Simply put, the Wii is the single most beautiful piece of hardware that I've ever laid eyes upon. I wanted to lick it upon laying eyes upon it, but I probably would have been dragged out by security if I had done so, and having waited well over THREE hours to play, I thought better of it. It is trapezoidal and white, with a pretty blue light running down the front, and it is fairly small in size. The controller is equally sleek, visually, so at least from a stylish point of view, the Wii is absolutely top-notch.

How does that controller feel, though? Largely, it depends on the game. Because of the promotions and such that I had seen beforehand, I really expected to have to move around a lot. In Zelda: Twilight Princess, notably, this was definitely not the case, since the remote is so sensitive to movement that it is remarkably easy to "over-point". In other games, however, you do indeed move around a lot more. The left-hand nunchaku motion sensor, in contrast, tends to require a good hard shake whenever one is required. It really feels better than it sounds by this description, but gamers should come to expect a learning curve, steep or slight, in order to become adequately accustomed to the unique feel of each individual Wii game. Motion sensitivity adjustment options would definitely be an added bonus to many titles, that's for sure.

Once a player does get used to it, though, the Wii's strengths become clear. The controller is lighter than a feather, truly; it felt almost weightless in my hands. All of the buttons were very easy for me to reach, and the presence of a simple-to-use underside trigger button for both hands were very welcome. The oversized A button really couldn't be any better, and there are no problems with the D-pad.

Largely, the motion sensors will take some getting used to, but I think that this is to be expected. For something so radically different than anything else, I walked away quite pleased with my experience, and hopefully the rest of the Wii-playing crowd will come to find the same when the console is released by the end of the year.