The Pre-Wii Brainstorming Session

Before the birth of Wii, back in 2001, little Wiimote & Nunchuck were one and they were known by a single name the GyroPod. This was the prototype created by Gyration for Nintendo (Gyration is a company with the most motion-sensing patents. Nintendo listensed some of these patents and later became Gyration's investor. The design was meant to break loose from the standard two handed controller - also the consideration of left-handed usage.
Wii, then codenamee "Revolution", was all for a unique game interface and that power was not everything like most major consoles were heading towards. Anyway, it was impossible to build a powerful machine for less than 50,000 yen ($450 - intial target). It use a lot of electricity, need a fan, increase noise, too long to boot up and lost its identity as the ideal toy (behaving more like a PC).

After thinkering with previous Nintendo gadgets, DS's touch screen and GameCube technology; some mobile devices, cell phones and car navigation remote controllers; Nintendo wanted something new and to change the interface would broaden game design and loosen creative constraints on programmers. Then came the controler's wireless technology; infrared pointer, pointer's precision and mimic 3D space recognition.
Some technical information about the Wiimote:~

1. Wii-mote will operate for 60 hours on two AA batteries
2. Communicates via acceleration detection, force feedback and Bluetooth technology on a 2.4GHz band
3. A 6KB of "non-volatile" memory
4. An internal speaker
5. A SYNCHRO button to assigns each controller a wireless ID number
6. Two infrared transmitters on the sensor bar (which this infact is useless as it only emmits 2 light source, these light sources can be replaced with any light source pair to guide the orientation of the Wiimote - the pairs behaves like the mouse cursor but in a paired format forming a line where it may show the tilt of the Wiimote)
   
7. A LED to show which player is communicating with the console at a given moment and to show battery life
8. A built-in rumble motor
9. Act as an eye, measuring coordinates between 0-1023 on the X axis and 0-767 on the Y axis similar to megapixel image coordinate system.
   

Wii was all about a new form of game play for consoles. It did not try to overpower or outperform other consoles in terms of processing, graphics or the sort. All Wii is about is to be a low cost way to deliver the ultimate gaming experience to all forms of gamers (pro-gamers, non-gamers, casual-gamers, etc.). Its really cool how simple existing technology is meshed together to have a whole new experince, thus not needing huge chamber like equipment in your living room to have a simulated 3D emersive environement. Also, its pretty cool how just using the Wiimote automatically makes the player react and manoeuver in a natural bodily motion when reacting to the simplest game.

This is where I feel that game development effords would go more to the playablity of the game, game design, fun factor and creativity in using the Wiimote(s). While there are other console platforms to grow game development skills in the hardcore technicle side, Wii provides a broader horizon for creative ideas to come into games development.