Since we've already sent
both of the other major consoles through the wringer -- along with the two
most popular handheld units -- it wouldn't really be fair if we didn't come together as a family and give Nintendo's
Wii the most bitter critiquing of its young life, now would it? There's no real debating the fact that this innovative gaming platform has not only
become a success in and of itself but fundamentally influenced the way we interact with our devices as well, yet it's certainly far from the perfect product, and there are a number of things we're sure you'd like to see added / changed / removed. For instance, it would pretty sweet if I could
use this thing as my DVD player too. Or, why is it so dang hard to befriend someone? And of course, this being 2007 and all, where's that HD already?
Bonus: While no one really complains about this much anymore, as we recall, the name "Wii"
wasn't all that well received among haters and fanboys alike when it was
first revealed. Since this post is all about changes, we also want to know: if you could go back in time, how would you have branded Nintendo's worldwide hit?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Jeff @ Jul 20th 2007 5:40PM
I was fortunate enough to receive a Wii for Christmas, and have loved it ever since. I have nine games for it, and everyone I know not only enjoys playing it, but wishes they could buy one for themselves.
All of that said, yes... the name is still stupid and never should've been.
steve @ Jul 20th 2007 5:40PM
better graphics....
JohnTitor @ Jul 20th 2007 6:26PM
well it would suck to make new Wii that can handle better graphics only to have games require that new Wii instead and phase out all those who bought the original
Instead I think what's pluasible is releasing a Wii "heavy" (sort of like DS Lite)
which has DVD playback and Wii/Gamecube support with at least 720P support and upscaling. And how about a Harddrive.
dglaz @ Jul 20th 2007 8:46PM
The graphics are fine... they should have made the console brown.
Mischa Lockton @ Jul 20th 2007 8:49PM
exactamundo, better graphics- much better
Mark Galvan @ Aug 2nd 2007 12:50PM
More cowbell.
Cpt.Scarecrow @ Jul 21st 2007 5:11AM
Excactly.
One day the xbox360 and PS3 will get a wii-like controler and then they will be a lot better because of the better graphics and superior processing power.
jamesmcm @ Jul 21st 2007 7:06AM
Or Nintendo will just release another console with a Wii controller and better graphics as the graphics and processing gets cheaper....
demented_pants @ Jul 22nd 2007 10:28PM
Personally, I can do without the graphics. I think far too many game companies are focusing too much on graphics these days and not enough on gameplay - and the Wii's got fantastic gameplay.
Myridom @ Jul 20th 2007 5:41PM
Let me unbox the one I finally found today and I'll get back to you.. :)
Dr Forrester @ Jul 21st 2007 2:23PM
I second the built in ethernet port
Peter Carey @ Jul 20th 2007 11:07PM
Nice, I just got mine yesterday. I was at the mall and I was like "Do you have any Wiis?" and of course I get the obvious answer "Of course not, we sold out 5 minutes after we got them". Then I talked to the guy about the Xbox and 1080p (which is so annoying to get working on the premium) and 2 minutes later a guy comes and delivers 2 Wiis. Low and behold, I finally have a Wii! BTW, add REAL surround sound already!! Virtual Surround kinda sucks.
TheGuy @ Jul 20th 2007 5:42PM
Built-in ethernet port would be nice.
WE DON'T ALL HAVE WIFI NINTENDO!!!
Tristan @ Jul 20th 2007 10:13PM
Hey man, no problem, what would you do online with a Wii anyway?
PS. Its sort of a pipe dream, but I was messing around with my Wii the other day (hah) and I realized how cool it would be to have a cable tuner built in. Imagine turning on your Wii and selecting the "TV Channel". Once again, I know this is far fetched but it would be oh so sweet.
Paulwipe @ Jul 20th 2007 11:39PM
yeah, they have that already. its called the input select/video mode/source button on your tv remote control.
buck2769 @ Jul 24th 2007 9:13PM
We don't? Talk about joining 2007!
HyperHacker @ Jul 31st 2007 3:08PM
USB video capture card anyone?
David Hildreth @ Jul 20th 2007 5:44PM
More Games
Jason Gold @ Jul 20th 2007 5:44PM
I would add better graphics, too. Maybe more racing titles that are good. Oh yeah. When the name "Wii" came out, i thought that was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. But now that I have one and I have had a good long time to think about it, it is a great name, because the console is a multi-person console, so "we" get to play. Also, it's cool with the Mii thing.
MaxP @ Jul 20th 2007 5:44PM
would like the wii to:
- play dvds
- mp3 player channel
- support any video content found on internet
otherwise it's a fine console, been having fun since I have it!
JARSInc @ Jul 22nd 2007 4:20AM
If you go to the photo channel, view your pictures as a slideshow, then press... i think it is plus... click on options > change background music. then you will be able to listen to any songs on your sd card.
I think that Nintendo should open up the channels screen to developers (ala facebook), as they have done with virtual console. You could have rss... maybe youtube... i know that you can use the internet channel, but one of the things Nintendo was pushing in the beginning was convenience.
Garth @ Jul 28th 2007 8:44AM
Use Orb. It works great on the Wii and can play back virtually any internet audio/video, as well as your entire personal media collection (and tv if you have a tuner in your orb box).
MaxP @ Jul 28th 2007 10:27AM
too bad i'm on mac, doesnt work with orb
paloooz @ Jul 20th 2007 5:44PM
720p, or at the very least give me anti-aliasing at 480p...
dmjones @ Jul 24th 2007 12:39PM
- Agree 100%! Where is the anti-alias, nintendo/ati?? 720p, or a far fetched 1080p, would be preferable to an obsolete 480p.
- SENSOR BAR CALIBRATION!!! The "on top/on bottom of tv option just isn't enough. Calibration is plausible as it would simply be a firmware upgrade.
- The games need to have button configuration remapping. I can't tell you how bummed I was to discover that tigger (B) wasn't "fire" in Resident Evil 4. So much for the pistol!
- I do have wifi but an Ethernet port would be faster.
- I wan't to use the USB ports to save my games.
- DVD playback should have been a must.
- Yeah, the graphics could use some work (although RE4 is by far the best Wii graphics I've seen) but as mentioned by another user, the Wii is all about gameplay for everyone.
That's all I can think of right now. I've had mine for about 5 months and simply love the thing. It's size, low power consumption, and design make it very attractive.
Jordan Lund @ Jul 20th 2007 5:45PM
1) DVD playback.
2) HDTV resolutions.
3) DVI/HDMI output
But all that is beside the point without the biggest change:
5) Release games that are worth playing. i.e. Games that aren't worthless collections of mini games, terrible childrens titles or rip-offs of the latest kids animated movie or TV show.
Ben @ Jul 20th 2007 5:56PM
Where's 4? :S
rommel @ Jul 20th 2007 6:51PM
Wii can't count ;)
Mark @ Jul 20th 2007 7:09PM
you mean like Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, SSX Blur, Resident Evil 4(a remake but as many people say, the control scheme makes the game much better than it was previously), Godfather Blackhand edition, oh and lets not forget the games that are coming: Super Smash Bros Brawl, Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart just to name a few :)
Redbeard @ Jul 20th 2007 8:32PM
mark,
pardonme, but jordanlund has a point. we're 8 months out and none of those blockbusters you've mentioned are here.
we had a port of a GC game at launch (Zelda). it took till late feb/march to have wario ware, till april for paper mario and the end of may to have mario party. the request for the games to come out faster isn't unreasonable.
rockintom @ Jul 21st 2007 10:51AM
you mean like Twilight Princess, Super Paper Mario, SSX Blur, Resident Evil 4(a remake but as many people say, the control scheme makes the game much better than it was previously), Godfather Blackhand edition, oh and lets not forget the games that are coming: Super Smash Bros Brawl, Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart just to name a few :)
Mark: Gamecube game, originally a gamecube game, *could* have been a gamecube game, tweaked gamecube game, and ps2 game, respectively. Awesome.
Still waiting for brawl and galaxy. Those are the only reasons I haven't sold mine yet.
Edd Mills @ Jul 23rd 2007 4:22AM
Problem is, almost all the big titles you mentioned are made solely by Nintendo. That's where the Wii falls down I always feel; you just don't really seem to get truly classic games unless they come from Nintendo themselves which in turn leads to really good games being released less regularly.
girt @ Jul 21st 2007 10:21PM
hey dont frigging blame nintendo for their lack of games. its mostl the third party companies that are too lazy to make a decent game for the wii
mills.edward @ Jul 23rd 2007 4:25AM
Why not blame Nintendo? Surely they should be offering up incentives to the big publishers to start producing more actively for the Wii? The publisher's just produce games for what they think will make them the most money, Nintendo need to stick their necks out and get more third parties interested and involved. I'm not saying they haven't already, but there needs to be more.
Antioch @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:08PM
Incentives? Are you kidding me?
Wiis are still flying off the shelves as soon as they are delivered. The (no point having "possible" here because we see it's true) user base is larger then before. Games are actually being sold.
At least they are smart enough incentive-wise to realize the stupidity of producing exclusively for the PS3 just yet.
Daniel @ Jul 20th 2007 5:46PM
It's died down a little bit, but the name is still the absolutely worst thing about this console. I still can't say the name around friends and family without reminding myself to keep a straight face. There is no good way to say "You wanna come over and play with my Wii...er, the Wii...er, video games," and by that point you've lost everybody.
I know they wanted something short and indicative of including everyone, so maybe the Nintendo World?
Smart Person @ Jul 28th 2007 10:20AM
You don't say "Play with my Wii", You say "Play on my Wii."
alejo0121 @ Aug 10th 2007 1:14PM
or "Play with my Nintendo Wii"
meester anderson @ Jul 20th 2007 5:47PM
Lets see, first of all I love my wii but here goes
-better graphics: graphics are perfectly playable, but nothing has been too beautiful. and when i think something does look good, 30 seconds playing gears makes me realize how bad the comparison is against the wii. I know gameplay is usually more important, but still
-More accurate pointing: where the cursor is doens't seem to correspond to exactly where the wiimote is aiming, can get irritating sometimes, and i'm sure that i'll be much more irritated once i get my RE4 on.
-WIRED INTERNET: I know that you can buy a $30 adapter, but come on. I mean, wifi is great but some peole don't get great wireless reception, or have unreliable wifi, or just happen to have an ethernet port right behind the wii going to waste . . .
-Get some better games on VC: I'm still waiting on my Super Mario Bros 3 and Perfect Dark to really get my vc on. And while we're at it, how about sprucing up some of the old games, nostalgia appeal is great, but i'm loving some of what Microsoft and sony are doing with retooling classic games with modern looks.
GalaXy @ Jul 21st 2007 12:34AM
Duck. Hunt. That's what I want most from life. Duck Hunt.
tehpwnmstr @ Jul 21st 2007 1:33AM
as much as i would love to see perfect dark come to the VC, its never going to happen, as microsoft bought Rare. remember perfect dark zero for the 360? (sorry for the bad memories!)
AdamY @ Jul 21st 2007 12:16PM
@tehpwnmstr
I'm pretty Nintendo had some strict licensing procedures that can give them access to those titles, even though Rare is now an MS Stooge.
I could be wrong, I'm repeating what I've read other places. I'm just saying, I'm holding out for my DK Country too :-)
Lee @ Jul 24th 2007 3:45AM
The RE4 controls work perfectly I promise you. I loved the gamecube version but the new controls and the extra levels make it sweet.....and I'm very hard to pleased
Mark @ Jul 20th 2007 5:48PM
I still like the name Nintendo Revolution for the console.
Señor Swanky @ Jul 20th 2007 5:49PM
I'd let Nintendo know that based on so many techies who frequent this site, they're failing because Microsoft's Xbox strategy is REALLY paying off.
And then I'd request motion-sensor Pong.
madcrabs @ Jul 20th 2007 5:50PM
I would only change the fact that I can't find one. Availability.
Peter Carey @ Jul 20th 2007 11:10PM
Just sit at your local GameStop all day and wait for a shipment. ;]
MJGallicchio @ Jul 20th 2007 5:50PM
Better graphics would be awesome and maybe more built in memory. I don't need 60 or 80 gigs, but 2 would be nice. I don't really think a DVD is that necessary, I have never used the one on my PS2 or 360. As far as the name goes, Wii is growing on me, but I really liked the "Revolution" name and I feel like it would have fit it perfectly and made the console sound a little more B.A.
ryan bean @ Jul 20th 2007 10:00PM
What are you currently not able to do with the memory available?
jamesgrasso @ Jul 20th 2007 5:52PM
Changes? Here's my short list:
1 - Friend Codes. They're cumbersome and unneeded. If they insist on having this more secure method of befriending people, it should at least be something like an email address or gamertag.
2 - Rechargeable Wii-motes. Yes, I know there are 3rd party solutions to this problem, but Nintendo should have had a USB charging dock and rechargeable batteries from the get-go.
3 - Music Channel. The console has an SD card slot, and can play MP3s in the Photo Channel... why not make it easier?
4 - Media Portal Functionality. RedKawa has set up a pretty nifty way to stream content from your PC to the Wii... why couldn't Nintendo come up with this as a perk to the system? Just have it set up as a "My Media" channel.
5 - USB connectivity with...something? So far, the USB ports on the back of the system have remained largely unused. Perhaps allow the addition of an external hard drive for larger downloadable content?
Bonus Question:
I wouldn't have changed a thing. The controversial naming of the system created an incredible media buzz. The fact that the name "Wii" makes little kids giggle and older gamers ask questions is exactly the kind of free marketing you need when launching a new system. With a more "normal" name, the Wii would still be a great, cheap system, but I doubt it would be as popular as it is now. The press was just too strong to latch on to it.