Multi |
by Serban Stokker |
20th May 2006 |
Wii'rd how we missed this last week when it was first announced, but it's well worth mentioning (even with such delay) that Nintendo's Wii console will also come equiped with a more classic controller, pictured below. Sceptics of the "Wii remote" might therefore reconsider their position towards Nintendo's next-gen console - which, despite its modest technical specifications, was definitely the star of the show at last week's E3.
This "classic-pad" is not a replacement to the freehand controller, but instead you will plug it into the Wii Remote, as you would do with the Nunchuk controller. It's designed for use with both hands, coming complete with a d-pad, analogue sticks and shoulder buttons. The classic-pad's most immediate use is quite obvious: retro games, which will be downloadable on the Wii thanks to the "Virtual Console" concept announced last year. For some presumably-low fees (or through various promotions), players will have acces to Nintendo's back-catalogue of classic games, or even download Nintendo DS demos on their Wii, and then transfer them wirelessly to their handhelds. Pretty slick.
Furthermore, Nintendo also revealed another hardware feature of the Wii console - WiiConnect24, a system which will allow the machine to continue to perform network functions even when in standby mode. The idea behind the function is that rather than being turned off, Wii will go into a low-power mode which still has some vital systems running - including the ability to download content or interact with players on the network.
One example given by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was the possibility for other players to visit your village in Animal Crossing even while you have left the console "switched off" - so you could return to find that they have left a message or gift for you in the game. Pretty slick indeed!
UPDATE: Nintendo's planned inter-connectivity between the DS handheld and the Wii console will actually go a little further. As revealed to
Kotaku by Shigeru Miyamoto, the technology to support this is already built into the console, and some of the possibilities include using the touch screen and microphone input from the DS to effect Wii gameplay; or downloading content from your Wii to your DS, editing it, and then uploading it back to the console.
"Miyamoto also mentioned that Wii remotes will likely be able to be "attached" to different members of your household - each person would have their own Wiimote. Nintendo's hopes are that everyone in the family will own their own Wii remote, each with a distinct look, and that people can just hop into a game with the controller - and the Wii would customize the look or settings of a game based on which controller turned it on the console."
Did I mention "pretty slick" yet? [20.05.2006, 19:06]
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