Well, it’s less then two months now until the launch of the Nintendo Wii and it only seems right that we should whip you guys into a Wii frenzy by looking at some of the detail behind this great console. (click thumbnails for larger versions of each picture).

On September 14, 2006 and September 15, 2006, Nintendo announced release information for Japan, North and Latin America, Australia & Europe, including dates and prices.

The confirmed Wii release dates are; November 17th 2006 for the lucky Folks living in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, December 2nd 2006 for Japan, December 7th 2006 for Australia and New Zealand, And December 8th 2006 for the UK and other EU Regions.

Nintendo Wii Form

Starting with the size, the Wii is Nintendo’s smallest home game console yet; measuring 44 mm wide, 157 mm tall, and 215.4 mm deep in the vertical orientation without the included stand (which itself measures 55.4 mm wide, 44 mm tall, and 225.6 mm deep).

It is approximately the size of three standard DVD cases stacked together (approx. 4.5 cm x 15 cm x 20 cm). The console can be stood either horizontally or vertically.

The front of the console features a slot-loading media drive illuminated by a blue light and accepts both 12-cm and 8-cm optical discs from Nintendo’s prior console, the Nintendo GameCube.

The ability to load differently sized discs is uncommon in slot-loading media drives, which typically only accept discs of a single size. Two USB ports (at the rear) and one SD card slot (behind a flap cover at the front of the console) are provided.

Nintendo has shown Wii and the Wii Remote in various colors, including silver, lime green, white, black, and red. The console will initially be available only in white.

The systems shown at E3 2006 and in various trailers have several small changes from the original design. Not only has the Nintendo branding on the case been replaced with a ‘Wii’ logo, but the disc-loading slot has been enlarged slightly, the reset button has been moved from next to the eject button to beside the power button, and the power indicator light has been moved from next to the power button to inside that button.

Originally Nintendo suggested that DVD playback would be an option with an additional purchase but this functionality has since been dropped.

Nintendo Wii Controller

The primary controller for Wii uses a one-handed, Bluetooth, remote control-based design with force-feedback capabilities.

It features an integrated accelerometer, which allows it to sense linear motion along three axes, as well as tilt. The controller also contains a tracking image sensor, which, in tandem with a sensor bar, gives the controller light gun-like pointer capabilities within 5 meters (approx. 16.5 ft) of the screen.

Up to four controllers can be connected at once and operated as far as ten meters from the console. It can be utilized like an NES gamepad when rotated. An internal audio speaker can be used to play sound effects and provides an enhanced depth of sound field. The Wii Remote features 4KB of non-volatile memory.

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