Codename Revolution: The Nintendo Wii Platform (Platform Studies)

The Nintendo Wii, introduced in 2006, helped usher in a moment of retro-reinvention in video game play. Each chapter of Codename Revolution focuses on a major component of the Wii as a platform: the console itself, designed to be low-powered and nimble; the iconic Wii Remote; Wii Fit Plus, and its controller, the Wii Balance Board; the Wii Channels interface and Nintendo"s distribution system; and the Wii as a social platform that not only affords multiplayer options but also encourages social interaction in shared physical space. Finally, the authors connect the Wii"s revolution in mimetic interface gaming--which eventually led to the release of Sony's Move and Microsoft"s Kinect--to some of the economic and technological conditions that influence the possibility of making something new in this arena of computing and culture.