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The Wii (??? ?) (pronounced as the English pronoun we, IPA: /wi?/)
is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation
console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's
PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader
demographic than that of both. As of December 31, 2008 the Wii leads
the generation over the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldwide sales.
A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the
Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detect
movement in three dimensions. Another distinctive feature of the
console is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates
over the Internet while in standby mode. The Wii is Nintendo's fifth
home console, the direct successor to the Nintendo GameCube, and able to
play all official GameCube games. Nintendo first spoke of the console
at the 2004 E3 press conference and later unveiled the system at the 2005
E3. Satoru Iwata revealed a prototype of the controller at the September
2005 Tokyo Game Show. At E3 2006, the console won the first of several
awards. By December 8, 2006, it had completed its launch in four
key markets.
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