Your ultimate Wii launch guide

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Everything you need to know about Nintendo's revolution

Wii Remote and Nunchuk
It's not often that a console's controller is as important as the console itself butWii is no ordinary console. This is because the Wii-mote's motion-sensitivity allows gamers to interact with on-screen action by pointing and moving the remote.

On top of the remote is a D-pad, the A button (which is the main action button), a home button that takes you immediately to the Wii channel page, and the + and - buttons that take you forward and back through the menu screens. Near the base of the Wii-mote are the 1 and 2 buttons which become the main action buttons when the remote is turned sideways.

The blue LEDS at the base indicate which player the remote is controlling: players one to four. Also, when the remote is switched on, it indicates how much battery power is left.

On the base of the Wii-mote is the trigger-like B button and the battery flap where you put the two AA batteries - these should provide over 30 hours of playing time. The Wii-mote also has a rumblefunction and built-in speaker.

You may have heard stories about gamers damaging themself or their TV while swinging their Wii-motes around. Well, there're some obvious ways to prevent this from happening: firstly check you've enough room in front of the TV to swing around; and secondly, use the wrist strap attached to the Wii-mote so, if you lose your grip, it won't fly into the screen.

We can't move on until we've mentioned the Nunchuk. This is the second part of the Wii controller and is used in tandem with the Wii-mote for some of the more complicated games. It consists of an analogue stick and two action buttons: the smaller C button and the trigger-like Z button. Just like the Wii-mote it is motion-sensitive, as can be seen in the Wii Sports boxing game where it enables you to punch and block with both hands.