Video output formats. (, (PAL)). (480i (NTSC consoles only)). RGB (576i (PAL consoles only)). (480i, 576i (PAL), )Graphics243 MHzController input(first model only)Connectivity/2 ×Adapter (via USB 2.0)Online services(closed May 20, 2014),(closed June 27, 2013)(closed January 30, 2019)(, except in Japan and South Korea) 82.88 million (as of September 30, 2019 ), 37.20 million (as of September 30, 2019 )(first model only)PredecessorGameCubeSuccessorThe Wii (; known unofficially as the Nintendo Wii) is a released by on November 19, 2006. As a console, the Wii competed with 's and 's. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others.
As of the first quarter of 2016, the Wii led its generation over the 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, which can be used as a handheld and which in. The console runs games supplied on. It also supported the now discontinued service, which enabled Wii to receive messages and updates over the while in. Like other seventh-generation consoles it supported a service, called ', that downloaded games from past Nintendo consoles, support for online video streaming such as, and other services provided by Nintendo over the Internet. From June 28, 2013, Internet services were gradually discontinued; since January 31, 2019, only re-download of games, system software update, and transfer of data between Wii and Wii U continued to be available, to be withdrawn at an unspecified future date.
Wii mini is our compact and affordably priced edition of the best selling Wii games console. Introduced in 2006, the Wii revolutionised home videogames with the arrival of the Wii Remote, an intuitive method of controlling videogames that anybody can get to grips with in seconds - no matter what their level of videogame experience.
Could no longer be purchased after March 2018, and could not be used and were permanently lost from January 31, 2019.The Wii succeeded the; early models are fully with all GameCube games and most accessories. Nintendo first spoke of the console at the and later unveiled it at.
Nintendo CEO revealed a prototype of the controller at the September 2005. At, the console won the first of several awards. By December 8, 2006, it had completed in the four key markets.Later models are no longer compatible with Nintendo GameCube. Nintendo released a in 2011 in Europe, Australia, and North America.
The, Nintendo's first major console redesign since the, was released first in Canada on December 7, 2012. The Wii Mini can only play, as it has neither GameCube compatibility nor any capabilities; this model was not released in Japan, Australia, or New Zealand. The Wii's successor, the, was released on November 18, 2012. On October 20, 2013, Nintendo confirmed it had discontinued production of the Wii in Japan and Europe. See also: DevelopmentThe console was conceived in 2001, as the was first released. According to an interview with Nintendo game designer, the concept involved focusing on a new form of player interaction.
'The consensus was that power isn't everything for a console. Too many powerful consoles can't coexist. It's like having only ferocious.
They might fight and hasten their own extinction.' In 2003, game and were brought together to develop the concept further.
By 2005 the controller interface had taken form, but a public showing at that year's (E3) was canceled. Miyamoto stated that the company 'had some troubleshooting to do. So we decided not to reveal the controller and instead we displayed just the console.' Nintendo president later unveiled and demonstrated the at the September.The is said to have influenced the Wii's design. Designer Ken'ichiro Ashida noted, 'We had the DS on our minds as we worked on the Wii.
We thought about copying the DS's touch-panel interface and even came up with a prototype.' The idea was eventually rejected because of the notion that the two gaming systems would be identical.
Miyamoto also stated, '. if the DS had flopped, we might have taken the Wii back to the drawing board.' In June 2011 Nintendo unveiled the prototype of its successor to the Wii, to be known as the.
NameThe console was known by the code name 'Revolution' from May 11, 2004 when its codename was announced at Nintendo's 2004 pre-Electronics Entertainment Expo press conference in, until April 27, 2006, immediately before. Before the Wii's codename was announced, the media referred to the console as 'GCNext' or Gamecube Next and 'N5' or Nintendo's fifth major home console.Nintendo's spelling of 'Wii' (with two lower-case 'i' characters) is intended to resemble two people standing side-by-side (representing players gathering together) and to represent the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. One reason the company has given for this name choice since the announcement is.
Some and members of the press stated that they preferred 'Revolution' over 'Wii'. Expressed a fear 'that the name would convey a continued sense of 'kidiness' to the console.' The reported the day after the name was announced that 'a long list of puerile jokes, based on the name,' had appeared on the Internet.Nintendo of America's Vice President of Corporate Affairs Perrin Kaplan defended the choice of 'Wii' over 'Revolution' and responded to critics of the name, stating 'Live with it, sleep with it, eat with it, move along with it and hopefully they'll arrive at the same place.'
Nintendo of America's president acknowledged the initial reaction and further explained the change. Main article:On September 14, 2006 Nintendo announced release information for Japan, and, and including dates, prices, and projected unit-distribution figures. It was announced that the majority of the 2006 shipments would be allotted to the Americas, and 33 titles would be available at its launch. The Wii was launched in the United States on November 19, 2006 for $249.99, and was later launched in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2006 for £179. The United Kingdom experienced a widespread shortage of Wii units in many High-Street and online stores, and was unable to fulfill all pre-orders at its release. The Wii was launched in on April 26, 2008, on July 12, 2008, and on December 12, 2009. DemographicNintendo has hoped to a wider with its console than that of others in the.
At a press conference for the then-upcoming game in December 2006, Satoru Iwata insisted 'We're not thinking about fighting, but about how many people we can get to play games. The thing we're thinking about most is not portable systems, consoles, and so forth, but that we want to get new people playing games.' This is reflected in Nintendo's series of in North America (directed by winner ) and its Internet ads.
The advertising slogans were 'Wii would like to play' and 'Experience a new way to play'; the ads began November 15, 2006, and had a total budget of over 200 million for the year. The productions were Nintendo's first broad-based advertising strategy and included a two-minute showing an assortment of people enjoying the Wii system: urban apartment-dwellers, ranchers, grandparents, and parents with their children. The music in the ads was from the song 'Kodo (Inside the Sun Remix)' by the. A report by the British newspaper also stated that of the United Kingdom has used the console. Wii optical disc in caseRetail copies of games are supplied on proprietary, -type, which are packaged in with instructions.
In Europe, the boxes have a triangle at the bottom corner of the paper sleeve-insert side. The triangle is color-coded to identify the region for which the title is intended and which manual languages are included. The console supports: software available in a region can be only played on that region's hardware.New games in Nintendo's flagship franchises (including, and ) have been released, in addition to many original titles and third-party-developed games.
Nintendo has received third-party support from companies such as, and, with more games being developed for Wii than for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Nintendo also launched the line, a selection of enhanced GameCube games for the Wii featuring updated controls.The service allows Wii owners to play games originally released for the, 's and, 's, 's,. Virtual Console games were distributed over broadband Internet via the former, and are saved to the Wii internal flash memory or to a removable. Once downloaded, Virtual Console games can be accessed from the (as individual channels) or from an SD card via the SD Card Menu. There is also the Channel, which can be installed by exploiting the Wii, allowing the user to run applications built from code.The game development suite can be used to create official Wii games; however, the developer must be authorized by Nintendo to develop games for the console. Games must also be accepted by Nintendo to be sold.920.66 million Wii games had been sold worldwide as of December 31, 2018, and had surpassed the million-unit mark by March 2011. The most successful game (, which comes bundled with the console in most regions) sold 82.86 million copies worldwide by September 30, 2018, surpassing as the of all time in 2009.
However, as of May 2019, is the best selling video game of all time, having sold 176 million copies. The best-selling unbundled game, had sold 37.14 million units worldwide by September 30, 2018.Ubisoft's is the last game to ever be released for the system, just 13 years after the Wii's launch. Launch titles. Further information:Twenty-one games were announced for launch day in North and South America, with another twelve announced for release later in 2006. Was included with the console bundle in all regions except Japan and South Korea.
The Wii (top) compared in size to the, North American andThe Wii was Nintendo's smallest home console at the time (the current smallest is hybrid home-portable console Nintendo Switch, when in portable mode); it measures 44 (1.73 ) wide, 157 mm (6.18 in) tall and 215.4 mm (8.48 in) deep in its vertical orientation, slightly larger than three stacked together. The included stand measures 55.4 mm (2.18 in) wide, 44 mm (1.73 in) tall and 225.6 mm (8.88 in) deep. The system weighs 1.2 (2.7 ), making it the lightest of the three major consoles. The Wii may stand horizontally or vertically. The prefix for the numbering scheme of the system and its parts and accessories is 'RVL-' for its, 'Revolution'.The front of the console features an illuminated slot-loading optical media drive which accepts only 12 cm and 8 cm.
(Units sold in South Korea and later revisions do not support GameCube discs.) The blue light in the disc slot illuminates briefly when the console is turned on, and pulses when new data is received through. After the update (including System Menu 3.0), the disc-slot light activates whenever a Wii disc is inserted or ejected. When there is no WiiConnect24 information, the light stays off.
The disc-slot light remains off during game play or when using other features. Two ports are located on the back of the console. An SD-card slot is located behind the SD-card slot cover on the front of the console, where an SD-card can be inserted.The package includes the console; a stand to allow the console to be placed vertically; a round, clear stabilizer for the main stand; a; a attachment; a; a removable stand for the bar; an external; two; a with; a adapter in European countries ( and other types of cables are available separately); operation documentation and (in Europe and the Americas) a copy of the game.The disc reader of the Wii does not play,. A 2006 announcement stated that a new version of the Wii (capable of DVD-Video playback) would be released in 2007; however, Nintendo delayed its release to focus on meeting demand for the original console. Nintendo's initial announcement stated that it 'requires more than a firmware upgrade' to implement, and the capability could not be made available as an upgrade option for the existing Wii; the delay later became a cancellation when production of the Wii was discontinued in 2013.
However, despite the assertion, third parties have used to add DVD playback to unmodified Wii units. The Wii also can be to enable an owner to use the console for activities unintended by the manufacturer. Of are available for the Wii.Although Nintendo showed the console and the Wii Remote in white, black, silver, lime-green and red before it was released, it was only available in white for its first two-and-a-half years of sales.
Black consoles were available in Japan in August 2009, in Europe in November 2009 and in North America on May 9, 2010. A red Wii system bundle was available in Japan on November 11, 2010, commemorating the 25th anniversary of The European version of the limited-edition red Wii bundle was released on October 29, 2010, which includes the original game preloaded onto the console, and Wii Sports. The bundle also features the Wii Remote Plus, with integrated Wii Motion Plus technology.
The red Wii bundle was released in North America on November 7, 2010 with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Sports and the Wii Remote Plus.On July 11, 2007, Nintendo unveiled the at with. It is a wireless accessory for the Wii, with multiple pressure sensors used to measure the user's. Produced a mat controller (a simpler, less-sophisticated competitor to the balance board).
Main article:The Wii Remote is the primary for the console. It uses a combination of built-in and detection to sense its position in space when pointed at the in the. This design allows users to control the game with physical gestures as well as button-presses. The controller connects to the console using with an approximate 30 ft (9.1 m) range, and features and an internal speaker. An attachable can be used to prevent the player from unintentionally dropping (or throwing) the Wii Remote. Nintendo has since offered a stronger strap and the to provide extra grip and protection.Accessories can be connected to a Wii Remote through a port at the base of the controller, such as the bundled — a handheld unit with an accelerometer, and two trigger buttons.
An expansion accessory known as augments the Wii Remote's existing sensors with to allow for finer motion detection; the MotionPlus functionality was later incorporated into a revision of the controller known as Wii Remote Plus. At, Nintendo also presented a ' accessory that could be used to measure a player's pulse. In a 2013 Q&A, Satoru Iwata revealed that the Vitality Sensor had been shelved, as internal testing found that the device did not work with all users, and its use cases were too narrow.The is another extension for the Wii Remote and is more similar to classic gamepads. Players can use it with older games from the Virtual Console in addition to games designed for the Wii.Memory storageThe Wii console contains 512 of internal non-removable, and features an SD card slot for external storage.
An SD card can be used for uploading photos and backing up data and downloaded and games. To use the SD slot for transferring game saves, an must be installed. Installation may be initiated from the Wii options menu through an Internet connection, or by inserting a game disc containing the update. Virtual Console data cannot be restored to any system except the unit of origin.
An SD card can also be used to create customized in-game music from stored files (as first shown in ) and music for the slide-show feature of the. Version 1.1 of the Photo Channel removed MP3 playback in favor of support.At the Nintendo Fall Press Conference in October 2008, Satoru Iwata announced that Wii owners would have the option to download WiiWare and Virtual Console content directly onto an SD card. The option would offer an alternative to 'address the console's insufficient memory storage'. The announcement stated that it would be available in Japan in spring 2009; Nintendo made the update available on March 25. In addition to the previously announced feature, update also allows users to play games directly from an SD card.
In reality, the channel data is copied to the Wii and remains until the channel is exited. Wii version 2.0 allowed channels to be stored onto an SD Card, however they had to manually be copied. The update also added support for cards with up to 32 GB of storage. SpecificationsNintendo has released few technical details regarding the Wii system, but some key facts have leaked through the press. Although none of these reports has been officially confirmed, they generally indicate that the console is an extension (or advancement) of the architecture. Specifically, the analyses report that the Wii is roughly 1.5 to 2 times as powerful as its predecessor.
Based on specifications, the Wii has been called the least powerful of the major home consoles of its generation. ATI Wii GPUStorage:.
512 MB built-in NAND. Expanded storage via and card memory (up to 32 GB). Nintendo GameCube memory card (required for GameCube game saves). Slot-loading disc drive, compatible with 8 cm Nintendo GameCube Game Disc and 12 cm Wii Optical Disc. by MacronixVideo:. Custom 'AV Multi Out' port supporting, ( consoles only) and ( consoles only). (/), (PAL/NTSC) or (PAL), standard 4:3 andAudio:.
Main: Stereo – -capable. Controller: Built-in speaker. Audio DSPPower consumption:. 18 when switched on. 9.6 W in standby with standby connection. 1.3 W in standby.
Technical problemsThe first Wii system software update (via WiiConnect24) caused a small number of launch units to become. This forced users to either send their units to for repairs (if they wished to retain their saved data) or exchange them for free replacements.With the release of dual-layer Wii Optical Discs, Nintendo of America stated that some Wii systems may have difficulty reading the high-density software (due to a contaminated laser lens). Nintendo offers retail lens-cleaning kits and free console repairs for owners who experience this issue.The Wii Remote can lose track of the Wii system it has been set to, requiring that it be reset and resynchronized. Nintendo's support website provides instructions for this process and troubleshooting related issues. Main article:The Wii Menu interface is designed to emulate. Separate channels are graphically displayed in a grid and are navigated using the pointer capability of the.
Except for the Disc Channel, it is possible to change the arrangement by holding down the A and B buttons to 'grab' channels and move them around. There are six primary channels: the Disc Channel, Mii Channel, Photo Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Forecast Channel, and News Channel.
The latter two were initially unavailable at launch but were later activated in updates. The Wii + Internet Video Channel was pre-installed on all Wii consoles starting in October 2008. Additional channels are available for download from the through, and appear with each title; these include the, and the.Backward compatibility. The first model of the Wii has Memory Card and controller slots to provide backward compatibility.Wii consoles with the original design are with all software, Nintendo GameCube Memory Cards and controllers.
Software compatibility is achieved by the slot-loading drive's ability to accept. However, redesigned model RVL-101 and the Wii Mini are not backward-compatible.A Wii console running a GameCube disc is restricted to GameCube functionality, and a GameCube controller is required to play GameCube titles. A Nintendo GameCube Memory Card is also necessary to save game progress and content, since the Wii internal flash memory will not save GameCube games. Also, backward compatibility is limited in some areas.
For example, online and LAN-enabled features for Nintendo GameCube titles are unavailable on the Wii, since the console lacks serial ports for the. Nintendo DS connectivityThe Wii system supports wireless connectivity with the without any additional accessories. This connectivity allows the player to use the Nintendo DS microphone and as inputs for Wii games. The first game utilizing Nintendo DS-Wii connectivity is. Players with either the Nintendo DS games are able to play battles using the Nintendo DS as a controller., released on both Nintendo DS and Wii, features connectivity in which both games can advance simultaneously. Nintendo later released the, which allows Wii owners to download or additional data to their Nintendo DS in a process similar to that of a.
The console is also able to expand Nintendo DS games. Online connectivity. Main articles:, andThe Wii console connects to the Internet through its built-in / Wi-Fi or through a USB-to-Ethernet adapter; either method allows players to access the service. The service has several features for the console, including, the, the, the, the and the. The Wii can also communicate (and connect) with other Wii systems through a self-generated wireless, enabling local wireless multi-playing on different television sets. First demonstrated this feature for non-split screen multi-playing between two (or more) televisions. Media SupportOn April 9, 2008, the BBC announced that its online would be available on the Wii via the browser; however, some users experienced difficulty with the service.
On November 18, 2009, BBC iPlayer on the Wii was launched as the BBC iPlayer Channel, a free downloadable channel from the; however, the service was discontinued in early 2017.was released as a downloadable channel for the Wii on October 18, 2010 in Canada and the United States. A survey conducted by revealed that 25% of Netflix subscribers used the Netflix Channel on the Wii as of July 2011.announced in October 2011 that they would be releasing their, Hulu Plus, on the Wii and the. Hulu Plus was released on February 16, 2012 as a downloadable channel for the Wii.was released as a downloadable channel for the Wii on December 15, 2012 in the United States. The YouTube Channel for the Wii was discontinued on June 28, 2017 as part of YouTube's plan to phase out availability on older devices., 's streaming service, was released on January 14, 2013 as a downloadable channel for the Wii., an streaming service, was released on October 15, 2015 as a downloadable channel for the Wii.In 2018, Netflix announced that Nintendo would shut down support for video streaming services on the Wii on January 30, 2019, including Netflix.
Parental controlsThe console features, which can be used to prohibit younger users from playing games with content unsuitable for their age level. When one attempts to play a Wii or game, it reads the content rating encoded in the game data; if this rating is greater than the system's set age level, the game will not load without a password. Parental controls may also restrict Internet access, which blocks the and system-update features. Since the console is restricted to functionality when playing GameCube Game Discs, GameCube software is unaffected by Wii parental-control settings.European units primarily use the rating system, while North American units use the rating system. The Wii supports the rating systems of many countries, including in Japan, the in Germany, the and in the United Kingdom, the in Australia and the in New Zealand.
Homebrew developers have reverse-engineered the function which Nintendo uses to recover lost parental-control passwords, creating a simple script to obtain parental-control reset codes. ReceptionThe Wii has received generally positive reviews. The system was well received after its exhibition at. At the event, Nintendo's console won the for Best of Show and Best Hardware. In the December 2006 issue of, the console was named a Grand Award Winner in home entertainment.
's Video Games Award cited the Wii's breakthrough technology. Chose the console as having the best hardware in its 'Best and Worst 2006' awards. The system was also chosen as one of magazine's 20 Most Innovative Products of the Year. The console received a Golden Joystick for Innovation of the Year 2007 at the.
In the category of Engineering & Technology for Creation and Implementation of Video Games and Platforms, Nintendo was awarded an Emmy Award for Game Controller Innovation by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In 2009, named the Wii the 10th greatest console of all time (out of 25).The Wii's success caught third-party developers by surprise, leading to apologies for the quality of their early games. In an interview with German news magazine, 's Yves Guillemot and Alain Corre admitted that they made a mistake in rushing out their launch titles, promising to take future projects more seriously., which released few games for the, changed its stance towards Nintendo by placing a higher priority on the Wii.At the same time, criticism of the Wii Remote and Wii hardware specifications had surfaced. Former GameSpot editor and Giantbomb.com founder stated that the controller's speaker produces low-quality sound, while President Julian Eggebrecht criticized the hardware audio as substandard for a console of its generation. UK-based developer stated that the Wii hardware lacks the power necessary to run the software it scheduled for release on other seventh-generation consoles.
Online connectivity of the Wii was also criticized; of compared it to the 'entirely unintuitive' service provided for the.Game designer and creator shared his thoughts on the Wii in the context of the seventh console generation: 'The only next gen system I've seen is the Wii – the PS3 and the Xbox 360 feel like better versions of the last, but pretty much the same game with incremental improvement. But the Wii feels like a major jump – not that the graphics are more powerful, but that it hits a completely different demographic.' The Wii is seen as more physically demanding than other game consoles.Some Wii players have experienced a form of, known as 'Wiiitis'.
A study published in the stated that Wii players use more energy than they do playing sedentary computer games. While this energy increase may be beneficial to weight management, it was not an adequate replacement for regular exercise. A case study published in the American Physical Therapy Association's journal, Physical Therapy, focused on use of the Wii for rehabilitation in a teenager with. It is believed to be the first published research demonstrating physical-therapy benefits from use of the gaming system. Researchers say the system complements traditional techniques through use of simultaneous efforts. In May 2010 the (AHA) endorsed the Wii to encourage to take the first step toward fitness.
The AHA heart icon covers the console and two of its more-active games, and.By 2008, two years after the Wii's release, Nintendo acknowledged several limitations and challenges with the system (such as the perception that the system catered primarily to a ' audience and was unpopular among ' gamers). Game designer admitted that the lack of support for video output on the Wii and its limited network infrastructure also contributed to the system being regarded separately from its competitors' systems, the. Miyamoto originally defended Nintendo's decision to not include HD graphics in the Wii, stating that the number of HDTV's in people's homes at the time was 'really not that high, yet. Of course I think five years down the road it would be pretty much a given that Nintendo would create an HD system, but right now the predominant television set in the world is a non-HD set.' Miyamoto said in an interview with Japanese magazine in 2013 that he regretted not giving the Wii HD graphics.An executive for Frontline Studios stated that major publishers were wary of releasing exclusive titles for the Wii, due to the perception that third-party companies were not strongly supported by consumers. In his, editor Jeremy Parish stated that Nintendo was the biggest disappointment for him in 2007.
Commenting on the lack of quality third-party support, he stated that 'the Wii landscape is bleak. Worse than it was on N64. Worse than on GameCube.the resulting third-party content is overwhelmingly bargain-bin trash.' And Forbes noted that the Wii had few successful third-party titles compared to its rivals (due, in part, to its weaker hardware). Third-party developers often skipped the Wii instead of making games for all three consoles simultaneously ('blockbusters like the franchise either never arrive on Nintendo hardware or show up in neutered form'). Forbes observed that of the most successful games of 2011 (, ), although all were released for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, only Modern Warfare 3 received a Wii version which was also the least positively received port of the game.
The lack of third-party games may be exacerbated in the future, as Nintendo faces the 'dilemma of having fallen out of sync with its rivals in the console cycle'; Microsoft and Sony would design their consoles to be more powerful than the. Strong third-party titles are seen as a key sign of a gaming console's health., in suggesting why Nintendo posted a record loss of $926 million for the initial six months of its 2011–2012 fiscal year, blamed the Wii's design for being 'short-sighted'.
The Wii initially enjoyed phenomenal success because it was inexpensive (due to its being less sophisticated than its competitors) and introduced a 'gaming gimmick'. However, this approach meant that the Wii's hardware soon became outdated and could not keep up long-term (in contrast to more-advanced rivals such as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which were expected to continue doing well in 2012–2013) 'as both user desires and surrounding technologies evolved' later in the.
Furthermore, price cuts and the introduction of motion-sensor controllers for the Xbox 360 and PS3 nullified advantages once held by the Wii. The Globe suggested that there were other reasons for Nintendo's poor financial performance, including a strong yen and a tepid reception to the Nintendo 3DS handheld as mobile gaming became popular on smartphones and tablets, such as the.
The Wii sold out at an onAs of September 30, 2019, the Wii has sold 101.63 million consoles worldwide.Since its launch, monthly sales numbers of the console were generally higher than its competitors around the globe. On November 28, 2006, Nintendo reported that it had sold over 600,000 consoles in the first eight days of launch in the Americas, making it Nintendo's largest console launch until the release of the in 2017. Japan initially received 400,000 Wii consoles, and sold an estimated 372,000 units in two days, with Wii Sports and Wii Play being the best-selling games. Nintendo announced on December 13, 2006 that the Wii had sold 325,000 units across Europe in its first two days of availability and had sold 33,000 units in Australia in its first six days of availability, making it the fastest selling console across the entire European continent and the largest launch of a video game system in Australia.
By the end of 2006, the Wii had sold 3.19 million units worldwide.According to the, the Wii sold more units in the United States than the and combined in the first half of 2007. This lead was even larger in the Japanese market, where it led in total sales (having outsold both consoles by factors of 2:1 to 6:1 nearly every week from its launch to November 2007).
In Australia the Wii broke the record set by the and became the fastest-selling game console in Australian history, selling 32,901 units within the first four days of the console's release. It also broke the 360's Australian record for the quickest amount of time to sell 100,000 units, reaching the milestone within six months and two weeks.
The Wii became the fastest selling console in the United Kingdom at the time, selling 1 million units in just 38 weeks after launch.On September 12, 2007, the reported that the Wii had surpassed the Xbox 360 (released a year earlier) and had become market leader in home-console sales for the seventh generation, based on sales figures from, NPD Group. This was the first time a Nintendo console led its generation in sales since the.On July 11, 2007, Nintendo warned that the Wii would remain in short supply throughout that calendar year. In December, revealed that Nintendo was producing approximately 1.8 million Wii consoles each month. Some UK stores still had a shortage of consoles in March 2007, demand still outpaced supply in the United States in June 2007, and the console was 'selling out almost as quickly as it hits retail shelves' in Canada in April 2008. In October 2008 Nintendo announced that between October and December the Wii would have its North American supplies increased considerably from 2007 levels, while producing 2.4 million Wii units a month worldwide (compared to 1.6 million per month in 2007).In the United States the Wii had sold 10.9 million units by July 1, 2008, making it the leader in seventh generation home console sales according to the NPD Group (and surpassing the Xbox 360).In Japan the Wii surpassed the number of units sold by January 2008; it sold 7,526,821 units by December 2008, according to Enterbrain. According to the NPD Group the Wii surpassed the Xbox 360 to become the best-selling 'next-generation' home video-game console in Canada (with 813,000 units sold by April 1, 2008), and was the best-selling home console for 13 of the previous 17 months.
According to the NPD Group the Wii had sold a total of 1,060,000 units in Canada by August 2008, making it the first seventh generation home console to surpass the million-unit mark in that country. In the United Kingdom the Wii lead in seventh generation home-console sales with 4.9 million units sold as of January 3, 2009, according to GfK. On March 25, 2009 at the, said that worldwide shipments of Wii had reached 50 million. According to, the Wii had sold over 500,000 units in Australia within 84 weeks of its release, beating the and the as the fastest system to accumulate 500,000 sales in that country.While Microsoft and Sony have experienced losses producing their consoles in the hopes of making a long-term profit on software sales, Nintendo reportedly has optimized production costs to obtain a significant profit margin with each Wii unit sold. On September 17, 2007 the Financial Times reported that the direct profit per Wii sold may vary, from $13 in Japan to $49 in the United States and $79 in Europe.
On December 2, 2008, reported that Nintendo made a $6 operating profit per Wii unit sold.On September 23, 2009, Nintendo announced its first price reductions for the console. Nintendo sold more than three million Wii consoles in the U.S. In December 2009 (setting a regional record for the month and ending nine months of declining sales), due to the price cut and software releases such as New Super Mario Bros. On January 31, 2010 the Wii became the best-selling home video-game console produced by Nintendo, with sales of over 67 million units (surpassing those of the original ).In 2010, sales of the Wii began to decline, falling by 21 percent from the previous year. The Wii continued to decline in 2011, with Nintendo's quarterly revenue dropping by 41 percent.
Despite a slowdown in sales, Nintendo reported that on Black Friday in 2011, over 500,000 Wii consoles were sold, making it the most successful Black Friday in the Wii's history. Wii sales declined even further in 2012, having decreased by half from 2011. The Wii Mini sold 35,700 units in its first two months of availability in Canada after being released on December 7, 2012.The Wii surpassed 100 million units sold on June 30, 2013, selling 210,000 units between March and June 2013. Legal issues.
See also:There were lawsuits concerning the Wii console, Wii Remote, and other accessories.Lonestar Inventions, L.P., a -based company, sued Nintendo in June 2006, claiming that the company copied one of Lonestar's patented designs and used it in the Wii console. The two companies agreed to dismiss all claims by July 20, 2009, alongside a settlement made between Lonestar and AMD, which provided Nintendo's microprocessor; whether the Lonestar-Nintendo dismissal included any out-of-court settlement terms was not clear.Anascape Ltd, a -based firm, filed a lawsuit in the Summer of 2006 against Nintendo for patent infringement regarding the vibrational feedback used by Nintendo's controllers. A July 2008 verdict banned Nintendo from selling the Classic Controller in the United States, in addition to the GameCube and Wavebird controllers. Following an appeal to the, on April 22, 2010 the Federal Circuit Court ruled in Nintendo's favor.Inc. Filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Nintendo in December 2006 over the pointing functionality of the Wii Remote, claiming 'loss of reasonable royalties, reduced sales and/or lost profits as a result of the infringing activities' of Nintendo.
The lawsuit was dismissed by Interlink in March 2007.In August 2008 Inc. Filed a complaint against Nintendo with the, alleging that the Wii Remote infringed on three of its patents. A fourth Hillcrest patent (for graphical interfaces displayed on television screens) was also allegedly violated. Hillcrest sought a ban on Wii consoles imported to the U.S. On August 24, 2009 Nintendo and Hillcrest reached a settlement, although the terms were not publicly disclosed.In November 2008, Motiva LLC filed a lawsuit against Nintendo in the U.S.
International Trade Commission claiming that the Wii violated two of its patents for tracking body movement and position. The USITC ruled in favour of Nintendo in January 2013, claiming that 'Motiva's litigation was targeted at financial gains, not at encouraging adoption of Motiva’s patented technology,” and that “There is simply no reasonable likelihood that, after successful litigation against Nintendo, Motiva’s patented technology would have been licensed by partners who would have incorporated it.” The USITC also determined that Nintendo did not violate any of Motiva's patents.In September 2011, ThinkOptics Inc. Filed a lawsuit against Nintendo in over their controller, the Wavit Remote, claiming that the Wii violated its patent for a 'handheld vision based absolute pointing system', a 'Handheld Device for Handheld Vision Based Absolute Pointing System', and a 'Handheld Vision Based Absolute Pointing System', which make up the basis for the Wavit Remote. They also said that the Wii U infringes on their patents as well and claims that Nintendo was aware of the fact that the Wii allegedly violates ThinkOptics' patents.
The lawsuit sought an against violating products, and damages for lost profits. The lawsuit was dismissed by ThinkOptics in August 2014.Starting in December 2012, iLife Technologies Inc. Sued several large companies over patent infringement over a set of patents they held related to 'systems and methods for evaluating movement of a body relative to an environment', principally aimed at the medical field; Nintendo was sued by iLife in December 2013 for the Wii Remote's infringement on their patents, with the lawsuit seeking $144 million in damages, based on a $4 fine for the 36 million Wii and Wii U units it had sold to date. A jury trial was heard in August 2017, and the jury ruled in favor of iLife Technologies and Nintendo was forced to pay US$10.1 million in damages. While Nintendo appealed this decision, the upheld the jury's decision in December 2017. Wrist strapThe wrist strap of the Wii Remote has also been an issue.In mid-December 2006, the law firm Green Welling LLP filed a lawsuit against Nintendo for its 'defective wrist straps'. A few days later, Nintendo issued a for the wrist straps and issued a new version of the strap with an improved securing mechanism for the wrist, leading to the lawsuit being dropped sometime thereafter.A second class-action lawsuit was filed by a mother in Colorado in December 2008, claiming the updated wrist straps were still ineffective.
This suit was dismissed by September 2010, finding for Nintendo that the wrist straps were not knowingly faulty under Colorado consumer protection laws. TrademarksIn 2000, the term ' was trademarked by based TV remote manufacturer Fobis Technologies and was later used as the name of their remote designed for young children. While spelled differently, 'Weemote' is pronounced the same as 'Wiimote', the unofficial term for the Wii Remote. Sales of the Weemote, which totalled less than one million as of 2008 had fallen due to confusion with the Wiimote. Fobis Technologies claims 'Wiimote' to be, but Nintendo does not officially use this term, although many retailers do.
Fobis sent up to 100 letters to retailers, and offered to sell Nintendo the trademark; Nintendo declined, responding that it 'does not use and does not plan to use the Weemote trademark'.The trademark application for the Wii was filed in 2006, but it was not registered by the US government until July 2010.The trademark application for the Wii Remote was initially rejected by the after the trademark was filed in March 2008. The USPTO said that the word ' is commonly used, and therefore should not be trademarked. The USPTO said they would accept Nintendo's trademark filing if the company disclaimed exclusive rights to the word 'remote' in the term and if the word “remote” would always follow the word “Wii” in marketing and manuals; the “Wii Remote” trademark was accepted in July 2012. Other models RVL-101. The Nintendo GameCube Controller Ports and Memory Card Slots' remains can be found in the motherboard of the RVL-101The RVL-101 model of the Wii is a cost-reduced variant released late into the platform's lifespan that removes all functionality, lacking the controller ports and memory card slots found on the original model. Additionally, it does not include a stand, as it is intended to be positioned horizontally.
The console was announced on August 17, 2011 and was released in the United States on October 23, 2011 and Europe on November 4, 2011. It was made available in Europe, bundled with a,. The console launched in white, but later a black unit bundled with New Super Mario Bros. Wii and the official soundtrack CD of was released on October 23, 2011 and a blue Wii unit was released to coincide with and the release of on November 18, 2011. In late 2012, Nintendo released a version of the North American black edition, including and games on a single disc instead of the New Super Mario Bros. Wii game and the Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack. Wii Mini (RVL-201).
A Wii Mini with Wii RemoteThe Wii Mini (stylized as Wii mini) is a smaller, redesigned Wii with a top-loading disc drive. It was announced on November 27, 2012 and released on December 7, 2012 in Canada with a MSRP of 99.99. The system was later released in Europe on March 22, 2013, and in the United States on November 17, 2013. It was not released in Japan, Australia or New Zealand.
This console lacks (/), output, compatibility, online connectivity, the slot and support, and has only one port unlike the previous models' two. The initial release omitted a, but was included at no extra charge beginning on September 18, 2013 in Canada, and from launch in the United States. Nintendo used this console and the game series to promote low-cost gaming. The Wii Mini is styled in matte black with a red border, and includes a red and Nunchuk.
A /audio cable, wired sensor bar and power adapter are also included. Main article:Nintendo announced the successor to the Wii, at. The Wii U features a controller with an embedded touch screen and output graphics; it is fully backward-compatible with Wii games and peripherals for the Wii. The Wii remote, Nunchuk controller and balance board are compatible with Wii U games which include support for them.
The Wii U was released on November 18, 2012 in North America, November 30, 2012 in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, December 8, 2012 in Japan and November 26, 2013 in. The Wii U was discontinued worldwide on January 31, 2017.
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