LOS ANGELES, May 9, 2006 -- Anyone can tell you how video games look. Nintendo wants you to experience how they can feel.Today Nintendo unveils the next leap in gaming by demonstrating its upcoming Wii™ home console, which lets users manipulate action on their television screens through the precise, life-like motion of the Wii Remote. Continuing Nintendo's long tradition of developing highly innovative products that redefine the standards for the industry, Wii (pronounced "we") will allow players to "feel" games in a way never known before: the adrenaline of a tennis match, the thrill of making an airplane bank or the rush of gripping the wheel of a speeding truck. The control scheme is simple enough that everyone, no matter what their prior gaming experience, can use it with ease and will want to try it. "Not only is Wii compelling to current game players, but it also will entice new players with new experiences," explains Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. "To expand the total number of game players, we must make our experience both friendlier and more compelling. With Wii, it is."Iwata made his comments during Nintendo's annual media briefing in Los Angeles prior to the start of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) global video game trade show. Thanks to Nintendo's leadership in innovation, Wii will challenge conventional thinking and will be a disruptive element in the video game industry. Players manipulate their games through the motion of the remote control-like Wii Remote, which also includes a built-in speaker. In a four-player tennis game shown during Nintendo's media briefing, the Wii Remote became a virtual tennis racket, from the vibration of the hit to thesound of the ball. The Wii Remote's sensors are delicate enough to enable players to hit straight, add slice or put top spin on the ball. Depending on the game, the Wii Remote could be a weapon, a baseball bat or an airplane. The applications are limited only by imagination. The Nunchuk controllerattachment also includes a motion sensor, a development that suggests additional creative possibilities for this dual control system: Games could involve the use of a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Or a clamp and a scalpel. Or a pair of boxing gloves. A new, immersive playing experience represents the most important factor to keep the industry healthy and growing. For more than a year, Nintendo has demonstrated living examples of how this strategy continues to work to the benefit of players, Nintendo and the marketplace. New interfaces can change the gaming landscape almost overnight, as evidenced by the success of the hand-held Nintendo DS™ system. To date, more than 16 million units have sold through to gamers of all types. Between now and the end of 2006, more than 100 new, envelope-pushing games will launch for the system to continue the tremendous momentum it enjoysworldwide. Wii will be available in the fourth quarter of 2006 and priced affordably for the mass market. It will feature a very quick startup, silent operation and low power consumption. These elements make the "sleepless" WiiConnect24 experience possible. Users never need to turn it off. The combination of the new interface, including the Wii Remote, the Virtual Console and WiiConnect24 (which takes advantage of the console's low power consumption) represents a true leap forward in gaming.
