I have always said that I would not ever own a video game console. My wife has said likewise. So why is there now a Wii sitting under our TV?

It started as a suggestion from my wife's physical therapist. It was something to get her through a wide range of movements, check her physical balance, etc.

It turns out that it is a lot of fun. Compared to other game consoles of the current generation, those by Sony and Microsoft, the Wii is far lower-tech, and yet significantly more innovative.

On computer power, it can't hold a match to the current generation XBox and PlayStation. It clocks in at a mere 743 MHz . . . not even 1 GHz, and it can't produce high-definition output -- it is enhanced-definition at best (i.e. DVD grade).

What makes it worthwhile is the paradigm shift in the controls.

Although the now-common controls consisting of a four-way pad and an analogue stick along with an array of trigger and thumb buttons still exists, most of the games are played largely using the motion sensors of the controller. The controllers can feel any shake or wave you give them.

Additionally, the end of the controller has an infrared lens on it. My hypothesis is that this is a camera, and that the bar you place near your TV is an infrared transmitter. Regardless of whether or not this hypothesis is correct, the function of these optical devices is to make the controller usable as a pointing device. Unlike traditional pointing devices (such as a mouse or track ball, for instance), however, the Wii controller is 3-D. It not only tracks up and down, left and right, but can also accurately track any rotation in the position of the control, and I have seen at least one game use this.

Finally, the controllers are wireless. They use Bluetooth to communicate to the console, meaning that there isn't the tangle of cables that usually accompanies video gaming.

I think a PlayStation or an XBox would have just frustrated me. Most modern games have become too complex to be fun anymore, with the possible exception of Guitar Hero (trust me on this -- I've played some of these games against my nieces and nephews). Wii, however, has brought the fun back into video gaming.

(For the record, Nintendo have given me no compensation for this article. I am just a happy customer.)