An In-Depth Look At Nintendo Wii Specs

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Information about the Nintendo Wii has been notoriously hard to come by since the console’s announcement. Release dates, specs, even the name of the console were all initially kept secret by Nintendo in an effort to build hype and demand for the system. Now that everything has been publicized and released in time for the launch of the Wii, a better examination of the specs of the system can be done to see just how much horsepower the Wii is packing.

Nintendo teamed up with IBM to produce the heart of the Wii, the so-called Broadway CPU, a 729-Mhz chip with a bandwidth benchmark of 1.9 GB/second. While the Broadway runs the internal operations of the Wii, an ATI collaboration powers its graphics. The GPU runs at 243 Mhz and utilizes 3 MB of built-in memory in conjunction with 24 MB of main memory.

The Wii’s RAM consists of 64 MB of DDR memory, a setup that leaves the RAM accessible by both the CPU and GPU at extremely high speeds.

All of those technological components need a place to sit and the Wii console does so in a very small space. Compared to the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, the Wii comes in much smaller at 8.5 inches tall, six inches deep and two inches thick. Included with the launch bundle is a plastic stand that allows for upright display of the console. The stand does add some size, but still doesn’t approach the size of the Xbox 360.

To keep the Wii backwards compatible with the Gamecube, a special optical disk drive was created to handle both Wii’s 12 cm disks and the Gamecube’s 8 cm version. The drive handles either size and upon putting a disk in, the CPU decides on which type of media is being run and modifies the operating system accordingly. The drive runs with a benchmark speed of about six times faster than DVD.

Of course, the console is just one part of the hardware puzzle and many peripherals can be attached to the Wii. Four controllers can be connected at one time, whether they be the wireless Wii variety or the wired Gamecube variety that connect to special Gamecube controller ports on the console. Gamecube memory cards are also supported, as are SD cards to expand the memory available on the console for game saves and other data. Two USB ports also provide further options for console connections.

The Wii is not a high-definition console and pledges usability on all types of televisions. The signal is a 480p signal and is fully compatible with projectors and widescreen monitors. On the audio front, Dolby ProLogic II is supported but Dolby Digital Surround is not. That audio is in addition to the Wii remote’s on-board speaker.

One of the Wii’s most intriguing features is its WiiConnect 24 service that leaves the console connected to the Internet at all times to receive updates, demos and other content throughout the day. The connection is made either through a wireless 802.11-compatible connection or through the USB 2.0 port on the console with an adaptor. Nintendo’s personalization system, dubbed Mii, can be stored either on a controller for transport or can remain stored online for access at a different site.

For families that end up purchasing the Nintendo Wii, parental controls are available to restrict access to mature content for specific family members. Each game comes encoded with its rating on the disk to enable those controls, giving the family complete control over what can be played on the console.

© 2006CoolGamesZone.com