The Nintendo Wii debuted 15 years ago today in North America, though most other regions would have to wait until December before supplies became available. Strikingly different for its time, the Wii majored on games using motion controllers but it retained GameCube disc and controller compatibility – understandably hedging bets as the move was quite an ambitious change for the industry.
In addition to the stepchange motion controls brought to the video gaming arena, the Wii inspired some new home console genres like dancing and party games, as well as home workout titles. It was a passable platform for lightgun style action, too. Despite all this new stuff, the Wii was home to many fine first- and third-party titles that were more traditional sofa/controller in nature.
Today is also World Toilet Day, so if you have one at home, appreciate the convenience.
PC hardware
- Intel’s 14th Gen Meteor Lake mobile chips pose for the camera (see sample above)
- Intel Alder Lake-P Core i7-12700H Cinebench scores leave both AMD Cezanne Zen 3 and Apple M1 Max in the dust
- Kioxia unveils the Exceria Plus Portable SSD series
- Lexar Unveils Blaze SL660 gaming portable SSDs
- BenQ Mobiuz EX3410R monitor launched
- LG announces pricing and availability of UltraGear 34GP950G, a 3440×1440 Nano IPS gaming monitor with G-Sync Ultimate
Microsoft exclusive news section
- Windows 11’s classic context menu is finally getting a better design
- Xbox boss Phil Spencer calls for industry-wide support of game preservation via emulation
- Microsoft will roll back to a previous version of Whiteboard on Windows due to fan backlash
- Microsoft Xbox boss Phil Spencer tells staff he’s deeply troubled by Activision Blizzard
Gaming
- Crysis Remastered free with 6-Month GeForce NOW memberships
- LG and Nvidia release GeForce NOW app for select 2021 TVs
- Star Wars: The Old Republic expansion Legacy of the Sith comes out December 14
- Thrustmaster and Boeing collaborate on $500 flight yoke and quadrant
- Ubisoft and Storyland Studios announced they are partnering on a line of Ubisoft Entertainment Centres – starting with a theme park on the French Riviera opening in 2025
Technology
- MediaTek announces the Dimensity 9000 flagship SoC
- Radiohead’s KID A MNESIA Exhibition is open, and is free on Epic Games (PC/Mac) and PS5
- HTC announces Vive Focus 3 update, including larger play areas
