Wii is a brand of video game console developed by Nintendo . A video game console is a specialized gaming computer that connects to a television . Nintendo released the original Wii in 2006. It featured a wandlike motion-sensitive controller called the Wii Remote. Holding this device, players could control Wii games with gestures and movements, rather than by simply pressing buttons and manipulating joysticks. In the game Wii Sports (2006), for example, players tilt and swing the Wii Remote to control virtual tennis rackets, golf clubs, and bowling balls.
The Wii had far less computing power than its competitors, Sony’s PlayStation 3 console and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console. But the Wii’s easy-to-learn games and movement-based play proved extremely popular with a diversity of consumers. A number of popular Wii games focused on exercise. For example, the game Wii Fit (2007) featured a wide variety of exercises, making use of a device called the Wii Balance Board, which can detect pressure as a person stands on it. To play more traditional games, such as Super Mario Galaxy (2007), players could connect the Wii Remote to a joystick-bearing device called the Nunchuk. Nintendo later modified its Wii Remote to increase its sensitivity to motion. In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011), players engage in virtual sword fights by precisely swinging and thrusting the modified Wii Remote.
In 2012, Nintendo released the Wii U. The new console supported high-definition graphics . It also featured a controller with a large touch screen resembling a tablet computer. Like the original Wii, the Wii U had much less computing power than competing consoles. The Wii U did not sell nearly as well as the original Wii, however.
