Wii Remote

The Wii Remote (Japanese: Wiiリモコン, Hepburn: Wī Rimokon), also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and optical sensor technology. Another feature is its expandability through the use of attachments. The attachment bundled with the Wii console is the Nunchuk, which complements the Wii Remote by providing functions similar to those in gamepad controllers. Some other attachments include the Classic Controller, Wii Zapper, and the Wii Wheel, originally used for Mario Kart.

The controller was revealed at the Tokyo Game Show on September 14, 2005, with the name "Wii Remote" announced April 27, 2006. It has since received much attention due to its unique features and the contrast between it and typical gaming controllers.

The Wii's successor console, the Wii U, supports the Wii Remote and its peripherals in games where use of the features of the Wii U GamePad is not imperative.

Wii

The Wii (/ˈwiː/ WEE) is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others.As of the first quarter of 2012, the Wii leads its generation over PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldwide sales, with more than 101 million units sold; in December 2009, the console broke the sales record for a single month in the United States.

The Wii introduced the Wii Remote controller, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and which detects movement in three dimensions. Another notable feature of the console is the now defunct WiiConnect24, which enabled it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode. Like other seventh-generation consoles, it features a game download service, called "Virtual Console", which features emulated games from past systems.

It succeeded the GameCube, and early models are fully backward-compatible with all GameCube games and most accessories. Nintendo first spoke of the console at the E3 2004 press conference and later unveiled it at E3 2005. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata revealed a prototype of the controller at the September 2005 Tokyo Game Show. At E3 2006, the console won the first of several awards. By December 8, 2006, it had completed its launch in the four key markets.

Wii (video game series)

The Wii game series is a series of fifteen physical simulation video games for the Wii and Wii U consoles. These games feature a common design theme, especially in their casual gameplay style and Mii integration. The series features control schemes that simulate real life activities with various combinations of the Wii Remote, the Wii U GamePad, and the Wii Balance Board.

Gameplay

The Wii uses motion sensors in the game controllers to allow gameplay that incorporates physical movements by the player to control action within the game. For example, in the Baseball game included in Wii Sports, the player holds the controller like a baseball bat and swings it in order to hit the ball in the on-screen game.

Games

The Wii series has become one of the best-selling video game franchises, with each game in the Wii series selling millions of copies. Wii Sports in particular is regarded as the best-selling video game of all time.Wii Fit, within 18 months by June 2009, helped the health game genre generate collective revenues of $2 billion, most of which was grossed by Wii Fit's 18.22 million sales at the time. The largest subset of the franchise is the Wii Sports sub-series.

Wii MotionPlus

The Wii MotionPlus (Wiiモーションプラス) is an expansion device for the Wii Remote video game controller for the Wii that allows it to capture complex motion more accurately. According to Nintendo, the sensor in the device supplements the accelerometer and Sensor Bar capabilities of the Wii Remote to enable actions to be rendered identically on the screen in real time.

The Wii's successor console, the Wii U, supports the Wii MotionPlus and its peripherals in games where use of its touchscreen-built-in primary controller is not necessary.

History

The Wii MotionPlus was announced by Nintendo in a press release on July 14, 2008, and revealed the next day at a press conference at the E3 Media & Business Summit. It was released in June 2009. On May 3, 2010, Nintendo announced that starting May 9, 2010, the company will include its Wii Sports Resort game and MotionPlus controller with new consoles with no price increase.

Development

The Wii MotionPlus was developed by Nintendo in collaboration with game development tool company AiLive. The sensor used is an InvenSense IDG-600 or IDG-650 in later units, designed in accordance to Nintendo's specification; with a high dynamic range, high mechanical shock tolerance, high temperature and humidity resistance, and small physical size.