All of the big three games consoles – Sony’s PlayStation 3, the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox – have their own individual merits and demerits. Each gamer will have their own favourite console, and it’s a pointless exercise to try and persuade them that one of the other consoles might be better.
Many families today will have more than one, and quite possibly all three, games consoles. Not to mention the various mobile consoles like the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS. Sometimes games consoles will also double up as DVD or blu-ray disc players.
Regardless of which console is “best”, it’s probably fair to say that the Nintendo Wii is the most sociable of the three consoles. Whereas the Xbox and PS3 are often to be found in teenager’s bedrooms, the Wii is more commonly found in the family living room. The Wii is less powerful than the other two consoles and has much less detailed graphics – more cartoon like as a rule. Yet it is the Wii that is often found connected to the big screen TV in the living room.
One explanation for this is the fact that, when using the Wii’s motion sensitive controllers, even although the graphics are less detailed, it’s much more difficult to keep track of the action on a small TV when you’re bouncing around the room waving your arms in the air. Another factor is that it’s more intuitive to learn Wii games due to the control system. In fact, it’s so easy that even adults can do it – which makes it possible for all of the family to take part.
A further consequence of the extra movement required to play Wii games is that additional space is required when compared with other consoles. Again, this makes the living room preferable to the average teenage bedroom, where gamers would probably spend their time tripping over piles of discarded clothes, empty coke tins and half eaten pizzas.
The physical element to game play on the Wii is a good thing. It means that there’s a certain amount of exercise involved when playing Wii games. On the other hand, you do need to take it easy at first. It’s all too easy to wake up with a sore arm or stiff legs after an evening playing Wii Sports for the first time.
The tendency for families to have their Wii console in the living room could go some way to explaining the success of the black Wii. Nintendo went to the dark side and released a black Wii console in Japan in the summer of 2009. It went on sale in Europe in time for Christmas 2009. It proved to be a very popular choice with many gamers – probably because it matches the TV, the DVD player, the cable box etc. – better than the white version.
Discover the black Wii for yourself and also have a look at the wide range of Wii games available.
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