Wii hands-on by unfiltered younglings
by Blake Snow 
{ Sep 29th 2006 at 7:10PM }
Aeropause solicited impressions from three young gamers after playing Wii for the first time at the Nintendo Fusion Tour that began this week. Reactions were mixed but promising on what the system can do. 16 year-old Matt White from Indiana had this to say: "All in all I feel positive about the Wii, and I truly believe it could be the next sensation in gaming if and ONLY IF they get games that truly make good use of the controller. Forget about Wii Channels or the cute little Mii characters; even the Virtual Console won't be enough to hold it up if the new games fail. This thing will live or die by it's games and playing with the Wii proved that it can live an amazing life or die an early death, all depending on what the developers do or do not do."
Sounds consistent with what's been said before, and how competent, higher risk products are initially received in general. We also wonder how much the demo environment can change the overall console experience, for better or for worse. I always feel like a guinea pig in testing environments (i.e. E3).
[Thanks, Luke]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bill @ Sep 29th 2006 7:14PM
Dude Wii is gonna crash and burn so hard.
It begins.
Chessasaur @ Sep 29th 2006 7:19PM
Here's are some Wii questions I haven't heard the answer to yet: What powers the Wiimote? Is it replaceable batteries or rechargables? How long do batteries or a charge last? If the Wiimote eats batteries or has a short charge life it isn't going to do the system any favors.
Shaun @ Sep 29th 2006 7:23PM
batteries and i've heard numbers somewhere depending on what sensors it's using. i think it was 30-60hrs but i may have that wrong.
it's not perfect, but it's not a huge problem either. you can get some cool USB rechargable batteries i saw somewhere. not sure if the Wii USB ports are powered though.
mountain_rage @ Sep 29th 2006 7:26PM
It uses 2 double a's, and last 30 hours for games that utilise the infared pointer 60 hours for games that dont.
http://wii.ign.com/articles/718/718946p1.html
Moogle @ Sep 29th 2006 7:26PM
Chessasaur, you've been imitating an ostrich for the past few months, that topic's been covered. It uses two AAs and can get from 30 to 60 hours iirc depending on whether it's being used as a pointer (as opposed to a steering wheel as in excitetruck and sonic, etc).
AAs are good because it means you can buy your own cheap nimh rechargables (I've got about 20 floating around just for cameras and stuff). Or if you need quick power, you can use regular old batteries. Or you can buy some possible third party accessory that lets it recharge in a cradle.
footlong! @ Sep 29th 2006 7:27PM
Chessaur, I believe it runs on 2 AA batteries. It's supposed to get a prett good battery life out of them though so don't worry
is there an echo? i think every person who speaks a language has said this same thing. it's good to know we are now going to 16 year olds for business advice.
Rod Oracheski @ Sep 29th 2006 7:28PM
I think all USB cables carry power, but it's a fairly low amount, somewhere around 500 milliamps of power at 5 volts. Is that enough to keep the Wii controller going?
Possibly, but wouldn't linking it to the system with a USB cable kind of defeat the whole "free-roaming" wireless thing?
After all, the Wii controller is focused on movement.
Bonanza Bill @ Sep 29th 2006 7:34PM
http://www.usbcell.com
mandarin @ Sep 29th 2006 7:34PM
These 2 kinda look gay...
cringer8 @ Sep 29th 2006 7:35PM
How do they look gay? Is it because you're attracted to them? That doesn't make *them* gay, just you.
otakucode @ Sep 29th 2006 7:38PM
When the DS was announced, I expected another Virtual Boy. I did not see how it could be anything but a gimmick. I am sure some people feel the same about the Wii, but the DS truly made me a believer. From the time I blew into my DS to get a fire going in Lost in Blue, I knew it was no gimmick. I expect I'll have the same reaction when I pull back the box on Twilight Princess. I'm looking into getting Nintendo stock asap so I can ride the wave...
footlong!: Going to the customer for feedback is crucial if you don't want to die an early death.
Komrade Kayce @ Sep 29th 2006 7:54PM
Unless hes one of the guys in the picture, which might make them gay together.
Im not agreeing with Bill in any way shape or form, but they have another dreamcast scenario here. Doing something completely different and advanced like this. It will either be a huge success, or a flop.
If I were a betting man, id say success.
EXCEPT.
The remote has the ability to make a lot of genres awsome (FPSes, Adventure/Stealth Games, Sports Games, specifically) due to the control ability. Even RTS's would probably work pretty well, due to just pointing your hand around to move your units.
But Nintendo needs RPGs this time around. The lack-of hurt the Dreamcast, it hurt the 64, it hurt the Cube. They could make some really kickass action-rpgs involving sword slashes and magic casting (moving your hands different directions for different spells, anyone?) using the remotes, but I would be happy with some standard turn based fare.
They've discussed a lot of third party support, but CC is the only RPG I see even in development so far because everyone is so interested in making neat games for the damn remote. Which Im okay with, for now, but at some point they better start levelling out the different types of games you can have.
And in case someone goes to mention it, I dont care about Crystal Chronicles, thank you. :)
Of course, I would be satiated for a least a few months if they released FFVI, Chrono Trigger and Shadowrun for the virtual console...
Tequilla @ Sep 29th 2006 7:58PM
"playing with the Wii proved that it can live an amazing life..."
Right on Matt. I remeber when I was a young lad... OH WAIT! We're talking about Nintendo!
yay @ Sep 29th 2006 8:00PM
Okay, now let's hear the opinions of someone over the age of 4. :/
DG @ Sep 29th 2006 8:08PM
Got it. Wii = penis = hilarious. How about something new?
Pretty Obvious @ Sep 30th 2006 5:11AM
That nintendo's controllers are not rechargable just seems plain retarded. Nintendo seems to be cutting costs at the expense of the consumer whereas the other two guys cut it at their own expenses. The system doesnt even have DVD playback. Paying $250 for this is big waste of money. Even the shitty Core 360 is a better deal then this at $50 more.
The Wii will fail and it deserves to.
serbz @ Sep 29th 2006 8:13PM
i love the wii and i plan to buy one, but my only concern is, as the system ages is there going to be lag between the sensor and remote
Collective @ Sep 29th 2006 8:32PM
I'm quite glad they went with AA batteries..It's much easier to scout down and replace 2 rechargable AAs than an internal battery.
jjrooster @ Sep 29th 2006 8:35PM
I just don't see how much fun it will be to play something like Red Steel for a couple hours with your arm in the air. A good game can pull you in for hours, but I would get pissed at my arm getting tired after a while...
jharr @ Sep 29th 2006 8:44PM
jjrooster
I have the same concern. I heard that Microsoft was testing a motion sensing controller for the 360 after Nintendo announced the wii-mote and they reported gamer fatigue. I hope that this isn't the case for the Wii.
Adam Johnson @ Sep 29th 2006 8:47PM
I for one think that your arm getting tired while playing something like an FPS could be really neat. If you were really shooting guns and swinging swords in real life wouldnt you get tired? Dont you want to feel like your in the game? Does anyone else remember virtual reality? Go rent Lawnmower Man and then get back to me.
Mr. Grammar @ Sep 29th 2006 8:54PM
"This thing will live or die by it's games..."
"it's" should be "its."
I know, it was a quote, but still...
GD86 @ Sep 29th 2006 8:59PM
The Wii just seems to come down to the same thing that the DS had. The first generation games are going to be a few fully realized games with a bit of tech demo type games while people start to figure and feel how to properly use it. I'd expect for the first few months it to be much like how the cube was. A few very good first party games while other companies start to figure out how to do this. But I think that nintendo has a better shot this time. The DS proved that gamers are willing to try quirky new things. I think there would be a whole differnet if the DS had not turned out so well for them. So its a question of can they keep people interested while they wait for third party to get things together. I think they can especially with the virtual console. So I don't think the Wii is going to live or die by its first generation games, so I feel any jumping off the ship is a bit early. But the guy got it pretty much right. Second and Third wave Wii games are going to be what tells the tale.
The only really thing I don't get is the whole idea of arm fatigue being a problem. I know that they show in the videos someone swinging wildly but I think (no confirmation, but I'm going to take a shot in the dark) that they atleast thought of that and allow you some control of how sensative it is. That might allow movement to be controled by a full on arm swing to simple wrist movements much like a mouse and for some a little bit of arm movement.
Robert Jung @ Sep 29th 2006 8:58PM
"I heard that Microsoft was testing a motion sensing controller for the 360 after Nintendo announced the wii-mote and they reported gamer fatigue. I hope that this isn't the case for the Wii."
Gosh, too bad Nintendo never had any of their guys playtest the Wii controls for an hour or two... ;-)
--R.J.
Patrick @ Sep 29th 2006 9:01PM
you dont need to have your arm straight out, you can have it resting on your legs, like when you'd be holding a regular controller. You also don't need to be swinging around like a maniac with a sword to actually get the motions going.
You wont get tired playing on the Wii.
jjrooster @ Sep 29th 2006 9:13PM
@GD86
Using that theory, I would think it'd be hard to pinpoint targets if just slight wrist movements are required to move the cursor across the screen. I think it has to be sorta to scale, roughly like it is in big arcade light gun games. While I don't forsee any us being so gay as to dive behind the couch to avoid gunfire, I think it will be tiring playing as intended. Plus, you will always have to face the TV dead-on right? You can't sit to the side can you? How big is the sensor grid for multiplayer? Does everybody have to squeeze together to be seen? And for long RPG's. Can you imagine playing 80 hours into Oblivion with that setup... hellllll no!
Vlad @ Sep 29th 2006 9:19PM
I love how the people bashing the Wii have no idea what exactly they are talking about and are trying to call some people who played and enjoyed it gay. Real childish there, and laughably retarded.
The Wii does look pretty awesome, Metroid Prime 3 and Twilight Princess are also going to rock.
Jacob @ Sep 29th 2006 9:40PM
Right on Matt, I'm glad you got to go to the tour and have such a good time.
The Wii is definitely going to kick major butt, in my opinion it has already won the next generation gaming competition.
vadermaggot @ Sep 30th 2006 3:25AM
yeah i'm sure that was said by a 16 year old.
Patrick @ Sep 29th 2006 10:28PM
um. You know the Wii also has a regular controller? The "Classic" Controller can be used in a game if the developer chooses it over the "wiimote", so i dont see what the whole fuss about people getting tired is. Stop being lazy. Maybe you need to start working out, if you're going to get tired from holding onto a wiimote.
Empy @ Sep 29th 2006 10:35PM
I just read the linked articles, they in no way sound "mixed." All three players endorsed the Wii system.
Read the link for yourself, don't take the word of the editor here. The most negative of all three of the mini-reviews is the quoted statement above and even it is not negative.
Don't believe the spin, read the link yourselves.
DeadPlasmaCell @ Sep 29th 2006 10:43PM
Nintendo is going to need something other than the same old Mario & Zelda games to pull this off.. the system has great potential, but so far it seems like a lot of gimmick games and just a new way to control the same old games (Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc) which will be fun at first, but for long. That said, I'll still be picking one up to complete my Wii60 combo.
emceay @ Sep 29th 2006 10:57PM
Dude Bill's intuition is colder than a witch's tit in a blizzard.
It begins.
emceay @ Sep 29th 2006 11:01PM
...Sure they're kids games if you're too square.
Go play DS on mushrooms and get back to me, haters.
AzaMcWazza @ Sep 29th 2006 11:30PM
As with any console, they LIVE or DIE by the games, that's nothing new. Imagine a console with no games, you think it would work - no, of course not.
Here's my run down
Nintendo want to make money.
To make money you need customers
To get customers you need games
Simple, that's all there is to it. Now you can break that down in various ways.
To get the hardcore gamer, you need HD, 1873612836GHZ processors and 666 cell processors......Nintendo loses here. The thing that might help you win here is if you have the same franchises they like (Call of Duty etc etc etc etc etc) and offer some other good stuff. Is the Wiimote enough? Are Mii's, Virtual Console, Message board enough? Dunno, maybe the Wiimote if implemented properly will attract hardcore gamers. But maybe not first gen games can do that.
To get the Nintendo franchise lovers you need good versions of the franchise games. I find it hard to think Nintendo can fail here. LoZ and Mario are both looking sweet as a mofo so I think they're fine here.
To get new gamers - They need new games that you normally won't see on a console. I think they've headed that way and have the DS experience to guide them.
So over all, if Nintendo managed to pull in non/casual gamers and there was NO haredcore customers they could very well still do OK, and from their point of view they'd be happy. For me though it'd suck. I LOVE Nintendo franchises more than any other, so I get their machines, I don't even worry about it, BUT I really want some hardcore action too, and so from my perspective I might be in for dissapointment, but that doesn't necessarily equate to Nintendo's failure.
bluezy @ Sep 30th 2006 12:37AM
I was at the Detroit show tonite, and i played Metroid Prime 3. The Wiimote is very sensitive to the movements, so there's a considerable learning curve. But once you get the hang of it, it's really fun.
nambit @ Sep 30th 2006 8:15AM
I think the Wii is the console many of us are wishing for. We already have the PS3 and 360 for the the high-end next gen gaming. Do we really need a 3rd? No!
Instead, here is a console that is reasonably priced that allows a whole new way to play games. Not only is it a new way to play familiar styled games, it opens up the possibilities on completely new games. You guys can't say jack until you play it. Remember how awkward the analog pad was when you first played it? See how it truly changed gaming?
Anyhow, here's a system that has a whole bunch of new ways to play games, and yet allows you to play a lot of games in the classic style. I am not only talking just classic consoles (and the newly added commodore 64 compatibility will rock!), but we'll also see *NEW* 2D games on a home console. How cool is that?!
The Wii might not get the highest scores on gaming sites, but it has the potential to appeal to a very diverse demographic. It's clear that Nintendo will not win the hearts of the high-end gaming freak, but they can re-define and reintroduce the casual gamer. Let's all hope the Wii does well.
jadnice @ Sep 30th 2006 9:51AM
Based on what I have seen so far (Wii 3rd party games presentation), the problem can be broken down into to reasons:
1: Some 3rd party developers have this notion that just game play (making it work well with the Wiimote) is enough since it clear the Wii can't do HD and the graphics will also be compared to what the 360 and PS3 will offer. This is a weak and stupid reason for not developing the right graphics engines for Wii to push its visuals. So expect "I am sure Gamecube can do that or better" comments on a few of the games during the Wii launch window. Worse yet, games that are cross platform will look even worse on the Wii. Its clear majority of time and effort is being invested in the HD versions of the game leave little time and support for the Wii version (look at COD3 for example... it looks terrible on the Wii. It’s the worse looking mature game on the Wii to date). First Party games like MP3 and Mario are going to look brilliant on the Wii. So what does that tell you... some 3rd party developers just don't think it’s worth their time since its not HD and Nintendo fans will buy it anyways since they are making it for Wii. HELL NO!!! we demand quality too.
2: Nintendo will have to implement some sort of quality control scheme. Microsoft and Sony have both said that all their games will have to be a minimum 720p. So far all Nintendo have done is given some guidelines but not stated that all games should be standard 480p with wide screen support. Could it be that Nintendo is scared of loosing support if they enforce this? I have no clue.
As for me, I am on the fence with the Wii at this point. I have always own Nintendo gaming product but what I have seen so far is very disturbing. I will get the Wii after seeing more mature games and then get either a PS3 or 360 for cross platform games since it clear the Wii versions will always be inferior (Just look at COD3 and Madden07 for example) and their repective exclusives (Gears of War and Devil May Cry 4). Plus no online play is a death sentence for those games.
josh @ Oct 1st 2006 3:37AM
"That nintendo's controllers are not rechargable just seems plain retarded."
Perhaps the launch of the Wii will inspire someone to create a new, never-before-seen product: rechargable AA batteries. One can only hope.
"Nintendo seems to be cutting costs at the expense of the consumer whereas the other two guys cut it at their own expenses."
This is the cheapest console. The PS3 costs $500-600. That doesn't seem to be a big boon to anyone's wallet.
"The system doesnt even have DVD playback."
So? Don't you have a DVD player already? Doesn't EVERYONE have one already?
Not using a standard DVD drive is, I assume, partially so people can't just burn games to DVD-R, and then also to save the $10 or whatever the DVD licensing fees are. Which makes sense.
havaloc @ Oct 1st 2006 1:41PM
Control will make or break the Wii, there is no question. I was happy to read this glowing preview of the control scheme in Madden 2007 at IGN:
http://wii.ign.com/articles/736/736278p1.html
...Of course, with Wi games visuals will always be secondary to the method by which the Wii remote controls the on-screen action. This, surprisingly, is where EA has not dropped the ball -- and excuse the pun. We honestly didn't expect the developer to put as much thought as it has into reworking the fundamental control make-up of the Madden series. The studio has also meticulously refined the sensitivity of the Wii-mote controls so that they don't feel jumpy, but smooth, which is more than can be said for some other third party launch games. And the entire setup is complemented by a series of great tutorials that work hand-in-hand with the on-screen play to teach gamers how to become pros in minutes and not hours....
...But almost shockingly, the Wii-mote controls not only operate perfectly, but they feel very natural and are incredibly easy to pick up. Indeed, were we to introduce someone who has never played football videogames before to both the Wii and Xbox 360 versions of Madden...