The future of gaming just got a lot weirder. For years, the progression of video game systems has been simple. A new crop of consoles appears periodically, sporting snazzier graphics, more complex controllers and hefty price tags. Nintendo has turned its back on that tradition with the oddly named Wii.

The $249.99 system's graphics aren't much of an advance over current machines. Its controller is a motion-sensitive remote control. Instead of keying in complex combinations on buttons, you swing the control through the air to simulate using a tennis racket. Or rolling a bowling ball. Or fighting with a sword.

It's an unexpected twist for video games, and one that - from my experience on a recent weekend playing the Wii with three other people - leaves everyone looking like bad mimes. But the experience is a blast.

Ups and downs

Nintendo arrived here through an interesting route. After dominating the video game industry from the mid-'80s through the mid-'90s, the house that Mario built fell victim to Sony's PlayStation juggernaut, which has dominated the market since.

In 2004, though, Nintendo started to act strange. Instead of releasing a slightly updated version of their always-popular Game Boy handheld gaming system, they put out the DS - a dual-screen game system that had a touch-sensitive screen.

The gaming press reacted skeptically. Who would want such a device? critics asked. Who would want to control a game through a stylus, instead of old-fashioned, tried-and-true buttons? Nintendo, already discounted because of its third-place showing with the GameCube console, was written off.

But over the past couple of years, Nintendo has released a series of diverting games for the DS. Other software makers have stepped up too, releasing games based on such unlikely scenarios as surgery and courtroom trials. Players noticed. And Nintendo, for the first time, trounced Sony - which had just introduced the ultra-high-tech PlayStation Portable.

So here we are, two years later, and Nintendo is trying a similar tactic in the world of consoles. Earlier this month, Sony released the behemoth that is the PlayStation 3. Nintendo responded with the motion-sensitive Wii.

The difference? Thanks to the success of the DS, the gaming media and fans no longer write off Nintendo as a has-been. Demand for the Wii is high. When I picked mine up Nov. 19, the day of its release, not only were systems sold out, but so were the controllers and other accessories.

People want to experience the weirdness. And based on my game play experience, the future is now.

Playing the game

Every Wii system comes with a game - or games. The compilation disk Wii Sports features pick-up-and-play versions of tennis, bowling, baseball, boxing and golf. All of the games use the system's motion detection capabilities, and all suck time like vacuum cleaners suck dirt.

The games look simple. Little, cartoon-like players race around (you can create your own players, which Nintendo dubs "Miis"). But when it comes time to swing that racket in tennis, for example, you better have the controller ready to go. A built-in speaker in the controller lets you know when you've hit the ball.

Of all the Wii Sports games, bowling and boxing stand out. Bowling offers a lifelike simulation of the game - you raise the controller in font of you, holding down a trigger button, then swing your arm and release the button like you're releasing the ball. The game gives players more leeway than an actual bowling alley, but I'm not complaining. My scores in the game were far higher than in real life.

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