The bad: Online online connectivity is hampered by closed-garden design; graphics and video playback cap at 480p; besides Netflix, the Wii has no other video-streaming or entertainment offerings, and cannot play CDs or DVDs; its graphics continue to look ever more outdated in contrast to rival consoles, and the unique qualities that motion gaming offered are available these days in accessories from rival consoles; and, finally, the decision to replace both Wii Sports games with Mario Kart with this bundle may disappoint casual consumers.
The bottom line: For families and enthusiasts of casual games, the even more affordable Wii still represents the best console bundle value when it comes to dollars spent, but it's also the system that's first on deck to become outdated. With the announcement of the Wii U, the Wii is the declining console. Still, its sizable and often unique back library of games continues to be worth playing.
Review:
As of November 2011, the Nintendo Wii will be five years of age. That's a long time in game years: in fact, it's nearly the console generation. To no great surprise, then, Nintendo has already announced the actual Wii's successor, the Wii U, a new type of revolutionary device having a likely 2012 release. Until then, the Wii still survives, but as the lame-duck console. That doesn't mean it should be overlooked. Nintendo's latest Nintendo wii console bundle--the fourth since the Wii's debut--is the lowest-priced ever, at $150, even though components have changed since last year's $... Expand full review
As associated with November 2011, the Nintendo Wii will be five years old. That's quite a long time in game years: in fact, it's nearly a console generation. To absolutely no great surprise, then, Nintendo has already announced the Wii's successor, the Nintendo wii U, a new type of revolutionary device with a likely 2012 discharge. Until then, the Wii still survives, but as a lame-duck console. That doesn't mean it ought to be overlooked. Nintendo's latest Wii console bundle--the fourth since the Wii's debut--is the actual lowest-priced ever, at $150, although the components have changed since last year's $200 pack.
Gone is Wii Sports, the perennial Wii console pack-in. Gone, too, is actually Wii Sports Resort. Instead, the new Mario Kart bundle includes a Nintendo wii Remote Plus, a Nunchuk, a copy of Mario Kart Wii, and a Wii Controls plastic accessory. Mario Kart's a fun casual racer, but Nintendo's taken its most popular motion-control game from the equation, forcing people to buy Wii Sports separately. It doesn't make a lot sense, especially considering the game's five years old. Those interested in multiplayer games will also need to buy an extra Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk, at $40 and $20 respectively.
Europe has announced a level less expensive redesigned Wii bundle, but the $150 Mario Kart version remains the lowest priced Wii console in the U. S. We'd love to see this system drop right down to $99, but that's just wishful thinking for now. That said, it are available for under $135 from such major retailers as Wal-Mart and Amazon. com.
Therefore the question remains: at those prices--about half those of the PlayStation 3 as well as Xbox 360--is the Wii worth the investment for first-time buyers?
The solution, as usual, is, "It depends. " We used to love the Wii because of its clean, futuristic design and motion-control family games, but its thunder has since been stolen by motion-control alternatives such as the Kinect and PlayStation Move, and by family-friendly gaming devices like the apple ipad. The Wii was an aging, fading star last fall, and today it is a console that's feeling decidedly last-gen: it still isn't HD, and its attractiveness beyond budget family entertainment and nostalgic gaming is dwindling fast.
That doesn't mean there aren't a lot of excellent, first-party Mario, Zelda, and Metroid games worth buying, and some interesting bargain-bin exclusives never seen on any other console that might be fun for grown-ups and families alike. The Wii was the cheapest gaming system before, and it remains the cheapest now. But, other than the upcoming release of Zelda: Skyward Sword, there isn't much to look forward to for that Wii.
At this stage in its life cycle, the Wii isn't really a console to purchase. Our advice is to consider the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 very first, currently available for as low as $249 and $199, respectively. Buy the Wii only if you are considering a kid-friendly gaming console with a solid library of older, affordable video games. Just be prepared to invest another $70 to $100 if you need extra controllers plus some must-have titles (such as Wii Sports).
With that caveat established--if you're still interested--let's check out the system in greater detail.
Hardware
The Wii is arguably the easiest to setup of the three game consoles: even the box comes in clearly tagged sections that resemble Apple's packaging. The console hasn't changed a bit because 2006, unlike both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, which have observed redesigns and performance improvements. The thin, small, minimalist box almost resembles the set-top device. The Wii now comes in black as well as whitened, and a limited-edition red version was briefly offered last fall for the vacation season to commemorate Mario's 25th anniversary. No matter the color, the thoroughly clean, almost innocuous look makes the Wii one of the least imposing consoles ever.
In addition to Nintendo's sizable library of Wii games, in a pleasant but odd tip from the hat, the Wii is backward-compatible with the GameCube, thanks to four GameCube controller ports and two memory slots that lie tucked away behind a side door. Odds are slim that you will tap into the GameCube library, unless you're a hard-core Nintendo system owner or perhaps a garage-sale shopper. To be honest, we'd rather have other features instead--we'd trade the GameCube jacks to have an HDMI-out port without blinking. (That said, we've reviewed a viable alternative which will provide 480p HDMI-out for your Wii: the Neoya Wii2HDMI attachment. ) Two rear USB ports use plug-in peripherals such as microphones, but will otherwise rarely be used. Within the front, below Power and Reset buttons, an SD card slot can study photos and video off cameras, or archive downloaded games and save files to expand the limited internal 512MB of space for storage on the Wii. There's no Ethernet port for direct-wired Internet connectivity, even though Wii does have internal 802. 11b/g Wi-Fi. A separate USB-to-Ethernet adapter can be obtained.
While we appreciate the economical size of the Wii, its features are out-of-date and difficult to upgrade in contrast to the more PC-like Xbox 360 and PS3. The slot-loading disc player does not even play DVDs. Wii controllers connect wirelessly through Bluetooth and are driven by AA batteries, although we recommend one of the rechargeable packs you can use instead. There are no physical controller ports on the Wii.
The Wii's system menu includes a grid layout, with downloadable games and applike channels displayed on a number of pages that remarkably resemble Apple's iOS, although the concept predates Apple with a year. System software can be updated over the Internet relatively painlessly, however other online features are severely hobbled, aside from certain Internet-connected channels and also the Wii Shop.
Wii Remote Plus
Since last fall, Nintendo Wii consoles happen to be packaged with the Wii Remote Plus, an enhanced version of the original Wii Remote incorporating MotionPlus technology within the same form. The gyroscopic technology combines with a built-in accelerometer and infrared sensors about the tip of the Wii Remote to offer more accurate position-based motion sensing compared to original Wii Remote. Unfortunately, few games incorporate MotionPlus, so odds are you won't notice the difference unless you will be playing one of those games (Zelda: Skyward Sword is one of all of them, as is Wii Sports Resort).