The Wii is the most compact of the next-generation consoles. It weighs just 2.7 pounds and measures 8.5 inches long by 6 inches wide by less than 2 inches thick. It has clean, sharp lines and an Apple-like glossy white finish, though we’ll undoubtedly see units in black and possibly other colors at some point.

Once codenamed Revolution, Wii has already done much to open consumers’ eyes to the potential delights of gaming. It eschews the quest for “photo realism” and is not only fun to play but looks like fun too. It’s a unique selling point, and record sales in the UK and worldwide suggest it to be one people are truly interested in.

Long gone are the days when you could plug in a new console and just start gaming, but Wii comes as close to that ideal as you’re ever likely to get these days. Out of the box Nintendo provides pretty much everything you could need, including the Wii Sports game, to get you playing immediately.

All the usual items are included with an external power supply, composite cables and a SCART adapter all present. The lack of component video cable is always a disappointment, but not a great surprise given the lower tech nature of Wii. A ready synchronised Wii Remote and Nunchuk are also included in the package, along with a pair of decent quality alkaline batteries to power them.

Once the Wii’s network settings are set up, the system is designed to be constantly online through Nintendo’s WiiConnect24 service. The Wii can use WiiConnect24 to automatically download system updates, additional game content, and even weather and news. When a message or system update arrives on your Wii, the disc slot glows a bright blue, even when it’s not in use–unless you disable that notification feature in the preferences menu.