Just some background. I'm 42, in the UK, and never had a games console until 2 years ago, a gamecube for (ahem) the kids. But I got excited about the Wii after E3 coverage, preordered three so I could be sure to get one before Xmas, and sold the others at cost price to friends.

Amongst the Wii love/hate we've had, I think something is being missed. Maybe everyone takes this for granted, but I want to put it front and centre, and see if anything interesting comes out.

The wiimote is a classic of design. It's beautiful and fit for purpose. It is not perfect (e.g. not rechargeable out of the box), and the button arrangements may not be ideal. But having only got a gamecube two years ago, I can well remember the learning curve for which button is which, and even now if a thing comes on the screen saying "Hit Z" I don't always get it first time. You don't get that with a Wii, you play a tennis shot and that's that.

The thing that I think is great about the Wiimote is taking analogue control to all games (i.e. what you do is a physical analogue of the real thing). For years people have been buying special purpose analogue controllers (steering wheels, dance mats, eyetoys, bongos, guitars,..) and this takes it into every game. This really does make the gaming experience so much more visceral. You can engage in a deep way with the game so quickly if it's done right.

This does not mean that many games have got it right yet. Wii Sports unquestionably has, and I think it's a game of all time major importance (you know, like Pong, Space Invaders, ...) A lot haven't. It's more natural for some than the others.

So there you go. The Wiimote is a design classic, and Wii Sports is a game of historic importance. That's why the console is doing so well.

p.s. I use the word wiimote unashamedly. At one time I saw forum posts saying things like "It's called the Wii Remote, idiot." In the UK the word "Wiimote" is on the box.

This is what I like to hear more of. New gameplayers with their perspective on this industry. Gentian, thank you for your input. Control design is one of the hallmarks of Nintendo & that Gamecube you got for the kids was the summary of all their innovations since the original NES/Famicom conroller which rendered the Atari joystick standard for the most part obsolete as primary control. http://www.popzart.com/?page=view&topic=62 I think the Wiimote when the big basic buttons and motion sensing controls are used is about as good as it gets for accessible controls today. Other games that use more buttons it can get a little dicey depending on the scenario. Zelda's menu selection using the + & – buttons could get a bit tedious even though the gameplay got you through it. They made 'em small so as not to be accidentally pressed. Basically the Start & Select buttons of the NES redone in Wii form. But when you have to go to them as a rule it makes for slight annoyance. The 1 & 2 buttons are a little too far down for consistent go-to pressings so they too are a option button setup as well. UNLESS turned to the side in ExciteTruck format where they become the primary action buttons. But most of the "buttons" are put into the motion sensing for the most part so those annoyances won't be very frequent I don't think. I think as time goes by we'll see people really squeeze out the possibilities with the control. You gotta remember we're changing after a near 25-year standard in game control. All controllers have basically been patterned after NES's design even Nintendo's which just evolve and add on new features onto that basic setup. It's gonna take a while for people to get full understanding of where you can go with this and this makes me excited for the future. Probably why I like the Wii so much is thinking about the possibilities. But no doubt Nintendo made another classic control with the Wiimote no doubt. People wonder why I applaud the company so much around here. It's because they keep doing brilliant stuff like this. I'm just figuring out how accurate the boxing controls on Wii Boxing are. My problem was I didn't know how to throw the punch! It was tracking back and forward motion in the punch recognition as well. I can finally throw hooks with more accuracy now! They made it where you don't have to be a boxing pro to be good so everyone can jump in and have fun (and possibly win) but it does reward precision if that's your approach. That's a very nice feature. Works on two tiers. Yeah an IGN.com editor named Matt Casamassina came up with that when the remote was first introduced and Nintendo liked the nickname. It's still officially Wii Remote but easier to say Wiimote & more fun too. We'd love to hear more from you, gentian. I'm interested in how newer players see the gameworld. Some of us veteran players got caught up into an elitism called "hardcore" and have a very myopic view of things. I hope your posts bring a fresh perspective. John Lucas