Seeking to put the forgettable GameCube period firmly behind it, Nintendo has created the Wii, its 7th generation video game console. Rather than put an emphasis on high-powered processors and photo-realistic graphics, Nintendo simply retooled its GameCube architecture, devised a radical new controller system and created new features such as the Wii Virtual Console. Here's a quick rundown of the need-to-know information about Wii.

The Launch

The Wii finally arrives on November 19, and in some cases, it will go on sale at the stock of midnight Saturday night. The console will launch first in North and South America, and then hit Japan (Dec. 2), Australia (Dec.7), and Europe (Dec. 8) next month. Nintendo says it will ship 6 million units by March 31, 2007. According to previous statements from Nintendo, around two million consoles will be available for the launch.

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The Price

The Wii is considered to be the cheapest system of the Big Three next-generation consoles. But Nintendo's new product isn't exactly inexpensive when you consider that you'll have to buy two controllers (Wii Remote: $39.99, Wii Nunchuk: $19.99) instead of one for some multiplayer action.

United Kingdom: £179 Europe: €249

United States: $249.99
Canada: $279.95
Japan: ¥25,000
Australia: $399.95
Mexico: mxn$4,4900

The Console

The Wii's size is small - about 8.5 inches long, six inches wide and less than two inches thick (roughly the size of three DVD cases stacked on top of each other, according to Nintendo). The console also supports video, up to 480p or 576p (PAL/SECAM), and 16:9 anamorphic widescreen picture for any television or digital projector.

built-in 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi USB-to-Ethernet adaptor 512 MB built-in flash memory Two USB 2.0 ports One external main power adaptor AV cables Four GameCube controller ports and two memory card slots Wii Remote sensor bar One Wii Remote One Wii Nunchuk One copy of Wii Sports bundled

The Processors

The Wii has two processors. The CPU is an IBM PowerPC-based processor codenamed "Broadway," which is produced using a 90-nm SOI (IBM's Silicon on Insulator technology) process. This allows the chip to use less power, approximately 20% less than the Gekko chip for GameCube. IBM announced Sept. 8 that it had begun shipping the Broadway CPUs to Nintendo from its East Fishkill production facility in New York. The processor's Power Architecture core was modified specifically for the Wii; however, additional details about Broadway have been kept secret by Nintendo and IBM. It is expected that the Wii's CPU will feature an operating speed of around 729MHz and be significantly less powerful than the 3.2 GHz Cell microprocessor for the PlayStation 3. The second chip is the ATI GPU codenamed "Hollywood." Again, there have been very few details released from Nintendo or ATI regarding Hollywood. However, several reports indicate that the GPU has been clocked at 243MHz.