"Clint Sharp" wrote in message news:5DCRNjA7Rw6IFwtM@clintsmc.demon.co.uk... > In message > , Xiaofan > Chen writes >>Do you have a Wii and what do you do with it? >>Do you like it? > Love my Wii, my daughter plays Wii fit as does my partner and I, we all > play Mario Kart (which is *very* addictive when played against other > people). > > It's not so much a graphics engine as a PS3 or XBox 360 but the > gameplay more than makes up for that. In fact it's getting more use than > my PS2 ever did. The Wii is a system that my wife and kids, all the way down to our 7 year old, love to play. The controllers are easy enough to learn that they can pick them up and almost immediately start having fun. The online store is a neat idea, with lots of classic NES, SNES, and etc. games available for purchase by downloading. The Wii will also play GameCube games if you plug in GameCube controllers (open the door on the top to reveal the sockets), so you can buy cheap games at the used game stores. We have not done much of this since we already have a N64 and GameCube at home, so we have enough "classic" games to keep us happy. The web browser, a ported version of Opera, is adequate for casual web surfing on the living room TV, but it's not too good at delivering all forms of streaming content. The video streaming isn't quite up to snuff (hulu.com won't work). It's good enough for YouTube, but not much else. Audio streaming is o.k. but not stellar. I don't think it supports more than regular stereo sound. You have to note that it's not a machine that hard core gamers will appreciate as much as an Xbox 360 or even a PS3. There is no high definition video output. The controllers may be easy to learn, but I don't think they're precise enough for hard core gamers, who are used to dozens of buttons and control sticks on a more ergonomic controller. To them, the blocky Wiimote is likely to be considered a toy. Turn the Wiimote sideways and it's direction control (digital) and a/b buttons reminds you of the original NES, not a 21st century hard core gaming machine. Jeff -- A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. -- Einstein -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist