Submitted by Shannon on 17th June, 01:08PM

Upside
Just like it did with the GameCube, Nintendo's gone for a petite design with the upcoming Wii (pronounced "we"). No bigger than a few stacked CD cases, the Wii (which until recently was code named Revolution) certainly looks simple and sleek, with a stylish blue neon stripe running across its front. Just like the Xbox 360 and the PS3, the Wii can either be stored flat or on its side, and comes with a grey stand that places the unit on a slight angle.

Nintendo executives have confirmed that the Wii will be two to three times more powerful than the GameCube. The specs that have been confirmed state that the Wii will take DVDs as its media, have a specially customised IBM CPU, an ATI graphics chip, 512MB of onboard flash memory, two SD memory card slots, two USB 2.0 ports and built-in support for Wi-Fi access.

The Wii will also be fully online capable, as well as backwards compatible with GameCube games. But in a major plus for Nintendo fans, the Wii will allow players to download and play games from all past Nintendo consoles (NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 -- Goldeneye deathmatches anyone?). No further details about pricing for the console and games downloads have been released yet.

But all of the fuss about the Wii has centered on one thing in particular -- its controllers. Nintendo has eschewed the traditional control pad shape and has instead adopted a wireless controller that looks more like a remote control. The controller is completely movement-sensitive in all directions, allowing gamers to control on-screen action by waving the controller through the air. For example, a tennis game Nintendo demoed at E3 required you to swing the controller back and forth like it was a real tennis racquet. Hit the virtual ball from below and you perform a lob. Twist your wrist as you hit the ball and you impart spin. For more complex games, the Wii has an attachment to the remote control-like unit which allows more sensitive movement in games like platformers or shooters.

Nintendo executives say they developed the new control system because they wanted to take the complexity out of modern gaming. We'll have to wait and see until the Wii's anticipated late-2006 launch date to see if the general non-gaming public takes a bite.

Downside
The Wii's control scheme is something that has to be played to be appreciated -- which could be the biggest drawback for Nintendo. Some gamers (both casual and hardcore) may see the whole movement-sensitive control thing as a bit of a gimmick, so the onus is on Nintendo to convince the games community to seek out a Wii come launch date and try it for themselves. That said, Nintendo was the hit of the E3 2006 with its many playable Wii game demos.

And certainly from a pure technical point of view, the Wii pales when compared to the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Games that have been seen so far for the Wii have looked impressive, but not on the same level as what is coming up for Sony and Microsoft's consoles. The Wii also has none of the extra multimedia capabilities the PS3 and Xbox 360 are boasting -- Nintendo is keeping the Wii as purely a games-focused device.

Outlook
Nintendo has never been too technology-focused, preferring to let its games speak for themselves. But with its competitor next generation consoles boasting so many new features and innovations, it may look behind the times when it comes out with Wii. The console's ability to play the entire Nintendo back catalogue, however, may push it into must-have territory for game nostalgics. The effect of its innovative control scheme on gamers is also hard to gauge at this point.