Wii: Difference between revisions

The '''{{wp|Wii}}''' is a home video game console created by [[Nintendo]] as the successor to the [[Nintendo GameCube]]. It was released in {{wp|North America}} on November 19, 2006, for $249.99. It was then released in {{wp|Japan}} on December 2, 2006; Oceania on December 7, 2006; and Europe on December 8, 2006. This is one of three Nintendo game consoles sold in North America before Japan, the others being the original [[Nintendo DS]] and the [[Wii U]]. Before the Wii's final name was announced on April 27, 2006, the console was codenamed "Revolution."

Like the Nintendo GameCube, the Wii uses proprietary optical discs based on the DVD format. Unlike with its predecessor, however, Wii game discs are a standard 12 cm (approx. 4.72 in.) in diameter rather than 8 cm (approx. 3.15 in.), which allows them to hold more memory than the GameCube discs: up to 4.37 GB for single-layered discs, and up to 7.92 GB for dual-layered discs. However, the Wii is backwards compatible with most Nintendo GameCube games, featuring four GameCube controller ports and two GameCube memory card slots on the top of the unit, making it the first Nintendo home console to be backwards compatible with its predecessor. The Wii lacks the GameCube's support for digital audio & video output, but it retains {{wp|progressive scan}} support over component cables with compatible games (including all games related to the [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]] other than ''[[NBA Street V3]]'' and ''[[WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!]]''). Under this configuration, the prompt to enable progressive scan automatically appears on startup (unlike with the GameCube, which required the player to hold {{button|GCN|B}} during boot-up).

Although the Nintendo GameCube was the first Nintendo home console since the [[Family Computer]] not to have a game from the [[Super Mario (series)|''Super Mario'' series]] at launch, the Wii is the first home console not to have a game from the ''Super Mario'' franchise as a launch title (except in Japan). The Wii's first ''Super Mario'' game is ''[[WarioWare: Smooth Moves]]'', which came out on December 2, 2006, in Japan as a launch title; January 12, 2007, in Europe; January 15, 2007, in North America; and January 25, 2007, in Oceania. The first ''Super Mario'' game for the Wii starring [[Mario]] is ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'', except in PAL regions, where ''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]'' was the game instead.