Nintendo Makes Newbies of Us All

Ars Technica has posted a detailed review of the Nintendo Wii. If you've followed any of Nintendo's marketing hype or first impressions since the launch, then there might not be a great deal of new information. It does a great job of pulling together background and practical information about the system, so it's certainly worth reading.

This quote caught my eye. I think it sums up Nintendo's strategy for drawing in alternative gamers nicely.

Few of your Halo and Final Fantasy skills are going to translate to this system. Instead, you're going to have to learn a whole new way to think about games. When it comes to the Wii, we're all newbies, and while that may make some hardcore gamers uncomfortable, it's a revelation for new gamers who finally have something they can pick up and figure out instead of feeling like they couldn't compete without years of practice. The graphics are underwhelming, sure, but that Wiimote is a brand new way to play your games.

The Ars review also draws connections between the Wii and the DS - specifically that the DS was a less powerful system competing against the Sony PSP on the basis of its innovative interface. The DS has been successful, and has started to broaden the demographic of gamers. Hopefully the Wii will have the same effect.