A Game Console to Replace My Intellivision? Yes!

In 1981, I plunked down $200 of my own, hard-earned money and brought home my beloved Intellivision. Yesterday, some 26 years later, I purchased my first video game console since.

Was it the venerable Xbox360, with its increasingly massive sub-economy of add-ons (especially system coolers, for some reason), accessories, and software? No.

Was it the new Sony PS3, with its impressive, cutting-edge graphics and Blu-ray capabilities? No.

As you likely guessed from the picture, it's the new Nintendo Wii.

First, why has it taken me so long to get a new console? Primarily because I do all my gaming on my PC. Ever since my Apple IIe and the various PCs that followed it, I've had little need for gaming hardware since the computer is itself a very capable gaming system.

But, given that, why the Wii? Three reasons. First, it's the least expensive of the three current-generation consoles. I don't plan to play this a ton (heck, I don't have the time to do anything fun a lot), so I'm certainly not willing to plunk down a big pile of cash for it.

Second, it's different. Not only is it different in terms of who makes it (I'm not a big fan of Sony or Microsoft's business practices, so it makes it hard to support their products), but it's different in that it approaches gameplay from a very different idea perspective. Instead of participating in the graphics arms race that Xbox and Playstation do, Wii instead tries to reinvent the human interface and enhance personalization. And that's a worthwhile endeavor in my book.

Third, it's, well, fun. After watching several demos of the Wii in action, I thought this might be something I can play with the whole family. Nobody else in my family is going to have any interest in picking up a traditional multi-joystick controller and sitting on the couch for hours. But nearly everybody old enough to write his name is going to find swinging a virtual tennis racket or golf club quite entertaining (and watching others do that nearly as much).

So far, after having the unit for a whopping 24 hours, I don't regret the purchase. But we'll see how much use it gets in a couple of months when the weather is nicer...