Wii trumps PlayStation, Xbox

Late last year, all eyes were on the game console war between the new PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360. After all, they were the leading contenders in the billion-dollar gaming empire, right?

People were staying up for days in line to obtain PS3s, then reselling them on eBay for $2,500 or so. With the help of a lucky friend, I was able to obtain a PS3 a few days before Christmas, which made for a nice holiday at my house.

Turns out, I made the wrong choice.

I should have bought a Nintendo Wii, the underdog console with little chance of unseating the big dogs. It was half the price of the PS3 and, it turns out, 10 times the fun.

At $249, the Wii is incredibly fun, absolutely addicting and fun for everyone. At my home, that's not a cliche; my autistic son with fine motor difficulties was gleefully playing his first video game, Wii Bowling. After a few minutes, he turned to me and said, "Dad! I can play this game!"

That's worth a lot of video game dollars in my book.

Indeed, a few minutes after plugging the Wii into my TV, I had four of my children playing Bowling together, laughing and joking, something I dare say had never happened on any console we've had. All of them were on their feet and running around, throwing imaginary bowling balls into the screen.

(I never will forget their first game of Wii Tennis. When I came into the room, I saw four of my kids running around the room, sliding on the wood floor and slamming balls back and forth.)

What makes the Wii so habit-forming and delightful is the design of the control system. You don't play the Wii with your thumbs sitting on the couch. Instead, you use the controller as an extension of your arm, which forces you to get up and participate in the activity you are imitating. Learning how to play the game is simple for all ages.

Best of all, it is intuitive; the owner's manual remains sealed in the plastic wrap to this day. You connect the Wii and sync the remotes. One remote comes with the unit; each additional costs $39.

Another cool feature is built-in WiFi Internet access; once you turn on the Wii, it will locate your wireless network and connect easily. New content and games can be downloaded along with lots of other features.

In short, if you have any doubts whether you need a gaming console in your home, get a Wii. If you already have a console, get a Wii anyway. It is unlike anything you have played with before.

It's a masterpiece of design and just plain fun.

WEEKLY WEB WONDER: You can see the information about the Wii at wii.com. There are lots of demos there as well.

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James Derk is co-owner of CyberDads, a computer repair company, and a computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail address is jim@cyberdads.com.