November 2006: Nintendo’s oddly-named new console, the Wii, launched, and the world went crazy. People lined up around the block, camping out overnight in severe weather conditions, just to try and get their hands on the little white system, with its pretty new motion-sensitive controllers. It also didn’t hurt that the system launched alongside The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which was given the Game of the Year award almost unanimously by every major video game publication. Many people went through great lengths in hopes of getting one in time for Christmas, and their efforts were in vain. The Wiis sold out in the blink of an eye and were nearly impossible to keep in stock after the launch. It’s now ten months later, and getting a Wii is still no easy task. Considering that the 360 was readily available at most stores within five months, and PS3s were crowding stockrooms as early as six weeks after its release, it’s hard to believe that there will ever be a time when the Nintendo Wii is easy to come by. But will it always be this way? Nintendo certainly shot right out of the gate, winning the console battle by an overwhelming margin, with the help of a $249.99 price point and a game (the insanely popular and fun Wii Sports) included. Also aiding Nintendo’s sales has been its excellent line-up of first-party titles. However, one has to wonder if releasing so many big name games so early into the Wii’s lifespan will not be detrimental later. While the Wii launched with Twilight Princess, 2007 has so far seen Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 8, Mario Strikers Charged, and Metroid Prime 3, all of which are best-selling franchises from the house that Mario built. And the hits don’t stop, either; this winter, both Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, two of the most highly-anticipated titles of the year, will be released, as well as Mario and Sonic: At the Olympic Games, and it’s entirely possible that the Wii will once again knock out its competition this holiday season. But what’s next? With a Zelda, a Metroid, and 5 titles that include Mario and his friends in some way out of the way, what will keep the Wii alive? Sure, there are more games to come, like 2008’s promised MarioKart, but without another slew of first-party games, will the Wii’s sales come to a halt? Is our lovely little console going to go the way of the Gamecube and turn into a very expensive paperweight? What Will Kill It Without new titles being regularly released, the Wii is sure to suffer. This year, that won’t be a problem, but Nintendo needs to look far enough into the future to ensure the lifespan of its system. If the titles aren’t there, the gamers won’t come, period. The Wii also gets a bad reputation amongst some of the hardcore gamers for catering to the "casual" gamer; the hardcore crowd tends to turn to one of the other next-gen systems instead, rather than have to be associated with the “made for everyone” machine that Nintendo promised. Though casual gaming is not a crime, more serious gamers are looking for something a little meatier than your average Mario title. Zelda helped to draw some of them in, but one game won’t be enough. And of course, there’s the ever-growing fear that the Wii’s motion-sensitive controls are not actually revolutionary, but just a gimmick that will get stale with time. True, some games did not utilize the Wii’s controls well (I’m looking at you, The Bigs) or at all. If the controls are supposed to be the thing that sets it apart more than anything else, what’s going to happen if game developers don’t want to work with them? What Will Save It An extensive and promising new release list, which has to have more than just Mario. More excellent third-party titles, like last year’s Trauma Center, will also help keep the system fresh. How about a Castlevania, guys? Or at least a full baseball game that doesn’t suck? Weekly updates of the Virtual Console don’t hurt either; the reasonably-priced classic games readily available for download gives the Wii a little extra edge. Toe Jam & Earl alone provides endless hours of entertainment. With new games added every Monday, it keeps Wii owners turned on to see what’s coming next. Nintendo is also going to have to prove that its daring control scheme is here to stay. The controls on Twilight Princess were a great start; now, if it continues along that path with Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros., the Wii will go a long way in convincing gamers that motion-sensitivity is the way of the future. But for the present, at least, there’s no end in sight to the Wii’s amazing sales, which is as good a sign as any that it may indeed be here to stay.