Wii: Difference between revisions

The '''{{wp|Wii}}''' is a [[Nintendo]] video game console that was released on November 19, 2006, in North America for $249.99. It was then released in Japan on December 2, 2006; Oceania on December 7, 2006; and Europe on December 8, 2006. In every country except Japan, ''{{wp|Wii Sports}}'' is included with the Wii. The Wii came with 30 titles at its launch. Before the official name was announced on April 27, 2006, the console was codenamed "Revolution." Earlier versions of the Wii have backwards compatibility with the [[Nintendo GameCube]] and features four GameCube controller ports, meaning GameCube games can be inserted into the disc slot and can be played on the Wii. This makes it the first Nintendo home console to provide official backwards compatibility with its predecessor.

Unlike with the Nintendo GameCube, Wii game discs use the standard DVD size, 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. [[Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection]] allowed players to interact with other players around the world while playing a game. The first game in the North American region to do so was ''[[bulbapedia:Pokémon Battle Revolution|Pokémon Battle Revolution]]'' on June 25, 2007.

''[[Super Paper Mario]]'' was the first traditional ''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' game on the system and launched on April 9, 2007, in North America. ''[[WarioWare: Smooth Moves]]'', however, preceded it, coming 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. However, the first traditional ''Mario'' game released in the PAL region was ''[[Mario Strikers Charged]]''.

The Wii sold 101.63 million units as of March 31, 2021,<ref>[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/ IR Information : Sales Data - Dedicated Video Games Sales Units]. ''Nintendo''. Retrieved May 3, 2020.</ref> making it Nintendo's second-best-selling home console, behind the [[Nintendo Switch]]. Additionally, the Wii outsold its competitors ({{wp|Microsoft}}'s {{wp|Xbox 360}} and {{wp|Sony}}'s {{wp|PlayStation 3}}) by a wide margin, making it the most popular {{wp|Seventh generation of video game consoles|seventh-generation}} home console.

The [[Wii U]] was announced at E3 2011 and succeeded the Wii in 2012. It can still play Wii games and controllers with backwards compatibility.

Since May 20, 2014, online play for many Wii games has been discontinued because the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service has discontinued.<ref>http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-killing-online-support-for-mario-kart-wii-super-smash-bros-brawl-in-may/1100-6417983/</ref> The {{wp|Wii Shop Channel}} has been discontinued as of January 31, 2019, with the ability to add Wii Points for new games having ended on March 26, 2018.

==Models==

In addition to being backwards-compatible with [[Nintendo GameCube]] games, the Wii Shop Channel has a section called [[Virtual Console]], which allows the players to download emulated versions of games from the [[Nintendo 64]] era and before to play on the Wii. Each downloaded game costs between 500 and 1000 [[Virtual Console#Wii Points|Wii Points]]. The games are priced based on the system they were released on, with imported games generally costing an additional 100 points, or 200 points for Nintendo 64 games.  

The Wii Message Board, powered by {{wp|WiiConnect24}}, was a messaging system that users could use to send messages to other Wii users prior to its discontinuation. The user could either register a different Wii Friend Code separate from the games that use Friend Code exchange or send a friend request to someone that uses a third-party e-mail service, such as {{wp|Outlook.com|Hotmail}} or {{wp|Gmail}}. The service was discontinued on June 27, 2013.<ref>http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/tiQImp7Oi97LiEyVqwDqL-eDnX6u9qjk</ref> ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'', ''[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]'', and ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]'' use this feature separately from WiiConnect24.

==Wii Channels==

[[File:Wii Discchannel.png|thumb|left|The Disc Channel, when no disc is inserted]]

The Disc Channel is the channel in which game discs are loaded and played. It is the first channel on the menu and cannot be moved. It displays a preview icon of the game currently inside the disc slot; if a [[Nintendo GameCube]] game is in the slot, it does not have a preview and only displays the [[Nintendo GameCube]] logo. When a disc is loading, as seen in the picture, a Nintendo GameCube disc and a Wii disc are shown spinning, and whichever disc type that was inserted will lower into an opening denoting a disc reader.

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The {{wp|Wii Shop Channel}} was a virtual shopping network where users could purchase and download [[WiiWare]] and [[Virtual Console]] games in exchange for the required amount of Wii Points. The Virtual Console allowed players to download games that were originally released on the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]], and [[Nintendo 64]], and play them on their Wii console. They could also buy special games called [[WiiWare]] which can be purchased only on the Wii Shop Channel itself. Rather than using money to directly buy the games, a credit currency called [[Virtual Console#Wii Points|Wii Points]] is used. Wii Points can be earned by either purchasing them with a credit card or redeeming a Wii Point Card. Other free-of-charge channels, such as the Nintendo Channel and Internet Channel, were also available for download at the Wii Shop Channel.

The [[Nintendo 3DS]], [[Wii U]], and [[Nintendo Switch]] have a similar online shop called the [[Nintendo eShop]]. The [[Nintendo DSi]] also had an online shop (simply called the Nintendo DSi Shop), but that shop has been discontinued.

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The Forecast Channel was added on December 19, 2006, about one month after the console itself was released. The channel preview displayed the local weather of where the user is located. The Weather Channel provided weather information from all over the world to the user. Features included the five-day forecast, current temperature, highs and lows for the day, along with other meteorological data. Using the Globe, players could use the Wii Remote to rotate a virtual globe to see the weather conditions from each region of the world. Japan had unique cartoonish weather symbols, compared to the rest of the world.  

 

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|SpaM=Time Channel

 

 

 

 

 

 

|SpaM=Opinions Channel

Virtual Console channels are downloadable games that can be purchased from the Wii Shop Channel at varying prices. These various channels allow users to play classic [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]], and [[Nintendo 64]] games such as ''[[Super Mario World]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong (game)|Donkey Kong]]'' and even later ones such as ''[[Super Mario 64]]''. The Virtual Console also supports selected games from the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and the TurboGrafx-16 systems. Although some games can be played using the Wii Remote, others require the use of either a [[Nintendo GameCube]] controller or a Classic Controller.

 

 

 

 

 

[[File:Mario Kart Channel.png|thumb|The [[Mario Kart Wii|Mario Kart]] Channel]]

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===Wii U Transfer Tool===

The Wii U Transfer Tool allows Wii U owners to transfer Wii save data and channels from their Wii to a Wii U console.

 

==WiiWare Channels==

WiiWare was a feature that was launched for the Wii Shop Channel in 2008, which consisted of smaller-sized games that could be downloaded onto the Wii or SD card memory using [[Virtual Console#Wii Points|Wii Point]]s, which would then appear on the Wii Menu as individual channels. Some ''Mario''-related WiiWare titles included ''[[Dr. Mario Online Rx]]'' and ''[[WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase]]''. Some WiiWare titles used Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, allowing the player to play with other Wii players over the internet. Others included Mii compatibility, allowing players to play the game as their own Mii created in the Mii Channel. Also, some games allowed the player to transfer and use the data from a [[Nintendo DS]] game, such as ''[[bulbapedia:My Pokémon Ranch|My Pokémon Ranch]]'' or ''WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase''.

The '''Wii Remote''' (also known as the "Wiimote") is the standard game controller for the Wii. It has a rectangular shape, resembling a television remote, making it unique from other consoles' controllers. It consists of several buttons (one behind ({{button|wii|B}})) and a directional pad ({{button|wii|Pad}}) as well. The Wii Remote also has a power button ({{button|wii|power}}), which can be used as a remote to either turn the Wii console on or off, rather than pressing the power button on the machine itself.

 

The Wii Remote cannot be used for SNES and N64 [[Virtual Console]] games because it cannot be mapped to emulate an older controller properly.

''[[Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games]]'' for the [[Wii U]] was the only ''Mario'' game to ever use the Wii MotionPlus.

The '''Classic Controller''' is an extension or accessory for the Wii Remote. Besides the two analog sticks, the button layout resembles that of the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]'s controller. The Classic Controller must be used to play some Virtual Console games such as ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[Super Mario World]]''. Some Wii games, such as ''[[Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' and ''[[Mario Kart Wii]]'' are compatible as well.

On February 26, 2009, Nintendo listed a Classic Controller Pro on its Japanese website, which features the {{button|wii|ZL}} and {{button|wii|ZR}} buttons as full-fledged shoulder buttons, like the {{button|gcn|L}} or {{button|gcn|R}} button on the Nintendo GameCube controller, as well as added controller grips. However, the {{button|wii|L}} and {{button|wii|R}} buttons are no longer pressure-sensitive, unlike with the original Classic Controller. The controller is also slightly bigger than its old revision. The Classic Controller Pro was released in Japan on August 1, 2009 in both black and white colors. It was subsequently released in Europe and North America in November 2009<ref>Siliconera Staff (October 20, 2009). [https://www.siliconera.com/black-wii-bundle-classic-controller-pro-dated-for-europe/ Black Wii Bundle, Classic Controller Pro Dated For Europe]. ''Siliconera''. Retrieved April 28, 2022.</ref> and April 2010<ref>Davies, C. (January 25, 2010). [https://www.slashgear.com/wii-classic-controller-pro-hits-us-from-april-2010-2571200 Wii Classic Controller Pro Hits US From April 2010]. ''SlashGear''. Retrieved April 28, 2022.</ref> respectively (though only in black in Europe).

 

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The '''Wii Balance Board''' is a controller for the Wii that is used for various games, most prominently in ''{{wp|Wii Fit}}''. The Balance Board, unlike the Nunchuk or Classic Controller, acts as a separate controller and does not need to be connected to the Wii Remote. The Board is capable of measuring the weight, balance, and movement of the player that is using it. The only ''Mario'' game that ever used the Wii Balance Board was ''[[Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii)|Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games]]''. A Wii Balance Board sporting a black color was released in 2010.

===Wii Zapper===

[[File:Wii zapper.jpg|x150px|thumb|The Wii Zapper]]

The '''Wii Zapper''' is a rifle-shaped shell used for shooting-related games. The Zapper was uniquely made to hold both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk together in a rifle-like position. Nintendo originally sold the Zapper bundled with ''[[zeldawiki:Link's Crossbow Training|Link's Crossbow Training]]'', although it can be bought separately. The accessory was never used for any ''Mario'' games released on the Wii.

 

===[[Nintendo GameCube#Nintendo GameCube Controller|Nintendo GameCube Controller]]===

The Nintendo GameCube Controller can also be used for certain games such as ''Mario Kart Wii'' and Virtual Console games, and as an alternative to the Wii Classic Controller (and the Pro version).

==Appearances of the console and peripherals in ''Mario''-related games==

Red Mario Wii.jpg|Wii's special red edition commemorating the 25th anniversary of the [[Mario (franchise)|''Mario'' franchise]] which comes with ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii''

WiiMotes.jpg|''Mario''-themed Wii Remotes

*Due to the [[Virtual Console]] service and [[Nintendo GameCube|GameCube]] backwards compatibility, seven ''[[Mario Party (series)|Mario Party]]'' titles are playable on this console, which is more than any other console to date.