What is a Wii, anyway?

Just what is it about the Nintendo Wii that drives gamers wild?

What makes the gaming system so popular is its unique interactive style, which allows players to physically move around to manipulate characters and action on the screen. The action is achieved through movement of the motion-sensing Wii game controller, otherwise known as a Wiimote.

To play baseball simply hold onto the Wiimote and move like you’re swinging a bat, or grip it while making a pitching motion to throw the ball. To go bowling swing back the Wiimote, then swing forward, virtually releasing a ball down the on-screen bowling lane.

Nintendo even sells fun attachments for the Wiimote like a tennis racket, golf club and baseball bat. The attachments--miniaturized versions of their real-life counterparts--are not necessary for play, but they can make interactive gaming a little more fun. For car racing games, snap the Wiimote into a miniature steering wheel. For billiards, plug in the cue stick attachment for a little more realism when practicing your trick shots. There’s even a Cooking Mama set that converts the remote into a frying pan, spatula, knife and fork for culinary competition.

Wii Fit

Players have actually been known to work up a sweat boxing, batting and bowling their way through a slew of video games. The latest Wii gaming package, Wii Fit, is devoted entirely to getting families up and moving.

Wii Fit enables players to take part in a variety of virtual physical activities, from yoga to snowboarding to step aerobics. Using a unique platform called the Wii Balance Board, participants can calculate their body mass index (BMI) by measuring their weight and center of gravity while standing on the board.

Each player’s BMI and other vitals are entered into the system to log their physical exertion doing any of the 40 or so available activities. Players can then compare their fitness by using Wii Fit’s channel on the Wii system’s menu.

In addition to gaming and fitness, the Wii can also be used to surf the Internet, display photo slideshows and vote in Wii Community polls. Hooking the Wii up to the Internet enables players to interact and compete with other players around the world.

Mini Miis

To make the playing more personal, players are able to create their own virtual characters by selecting hair color, facial features, clothing and other features to create personal characters known as Miis. The character creation has become so popular that gamers show off their characters on YouTube and other online outlets.

By hooking your Wii up to the internet, you can even play against other Miis and download characters others have created. When using the Wii, visit the Check Mii Out channel in the system menu to learn more about creating and sharing characters. You can even enter your Mii creations into contests based on a common theme.

Sales star

The ability to get personal and physical with the video game playing experience is the driving force behind the unprecedented popularity of the Wii.

Wii’s graphics are inferior to other game systems like its main competitors--Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s Playstation 3--but playability is unmatched on Wii.

Consumer and retail market analyst NPD Group shows that Wii continues to far outsell its competitors. In March 2008 an estimated 721,000 Wii units were sold, more than the number of Xbox and Playstation 3 units combined.

Wii also had the top-selling video game title that month, with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nintendo controlled 58 percent of the game hardware market in March, thanks in part to the second highest selling gaming unit - the handheld Nintendo DS.