The Wii is a video game console made by Nintendo. It seems that this is the one of the most successful consoles made by Nintendo to this date, and it is the successor to the Gamecube. It was released in November of 2006, two days after the PS3 was released in NA. The Wii is a very interesting console, having WiFi online capabilities, wireless controllers, and blue-tooth. But perhaps the most interesting feature is the motion sensors in the Wii controller (dubbed Wii-Mote). It allows people to swing their arms and the same motion will happen on screen in the game. It also has an infrared light on the end of the wii-mote so you can point and shoot at the screen, kind of like the old duckhunt game one the original NES. A speaker and vibration are included as well for that extra feel of realism.

The launch of the Wii was pretty crazy, and kept selling out at all the stores for many months after its release, mainly because it's fun to play and is affordable compared to what is available from Microsoft and Sony. Actually the Wii has outsold both the xbox and ps3 combined at the time of this writing. It mainly because there is a huge demographic for this console, many people who would have never been into video games have been buying the Nintendo and having fun with it.

As far as hardware it really isn't all that powerful, Infact the computing power is less powerful than the original Microsoft xbox. But the fact that it is fun to play and is affordable makes up for that. The system is the smallest one made by Nintendo to date, measuring only 1.73 inches wide, 6.18 inches tall, and 8.48 inches deep (about equivalent to 3 DVD cases). The color of the console is white and has a cool looking blue light at the slot input where you put the game discs. It is also the lightest of the seventh generation consoles weighing in at only 2.7 pounds. There are 2 high-speed USB ports on the back and an SD memory card slot hidden on the front. The SD slot can be used for storing photos, mp3's and virtual console games downloaded off of Nintendo's online service.

The Wii console is backwards compatible with all Gamecube software, as well as Nintendo Gamecube Memory Cards and controllers. Compatibility with software is achieved with the slot-loading drive's ability to accept Gamecube discs. The console supports progressive-scan output in 480p-enabled Nintendo Gamecube titles. Peripherals can be connected via a set of four Gamecube controller ports and two Memory Card slots concealed by removable flip-open panels. A Gamecube controller is required to play Gamecube games, as neither the WiiMote nor the Classic controller functions in this capacity. A Nintendo Gamecube Memory Card is also necessary to save, as the Wii internal flash memory will not save Gamecube games.

Backward compatibility is limited in some areas. The console uses a proprietary port for video output and is therefore incompatible with Nintendo Gamecube componsate video, s-video, and component cables. The console also lacks Gameboy player support. Online and LAN-enabled features for Nintendo Gamecube titles are unavailable on the Wii, as the console lacks serial ports for the Broadband adapter and Modem adapter. The Wii was initially compatible with the Gamecube action replay, which would work with Gamecube titles. The firmware update to 3.0 has caused restrictions to this device along with various unlicensed freeloaders.

Games representing Nintendo's flagship franchises, including The Legend of Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Pokemon, Super Smash Bros, MarioKart, and Fire Emblem, have been announced for the console. Likewise, there are original titles for it as well as expected third party games. EA has declared their '100%' support for the system and has since gone on to purchase long-time partner Headgate Studios, which now develops exclusively for Nintendo's console. Ubisoft announced eight titles for release over the launch period, and have stated that they have a further six currently in development while Midway Games has announced six titles. Namco Bandai also announced that they are developing 37 games for the Wii for their fiscal year ending March 2008. On April 27, 2007, Satoru Witata stated that 45 out of Nintendo's 124 first-party games are being developed for the console. The other 79 titles are being developed for the DS. As of July 25, 2007 the Wii has more exclusive games in development than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Retail copies of Wii games are supplied on DVD optical discs. Wii Optical Discs are packaged in a keep case along with instruction information. On European releases, these retail boxes have a triangle printed at the bottom corner of the paper insert sleeve side. The hue of the triangle can be used to identify which region the particular title is intended for and which manual languages are included.