So of course, the person crazy enough to attempt actual sized models of the Wii shortly after E3 would get a Wii at launch, and then I thought to see how my models compared.

I had not seen any accurate Wii dimension measurements at the time I built these models, so I said “OK, the disc is 12cm, I’ll use that to figure out the size of the front of the system, and then rescale the patent drawings to match what I find, and use those measurements to make my models.

A lot of people thought my models wouldn’t be accurate, and I got the typical, “It’s not right because Nintendo hasn’t released official measurements!” or something along those lines. Well, here are some pics of my new Wii and my WiiModels made several months ago:

Real White Wii w/ Gloss Black WiiModel:
http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/1589/dscn2001qa1.jpg

Vertical Wii Front w/ Vertical WiiModel Front (height comparison):
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/2010/dscn2002ga1.jpg

Top of WiiModel w/ Top of Wii (length comparison):
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/2756/dscn2005bo2.jpg

Horizontal Wii Front w/ Horizontal WiiModel Front (thickness comparison, no flash):
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8877/dscn2007pk3.jpg

Horizontal Wii Front w/ Horizontal WiiModel Front (thickness comparison, camera flash):
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/3765/dscn2008pg9.jpg

Wii Stand w/ WiiModel Stand:
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/9011/dscn2009ee6.jpg

If any of the links are broken, please let me know via the comments page, and I’ll get a new copy up ASAP.

In addition, apparently Twilight Princess takes place during the northern hemisphere’s winter.

How so? Check out this picture I took from the game’s night sky. You can clearly see that Nintendo tried adding Orion into the sky (not perfect, but it’s obvious that’s what they were going for. In the northern hemisphere, Orion is considered a winter constellation (because that’s when it’s visible to us). Click the pictures to view a larger version!

Normal Picture:

Marked Picture:

From what I can tell, this Wii Facebook group is by far the largest Facebook group dedicated to anything Nintendo, and by far the largest group dedicated to any Next-Gen console.

Remember, you have to be logged into Facebook to see the group and join!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204549034

I’ve made 5 Wii models in total. The first one was “sold” for $68 after 7 days, but the buyer didn’t pay. It was relisted and sold for $30 after 3 days. Then, we put up much more extremely accurate models (gloss black and white), which sold for $40 and $46, respectively. I said these would be the last models I would sell on eBay. However, the highest bidder on the gloss black model hasn’t paid, and my friend Matt (who lists the models on eBay for me) should be getting the black one on eBay again soon.  I’ll post a link here when that happens.

Many of the people in my dorm this year have come into our quad and toured through to see my remaining black and white Wii models as well as the PS3 model, which I’m keeping for now. I keep the black Wii on my desk, and the white Wii and the PS3 by all our other systems in the room (360, GC, N64). Interesting note, I keep the PS3 sitting horizontally, and because of the way it’s designed, the right side is collapsing under its own weight…

I’ll probably keep these 2 remaining Wii models (once the unpaid for model is relisted and sold) and PS3 model, but if anyone’s in the UIUC campus area and wants to make an offer on these remaining models, let me know. You can either leave a comment here, or on Facebook where I run the largest next-gen system Facebook group (Nintendo Wii - 860 members and counting).

The last two Wii models are now listed on eBay!

              
White Model                                       Black Model

I say last because it seems the diminishing returns aren’t worth the time, effort, and materials put into these models. After these two, I’ll have a black and white Wii that I’ll be keeping for my own dorm room, so these auctions will be pretty much your last chance to get one (unless the auction skyrockets).

PLEASE BID early and often! It helps to know my work is worth something Happy bidding!

Thanks to Chris, my Xbox fan friend who I’ve known for about a decade and will be rooming with this coming school year, I’ve been able to photograph my Wii models and PS3 model with his Xbox and Xbox 360. Also, my friend Matt, who has generously listed my now-sold and soon-to-be-listed Wii models on eBay, had provided the PS2 Slim.

Aeropause’s/Joystiq’s “Revised” Size Comparison Chart:
http://www.aeropause.com/archives/consolesizes.jpg

MY more accurately Revised Size Comparison Chart:

Vertical Wii w/ Xbox 360, PS3 (front):
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/6964/dscn1607pz4.jpg
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5605/dscn1606mz7.jpg

Vertical Wii w/ Xbox 360, PS3 (above):
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/1955/dscn1608jj1.jpg

Horizontal Wii w/ Xbox 360, PS3 (front):
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/838/dscn1611de9.jpg
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8695/dscn1610xn0.jpg

Horizontal Wii w/ Xbox 360, PS3 (above):
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/3183/dscn1609hp3.jpg
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/1283/dscn1612gx5.jpg

Vertical Wii w/ Xbox 360:
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/4949/dscn1635sm8.jpg
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/3264/dscn1639uh0.jpg

Vertical White Wii (without stand) w/ Xbox 360:
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/5650/dscn1640bm4.jpg

Vertical Wii, Xbox 360 (side, without stand):
http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/4552/dscn1642bk4.jpg

Horizontal Wii w/ Xbox 360:
http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/1351/dscn1637wy2.jpg
http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/9567/dscn1638md8.jpg

Vertical White Wii w/ PS3:
http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/7575/dscn1674ir5.jpg

Horizontal White Wii w/ PS3:
http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/8386/dscn1672pw0.jpg

Vertical PS3, Xbox 360 (front):
http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/3562/dscn1630jy7.jpg
http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/5882/dscn1631pz3.jpg

Xbox 360, PS3 (horizontal side):
http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/9428/dscn1633wa6.jpg
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/7326/dscn1634rg7.jpg

Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 (vertical side, raised):
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/1422/dscn1632lo6.jpg

Wii w/ Xbox 360, PS3 (horizontal front, stacked tower):
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/1257/dscn1641ke6.jpg

Wii w/ Xbox 360 Controller:
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/2451/dscn1659wg6.jpg
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/3298/dscn1660ls5.jpg

Wii Remote w/ Dual Shock 2, Xbox 360 Controller:
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/4636/dscn1646lm9.jpg
http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/4176/dscn1647ge4.jpg

Wii Remote w/ Xbox 360 Controller:
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/848/dscn1657ya0.jpg
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/1152/dscn1658nn7.jpg

Wii w/ Xbox 360 Power Brick:
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7253/dscn1643ah6.jpg
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/8451/dscn1644fg9.jpg
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/14/dscn1645uz7.jpg

PS3 w/ Xbox 360 Power Brick:
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/5488/dscn1656fb5.jpg

Wii w/ Xbox:
http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/7508/dscn1649qm0.jpg
http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/2811/dscn1650qg3.jpg
http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/1355/dscn1651fb4.jpg

PS3, Xbox:
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/4368/dscn1652zp7.jpg
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/3605/dscn1653yw3.jpg
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/3097/dscn1654kt2.jpg

Wii w/ PS3, Xbox (back):
http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/3584/dscn1655zg0.jpg

Wii w/ Xbox Controller:
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/9214/dscn1667ec9.jpg
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/2214/dscn1668vk3.jpg
http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/7417/dscn1669md6.jpg

Wii Remote w/ Xbox Controller:
http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/3773/dscn1665gv4.jpg
http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/7602/dscn1666gm3.jpg

Wii w/ PS2 Slim:
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/464/dscn1584ds8.jpg
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/6787/dscn1585bv8.jpg
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/3880/dscn1586rk0.jpg

Wii w/ PS2 Slim & PS3, longest sides:
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/2125/dscn1587yh4.jpg
*note, PS3 is considerably closer to the camera, so it appears slightly larger than it should be.

Wii w/ PS2 Slim & PS3, fronts:
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4371/dscn1590el9.jpg
*note, PS3 is considerably closer to the camera, as is the Wii to a lesser extent, so both appear slightly larger than they should be.

My favorite pic one last time, just for kicks:
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/1461/dscn13616aeal5.jpg

If any links are broken (due to ImageShack’s bandwidth policy), let me know and I’ll get a new link up ASAP.

Well, the original Wii model, the one that became the most famous, sold for $30.

Of course, I’ve made more than one, but considering the significant increase in the amount of time that went into the newer ones than the old ones, $30 for the new ones would be a disappointment. That’d be roughly $3.50 an hour of work. Actually, less, considering I had to buy new materials for these which got quite expensive (the original model was the last of the Kohl’s gift boxes that we had).

So if you’d be interested in purchasing one of the newer models, please leave a comment on my blog. There HAS to be demand, and I have to be fairly confident that it’ll be worth selling after all the bidding is done.

The one that started it all. My first Wii model, the one in the majority of the pics you saw on news sites, is now on sale on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/The-ORIGINAL-white-model-of-the-NINTENDO-Wii-DocCRP_W0QQitemZ260010159610QQihZ016QQcategoryZ187QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Please feel free to bid on it and show support! Bid early and often!

http://cgi.ebay.com/The-ORIGINAL-white-model-of-the-NINTENDO-Wii-DocCRP_W0QQitemZ260010159610QQihZ016QQcategoryZ187QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The “new” port under speculation located at the front of the underside of the Wii is likely too big to be a DS port.

I was never a supporter of the DS port theory anyway, I’m currently backing the DVD dongle idea. But I decided to take the 1:1 scaled patent drawings that I’ve been using to make models, and see how a DS game card compares to the port/slot/whatever. Note, these pictures clearly show the port is screwed in, making it likely that this port isn’t supposed to be opened frequently. In these pics, the bold line in the drawing is likely the part that opens:

It’s about as wide as a DS cart, which makes it highly unlikely that the port holds DS cards. I’ve never seen a company try and make something that tight.

Hopefully this debunks the DS card theory.

Apparently I missed a flap/port of some kind in the Wii.

Bottom left here:

And top right here:

I just recently remade a model, to add the recently revealed SD slot and Sync button, as well as added “pockets” to be able to insert, hold, and remove discs, SD cards, and USB devices. Now I have to look into this new thing, figure out what it is, and then make a new one…and put the old model on eBay

I may not find out what it is though. It seems that this thing is screwed shut, so the public may not know what it is until IGN or someone gets a review kit.