Official Wii Specs
No, not the horsepower, but Nintendo has updated their spec sheet with official information. Some of them were rumoured or expected, but it’s nice to see it in writing. Interestingly enough, Nintendo has completely toed around the DVD-player aspect. Maybe they realized we all have a DVD player now and that it’s a wasted effort? Also, the CPU info seems to be past tense while the GPU seems to be present tense. Am I reading too closely into this or are they still working on the GPU? Anyway, without further ado, here’s an easy-to-read feature list:
Launch Date and MSRP
- Q4 2006 for $TBA (Yeah, those bastards)
Controls
- Four controllers hooked up at once using Bluetooth
- Wireless signal detected at 10 metres from console
- WiiMote can be used as a pointer from 5 metres from console
- Both the WiiMote and Nunchuk will have 3 axis motion sensor
- WiiMote has built-in speaker
- WiiMote features rumble capabilities
- WiiMote has an expansion bay to attach peripherals such as the Nunchuk
- WiiMote has a D-Pad and the following buttons: A, B, 1, 2, Power, Home, -, and +
- Nunchuk has an analog control stick, C shoulder button, and Z shoulder button
Click “Read More” for the rest.
No, not the horsepower, but Nintendo has updated their spec sheet with official information. Some of them were rumoured or expected, but it’s nice to see it in writing. Interestingly enough, Nintendo has completely toed around the DVD-player aspect. Maybe they realized we all have a DVD player now and that it’s a wasted effort? Also, the CPU info seems to be past tense while the GPU seems to be present tense. Am I reading too closely into this or are they still working on the GPU? Anyway, without further ado, here’s an easy-to-read feature list:
Launch Date and MSRP
- Q4 2006 for $TBA (Yeah, those bastards)
Controls
- Four controllers hooked up at once using Bluetooth
- Wireless signal detected at 10 metres from console
- WiiMote can be used as a pointer from 5 metres from console
- Both the WiiMote and Nunchuk will have 3 axis motion sensor
- WiiMote has built-in speaker
- WiiMote features rumble capabilities
- WiiMote has an expansion bay to attach peripherals such as the Nunchuk
- WiiMote has a D-Pad and the following buttons: A, B, 1, 2, Power, Home, -, and +
- Nunchuk has an analog control stick, C shoulder button, and Z shoulder button
The Look
- Compact
- Can be displayed both vertically and horizontally
Colour
- TBA
Media
- Self-loading bay
- Can accept single and dual-layered “12-centimetre optical discs for Wii” (Does that include DVDs?)
- Can accept 8 cm GameCube discs
Communication
- Can communicate with internet even when power is off using WiiConnect24
- Can connect to internet using IEEE802.1b/g protocol or USB 2.0 LAN adapter
- Can wirelessly communicate with Nintendo DS
Virtual Console
- Downloadable access to “fan-favourites” from NES, SNES, and N64
- Downloadable access to “best-of” titles from Genesis and TurboGrafx
- Downloadable access to new games by indie developers
The Specs
- 512 MB of internal flash memory
- Two USB 2.0 ports
- Built-in WiFi capability
- SD Memory Card bay to expand internal flash memory
- Low power consumptions using state-of-the art design to make WiiConnect24 possible
CPU
- PowerPC CPU codenamed “Broadway”
- Made with 90nm SOI CMOS process
- “Jointly developed and manufactured by IBM” (Past tense?)
GPU
- Codenamed “Hollywood”
- “Being developed by ATI” (Present tense?)
Other Features
- Four slots for GameCube controllers
- Two slots for GameCube memory cards
- AV Multi-output port component, composite, and S-Video