DailyTech - New Video Captures Wii GUI

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Gadgets New Video Captures Wii GUI
Marcus Yam (Blog) - October 30, 2006 10:00 AM

38 comment(s) - last by Clauzii.. on Nov 3 at 9:38 PM

Main screen turn on!

First of three page of options. (Images courtesy IGN)

A video demonstrates everything that you can do in the Wii user interface

IGN Weekly's latest show takes us through the graphical user interface of Nintendo Wii. From first impressions, the Wii interface is much simpler than the PlayStation 3 XMB or the Xbox 360 Dashboard.

The Wii's main page is laid out in the form of 12 channels, shaped like television screen icons, per page, over four pages making for a total of 48 channels. Each channel represents a certain function of the Wii. For example, the Disc Channel (the only channel available in the video demo) accesses whatever media is present inside the machine -- usually a Wii or GameCube disc. Other channels could possibly be for shopping, weather, news, and Virtual Consoles.

A plethora of setup options were demonstrated, showing how to alter the video, sound, language, messaging and more. The Wii remote was used to navigate through the menus, and the cursor's behavior looked much like that of a mouse.

Soft musical tones play in the background, which give a gentle and inviting feeling to the user. This is a contrast to the high-tech feel that Microsoft tries to convey through the Xbox 360 Dashboard. One can say that Nintendo has taken a page out of Apple's book when designing the Wii.

The Nintendo Wii launches in the Americas on November 19 with the Japanese release to follow on December 2, and finally Europe on December 8.

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Similarities?

By Aikouka on 10/30/2006 10:27:10 AM , Rating: 2

With all the talk about soft music playing in the background, it almost sounds like a PlayOnline type of feel. That opinion is enforced even more by the use of a finger as a cursor, like they do in PlayOnline (if I remember right.. it's been a long time).

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think being like PO is bad in any case. I liked the PlayOnline interface when I played FFXI, but we won't go into Square's policies that ruined the game for me.

I just hope there's a snap-to directional pad control allowed instead of trying to manuever using an analog stick. I could see the latter becoming annoying after awhile. If the ability to use a mouse is added, that would alleviate that problem.

RE: Similarities?

By Pseudo1 on 10/30/2006 11:18:38 AM , Rating: 2

To the uninitiated:

1) The envelope bottom right is for Wii messaging, which has been announced for some time. You can read extensive interviews about it on the official Wii site. I don't believe it will support POP3.

2) "I just hope there's a snap-to directional pad control allowed instead of trying to manuever using an analog stick. I could see the latter becoming annoying after awhile. If the ability to use a mouse is added, that would alleviate that problem. "

Dude -- do you even KNOW what the Wii is? You don't use an analogue stick -- you point with the remote. It's just like using a mouse -- except maybe even easier. You know, that's kind of the point...

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RE: Similarities?

By Aikouka on 10/30/2006 12:48:35 PM , Rating: 4

First off, I need to say that I get quite tired of people purposely posting trashing/degrading comments. If someone has been ill-informed, you explain it to them, not act like they're so degenerated life form. We're all people, start treating eachother like one.

Also, I highly doubt using a Wiimote in any fashion is going to be faster than a conventional d-pad sticky button setup. Because when there's only a small finite amount of points (the channels + the buttons on the bottom) you need to hit, using a directional pad is faster than a gyro setup as accuracy of movement and user orientation to the device become the hinderance there.

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RE: Similarities?

By encryptkeeper on 10/30/06, Rating: -1

RE: Similarities?

By Pseudo1 on 10/31/06, Rating: 0

By Pseudo1 on 10/31/2006 3:19:32 AM , Rating: 0

Dude -- if you know so little about the Wii, then why are you posting opinions about it on a public forum? Isn't that kind of asking for it? It'd be like me mouthing off on a forum for nuclear physics. Someone's going to pick me up on it.

The Wiimote is a lot more than just a set of gyroscopic sensors. It also uses infra-red tracking -- an improved version of the technology used on the Super Scope which was in itself precise to a single pixel. So I doubt you'll have any issues with precision. The Wii is also fully aware of the Wiimote's position and orientation in 3D space, so that won't be a problem, either.

And what makes you think there are a small finite number of points to hit? Last I heard, there's the potential for up to 48 channels on the Wii. That's a hell of a lot of d-pad tapping. On the weather forecast channel you can zoom in on any location on the planet. You want to d-pad your way through every city in the world? And then there's the internet channel -- how often do you tab your way around hyperlinks when you have the option of a mouse interface? My DVD recorder uses the "sticky button setup" you refer to and it drives me nuts. I can't wait till the rest of consumer electronics gets the same kind of point and click functionality of the Wii.

You should check out the demos on the Wii site.

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RE: Similarities?

By Aikouka on 10/31/2006 8:53:13 AM , Rating: 1

First off, this isn't a forum; it's a news website dealing with technology. Technology is something I tend to know a decent amount about, but not necessarily all technology. Those that I do not, I tend to take an interest in. I can post comments that are completely based on information presented in the article and be well inside the scope that a comment posted should reside. If you have a problem with what I post, do it in a constructive manner. If you cannot do so, then you are the one completely out of line. Plain and simple.

Also, who's to say I know "so little" simply because I'm not up to snuff on every single aspect of it? That's a completely baseless statement. I have a brother who's all gung-ho Wiitarded (heh, I'm going to call him that today when I get the chance ... ahh sibling love ^_^) and he constantly tells me all these details about the Wii when I really don't care (as I currently have no interest in buying one as there's no games that tickle my fancy). So yeah, I may not know everything, but I do know some things =].

Now, to the brunt of it.

Your examples are flawed, Pseudo1. First off, there are a finite set of points, albeit you complain that there are up to 48 (I'd imagine that some of these are custom) different "channels" that someone can choose from. I don't know the layout of the channels and based on this news report, I don't think anyone but "the powers that be" know what the layout is, but out of pure ease-of-use speculation, the most commonly used buttons will exist on the first page (quite possibly things might shift around based on use, I don't know what Nintendo has planned).

Have you ever tried aming a device and hitting a specific small item on the screen? As there are 12 of these per screen and they only take up what appears to be 2/3 of the screen, aiming and trying to target a specific one, based on my knowledge of aiming devices, will not be as quick as simply pressing (like I mentioned) right, right, down. Honestly, in all my experiences, you can navigate windows extremely fast using the d-pad as long as the windows load fast enough and you know the next set of button commands to get you to your next target. Oh, and I most certainly don't use my mouse for everything. There's a lot of things I use the keyboard for actually... such as finding a file. I'd rather start typing the name of it rather than scroll through on my mouse looking for it. Also, navigating through explorer windows is sometimes easier with a keyboard, especially with a smaller set of icons (like 12 ;)).

I can tell you right now that arguing against me on this is really a moot point. I won't change my stance that using a directional pad will be quicker because of my experiences with non-standard pointing devices. But I can tell you that I'll certainly give it a try when my brother buys a Wii and take into account what I find, because until I can physically try it, there's no way I can test my hypothesis. Also, nothing says there will even be sticky buttons :P. Remember, that was merely a suggestion of mine!

Now, you're trying to go off at me and skew my position completely with that second to last paragraph. There's nothing in any of my comments that says using a wiimote for all purposes should be superceeded by a directional pad. There simply is no basis for that paragraph at all other than you trying to drive me into the mud with some made-up fluff!

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RE: Similarities?

By knowyourenemy on 10/31/2006 1:17:01 PM , Rating: 3

Case in point, folks: It is the man's opinion. You can at least respect and acknowledge it, even though you do not agree . Hell, I do not agree but at least I can see he made a valid point.

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RE: Similarities?

By Chillin1248 on 11/2/2006 10:36:27 AM , Rating: 3

Mr Aikouka,

You recieve the award for the longest typed post responding to another comment.

I agree that I am aggrevated with the amount of people here who feel that in order to boost their petty egos they have to put other people down instead of trying to help them understand their error. People make mistakes, if you feel the other person is wrong then simply say that and point out why and back up your claim to the best of your ability. But when you throw in condescending remarks it automatically lowers the respect level of your post and how seriously we take you.

Now on-topic:

I agree with both of you ironically, you both bring valid points. I personally do not find any difficulty with using the Wii-Remote due to using similar units (powerpoint presentations with laser, etc), but I also understand the difficulty. It will have a learning curve no doubt till one becomes comfortable enough to use it without straining. Also people who have less-than-steady hands will also most definately find difficulty in using it. So I believe since the Wii-Remote has a analog stick as well that both, the motion sensing and the analog stick, can be used to drive the arrow on-screen.

-------
Chillin

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Buy your Nintendo Stock now!

By tarv on 10/30/2006 12:15:56 PM , Rating: 2

Nintendo is going to dominate Japan early. Sony will only be launching with 100k units there and Nintendo is stockpiling Wii's like crazy. With the momentum of Japan alone they are going to get a very large early lead. I thought I saw a news report that will have up to 10-11 million units available for shipping by Dec 31.

I think they should be able to supply US demand but clearly Nintendo is going to be a huge success in Japan and get alot of much needed 3rd party support there. That will translate to a much broader library then the gamecube was able to generate.

I am actually starting to feel bad for Sony, they can't catch a break and Nintendo is doing everything right. If both Microsoft and Nintendo keep eroding Sony's market share the PS3 is going to be a financial disaster for them. They are really banking on the fact that they can make up the losses on the backend. Without selling tons of software they cannot recoup their investment losses and I am really doubting how well the PS3 can sell at such a high pricepoint.

RE: Buy your Nintendo Stock now!

By michal1980 on 10/30/06, Rating: -1

RE: Buy your Nintendo Stock now!

By Aikouka on 10/30/2006 2:02:58 PM , Rating: 1

The original poster is talking about 10-11 million by the end of the calendar year. I have no idea about the validity of the claim, but that seems to be his intent.

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RE: Buy your Nintendo Stock now!

By tarv on 10/30/2006 3:30:54 PM , Rating: 2

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6159406.html

here is the link, Nintendo is ready to pounce all over the Japan market.

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RE: Buy your Nintendo Stock now!

By wuZheng on 10/30/2006 3:47:57 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
ummm no.

Well, aren't we a little pretentious...

10-11 millions Wiis by the end of the calendar year. And pre-orders are limited not due to Nintendo but the retailers themselves cutting off, so they'll have stock for people that don't pre-order.

Also, 600-700k units?

quote:
ummm no.

All the reports point to more than 1 million units. With the president of Nintendo of America saying that the company has extremely strong positive feelings about even more than 1 million units for launch. So 10-11 million units by March-ish shouldn't be too much of a problem for Nintendo at their current rate. Sony, on the other hand has a major problem on their hands.

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RE: Buy your Nintendo Stock now!

By akugami on 10/30/2006 4:09:41 PM , Rating: 2

I was under the impression it was roughly 1 million, possibly more, at launch but they are limiting pre-orders to about roughly 2/3's or 3/4's of available systems. Now, I'm not sure whether this is at the behest of Nintendo themselves or the retailers doing this so that they have a few systems for walk-in customers but it seemed like to me that even with Sony only producing 400k or so systems for launch and Nintendo having double that amount, available pre-orders for both systems seem roughly on par. The numbers don't really add up, and the only conclusion one can come to from the available info is that they are holding back some systems for in store walk in sales.

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RE: Buy your Nintendo Stock now!

By encryptkeeper on 10/30/2006 1:37:57 PM , Rating: 2

PS3 won't have any killer apps until MGS4 comes out. Sony may be able to sell alot of PS3's, but I don't think they'll ever make money off of it. Nintendo and Microsoft certainly will though. PS3 will have a hard time selling consoles later in the PS3's life as they'll have a lot of lost revenue to recoup from the beginning. So anyone waiting for a price drop on the PS3, you'd probably better have another plan in place.

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RE: Buy your Nintendo Stock now!

By knowyourenemy on 10/31/2006 9:09:03 AM , Rating: 2

Being fair about this, I honestly do not believe that MGS4, despite it's anticipation, will be the game to do that. I actually expect your prediction to occur _before_ MGS4, but with how Nintendo is rolling along, I can't see it being too great of a help.

My reasoning? It's still hard for me to swallow that people will (and you know these types) buy a console only because of "X" reason, considering the price they expect us to pay for the PS3.

Let's sit back, grab a beer, and watch this story unfold a little more, shall we?

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Game List and Similarities

By Strifer684 on 10/30/2006 11:15:10 AM , Rating: 2

This is a list to all expected release titles at launch (Wii Sports comes with the system: has tennis, golf, boxing, baseball, and bowling):
http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php...

Also, to the other user, the navigation is done with the controller's position tracking most likely, so when you move the actual controller, that will guide the pointer on the screen.

For more info on what the Wii offers:
http://wii.nintendo.com/index.html

RE: Game List and Similarities

By Strifer684 on 10/30/2006 11:22:45 AM , Rating: 2

Here you can find some short clips of people experiencing the Wii for the first time among other things.

http://us.wii.com/

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RE: Game List and Similarities

By throughhyperspace on 10/30/2006 4:24:22 PM , Rating: 2

LOL.. those are hilarious. I hope my cousin gets one for Christmas. It would be great to see some my family members in action at my aunts house :) I can imagine my Grandma trying to bite her tounge, so as not to swear in front of the kids.

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RE: Game List and Similarities

By Aikouka on 10/30/2006 12:55:11 PM , Rating: 2

To go off what I mentioned above, I don't think using a gyro presentation device (Essentially what the wiimote is. It's like what Logitech offered years ago) is going to be as easy, although it may be a little bit intuitive after a decent amount of use. It'd probably depend a bit on the speed of the device and even if you slow it down, how much faster could you press down, down, right, right? Heck, just offer both snap-to and free control and you're golden.

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RE: Game List and Similarities

By Xavian on 11/1/2006 6:40:58 AM , Rating: 2

they have already shown and many of the media have played the wii, they think its excellent and controls in an intuitive and accessible manner.

I don't see why people are still doubting the capabilities of the wii controller, Nintendo is the 'master' of controls and bringing innovation to the gaming industry.

Analog Sticks, Check!
Rumble Pack, Check!
Light Gun, Check!
Gamepad, Check!
Analog Triggers, Check!
and now Motion Sensors, Check!

Nintendo has always been adding to controls, making them a better interface for immersion in general, i have no reason to doubt that Nintendo can do it again with the Wii.

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Nice

By Didou on 10/30/2006 11:54:43 AM , Rating: 4

It seems the Wii supports not only WPA but WPA2. That's quite an improvement after the DS only supporting WEP. :-)

RE: Nice

By michal1980 on 10/30/06, Rating: -1

RE: Nice

By encryptkeeper on 10/30/2006 1:29:30 PM , Rating: 2

More units available at launch means less people worried about securing a preorder.

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RE: Nice

By Aikouka on 10/30/2006 12:51:48 PM , Rating: 2

I'm glad that it will support WPA and WPA2. That's the one reason I believe my PSP is better than my DS is that I have to use a relatively unsecure encryption method or pay $40 for a wireless adapter just to play online with my DS. So, my DS simply never goes online.

Now, I don't know about the functionality of the interconnection between the DS and the Wii; however, it'd be nice if you could use the Wii as a gateway for the DS to go online?

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RE: Nice

By Xavian on 11/1/2006 6:35:56 AM , Rating: 2

don't you have MAC address filtering?

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No global launch?

By daftrok on 10/30/2006 10:33:18 AM , Rating: 1

Didn't Wii have millions of units already manufactured? Why aren't they simply launching Wii globally on the same day? It would be a big boost in sales, thats for sure.

RE: No global launch?

By trabpukcip on 10/30/2006 10:57:09 AM , Rating: 1

1. Because Japan will probably consume the lot, (yes I am aware that quite a few million units have been produced).

2. A lot cheaper than the PS3 and the DS has been selling like hotcakes consistently for some time now.

3. Add some motion sensing remote control fun...

And you have a sales bonanza, they will seel quickly. I hope it creams the PS3. It is time Sony learnt a lesson.

BTW. I only own an original XBox and never play it. Sony just deserves a beating.

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RE: No global launch?

By Xavian on 11/1/2006 6:42:40 AM , Rating: 2

you mean PS2 at Number 2? :)

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RE: No global launch?

By Xavian on 11/1/2006 6:43:31 AM , Rating: 2

no matter, i read it wrong.

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Nintendo at best sells 4million end of 06'

By vision33r on 10/31/2006 12:47:06 PM , Rating: 2

Shipment of the Wii and demand should be in the 4 million worldwide.

There is a real world out there unlike the internet world, does not care about fanboys or all the anti talks.

Realistically Nintendo will do better than the Gamecube but won't be by much.

This is because much of Japan's video game market is on the decline and there's still a lot of gaming on the PS2, GC, and even DC still gets releases there.

Only handhelds fare better in Japan.

RE: Nintendo at best sells 4million end of 06'

By Xavian on 11/1/2006 6:54:22 AM , Rating: 2

strange, since the DS is well known for increasing the video game market in Japan and stopping the decline, putting the video game market in reverse since the release of DS Lite.

If anything the PS3 and Xbox 360 are and will contribute to the decline in the video game market, since the sheer price of the consoles, is pricing themselves out of their own market. You are right there is a real world out there, the real world loves the DS in all regions when EVERYONE on the internet thought it would flop and Nintendo would go third party.

The point is, don't underestimate the 'real world', if the wii has any of the same appeal as the DS, then it will also be a hit regardless of terms like 'Blu-ray', 'Xbox Live!' and other technical terms, that quite frankly the 'real world' doesn't care or want to care about.

Personally, i think if the wii is a success, it'll be the best thing possible for the industry as it will cause a much needed rethink of strategies, of gameplay over graphics and not the other way round.

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I can't wait for Wii

By encryptkeeper on 10/30/2006 10:16:38 AM , Rating: 2

Right now, I want to try a Wii out. Anyone out there work at a Gamestop and know when the kiosks will be ready?

Ok, there are plenty of Wii jokes out there, so instead of kiosks, how about Wiiosks.

bottom right hand corner

By ChugokuOtaku on 10/30/2006 10:19:13 AM , Rating: 2

in the first screenshot, bottom right hand corner has a mailbox...

POP3 support perhaps?

Game List

By Hondaman4ever on 10/30/2006 10:26:08 AM , Rating: 2

Is there a preliminary title list for the games available at release? I would like to pick one up if there are decent titles available at launch.

Controller & Market Share

By paydirt on 11/2/2006 10:43:44 AM , Rating: 2

CONTROLLER

I'm somewhat surprised that people are knocking a controller before the system has been released. No one has a Wii, nor has anyone been able to test the controller; it is ridiculous to make conclusions about something you have not experienced first hand.

MARKET SHARE

People have been commenting on the number of units that Nintendo is rumored to be ready to ship. Others have gone on to say that this is a "disaster" for Sony. Comparing the Wii to the PS3 is like comparing apples to oranges. The Wii is aimed more at the casual gamer and even non-gamers, while the PS3 is aimed at the more hardcore gamer. There's two different markets here; therefore, there are two different market shares. Also, the Wii is not a true next-gen console as far as graphics, but it should be fun to play, especially with other folks!