Sample Article: Games – Wii

The Wii Revolution

The Wii is arguably one of the most successful entries in the current console wars between Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. The unique remote control that the Wii introduced when it first came out in 2006 gave it a definite edge over its competitors and even the unique name of the Wii (pronounced ‘we’) has earned enough merit for itself to stand out among its more traditional peers.

Yet the uniqueness of the Wii is not the only factor that led to its widespread dominance in the international market. Nintendo’s gaming approach to the public was the star of the show, reaching out to wider demographics than their contemporaries.

Novice-friendly Marketing
While Sony and Microsoft held the lead in the previous console wars with the Playstation 2 and the Xbox, Nintendo knew that it would be ineffective to try and force them into the solid market that their competitors had already established.

So they decided to reach out to a totally different market.

Instead of targeting the existing gamers already present, they decided to try and reach out to non-gamers and get them interested to play. As the old Wii ad goes, ‘Wii would like to play’ says everything about how Nintendo approached the business.

From your high-class urbanites to rustic ranchers, this commercial had highlighted that everyone could play the Wii the way they wanted to. The standard stereotype of the reclusive and obsessed gamer had been demolished, as the Wii had redefined gaming into a field that anyone can have a hand in.

Innovative Interaction
Typical console controllers were limited to the basic design introduced in the early 70’s. Improvements were made, but no major changes had been implemented until the Wii remote came along.

Most of the novice-friendly nature of the Wii was because of the innovation in the controller’s accelerometers and infrared detectors. The remote could then be monitored in three dimensional spaces while the sensor bar of the console itself would pick up the motions. This then allowed for a more flexible degree of interaction, which in turn allows new players to quickly pick up the gist of a game they pick up. Because of this, Nintendo had designed a gaming console that everyone can easily pick up and play, as a player would have to actively move his or her body to influence the game being played.

Colorful Variety
The final touch of the Wii was in the selection of games it had at its disposal, and they had decided to go with a variety of games to maximize their controller’s innovative nature.

While traditional controllers limited the nature of the games they would handle, the Wii’s ability to work with motion tracking had helped to redefine games. Instead of merely controlling a boxer in the ring, the player can have an active hand in actually doing the punching and dodging. Archery, gunfights, swordfights and even bowling have all received a similar treatment, and this revolution in game play is what helped establish the Wii’s global dominance in the market.

As far as gaming is concerned, Nintendo is having a field day with its latest console as players of all ages, genders and professions have been introduced to the world of gaming. If the innovations of the Wii are a sign of where console games are heading to, then the future of the gaming industry is going to be a promising one indeed.