Nintendo Wii Review

Nintendo has ventured off the beaten path with its newest system, and the company knows it. While the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 both emphasise their impressive graphical capabilities, Nintendo downplays the importance of graphics on its new console. While the Sony and Microsoft consoles keep the branding of their respective predecessors, the oddly named Wii is a semantic departure from Nintendo's more literally named 2001 console, the GameCube. And while the PS3 and the Xbox 360 both use conventional gamepads bristling with buttons, control sticks and directional pads, the Wii uses a device that looks more like a TV remote than a gamepad to control its games.
These strange choices could have spelled failure for Nintendo's newest endeavour. Underplaying processing power, using a strange new controller setup, and giving the whole package an odd name could have been major mistakes for Nintendo. (Consider some of the company's earlier attempts to go against the grain: the Power Glove and the Virtual Boy.) But if our early experience with the Wii is any indication, this particular Nintendo gamble seems likely to pay off. It's strange, it's new and it's not as powerful as its competitors, but the Nintendo Wii succeeds in its primary mission: there's no nonsense, just fun.
Opening the box
The Wii box includes everything you need to hook the system up to a standard television: the Wii console, a wireless controller with nunchuk adaptor, the sensor bar, a cradle (for mounting the console vertically), the Wii's modestly sized power adaptor, and a set of composite AV cables. Unfortunately, composite cables don't support the Wii's top progressive-scan resolution of 576p, so HD Ready TV owners will want to also purchase a set of Wii component cables (sold separately).
The Wii console itself is downright tiny -- easily the smallest and lightest of the new generation of game machines. At 44mm high by 159mm wide by 216mm deep (when oriented horizontally), it is -- as Nintendo promised -- about the size of three DVD cases. The initial model is available only in iPod-white, but it's a safe bet that we'll see plenty of other colours become available in years to come. As with the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, you can lay the Wii horizontally or stand it vertically (either by itself or, for added stability, in the included plastic cradle). Like the PS3, the Wii uses a slot-loading mechanism. It accepts the Wii discs (full-size 12cm) and older GameCube discs (mini 8cm), without the need for an adaptor.
The Wii includes 512MB of internal memory for storing saved games, downloaded Virtual Console titles and other data. If that half-gigabyte of onboard storage isn't enough for you, the system has a standard Secure Digital card slot for additional storage. SD cards are cheap and plentiful, and the Wii's support of them is a refreshing change of pace from the proprietary memory cards used by older game consoles.
While it doesn't come with a memory card or component-video cables, the Wii does include one pleasant surprise in the box. The system comes with Wii Sports, a simple but infectious sports compilation that lets users get a feel for the Wii's capabilities without investing in additional games. Wii Sports uses the system's wireless controller as erstwhile sporting equipment, letting users swing and mock-throw it to play baseball, tennis, golf, bowling and boxing.
The different games can support up to four players at a time, but most modes require more than the system's single controller for multiplayer options. Players can swap the remote back and forth for golf and bowling, but players who would like to box or play each other in a tennis match or a baseball game will need to purchase at least one more controller. Wii Sports feels more like a collection of five minigames than a fully fleshed-out title, but it lets users have fun straight out of the box and showcases the system's potential.
Setup
The Wii's simple design makes it very easy to hook up. The back panel of the console has only five ports: one for the power adaptor, one for the proprietary AV cable, one for the sensor bar, and two USB ports for future accessories. Just plug in the sensor bar and put it either on top of or under your television, plug the video cable into your TV, and plug the power cable into the wall, and you're ready to go.
Once everything is hooked together, just turn on the Wii to go through the software setup. Settings such as time and username can be easily selected with the remote control's pointer. The only remotely technical setting most users will have to deal with is the network connection, and the menu system practically walks users through the setup. The Wii's Wi-Fi connection can work with secure WEP and WPA encrypted Wi-Fi networks, so you don't have to make your network vulnerable just to play online. We had no problem connecting to our open wireless router, though we couldn't test the network connection beyond that. If you don't have Wi-Fi at all, Nintendo is said to be offering an Ethernet adaptor that interfaces with one of the USB ports. While Nintendo's servers were not ready at the time of this review, we will update our evaluation of this feature as soon as we can go online.

source: reviews.cnet.co.uk

game console 3 Comments | Readmore...

Nintendo DS Lite Review

Our original review of the Nintendo DS listed only one 'We don't like' characteristic: 'Somewhat bulky'. Whether it was because of early fan discord or because Nintendo has a propensity to redesign its handheld systems, the aforementioned complaint was addressed with a signature Nintendo remodelling. The Nintendo DS has been slimmed down and brightened up, and it's been injected with a serious shot of style.
Rechristened, the DS Lite attempts to make the same fashion statement for videogame systems that the iPod did for MP3 players. Like the iPod, the DS Lite is available in two colours, white and black, which is exclusive to Europe. For the time being the US only has the white version, while Japan boasts navy and 'ice blue' versions. For the impatient and iPod-white averse, the system is completely region-free and supports multiple languages, so you could import a Japanese navy DS Lite and have no problem playing all of your European games.
The DS Lite is released in the UK and Europe on 23 June with an RRP of £99.99. It can be pre-ordered from various online retailers now.

Design
The Nintendo DS Lite, like the original Nintendo DS, is a portable gaming system with two vertically tiered screens. On the bottom is a touch screen that allows you to use a stylus or a finger for anything from selecting options to moving characters. There's also a normal face-button layout that allows a more standard method of control.

The system plays its own proprietary cartridges (which are somewhere between SD and CompactFlash cards in size), in addition to its near-full backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance (GBA) titles -- the system will not play multiplayer modes of GBA games, unfortunately. While DS cartridges are much smaller in capacity than the Sony PSP's UMDs, they play without the often unbearable load times of Sony's proprietary format.
As its name suggests, the Nintendo DS Lite is a much more compactly designed system -- at 133 by 72 by 21mm when closed and weighing in at 217g, it's 39 per cent smaller and 21 per cent lighter than its predecessor. The rounded corners are more finely tapered, and the top and bottom sides are symmetrical, avoiding the underbite-like look of the original's oversized bottom half. It's a much more pocket-friendly system than the original DS. Despite the smaller overall size, though, the trademark twin screens have the same dimensions.
The layout of the DS Lite is largely similar to that of the Nintendo DS, with some slight, beneficial changes. The top half of the clamshell still houses the stereo speakers. They're centred on either side of the upper screen, and despite being smaller than those on the original DS, they're just as loud. The bottom screen is a little more conducive to touch, but it feels flimsier -- almost as if you've kept the protective thin-film screen that overlays many LCDs when they ship from the factory. To the left of the touch screen is the D-pad, which is about three-quarters the size of the original, but just as efficient.
The four face buttons (X, Y, A and B) are essentially the same but feel a little more pronounced than those of the original DS. No longer half-ovals on top, the start and select buttons are now tiny circles on the bottom. The power button has moved from just above the D-pad to the right side of the system. It's a welcome change, as the original looked exactly like the select and start buttons and was situated in the same area on the opposite side -- which led to the occasional turn-off-instead-of-pause blunder.
The front of the system is basically unchanged -- from left to right, the volume control, the GBA game slot and the in-line-enabled headphone port are in the same spots. Formerly slightly above the front of the system, the microphone has been moved to the hinge between screens. In instances where you need to look at the bottom screen while using the mic, you may need to retrain yourself.
The back end of the system is basically the same. The only thing that's moved is the stylus holder, which is on the back of the system, to the left of the power switch. It looks a little more discreet and the stylus fits more snugly. The left and right triggers are slightly smaller, but like the face buttons, they're more pronounced and easier to press. The DS cartridge slot is centred at the top, and the AC power port is off to the left. The system includes an AC adaptor, two styli that match the Lite's colour, and a smaller wrist strap that -- annoyingly -- does not include the thumbpad of the original.

source : reviews.cnet.co.uk

game console 2 Comments | Readmore...

Sega Master System [1986, 1990]

The only 8-bit system that has games being sold currently. This system was a real success. It was graphically superior to its rivals, such as the NES and also had better audio with its 3 channels.
As with many of the other Sega consoles the games were very arcade orientated and became really popular with the average gamer. Although it didn't take off well in the US, it gave them valuable experience in how to market a product.
Additional accessories were developed, including 3-D glasses, to give a 'virtual reality' feel, as well as a Light phasor and pedals.
source : whatconsole.co.uk

game console 2 Comments | Readmore...