History

• The Wii was released in 2006, shortly after the PlayStation 3, and came packed with the variety game Wii Sports. It retailed for $250. Only two other games were available for purchase at launch -- Excite Truck and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, marking the first time a version of the popular Legend of Zelda series was sold during the launch window of a Nintendo console. As casual gamers caught onto the console supplies became limited and the Wii was hard to find in stores even a year after its release.
  
  

Controls

• Many Wii games use the motion controls made available by a sensor in the Wii controller, often called the Wii remote or Wiimote, and a bar that attaches to the top of the television. Players can make a slashing motion to swing a sword or a rolling motion to play bowling. An accessory called the nunchuk can be attached to the remote for some games to allow directional control with a joystick.
  
  

Popular Games

• The bestselling games for the Wii include Wii Play, a variety game package which was popular largely because it included a Wii remote, and Wii Fit, a game that allows users to perform a number of exercise routines and sports activities on a balance board that came with the title. Some of the best rated games among critics and beloved by hardcore Nintendo fans include the aforementioned Legend of Zelda game, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
  
  

Virtual Console

• This popular service on the Wii allows players to download classic console games to their Wii system. The Virtual Console includes games from the NES, Intellivision, Genesis, TurboGrafx64, Nintendo 64 and more. Prices tend to range from $5 to $10 for most titles. WiiWare is another service under the Virtual Console umbrella that allows players to download newly developed games that are not as advanced as most disc-based offerings. Prices are from $5 to $15 for most of the WiiWare games.
  
  

Backwards Compatibility

• The Wii has another function popular with gamers in that it allows users to play GameCube titles on the current generation system. The top even includes slots for GameCube controllers and memory cards.