Nintendo Wii accessories you must have

Thanks to the inclusion of the simple--but infectiously fun--Wii Sports game, the Wii is the first console in recent memory that lets you have fun straight out of the box. Still, there are a few key Wii accessories you'll want to pick up to maximize your Wii experience--especially if you're buying it as a gift.

Extra controllers: Like all recent consoles, the Wii ships with just a single controller (well, one two-part controller: one Wiimote, plus one nunchuk). But the real fun of the system is playing the head-to-head Wii Sports games such as tennis and boxing. To do so, you'll need at least one extra set of controllers--and again, that's one Wiimote plus one nunchuk. The Wii supports as many as four, but just the one extra controller set should suffice, at least for Christmas morning.

Rechargeable batteries: The Wiimote takes two standard AA batteries. They're included with the Wii, and with the sold-separately version of the controller mentioned above--but avid players may find the juice draining pretty quickly, especially if they keep the nunchuk attached (it draws its power from the Wiimote). Instead of buying an endless stream of costly AAs, consider investing in a set of rechargeables. You can score a charger and four rechargeable nickel-metal-hydride batteries for less than $25.

GameCube controllers: The Wii is fully backwards compatible with the Nintendo GameCube, but there's a catch: to play the GameCube games, you'll need a GameCube controller ($25). You can even go wireless with the Nintendo WaveBird ($35). If you already have a GameCube, your existing controllers will work just fine--just plug them in to one of the four ports underneath the flip-up panel on the Wii's topside. GameCube controllers should also work with the Wii's "Virtual Console" games--which saves you the trouble of having to buy a Classic Controller.

GameCube memory cards: One other annoyance when playing GameCube games: your progress can only be saved to GameCube memory cards, not to the Wii's internal memory or to an SD card (we're hoping Nintendo fixes this with a future firmware update). Like the controllers, your old GC cards will work just fine--there are two slots right next to the GameCube controller ports. If you don't have any onhand (and you want to save your games on GC titles), you'll need to spring for a $25 memory card.

Wii Points: One of the big attactions of the Wii is its Virtual Console, which lets you purchase classic games that originally came from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the Super NES, the Nintendo 64, the Sega Genesis, and the TurboGrafx16. By the end of 2006, at least 30 titles should be available, including Donkey Kong (NES), Super Mario 64 (N64), and Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis). To purchase the downloadable titles, you'll need to use a Nintendo currency known as Wii Points (similar to the Microsoft Points on Xbox Live), which currently have an exchange rate of 100 points per U.S. dollar. You can buy Wii Points directly through the console's online store, or use prepaid cards available in various denominations.

SD card: If you're close to filling the Wii's built-in 512MB of storage with your Virtual Console games, you can always expand your available space with an SD card. Nintendo sells its own, but any run-of-the-mill card will do. Fairly spacious 1GB cards are available for less than $30--even less with mail-in rebates--and they'll work in plenty of other gadgets as well.

Wireless access point: In addition to the downloadable Virtual Console games, the Wii offers online "channels," including news, weather, and even an Opera Web browser (head-to-head online gaming is said to be coming sometime in 2007). You can get online for free via the Wii's built-in Wi-Fi. To do so, of course, you'll need a nearby wireless access point or router. Alternately, you can plug the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector into any nearby PC on a wired network, and the Wii--plus your Nintendo DS--will be able to use it to get online instead.

Component video adapter: The Wii doesn't have the graphical horsepower to handle high-def graphics, but it can do DVD-level 480p video, which will look considerably better on large HDTVs. To see the Wii's games in 480p, you'll need Nintendo's proprietary component video adapter, which should run about $20.

Nintendo Wii Game: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

While Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 was a disappointment on nearly every other platform, the Wii version offers a genuinely new take on the series. Developed by a completely different team within Konami, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 takes the game's solid heritage and adds a control system specifically designed for the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The online mode is generally excellent, as well as lag-free, and the game-finding system works well. It's still a little too short on game modes and unlockable extras, but as a bold first appearance on the Wii, it's an innovative new game that football fans should definitely check out.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 on the Wii is a very different proposition from every other version of the game. PES 2008 starts with a lengthy but necessary tutorial. Even if you're familiar with the series, this game is a fundamentally different experience on the Wii, and while purists may baulk at the prospect of controlling players with a cursor, it's actually a very natural way to play. You use the Wii Remote to point at the screen and draw out the moves you want to make, whether it's a run in a certain direction or a pass to another player. You can still move your players using the Nunchuk's analogue stick, but you have to pass by aiming the cursor and pressing the B button. Likewise, if you want your player to make a run, you point the cursor in the direction you want him to go and press the A button. These are just the basics, however, and you can move off-the-ball players by tapping the A button twice, perform feints by swinging the Nunchuk, or make chip shots by swiping the Wii Remote. At first, it feels like you're performing a complex juggling act of button combos and controller movements, but it's a well-designed system that allows you to perform all the same moves that you're used to in previous games.

The most immediate thing you'll notice is how much the new controls change the flow of the game, making it feel more fluid and lifelike than before. That said, dealing with all the onscreen action can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, and we couldn't help but make the occasional passing error as a result. Thankfully, the AI-controlled players are adaptive and will immediately come to collect a loose ball, but processing all the information you need can be a serious challenge until you've mastered the game. The biggest problem, though, is that it's very difficult to make effective tackles using the Wii Remote, and you're never really in control when playing in defence. You can pressure the opposing player by holding the A button or lunge in with a sliding tackle by holding down the Z button and swinging the Nunchuk. However, drawing out running paths at the same time means that neither option is particularly accurate, and you'll frequently mistime tackles or just fumble them completely.

Local matches can only feature one or two players. Although it's a shame that there isn't four-player support, the number of cursors and lines that would entail onscreen action would probably have resulted in a very confusing game. There are also Cup and League modes; you can replicate your favourite competitions or leagues using both domestic and international teams. Like the DS version, PES 2008 on the Wii ditches the series' much-loved Master League mode for something quite different, and in this case, it's the strangely titled Champions Road. In addition to the normal challenge of winning matches as you guide your team through, this mode offers challenges, such as making a certain number of passes or scoring a minimum number of goals during games. It's a fun game mode, but we can't help but yearn for something a little less contrived and more in-depth.

A lengthy tutorial session helps you get to grips with the game's unique control system.
Although the Wii's Internet service has come under fire in the past, it proves to be the best platform yet for playing Pro Evo online. While it was sometimes difficult to find other people to play, once we found an opponent, the action held up incredibly well, with practically no lag or slowdown and an excellent online interface. You can either play with friends whose codes you've registered or with other random players looking for a game, and you can choose to sort players by their connection strength or availability. While it is a fairly simple online service--with support for only two players per game and a lack of voice communications or online rankings--it's nonetheless a joy to play. When you compare that to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Pro Evo, it's nothing short of a miracle.

Presentation has never been a strong point of the series, but the Wii version makes an acceptable showing in this department. The menu system is laid out logically, and it's easy to navigate your way through all the information on offer, whilst the matches themselves prove pleasing to the eye. That said, the menu music is still generic and repetitive. The commentary from Peter Brackley and Mark Lawrenson also offers little insight into the action. The graphics are a little bit better than the PlayStation 2 version of the game, particularly when running in 480p, and the same animation system endows players with a real sense of physicality. Team licensing is still a problem though, with the majority of the English league boasting such titles as London FC, Man Red, and Teeside. The players themselves are fairly up-to-date and feature the correct names however; so, correcting these issues is relatively easy.

Konami took a risk with the Wii version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, and it's one that has paid off. It's a completely different experience from every other version of the game because the control system offers a more flowing game of football and one that's incredibly rewarding once it's mastered. While there are still some teething problems--most notably in defensive control--moving players and making passes around the pitch is incredibly natural using the Wii Remote. We're also pleased at how well it plays online, so much so that we'd recommend the online mode above all other modes offered in the game. The lack of a Master League mode is disappointing, but Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 offers a novel approach to playing football that works well.

Nintendo’s Wii Keeps Lead in U.S Game Console Sales

Nintendo Co. retained its lead in U.S. video-game console sales with 721,000 Wii players purchased in stores last month, according to NPD Group Inc.

Retailers sold 262,000 Xbox 360 consoles by Microsoft Corp. in March and 257,000 of Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3. Sales of games rose 63 percent, Port Washington, New York-based NPD said today in an e-mailed statement.

Wii sales almost tripled, benefiting from Nintendo's release last month of ``Super Smash Bros. Brawl,'' which sold 1.4 million copies in its first week in stores. Kyoto-based Nintendo probably increased shipments to the U.S. to meet demand generated by the game, Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles, said in an April 14 report.

``You'd never know that the U.S. economy was under distress by looking at the video games industry sales figures,'' NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in the statement. ``Across hardware, software, and accessories, the Wii contributed the most to total industry sales.''

``Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' was the top title, with 2.7 million copies sold, NPD said.

Industry sales are likely to rise again this month with the release of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s ``Grand Theft Auto IV'' and Nintendo's ``Mario Kart Wii,'' Pachter wrote.

Tokyo-based Sony's PS2 sold 216,000 consoles, NPD said, a 23 percent drop from the 280,000 reported a year earlier.

Supplies

Wiis were in short supply in January after Nintendo diverted shipments to Japan for that country's holiday season, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said during an interview in February. NPD reported Wii sales of 259,000 for the same period a year earlier.

Sales of video games, consoles and accessories jumped 57 percent to $1.7 billion from $1.1 million a year earlier. Hardware sales rose 46 percent to $551.3 million. Game sales increased to $945.6 million and accessories gained 58 percent to $220 million.

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, rose 27 cents to $29.22 today in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. U.S.-traded Sony rose 55 cents to $42.39 on the New York Stock Exchange. Nintendo rose 0.6 percent to 52,600 yen in Osaka.

To contact the reporters on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at mwhite8@bloomberg.net.

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