Nintendo has seen many highs and lows throughout its long history. The past decade alone has seen the company go from one of its most troubled periods with the poorly-received Wii U to one of its most successful with the Nintendo Switch. When it comes to single moments in Nintendo history, however, few reach the heights of the company’s E3 press conference in 2006, and thanks to one fan, it can be enjoyed like never before.
Even with the changes brought on by things such as the departure of major companies like Sony and, of course, the ongoing global pandemic, E3 remains a key part of gaming culture due in no small part to being the source of some of the most hype-worthy moments in the medium’s history. Such is the case with Nintendo’s 2006 conference, where the world was formally introduced to arguably one of most revolutionary consoles ever, the Wii.
And now fans have an improved way of indulging their nostalgia for that event, courtesy of an enhanced version of the conference from Twitter user GoldMetalSonic. They sourced the footage from a DVD rip and upscaled it all the way up to 4K and 60FPS, providing the clearest picture to date. Granted, there’s only so much that can be done to reduce the fuzziness of the original standard definition video without utlizing full-on AI upscaling, but it is still a marked improvement.
The entire conference is available in upscaled form, so fans can enjoy all of the highlights in ultra high definition. These include the lengthy sizzle reel that brilliantly illustrated how the Wii’s unconventional Wiimote control and emphasis on motion controls could enhance playing games, as well as the first glimpses at some of the console’s earliest hits like Wii Sports, Super Mario Galaxy, Excite Truck, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
It might be hard to understand for younger gamers or those who got into gaming later on, but the Wii was a huge departure at the time. Not only was it the first major console to utilize motion controls as a standard feature, it also saw Nintendo change up tactics by shifting focus towards appealing to a more casual audience. While this earned it something of a reputation for being less friendly to hardcore gamers than its competitors, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the fact that the Wii remains Nintendo’s best-selling home console to this day proves that it was a smart call in the end.
That probably won’t last for too much longer, however. Like the Wii, the Nintendo Switch offered something unique when it introduced its hybrid of handheld and console gameplay back in 2017, and like the Wii, it has sold massively well. As of November, the Switch has sold nearly 93 million units, so it’s very possible that it could surpass the Wii’s lifetime sales of 101.6 million units within the coming year. That being said, such a feat likely wouldn’t have been possible without the innovations Nintendo introduced with the Wii fifteen years ago.