Week+6

__//**16/02/12 **//__

I think that the Nintendo Wii game console is a revolutionary digital innovation. Game consoles are nothing new to us; for a long time, we have been familiarized with the Atari, Playstation, and GameBoy game consoles. I personally remember getting the first PlayStation game console as a gift when I was 7 or 8 years old. If the concept of game consoles is relatively familiar, why is it that the Nintendo Wii stands out as a revolutionary game console?

I believe that the Nintendo Wii’s wireless controller makes it stand out amongst other game consoles. While the Playstation (amongst other game consoles) also has wireless controllers, the Wii’s wireless controller can be used as a handheld pointing device. This means that the player can hold the wireless controller in his or her hand in the same way that he or she would hold a television remote control. Most other game console controllers come in a way that restricts the player to holding the controller in a single way: by using two hands. Moreover, the Wii’s wireless controller detects three-dimensional movements. This means that the controller allows the player to use it for more than simply pressing buttons; the player can swing the controller, as well. In the Wii Sports game, each sport requires the player to use the wireless controller in a different way. In the tennis game, the player is asked to swing the wireless controller in the same way that he or she would swing a real tennis racquet. Similarly, the baseball game requires the payer to swing the controller in the same way that he or she would swing a real bat.

Other Wii accessories, including the Wii Helmet, also make this game console stand out. The Nintendo Wii is revolutionary in the sense that it allows the player to engage with the game in a very realistic way that is not restricted by physical means or space.

In a competitive field where several other game consoles are equally as popular (currently, the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3), it is important for a game console like the Nintendo Wii to provide its players with a unique experience, which it does. This is why I believe the Nintendo Wii game console is a revolutionary digital innovation.