Reasons Wii

I admit it; I was among the first to mock Nintendo's decision to name their next generation console ”Wii”. I've obtained three video game consoles over the course of my life: Intellivision, NES and PS2. I earned my Intellivision selling plants for my mom, taking a red wagon down to our corner every day. Back then, the console only cost $50 and at one point I was buying games for as little as 50¢. The NES was my reward/compensation for agreeing with my parents' decision to send me to a private high school, though I'm not sure I had much choice in the matter. Yet when I decided a few years ago to get a new system, despite my love for all things Mario, the Game Cube didn't appeal to me. It looked like a toy, with its flimsy plastic buttons and bright colors. It didn't have any games in the Final Fantasy series, which I got into after borrowing my friend Rey's Playstation for a year or three. I'd played some games on Rey's brother's PS2, as well as demos in Best Buy. Most of my friends at work were starting to buy PS2s as well and, after the price seemed more reasonable and I found myself with a Target gift card from work as some reward, I picked up one for myself. It's served me well as a backup DVD player as well as a game system. Now that new systems are being unveiled at this year's E3, I'm not so sure my next purchase will definitely be a PS3. Here's why:

1) The PS3 is expensive, at $499 for the 20GB system and $599 for the 60GB. I only had to wait a year or two for the PS2 to have a more reasonable price. Wii will cost about a third of that, and even Microsoft is now endorsing it(albeit advocating buying their XBox360 and a Wii for the price of one PS3).

2) I really like the concept of their controller, a remote apparatus that responds to natural movements. You can just as easily aim and shoot as swing a tennis racket or golf club. It's very fluid, has sounds and vibration, the last of which PS3 is dropping due to a lawsuit and interference with their new 3D motion sensor feature. The Wii remote even has a “nunchuk” attachment that allows for more control and physical movement. Yes, it's entirely possible that people will be getting exercise playing video games. Check out footage here and here.

3) Sonic Wild Fire is going to be an exclusive Wii title. While I had to rely on friends with a Sega Genesis to enjoy Sonic the Hedgehog games back in my NES days, I was actually able to get a collection for my PS2. Sonic ranks up there with Mario for me, and an exclusive game becomes a selling point for the Wii.

4) Look at these videos for Mario Galaxy. That series has come a long way, and now that Mario is running around small planets and leaping through space, it looks better than ever. This game won't be out until six months after the Wii hits the market, but I'm not buying any of the new consoles right away anyway.

5) Someday I'd love to see Mario vs. Sonic. The next best thing is seeing Mario fight just about everyone else in the latest Super Smash Bros. game. This demo is very convincing, and looking back at the original N64 Smash Bros. is a good way to see how advanced the series has gotten. There are even rumors that Sonic may be a hidden character. Time will tell whether or not that's true, but my curiosity is piqued, and I'll continue to watch new announcements about the Wii as my allegiances sway...