Monday, December 25, 2006

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Exciting... if anyfing!

Anyone with even the most remote interest in the world of console gaming, will be aware that, recently, there has been a flurry of activity on the world's stage. Playstation and Nintendo have both released their new gaming systems, making the phrase "next-gen" finally obsolete.

The three major-hitters, Microsoft, Playstation and Nintendo, are now locked in mortal combat for the lion's share of gamer's souls! Bigger games, better graphics, more intuitive interaction mechanisms... the future looks bright for the console gamer this Christmas!

Tomorrow (8th December) sees the European launch of the Nintendo Wii (pronounced "wee" - I know...!). This is an exciting day for me, as I have had a pre-order in place for this console since the beginning of October! Should all go well, by this time tomorrow, I will have in my hands a modern technological marvel - the wireless wii remote (or "wiimote" - I said, I KNOW...!). This is what Nintendo are staking their entire future on - a controller that 'reads' it's position in a 3D space and can sense the tiniest movement and replicate it on-screen.

Easily the most fun of all the current-gen consoles, the Nintendo looks set to make (more) videogame history. Focusing on fun, rather than complex graphics and multimedia interaction, the tiny Wii (steady, vicar...!) has already garnered praise from an industry ripe for reinvigoration. Blessed with a straightforward launch (unline Sony's disastrous PS3 debacle) and a smoothly-rolling production line, Nintendo seem to have it in the bag already!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a sick day to prepare for. Strepsils at the ready, cough syrup in place... GO!!

*cough*