The 2006 video game console released by Nintendo was the Wii. It was Nintendo’s seventh-generation home console and the successor to the GameCube, launching with a strong emphasis on motion-based play and accessibility.
The Wii’s signature controller was the Wii Remote, a wireless device that detected movement and pointed at the screen using motion sensors and infrared positioning. Players could swing it like a tennis racket, aim it like a pointer, or use it with the Nunchuk attachment. This design helped Nintendo attract families, older adults, and people who had not traditionally played video games.
Nintendo first released the Wii in North America on November 19, 2006, followed by Japan and other regions in December. Its original codename was Revolution, but Nintendo chose “Wii” because it sounded like “we” and suggested shared play. The two lowercase i’s were also said to represent people standing together or the console and its controller.
The Wii is often confused with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 because all three belong to the same console generation. Unlike those systems, however, the Wii prioritized novel interaction and broad appeal over high-end processing power. It also supported GameCube games and controllers on the original model.