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Yesterday, Nintendo held a conference to tell us all about it’s upcoming console, the Wii. Our initial introduction to it was last year’s announcement that the controller would be shaped like a TV remote with motion-sensitive technology. Here’s a rundown of the system now:

• Motion-sensitive controller with a built-in speaker and rumble feature. A thumbstick accessory (commonly referred to as a “nunchuk” attachment since it connects to the remote with a cable) can be connected (and will likely be used for the majority of Wii games). The nunchuk has two extra buttons and is also motion-sensitive.
• A “channel” oriented interface (perfect in conjunction with the “Wii-mote”) giving easy access not only to gameplay, but to news, weather, image viewing (just pop in your camera’s SD card and Wii will load your images in an easy-to-use gallery) and the customizable “Mii,” a virtual character you can customize, which can be saved to the controller and imported into games like Wii Sports.
• Wi-Fi access out of the box, usable for several features:
  • Easy access to local News and Weather.
  • Virtual Console (also a channel) will let you download classic games from the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Sega’s Genesis, and the TurboGrafx 16.
  • WiiConnect24, which can operate even when the system is turned off, gives you access to new game content and other surprises. Think of Animal Crossing: Wild World getting special gifts from the WiFi Connection. Aside from gaming, you also have access to a message board system where you can send messages to other Wii (or even PC) users and mobile phones.
  • Download the Opera browser, and you’ll also be able to surf the ‘Net from your couch.
• Fully backward compatible with GameCube games, the Wii has four ports for GameCube controllers and two memory card slots.

Head on over to http://wii.com for pictures and details on anything I might have missed. The Wii will launch in the United States on November 19 for $250. It will come with a remote, a nunchuk attachment, a universal A/V cable, and a copy of Wii Sports, which includes Baseball, Bowling, Boxing, Golf, and Tennis.

I think gaming needs the Wii, not only as an industry but as a hobby as well. There’s a lot of talk about Nintendo being poised to take back its position as king of the gaming hill, even though Nintendo itself states that they’re not trying to compete with Sony or Microsoft. It would be better for all of us gamers if they did openly push for some of their competitors’ market share. Why? Innovation. Nintendo is innovating, and if Sony and Microsoft start falling behind, they’ll need to freshen their approach as well. It’s happening even now; while Nintendo is working to improve the gameplay experience, Microsoft is already looking to improve the gaming experience in social ways. Windows Live Messenger already has XBox Live functionality: you can add your XBox Live friends to your Messenger list and see when they’re playing so you can jump in, too. With Windows Vista, Microsoft is looking to close the rift between console gamers and PC gamers by offering interconnectivity in online games.

The only stick in the mud is Sony with its $600 Playstation3, a computing powerhouse set to raise graphical standards on consoles. Who cares? Think about some of your favorite games. Do you like them because they’re pretty, or because they’re fun? When push comes to shove, graphics don’t mean anything. Right now, I’m aware that the Playstation3 has graphical power and can play Blu-ray movies. Now, Blu-ray players are bound to be expensive and having something that’ll play both games and Blu-ray movies is nice, not to mention the capacity that Blu-ray discs will offer for game data. That’s great and all, but DVD isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and I doubt there will be too many people running out to invest in Blu-ray movies.

The PS3 controllers will apparently also have a six-axis tilt sensor. This, to me, sounds more like a jump on the bandwagon. Nintendo stole the show at E3, and even garnered tons of attention before that when they announced the controller. Sony’s tilt sensor (note, if you will, that a tilt sensor is rather different from the Wii remote’s full motion sensor) seems like a “Look at me!” maneuver. I’m bracing myself for the same old games with prettier textures.

Don’t get me wrong, I may be pro-Nintendo, but I’m not anti-Sony. The Playstation2 was a boon to gamers, ushering in the idea of backwards compatibility, not to mention plenty of exceptional games. The problem is that it seems as if the immense success of the PS2 has made Sony too comfortable, as if their console will be great just because. Granted, they came out with the motion-sensing EyeToy, but they didn’t put much leverage behind its potential, condemning it to “gimmick” status.

I’m very excited about the Wii. The games look great, and the remote and nunchuk control scheme looks like a lot of fun. The Wii is poised to do more than just please Nintendo fans; it could be a service to gamers all over if Sony and Microsoft take the hint and ride the winds of change. Necessity breeds innovation, and creative competition will spawn that necessity.