It would appear that are no longer satisfied with creating games that just fit the niche of visually stunning, or 'next-gen' - which is a woefully overused term. While the will certainly offer plenty of performance-related oomph (though not as much as the 360 and PS3), its revolutionary strengths will most definitely be built around its gameplay approach, which prompt visceral feeling over restrictive aesthetic, and, in so doing, will perhaps expand toward a demographic who've previously never given gaming a second thought.

"Not only is Wii compelling to current game players, but it also will entice new players with new experiences," explained Nintendo President during the Pre-E3 Press Event. "To expand the total number of game players, we must make our experience both friendlier and more compelling. With Wii, it is." Nintendo duly hope their leadership in gaming innovation - 16 million - will challenge conventional thinking and that the emergence of Wii will prove to be a "disruptive" element in the videogame industry.

Of course, more than anything else, the Wii's overriding component of interest is its dual controller and the usage from game to game of its motion sensors and also built-in speaker. For example, during Nintendo's Pre-E3 event a four-player game was used to showcase the abilities of the controller, whereupon the Wii Remote (as its known) became a virtual tennis racket, which, when swung, translated the vibrations of impact while striking the ball, as well as the sound of the ball hitting the strings. Moreover, Nintendo claims the Remote's sensors are sensitive enough to enable players to hit straight through, add slice, or even apply topspin on the ball.

Note: From a personal standpoint, my wife has never shown the slightest inkling of picking up a 'regular' game controller across the myriad of consoles that have littered our lounge throughout the years. However, when I bought House of the Dead and offered her the light gun, she was off her seat in nanoseconds and loved the sense of simplistic immediacy the gun brought to the gaming experience. Through a regular controller she wouldn't have even tried to play. It was the same more recently with Guitar Hero. She scowled knowingly in my direction and reminded me of my advancing age as I gleefully removed the guitar controller from its box. Again, within minutes of watching me rhythmically hammer out Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water, her initial condemnation became apologetic longing as she waited for me to ask her to play. Needless to say, she now loves Guitar Hero. I'm not stating that Wii will coax more female gamers, but rather any gamer-in-waiting intimidated by the current daunting and relatively unappealing controllers that we all use. The Wii Remote could indeed prove a massive step forward in that regard, and Nintendo's Pre-E3 show further cements that prospect.

Of course, the Remote's implied usage totally depends on the Wii's specific games and how they choose to best utilise its functions. The Remote could be used as a weapon, a baseball bat, or even an airplane. Nintendo hold fast to the idea of its applications only being limited by developer imagination. The cable 'Nunchuk' attachment that connects both parts of the controller also includes a motion sensor; an aspect that further widens creative horizons for the Remote. The sensor could therefore be used to track, say, a sword in one hand and a shield in the other as a player attacks and defends through hordes of enemies. It could even be used to translate the movements required to steady a clamp and a scalpel during an operation, or perhaps the punch combinations of a professional boxer. Again, the possibilities are vast.

In terms of their incoming hardware, Nintendo also announced that the Wii will feature a very quick start up time, silent operation, and extremely low power consumption, which all contribute to its "sleepless" WiiConnect24 experience. WiiConnect24 is Nintendo's promised download service, and it takes advantage of the Wii's low power consumption by enabling users to remain connected 24/7 - even insofar as downloading data while the console is on standby. The Wii is still scheduled for a fourth quarter 2006 release, but Nintendo held off on an official date, and also a definite price, choosing to simply state it would be "priced affordably for the mass market." Based on prior related statements concerning the price points of the 360 and PS3, it's a fairly safe bet to say that the Wii will be considerably better value than the opposition upon arrival.

Games on show during the event included clips and gameplay footage from the likes of Prime 3: Corruption, Wii Sports (which included the above-mentioned tennis game) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Galaxy, (an FPS), Pilot Wings (the return of the old SNES favourite), and Excite Truck, all of which will integrate player usage of the Remote in various ways.

In the case of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - perhaps the Wii's most anticipated release - players will be able to use the Remote for such things as fishing and fighting with special sword attacks (but will its in-built speaker exclaim 'Hiyaa' with every slash?). The game will also hit retail in two separate iterations, for Wii and GameCube. The version will be without a widescreen format and also the Wii's Remote functions.

Beyond the Wii, Nintendo reaffirmed its continued drive behind the market-leading DS format, and announced that some 200 new "envelope-pushing" titles would be appearing on its innovative handheld before the close of 2006. This wealth of content includes another DS-specific game, a new addition of perennial favourite Starfox, and also an outing for Diddy Kong.

While Nintendo 'still' push out the same old gaming titles that have been around for years, from Mario and Donkey Kong to Legend of Zelda and Metroid Prime- perhaps undermining its claims of innovation where central content is concerned - the driving force at Nintendo obviously has strong reliance on its brand winners while nurturing a way forward for the stagnating and its lapsed consumers via gameplay that will hopefully transcend the notion of what we're playing in favour of how we're playing it.

By Stevie Mostyn