The Nintendo Wii Era

The Nintendo Wii was released in 2006, at a time when Nintendo had lost two generations to Sony and its PlayStation. On the other hand, Microsoft and its Xbox were already attracting the attention of more hardcore gamers. What market was left for Nintendo?

Nintendo decided to reinvent itself, implementing a feature that would become a craze in the late 2000s: the Wii Mote. A motion-sensing controller, innovative for its time, allowed everyone to play video games. For the first time, video games weren't just for kids or 40-year-old nerds. Everyone jumped on the Nintendo Wii bandwagon, even seniors. All kinds of games emerged from this craze, especially sports. Unfortunately, televisions were the worst off.

This one was lucky not to break the screen

Suddenly, competitors had to change their strategy, creating their own versions of the Wii Mote. But what would a great resource be without a good game library? Besides Wii Sports and Wii Fit, the new generation brought games that are now acclaimed as classics (time flies), such as Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006), Mario Galaxy (2007), Smash Bros. Brawl (2008), Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (2008), Muramasa (2009), among others. There was also a curious Pokémon release for the Wii in 2006.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)

Super Mario Galaxy (2007)

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (2008)

As the trend in the 2000s was to make everything more hardcore, Nintendo didn't escape this trend, making its characters more serious than ever.

Mario in 2008

And what can we say about its nostalgic interface, combined with a typical Nintendo soundtrack.

Even better when viewed on a CRT TV, as this was the last console designed specifically for this type of display. Its resolution was 480i, allowing it to be played in widescreen, similar to a DVD.

*What ended it?

Even though it had less firepower than its competitors, it ended up being the best-selling console of the seventh generation, remaining strong in sales until around 2012. Its last game was released in 2020. It's interesting to note how something that sounded so modern just yesterday is already approaching 19 years since its release.

Unfortunately, the Wii Mote's legacy didn't carry over into subsequent generations. What was once a huge craze has become something superfluous.

#nintendowii #wiinostalgia #2000s #cafevideo