Wii


The Wii is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, following the GameCube, and is a seventh-generation console alongside Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.
The Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata, focused on appealing to a broader audience through innovative gameplay, rather than competing with Microsoft and Sony on raw computational power. Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda led development, which was initially codenamed Revolution. The Wii emphasized new forms of interaction, particularly through its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which featured motion-tracking controls and could recognize gestures and function as a pointing device. The Wii was Nintendo's first console with native Internet connectivity, enabling online gaming and digital distribution via the Wii Shop Channel. It also supported wireless connectivity with the handheld Nintendo DS console for select games. Early models were backward-compatible with GameCube games and accessories. Nintendo later released cheaper versions: the RVL-101, without GameCube compatibility, and the Wii Mini, which removed features such as online connectivity and SD card storage.
Because of Nintendo's reduced focus on computational power, the Wii and its games were less expensive to produce than those of its competitors. It was extremely popular at launch, and was in short supply in some markets. Wii Sports, a pack-in game, became the Wii's killer app while new entries in the Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and Metroid series helped boost its popularity. Within a year, the Wii became the best-selling console of the seventh generation and a social phenomenon in many countries. Total lifetime sales of the Wii reached over 101 million units, making it Nintendo's best-selling home console until it was surpassed by the Nintendo Switch in 2021. As of 2025, it is the seventh-best-selling console of all time.
The popularity of the Wii's motion-controlled games led Microsoft and Sony to develop the Kinect and PlayStation Move. The Wii achieved Nintendo's goal of attracting a broader audience to video game consoles, but it also alienated core gamers. In an attempt to recapture this key demographic, Nintendo released their next home console, the Wii U, in 2012, which failed. The Wii was discontinued in October 2013, though the Wii Mini continued production for a few years, and some of its online services persisted until 2019.

History

2001–2003: Development

Shortly after the release of the GameCube, Nintendo began conceptual development on its next console. According to game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the company decided early to not aim to compete on hardware power, instead prioritizing new gameplay experiences. The project was initially referred to by the placeholder name "GameCube Next". Nintendo originally envisioned pricing the console at around.
On September 24, 2001, Nintendo began collaborating with Gyration Inc., a company that held several patents in motion-sensing technology, to prototype motion-based input devices using Gyration's patents.
After succeeding Hiroshi Yamauchi as Nintendo president in May 2002, Satoru Iwata acknowledged that the company had fallen behind industry trends, particularly in online gaming. He also wanted Nintendo to develop hardware and video games that would appeal to all demographics. Internal market research revealed that Nintendo's prior focus on unconventional hardware had made its platforms more difficult for third-party developers to support, weakening its competitive position. One of Iwata's first major initiatives in response was the development of the Nintendo DS, a dual-screen handheld console with a touchscreen, to revitalize their handheld console line.
In 2003, Iwata met with Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda to discuss the company's market strategy. He directed Takeda to "go off the tech roadmap" in designing the new console, emphasizing that it needed to be accessible, especially to non-traditional audiences, including mothers. He also wanted backward compatibility with earlier Nintendo games to reduce household clutter. Takeda led hardware development, while Miyamoto focused on designing a new controller, leveraging Gyration's motion-sensing technology. Iwata proposed using motion controls as a means to simplify the gaming interface and expand its appeal. An initial prototype was completed within six months.
The Nintendo DS was said to have influenced the design of the new console. Nintendo observed that the DS's novel dual-screen interface had attracted non-traditional players and aimed to replicate that success on their home console platform. Designer Ken'ichiro Ashida recalled, "We had the DS on our minds as we worked on the Wii. We thought about copying the DS's touch-panel interface and even came up with a prototype." The idea was ultimately abandoned to avoid redundancy between the two systems. Miyamoto later remarked, "If the DS had flopped, we might have taken the Wii back to the drawing board."

2004–2005: Announcements

At E3 2004, Iwata first unveiled some details of the project under its new codename, "Revolution," a reflection of his belief the console would revolutionize the gaming industry. BBC News' technology editor Alfred Hermida wrote that Nintendo's struggle to match Sony and Microsoft in the home console market made success crucial.
The console, still named "Revolution", was formally presented to the public at E3 in May 2005. At this time, the console's motion controller was not yet finalized and was omitted from the unveiling. Iwata held the console above him with one hand to emphasize its size relative to its rivals. The reduced form factor meant lower power consumption and less heat output, and was also designed to appeal to parents, who were thought to be more likely to allow the device into the living room if it was small and attractive. The console's minimalist aesthetic invited comparisons to Apple's original iPod. Iwata reportedly used a stack of three DVD cases as a reference for the final size. The prototype shown was black, though the final retail version, released the following year, was only available in white.
In September 2005, Iwata demonstrated a prototype of the controller at the Tokyo Game Show. By this stage, the hardware closely resembled the final Wii Remote and Nunchuk. During the presentation, Iwata demonstrated the controller's motion-sensing capabilities, supported a video with commentary from developers such as Hideo Kojima and Yuji Horii, who had tested the controller and believed people would be drawn in by it.
The console's official name, "Wii," was announced in April, a month ahead of E3 2006. The stylized spelling—with two lowercase "i"s—was designed to represent both two people standing side by side and the pairing of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. In its announcement, Nintendo explained: "Wii sounds like 'we', which emphasizes that the console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion."
The name drew widespread mockery and criticism. Forbes reported that Nintendo fans feared the name would perpetuate the perception that Nintendo made consoles primarily for children. BBC News reported the day after the name was announced that "a long list of puerile jokes, based on the name," had appeared on the Internet. Some video game developers and journalists expressed a preference for the codename "Revolution." President of Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aimé defended the name, saying that the company chose the name over "Revolution" because they wanted something short, distinctive, and easily pronounceable in all cultures.
The Wii was made available for press demonstrations at E3 2006, where Nintendo also revealed several planned launch games. At the same event, the company reaffirmed its intention to release the console by the end of 2006.

2006–2010: Launch

Nintendo announced the launch plans and pricing for the Wii in September 2006. The console first launched in the United States on November 19, 2006, priced at. Other regional release dates and prices included Japan on December 2, priced at, followed by Australasia on December 7 at, and later, the United Kingdom on December 8 for, with most of Europe receiving it at €249.99. Nintendo aimed to have around 30 Wii games available by the end of 2006 and anticipated shipping over 4 million consoles by the year's end.
As part of its launch campaign, Nintendo promoted the Wii in North America through a series of television advertisements directed by Academy Award winner Stephen Gaghan. The internet ads campaign featured slogans like "Wii would like to play" and "Experience a new way to play". Launched in November 2006, the campaign had a budget exceeding for the year.
These ads targeted a broader demographic compared to other consoles, inviting parents and grandparents to experience the Wii. Nintendo's goal was to appeal to a wider audience than its competitors in the seventh generation. In December 2006, Iwata stated that Nintendo didn't view itself as "fighting Sony," but instead focused on how to expand the gaming demographic. This strategy proved successful as the Wii became a global social phenomenon throughout 2007.
The Wii's launch in other regions took several years. It arrived in South Africa on September 30, 2007, South Korea on April 26, 2008, Taiwan on July 12, 2008, and Hong Kong on December 12, 2009.. In India, it was distributed from September 30, 2008 through partnership between Samurai Electronics and HCL Infosystems. Nintendo had planned to work with its localization partner, iQue, to release the Wii in China in 2008, but was unable to meet the requirements to circumvent the ban on foreign-made consoles imposed by the Chinese government.