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode. The system supported a service, called "Virtual Console", that downloaded emulated games from past Nintendo consoles, support for online video streaming such as BBC iPlayer, and other services provided by Nintendo over the Internet. From June 28, 2013, Internet services were gradually discontinued; since January 31, 2019, only re-download of games, system software update, and transfer of data between Wii and Wii U continued to be available, to be withdrawn at an unspecified future date. Wii Points could no longer be purchased after March 2018, and could not be used and were permanently lost from January 31, 2019.
The Wii succeeded the GameCube; early models are fully backward-compatible with all GameCube games and most accessories. Nintendo first spoke of the console at the E3 2004 press conference and later unveiled it at E3 2005. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata revealed a prototype of the controller at the September 2005 Tokyo Game Show. At E3 2006, the console won the first of several awards. By December 8, 2006, it had completed its launch in the four key markets.
Later models are not compatible with GameCube software or accessories. Nintendo released a revised unit in 2011 in Europe, Australia, and North America. The Wii Mini, Nintendo's first major console redesign since the New-Style Super NES, was released first in Canada on December 7, 2012. The Wii Mini can only play Wii optical discs, as it has neither GameCube compatibility nor any networking capabilities; this model was not released in Japan, Australia, or New Zealand. The Wii's successor, the Wii U, was released on November 18, 2012. On October 20, 2013, Nintendo confirmed it had discontinued production of the Wii in Japan and Europe.
Revisions[]
Wii Mini[]
Launch Games[]
Twenty-one games were announced for launch day in North and South America, with another twelve announced for release later in 2006. Wii Sports was included with the console bundle in all regions except Japan and South Korea. In contrast to the price of $60 quoted for many seventh-generation games in the US, Wii titles cost (at most) $50 at major US retail stores.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Barnyard
- Call of Duty 3
- Cars
- Crayon Shin-chan: Saikyou Kazoku Kasukabe King Wii
- Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
- Elebits
- Ennichi no Tatsujin
- Excite Truck
- The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
- Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection
- GT Pro Series
- Happy Feet
- Kororinpa: Marble Mania
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Machi Kuru Domino
- Madden NFL 07
- Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
- Monster 4x4: World Circuit
- Necro-Nesia
- Need for Speed: Carbon
- Open Season
- Rampage: Total Destruction
- Rayman Raving Rabbids
- Red Steel
- SD Gundam G Breaker
- SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
- Super Fruit Fall
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
- Super Swing Golf
- Tamagotchi: Party On! (Japanese title: Tamagotchi's Sparkling President)
- Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam
- Trauma Center: Second Opinion
- WarioWare: Smooth Moves
- Wii Play
- Wii Sports
- Wing Island