Wii wii wii all the way home

Nintendo has taken a sizeable gamble with its new Wii console, betting that the way to reach more customers (read: non-gamers) necessitates a different approach to that pursued expensively by Xbox 360 and PS3.

So the Wii is cheap (€250) and instead of concentrating on spectacular graphics, etc, offers a new way to control games: the Wii remote, a motion-sensitive "wand" akin to a TV remote control. If the enthusiastic reaction in my household from people who wouldn't normally touch a games console with a bargepole is any gauge, then Nintendo could be on to something.

Of course, Ninty isn't forgetting its heartland and one of the first titles turns out to be the awesome latest installment of the Zelda saga: Twilight Princess. But none of the other launch games comes anywhere close to greatness and that will be Nintendo's challenge: to nurture and produce many more outstanding titles taking advantage of the Wii's uniqueness.

My pet peeve for the week: the recommended retail price for the Wii is €250 but most shops are hocking it for €270 and touting the free bundled game Wii Sports (an excellent introduction to the Wii remote) as an extra. Cheeky bastards.

Read the full Nintendo Wii review in today's paper.

Finally, Nokia's N73 emerges as the Finns' first phone with autofocus to hit Ireland. Picture quality ain't too shabby but it suffers the typical Nokia shutter lag which makes it useless for moving subjects. Otherwise, the N73 shares the same lineage which has produced the 6680 and N70: good looks, cramped keypad.