TCW Podcast Episode 240 - Nintendo: Playing with Mii & Wii

From DS touch-and-stylus play to living-room motion, we trace Nintendo's road to Wii. Nintendogs and Brain Age broadened the audience to parents and grandparents. After cold receptions at Microsoft and Sony, inventor Tom Quinn's Gyration motion tech found a home at Nintendo, and internal prototypes were so fun they became Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Wii Fit. The reveal timeline runs from Reggie Fils-Aime's 2004 E3 DS debut and "Revolution" tease, to a controller-free console showing at E3 2005, to the surprise Wii Remote reveal during Iwata's Tokyo Game Show keynote, and the full unveiling at E3 2006. Built on refined GameCube internals, the Wii favored low cost, low noise, and always-on convenience, with Miis inspired by Japanese wooden dolls (Kokeshi) and a channel interface modeled on a TV wall to invite quick, family-friendly play.

Iwata Asks: https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/

Brain Age (DS): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EeU92dl9ME

Donkey Kong Bongos & Donkey Konga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64YSuP6G1Uw

Wii Sports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp9l7J6w9iE

Wii Play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfz-l5GI-v4

Wii Fit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDfXealVJyg

Kokeshi Dolls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2NIA5GNvfo

E3 2004 Reggie Fils-Aimé: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89GB6bC9_N4

E3 2004 Satoru Iwata Revolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33BGyhn_ryw

Nintendo - Tokyo Game Show 2005: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdgW4Ox71fw

E3 2006 Sony Ridge Racer!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaBUeINW_3s

E3 2006 Sony Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaWptXzfETo

Wii Console and Accessories (E3 2006): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pOGKxFD1C8

Wii Commercials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLOccBorPsA

Wii Would Like to Play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBOFhmjTgvY

Link's Crossbow Training: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHgyRGeUKxg

New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!

TCW Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1

Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode -  Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode 

Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love 

Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/