With a flick of the wrist and a swing of the arm, video gamers can now use their movements to make characters move on the screen. Thanks to a small, white handheld controller that resembles a television remote, gamers will no longer need to rely on traditional gaming methods.

Nintendo is developing a new system, Wii, which will give individuals more physical interaction with their video games.

With the introduction of Wii, Nintendo hopes they will turn around recently lackluster sales compared to the other two major video game console makers, Sony and Microsoft.

In December 2002, when all three systems recorded record sales, Nintendo was firmly in third place, selling 619,000 units, about 2 million fewer than industry-leader Sony, according to a National Purchase Diary sales chart.

With these findings, the gaming community feared Nintendo would go the way of SEGA and no longer create home video game consoles, focusing instead on their popular handheld series.

Nintendo fans need no longer worry.

On April 7, Nintendo announced the plans for the highly anticipated Nintendo Wii. But will the Wii fall short in comparison with the highly anticipated PS3 and Xbox 360?

Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America president and chief operating officer, thinks the Nintendo Wii will prove itself to be one of the best new gaming systems.

“[The Nintendo] Wii will appeal to a broader audience,” he said. “Microsoft and Sony are both going down the same path while the Wii is paving an entirely new road.”

Reggie also pointed out that, “in the end, prettier pictures will not bring new gamers and casual gamers into this industry. It has to be about the ability to pick up a controller, not be intimidated, and have fun immediately.”

The Nintendo Wii certainly is going in another direction.

Gamers only have to look at the bizarre controller setup to catch a glimpse of how groundbreaking the Nintendo Wii will be.

Instead of the standard one piece controller, the Wii boasts a dual controller that will change the face of gaming forever.

Both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers include a three-axis motion sensor.

The Wii Remote also includes a speaker, rumble feature and expansion port, and can be used as a pointer within five meters of the screen.

The Wii Remote has a power switch, plus pad, A, B, Minus, Home, 1 and 2 buttons.

The Nunchuk connection controller includes an analog control stick and C and Z buttons. Up to four Wii Remotes can be connected at once using wireless Bluetooth technology. The wireless signal can be detected within 10 meters of the console.

Kestutis Daugirdas, senior in FAA, took these into mind when discussing the Wii.

“I commend Nintendo on its ability to think outside of the box other companies stay in,” he said.

But will the Nintendo Wii have good games? Most certainly.

Nintendo has always been a holder of several popular game titles such as the widely famous Zelda and Super Smash Brother series.

At launch, Nintendo expects to have Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Brothers Brawl ready for purchase.

Edward Vettel, sophomore in Engineering, places faith in the Zelda series.

“Name one Zelda game that hasn’t kicked ass,” he said.

In a current interview with IGN, a well-known gaming website, Ubisoft North American President Laurent Detoc discussed his confidence in the Wii.

“Wii is a different video game experience than the Xbox 360 and PS3,” he said. “We think it’s going to be a hit.”

It seems the public thinks so as well. Based on industry analysis at the Electronic Entertainment Exposition, Nintendo plans to have a whopping 6 million units ready for its launch date on Nov. 19.