I mentioned yesterday that we got a Wii last night; part of an early “Father’s Day” celebration.

Today I can offer my unpaid endorsement of the Wii.

Much of what I’ve read about the Wii suggests that it was designed for a wider demographic than other video game consoles, such as the Xbox and Playstation. After this afternoon I can tell you that if my family is any indication, Nintendo has an unqualified success on it’s hands. The Wii captured the 3 – 65 age group, with nearly equal numbers of males and females. My three year old son, nine year old daughter, thirty-something wife, and retired in-laws all spend significant time on the Wii today.

I know this could be a passing fad. Most of the folks I mentioned may have enjoyed the novelty… which could wear off in short order. However, consider this: when we brought home our Xbox a few years ago that group of first day, novelty enthusiasts was limited to me and my daughter.

What’s the secret? It sure isn’t the graphics. They might be as good as my first generation Xbox. Just like you’ll read in every other review of the Wii: the catch is the game play. It’s intuitive in a way that no other gaming console is. To play baseball you don’t press a button or toggle a thumb stick; you swing the controller like a bat. To pitch you wind up and throw (without letting go of the controller). When you bowl you can twist the controller on your tosses to give the ball spin… just like when you’re really bowling.

You may be saying to yourself, “oh that’s just what we need, another baseball video game,” or, “oooo, a bowling game.” If I were playing either of those games on another console I’d say the same thing.

The Wii is a completely different animal; a cute, cuddly animal that everyone seems to love.