Nintendo Wii....Brilliant (Nintendo Wii)

Member Name: Budster2005

Product:	Nintendo Wii
Date:	31/01/09 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Fun, Small, Quiet, Cheap

Disadvantages: Graphics, No HDMI Socket

From the hype of the media and from videos of how the Nintendo Wii works i couldnt wait to get one so i pre-ordered for £179.99 which the best bargain for a console.

Packaging.

Compared to the xbox 360 or the PS3 the box is small and lightweight, it features 2 pull out compartments labeled simply 1 and 2

Compartment 1 Features...

1x Wired Nunchuk
1x Wii Stand
1x Wired Sensor Bar
1x Scart Connection

Compartment 2 Features...

1x Nintendo Wii
1x Wii Controller
1x Powel Cable

It all fits in nicely with no wasted space, there are extra little bits such as a couple of manuals and the free game Wii Sports.

Setting Up.

I was up and running within 5 minutes, its a simple connection from the Wii using a scart as it sadly has no HDMI connection, and the sensor bar is just a very small orange connection. Once turned on i had to syncronise my controller with the Wii, this is done simply by opening the small flap at the front pressing the red Sync button and pressing the controller one under the battery case it only takes about 3 seconds then your ready to go.

Looks.

Ive got the white version, it has a nice white gloss over it, its very small and can fit virtually anywhere and can stand up-right or flat. Each button blends in with the console which reduces the look of clutter and the disc tray is a thin black line that glows blue, the controller is no bigger than an average remote but is much thinner and feels comfortable in the hand.

Powering On.

The nice shiny blue light greets you as you power up, with a very nice user friendly display, from playing mainly xbox 360 for a few years to grips with the Wii sensor function took a bit of getting used to, but once mastered its great fun, i connected to the internet via the Wii's built in Wi-Fi, i was then prompted with a console update which took about 10 minutes to download and install, the great features are local news/weather and the Wii shop where you can download deveral games and applications including classic SNES/N64 games.

Playing Wii Sports.

With this being the only game i owned i chucked it in by simply putting the disc through the slot which has a drag in feature and no disc tray in site, 5 games are included which are :

Tennis
Bowling
Boxing
Golf
Baseball

A variety of games that anyone can enjoy, ok so i tried tennis first and was asked to set up a Wii Avatar, a simple process where you can pick a face a design it in various ways the only thing you cant do is add clothes as they have their own in each game. So im off and i play a single game of tennis against a low level computer player, baring in mind ive never even used one of these before i didnt win first time the reaction/simulation feature is really fun and needs to be mastered to play any game properly just swinging the remote around wont help as the ball could go anywhere so timing is a key. Each game his its own way of using the Wii controller to its full potential from swinging it like a baseball bat to boxing using the Nunchuck add-on and literally punching the screen. Graphical wise its nothing special more like an updated ps2 or xbox than next gen this was the only downside.

Features And Noise.

From turning it on you literally hear no noise what so ever and you only hear the quiet fan when playing the game and i mean quiet!. The features are quite nice, the dashboard has a few in-built applications such as Picture Viewer where pictures can be uploaded from a memory/SD card vis the in-built SD card slot at the front under a small flap, some of the apps are only accessable once connected to the net such as News, Weather and the Wii Online Shopping Channel.

Overall.

I was very impressed with the Wii its more fun and entertaining than the 360 or PS3 as no button bashing is involved and simply relies on your movement, the only downside like i mentioned is the graphics they arnt anything special and nothing compared to next gen but this doesnt take anything away from the Wii and hopefully within a few months they will bring out a version with a HDMI socket for less cable clutter, apart from that a brilliant console and achievement for Nintendo.

Summary: 4/5