I'm sold.

I think Nintendo has a winner on their hands. The guys at the studio brought in their new Wii game system today and I've gotta say I'm ready to jump platforms. I'd decided to wait to try each of the new gaming consoles before committing to a platform for the next generation, but today, my mind was made up for me. The PlayStation 1 and 2 have served me well, but the Wii is downright fun in a way that the typical systems and their controllers don't enable.

Case in point: today, I swung a cartoon cow attached to a chain over my head and flung it out into a field, listening to it moo and gonk as it bounced and skidded across the turf. It was hilarious, fun, and different. At $250, it's a no-brainer which console I'm picking up next.

And I wasn't the only one. The Wii had drawn a big crowd over lunch, and everyone was having fun with it. One of my coworkers, who hasn't owned a console since the Atari 2600, was sold on buying a Wii after only a few minutes with it.

The video gaming pundits were skeptical about the Wii because it takes such a different path than the "traditional" consoles. But that's exactly what makes it so attractive, and what will probably make it successful. It puts the fun back into controlling things onscreen. I'm willing to pay for fun, and I'm betting that a lot of other people will, too, after they get a dose of this great little system.

Well done, Nintendo. Sign me up for your next release date.