It's been 30 years since the first home video games started showing up in stores and people's living rooms. Over the years, these games have gotten more and more complicated. The rough square graphics and clunky sound effects that many of us remember fondly are long gone. Sound and graphics that can imitate real life and games that move quickly and work a lot like real life have taken their place. Up until now, games that were the most realistic were...
It's been 30 years since the first home video games started showing up in stores and people's living rooms. Over the years, these games have gotten more and more complicated. The rough square graphics and clunky sound effects that many of us remember fondly are long gone. Sound and graphics that can imitate real life and games that move quickly and work a lot like real life have taken their place. Before the Nintendo Wii, realistic game performances only happened on the screen. With the Nintendo Wii, however, the action has moved into our living rooms as we become a part of the game experience.
The Nintendo Wii lets us play games in a way that has never been seen before. Instead of the joystick and buttons that have been used in video games since the days of Atari, the Nintendo Wii uses infrared technology to talk to a wireless remote control. The remote control is what makes the Nintendo Wii stand out from the rest.
The Nintendo Wii remote, which is officially called the Wiimote, is a handheld, wireless remote control with buttons and a feature that is new and different: it can sense movement. The Wiimote can figure out where it is in three-dimensional space. This gives the player a way to interact with the Nintendo Wii that no other game system lets them do. When you move your arm up, the game character moves up. When you turn your hand, the game does the same thing. With the Nintendo Wii, you can be a part of what's going on. You can now move, jump, swing, and act like you are one of the game characters.
The Nintendo Wii can also be used to play games the way they have always been played. You can plug different controllers into the Wiimote, which lets you play games the way you're probably used to, with buttons and a joystick. The Wiimote can also be used with the Wii Zapper, a soon-to-be-released shell that looks like a gun and holds the Wiimote so it can be used like a handgun. Or you could use the Wii Steering Wheel, which is easy to understand and works great with driving games like Monster 4x4 World Circuit.
We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg with the Nintendo Wii. Since it came out, it has taken the gaming world by storm, and it's likely that new ideas will keep coming at a fast and furious pace. The Nintendo Wii is a real technological breakthrough that will change the way we play games for the rest of our lives.
