And Away Wii Go Highland CA

Editors Note: In January, Michael Heiss described how to incorporate the new generation of video game consoles into high-end custom AV systems. He focused only on Sony's Playstation3, but space at that time did not permit him to delve into Nintendos Wii, or to go into any discussion of the game play differences between the systems. This month, through a focus on Wii and an update on Xbox 360, hopefully the questions left untouched in Part I will be brought to the fore.

Before getting into the comparisons, the ins and outs of how Wii works, it is important to devote some space to the key factors that you need to know about when your clients ask that you include a Wii in a new or retrofit system. In some ways Wii parallels the other two systems, in other ways it is considerably different. Ill provide a number of the key hints here, but this is one seemingly simple box where bypassing the manual can lead to some embarrassment, not to mention call-backs.

In the face of all the attention surrounding Playstation3, Wii has taken advantage of unique games and game play, along with a list price of $249 to fly in under the radar to capture considerably more market share than pundits might have predicted in the face of Xbox 360s one-year-plus lead time and Sony's massive publicity for PS3. Nintendo makes no apologies for its strategy of reaching out to hard-core gamers, but in many ways Wii is such a breakout product for entertainment value that it is almost worth suggesting for inclusion in a system even when it isn't brought up in your pre-bid interviews.

On the surface, Wii seems to be an also ran, lacking the HD graphics capabilities and hard drives of its two competitors. Yes, it does have an optical disc drive, but for the time being it plays only Wii and GameCube discs. The game worlds rumor mill has it that standard definition (red laser based SD) DVD playback is possible and may be added, but forget about either HD-DVD or Blu-ray Disc with this baby. In fact, don't even look for a digital audio connection, as there isn't one.

What makes Wii work in the market is the legacy of strong first and third-party games, with key franchise, character-driven titles featuring Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda and others here or on the way. As important, what Wiis hardware lacks in some ways, it makes up for in others with a remote system that makes it possible to provide games that offer physical action and immerse play that the other systems simply do not match. With that, however, come both the challenges and opportunities for the custom installer when a Wii will sit in the big theater room along with a PS3, Xbox 360, off-air/cable/satellite delivered HD content provisions and the rest of the litany of new generation and legacy home theater sources.

Placement and Connections
Starting things off, as is the case with the other two console systems, Wii can be placed either vertically or horizontally, though it is most frequently seen in the vertical stance usin...

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