The Public's First Look at Wii

isaacklinger writes "Time Magazine reports how it feels to play with the Wii. Overall it's a very enthusiastic review." From the Gamespot coverage: "Grossman traveled to Nintendo's headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, and was shown the Wii by legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. The reporter was especially impressed with the Wii's controller. 'It's part laser pointer and part motion sensor, so it knows where you're aiming it, when and how fast you move it and how far it is from the TV screen ... There's a strong whiff of voodoo about it.'" Update: 05/08 16:50 GMT by Z : Ran into a registration screen when I tried for the original article, but eldavojohn had more luck than I. The original Time article is available for reading.

Comments

The Article for the Article

[eldavojohn]

I don't really care for coverage of coverage of a device.

For those of you who wish to read the original Time Article I was able to read every page without a log in. Why that wasn't linked in the story, I'm not sure.

Unlike the hollow Gamespot article, this one offers a much more thorough and deeper look into games such as:

Video games are an unusual medium in that they carry a heavy stigma among nongamers. Not everybody likes ballet, but most nonballet fans don't accuse ballet of leading to violent crime and mental backwardness. Video games aren't so lucky. There's a sharp divide between gamers and nongamers, and the result is a market that, while large and devoted--last year video-game software and hardware brought in $27 billion--is also deeply stagnant. Its borders are sharply defined, and they're not expanding.

And:

Of course, hardware is only half the picture. The other half is the games themselves. "We created a task force internally at Nintendo," Iwata says, "whose objective was to come up with games that would attract people who don't play games." Last year they set out to design a game for the elderly. Amazingly, they succeeded. Brain Age is a set of electronic puzzles (including Sudoku) that purports to keep aging minds nimble. It was released for one of Nintendo's portable platforms, the Nintendo DS, last year. So far, it has sold 2 million copies, many of them to people who had never bought a game before.

There's a lot of good original information inside that article that Gamespot doesn't seem to think is interesting.

Frankly, I enjoy the idea of the controller changing. I feel that the industry has been plagued with bad hardware and also the fear to step away from the norm. The name and design of this system both do that ... although it may introduce a risk of failure, it sure is a breath of fresh air.

I feel similarly about the music industry and that's why enjoy bands like the Arcade Fire that introduce instruments like the accordion with straight rock music to escape the guitar + bass + drums = band template. I like to think of myself as open-minded and I'll remain that way until I can experience the Wii first hand.

Furthermore, I'm shocked that Slashdot had the courage to post something that wasn't only making fun of the Wii for it's name! Could it be that we're actually going to get to read about its performance and abilities instead of just griping about its poor name choice? That's outlandish!

Re:The Article for the Article

[DingerX]

Bah, "courage to post something that wasn't only making fun of the Wii for its name"? Huh? There are enough rabid Nintendo fans around here that they couldn't let a Time article escape.

And yeah, the article is well written and full of smart observations. One of my favorites:

"[Wii] was unimaginable for them," Iwata says. "And because it was unimaginable, they could not say that they wanted it. If you are simply listening to requests from the customer, you can satisfy their needs, but you can never surprise them. Sony and Microsoft make daily-necessity kinds of things. They have to listen to the needs of the customers and try to comply with their requests. That kind of approach has been deeply ingrained in their minds."

I don't agree with Iwata on many things, but customers don't give you your vision. You present it to them, and they either buy it or they don't.

Re:The Article for the Article

[apparently]

hand a dualshock to someone who hasn't played a lot of videogames and ask them to play Halo. It's incredibly awkward. You only think it's ok because you're used to it. I'm not an expert, but the awkwardness you speak of might be due to the individual trying to plug a dualshock into their X-Box.

Re:The Article for the Article

[dpilot]

Usually customers tell you their wants, not their needs.

Finding what the customer wants, really isn't that hard, despite the troubles some companies have at doing it.

Divining what the customer needs, as opposed to what he wants, is on a higher plane. It's all the more difficult because of the temptation to convince yourself that the customer really needs (as opposed to what he wants) just happens to be what you're ready to supply.

Finally, there's figuring out what the customer will need or want - let's face it, what the customer is ready to repeatedly plunk down $$$ for, when the customer doesn't currently realize that for himself and isn't asking.

-1 Obvious Joke

[rAiNsT0rm]

"Time Magazine reports how it feels to play with the Wii. Overall it's a very enthusiastic review."

My predictions.

[GundamFan]

It will be cheap to produce, have enough power to run games slightly more advanced than the Gamecube, those games will include a number of rehashed titles and the controler design is going to lead to an endless stream of "optional" attachments (somtimes bundled) to even play a big chunk of the new titles.

I don't mean to sound negative but I don't see Nintendo changing it's stripes any time soon...

You know what? Wii (we) are all going to gobble it up this time just like the last two systems.

Re:A couple weeks later...

[b1t r0t]

I deal with it by calling it the "Wii-volution".

Re:Aerobics

[oahazmatt]

Why break down a barrier with the controller, only to raise another one by making people move around to play a game?

It's called "exercise". If Nintendo creates a really interesting video game that little Bobby exerts himself on, drops a few unnecessary pounds and increases his cardio-vascular system, how is this a bad thing? This is not raising another barrier, but adding another challenge to a game. Instead of finding the blue key, the player has to burn another 5 calories.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure one or two children will throw fits and go back to their "easier" consoles that don't require more than a flipping of a thumb, but the Dance Dance Revolution crowd alone has proved that there is a following for this time of system, and that children have a natural energy the Wii can assist in depleting before bedtime.

Wii will work..

[saboola]

Just this weekend I introduced my young niece to Mario Kart. The first thing she tried to do was move the controller around in the air to drive. It's the most natural form of control, and I think people will realise that once again when it launches in the fall. I am really looking forward to it.

Re:Wii will work..

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

"1) drop it, causing the car to do something completely unintentional"

To be fair, no controller can escape this fate. Heck, one of my peeves about the PS2 is that the shoulder buttons control which chapter you're on when watching a DVD. More than once, the controller fell, landed on the shoulder buttons, and completely screwed up what I was watching.

"2) shift position (I often change from sitting up/lying down multiple times during a gaming session)"

E3 may tell a different story tomorrow, but from what I've read so far this will not be a problem. Granted, if you're using the remote to point at the screen, that probably will not change. As for positional data, though, it's fairly clear they're using a gestural system (not unlike Opera or FireFox's scheme) to perform movement. A sword swing, for example, wouldn't require that you use an arc of the same distance every time. It's probably just looking at the pitch of the remote to work out if you're swinging or not. To put it a little more simply: I don't think the system is looking at exact spatial distances to work out your movement. You'll probably be able to twirl the remote in between your fingers to get a similar result. (At least this is what reivewers who have tried the controller have stated.)

"3) have trouble initially calibrating it (anyone who's ever played a space combat sim knows about "shopping cart wheel syndrome")"

Mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, I can see this exact problem happening just as you've described it. On the other hand, I cannot imagine it being that big of problem. Let's say you 'calibrate' it by pointing the remote at a cursor on the screen three times. Okay, no prob. From then on, when you point at the screen, you see a cursor indicating where it's aiming. At that point, you're not trying to align the remote, but rather you're gesturing for where the cursor should go. In that sense, you could miscalibrate the controller, but it doesn't seem that likely that it'd be the sort of problem that plagues everybody.

"4) damage it (it may prove to be useless if you can't turn off the motion-sensor)"

Erm, you can damage any controller. Lose one button on the PS2 and you're boned. I'll concede, though, that a replacement controller/sensor will likely cost more than a PS2 controller.

"5) try to play in motion (isn't a big selling point of GB that you can play in the car/on a plane?)"

Huh? GB vs. Wii? I'm genuinely confused by this point. There's no mention of playing this system on a plane or in the car. But, I'll take it at face value: The remote is being measured relative to the sensor. The nunchuck uses an acellerometer that would probably be affected by the car turning, but that should be just about it. (Except for the bumping...) I dunno that I'd want to play this system in a moving vehicle. I'll grant you that.

Re:how far it is from the TV screen...

[Gr33nNight]

It comes with two sensors that you place on the top corners of your TV. This is how it detects how far away it is. According to reports they tested damn near all types of TVs on the market and even projection screens.

Re:Aerobics

[voice_of_all_reason]

I was in ROTC in college for a semester. You'd be surprised how tiring an otherwise easy motion can be when repeated. The best example I can think of is "cherry-pickers." You stand feet-apart, arms held up at shoulder-height. Lock your four fingers together and clap them against your thumbs while keeping your arms up. It's real easy at first but gets very difficult as time goes on.

We're used to button-pressing because alot of other devices require the same movement. We've adapted. Suddenly throwing in a new, repetetive movement that you like enough to perform for hours on end might just be interesting.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

we've all been there

[dlc3007]

You know you've done it. You've sitting in front of your computer or console, playing a driving sim. Without thinking, you find yourself leaning into a turn as you try to hold your line.
You're playing a FPS when suddenly, a zombie/mutant/demon/something jumps from around the corner. You instinctively duck in your chair as you jerk your char out of the way and unload a few shots.
Potentially, Nintendo has created the most intuitive, natural interface with a video game since the joystick. Well, at least it is the first new video game interface since the joystick.
Personally, I hate console games. I get bored after minutes of play and haven't purchased one since the NES (yes, the first one). Even so, I think I'll likely be getting one of these. I'm not crazy enough to camp for one, but I can see buying one. Interesting interface > same crap with better resolution.

What?!

[Tranvisor]

Have you forgotten who is making this device? This is Nintendo, the king of making robust pieces of technology that can withstand a beating. Everything I've had of theirs' has been crazy hard to break. Heck my old SNES still works fine, can anybody at all say the same thing about their old PS1?

Next-Generation Gameplay

[The_Real_Quaid]

Wii is the only true next-generation system, as it is the only one with a controller that allows next-generation gameplay. The other systems have lots of power but it is wasted on last-generation gameplay.

Wii also offers last-gen gameplay in the form of the classic download service, but for new games it's time to move on to next-gen gameplay.

The best part of the Time article:

It's a remarkable experience. Instead of passively playing the games, with the new controller you physically perform them. You act them out. It's almost like theater: the fourth wall between game and player dissolves. The sense of immersion-the illusion that you, personally, are projected into the game world-is powerful. And there's an instant party atmosphere in the room. One advantage of the new controller is that it not only is fun, it looks fun. When you play with an old-style controller, you look like a loser, a blank-eyed joystick fondler. But when you're jumping around and shaking your hulamaker, everybody's having a good time.

After getting a tate of next-generation gameplay, everything else seems old and busted.

You don't want to be a blank-eyed joystick fondler, do you?

Nintendo gets it

[Vesuvias]

But the name Wii not wii-thstanding, Nintendo has grasped two important notions that have eluded its competitors. The first is, Don't listen to your customers. The hard-core gaming community is extremely vocal--they blog a lot--but if Nintendo kept listening to them, hard-core gamers would be the only audience it ever had. "[Wii] was unimaginable for them," Iwata says. "And because it was unimaginable, they could not say that they wanted it. If you are simply listening to requests from the customer, you can satisfy their needs, but you can never surprise them. Sony and Microsoft make daily-necessity kinds of things. They have to listen to the needs of the customers and try to comply with their requests. That kind of approach has been deeply ingrained in their minds."

Finally a company gets it. Do not listen to the hardcore audience as they have absolutly no basis in reality (they have likely spent more time in virtual reality than actual reality for last couple years). Hardcore gamers spend so much time playing games they really can't think outside of the "these games are too short and too easy for my leet skillz" box. Games do not need to be harder to play or interface with. Games just need to be fun. Swinging a virtual sword, pump faking a virtual football and swating a virtual fly all seem like fun to me. I will gladly trade the hardcore "games are not fun unless you WORK for the accomplishment" attitude for this "new" idea of having fun while I acutally "play" a video game.

Ves

Controller Debate

[Krystlih]

To those who are skeptical about the controller changing must not have been involved with games too long. I remember the first time I was shown the 'wasd' keyboard layout. This seemed awkward to me considering I had been playing with the arrow keys for so long. However when an arrow key guy came across a wasd+mouse combo he didnt stand a chance. I got to see and participate in this standard changing the face of first person shooters. Now it has become a standard and everyone knows no different (save a few non-gamers). But I see the same thing coming with the Wii controller. If it is done properly in 5 years we all might be wondering how we played games with a standard controller (at least certain type of games).

the Wii will increase sales of new TVs

[Jafafa Hots]

You sit down with your new Wii, pop in the football disc, and start to play. The game is engaging, the action fantastic, and the control exciting.

The game heats up, your palms start to sweat.

You drop back to pass... where is your receiver?!?! BLITZ!!! You're going to be sacked, where's your damned receiver?!?!?!

There he is!!!! He's open!!! NOW!!! PASS NOW!!!!

you reflexively jerk your hand forward to pass - the controller slips out of your hand, and right through the fragile glass of your new plasma screen.

Two weeks later, after replacing your TV, you decide to play some Wii tennis...