And the backlashMatt Hill wrote:So, Nintendo’s new Wii games console has finally made it onto British soil for a post-E3 test drive and the journalistic masses have stapled their ‘thumbs up’ flags firmly to the mast. It even garnered two-thirds of page three in The Daily Telegraph – that’s a grown-up paper; some semi-important news story had to be bumped to get that in there.
The wireless, motion-sensing controller technology is obviously the big sell, allowing you to control on-screen actions by your movement of the wand-like ‘Wii Remote’, and it’s as accurate and reactive as you could want. You also never quite get over how small the console is – “Roughly the size of three DVD cases stuck together,” said a beaming PR at Nintendo’s invite-only showcase at Covent Garden’s The Hospital last week. She’s right to be smiling, as you’d barely notice it underneath your plasma.
However, the more I play the Wii, the more practical problems enter my head, seemingly lost on others in the rush to join the blanket of praise. More concerns than reservations, they are however sure to be part of the bigger picture after the initial “Oooh, look what I can do with my hands!” hype has died down…
1 The physical issue
After a hard day of work/surfing the internet, a relaxing blast on a shoot ’em up or a decent sports sim can be cathartic, not needing much more than a small thumb movement and a couple of button presses to see off hordes of screaming Nazis or score a backhand-return while you lie virtually comatose on the sofa. But with the Wii, vegging out is no longer an option – it’s all about motion, whether it’s thrusting the controller forward to bayonet in battle or leaping about a ‘virtual’ court on a third-set tie-break. Does that feel like ‘rest’ to you? After the office and the gym, doesn’t it all sound too much like hard work?
2 The ‘big TV’ issue
Nintendo has made a huge deal out of the fact that the Wii isn’t following the next-gen herd, concentrating on how we play games, rather than just swanking up the graphics. But while it may not need a high-definition telly like the PS3 and Xbox 360, it DOES need a big fuck-off one. As the PS2’s gimmicky EyeToy gadget proved, motion-sensing games don’t work on small TVs – you need the on-screen gaming area to be as large as possible to properly read your body’s graceful movements (come on, play along). So, despite the Big N pitching itself as the cheap and cheerful option (£170 is the latest unconfirmed price doing the rounds – almost a third of the price of the PS3), you may still find yourself having to fork out for that entertainment centre of plenty after all.
3 The space issue
We’ve already established that the Wii suddenly makes video-gaming a physical activity, which is fine if you have a sizeable front room. However, those whose living dens are a little on the small side, or those banking on setting it up in their specialist ‘games nook’, might want to think again, as even in a spacious demo space I was bumping into people and fairly solid walls left, right and centre trying to hit baseline winners on Wii Tennis. Quite what this means for Nintendo’s considerable child clientele, who predominantly have their consoles in their bedrooms, is anyone’s guess. Fancy watching the Premiership on the 14” in the kitchen while the little terrors take over your personal man space of an evening? No, didn’t think so.
From Kotaku
From SPOnG
To name a few.
So, legitimate concerns, or a bunch of hot air? Was the reaction too strong? Discuss.
