[Wii] Official Nintendo Wii thread

It will be interesting to see how the release of solid info (finally) affects people's perceptions of which console they will be picking up.

Also, I would like to see some info on the Virtual Console. Even if it was only a handful of confirmed games. This could greatly broaden Wii's appeal at launch.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Could launch availability, such as a list of midnight launch parties, stores expected to have good stock, alternative places to look, places taking pre-orders and when they start taking them, etc. be added to the OP as that info becomes available? Seems like it would be useful info.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by JackyBoy

I'm a little surprised Nintendo is throwing in some mutlifunctional uses with the Wii. I thought the console was orginally borne to be solely a gaming machine. I find the built-in weather station thingy an odd inclusion

I wonder if this could spawn a new type of interactivity. For example, could a game's weather environment be based off a feed from the web (since all consoles have 'net connectivity now) in real-time? I could see a few interesting possibilities here linked to other things...

Anyhow, I've never purchased a sports game in my life (unless you count racing, which I count as a completely separate genre) yet I think I would enjoy playing the Wii sports games with the Wii-mote.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Slayer X

One other question, I've heard that the Rayman for the Wii is just a collection of mini games put in a linear order to make a game. Is this true, or is it still a platformer with a mini game here and there?

Where have you heard this? Rayman: Raving Rabids is a cross-platform title, so gameplay on different platforms should be roughly uniform for the most part. Perhaps they threw some Wii-mote minigames in their for Nintendo specifically?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Solis

From the sound of it, it was supposed to be a platformer more or less, but then they saw the remote controller and decided to just turn it into a bunch of minigames to show it off (can anyone say tech demo?).

Thanks for that info Solis - I hadn't realized this was happening. I recently bought a DC mainly to play Rayman 2, so I have been very interested in the possibility of a good future Rayman platformer.

I was speaking idiomatically.

If they are making a bazillion Wii's is there even going to be a shortage? I didn't preorder because I want to get some reactions from actual gamers in real-world situations and see if there are any initial production issues since the controller setup is so funky. (I don't expect any though, since this is Nintendo...) I'll probably look at Intel Conroe cpu/mobo prices and decide whether or not to get a Wii in January... However, with Nintendo shipping so many consoles do we really expect there to be a shortage in December?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by The B0mb

He also said they were only getting 20.

Walmart flier out this weekend says the store will have a minimum of 20 units, so this sounds about right. If it were more they would have advertised more I would think.

With millions of units expected by year-end, are the Wii shipments going to come in "waves" like the Xbox 360 last year, or will there be a pretty steady trickle into stores until Xmas?

FELIPE NO

Well, I went out looking for a Wii at Target at like 9:45. I didn't realize they changed their hours to open @ 8am. :ninja: @ Target

Costco was right next door, so I went over there and there was 3 people camping lol. The first guy had the manager on the phone and he wouldn't tell us if the Wii was in stock or not. It was not. :ninja: @ Costco

So, my 15 minutes of extremely lazy-style camping didn't pan out. Actually, I just wanted to check availability vs. demand. It looks like around here quite a few people who wanted a Wii didn't get one, so they will probably be hard to find around here for the rest of the Xmas season. (I heard K-mart only got two Wii's for example.)

P.s. - we have no Best Buys, no Circuirt Citys, no Toys 'R Us, just Walmart, Kmart, and Gamestop.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by BlueMikey

Has anyone heard of any stores getting restocked yet? I still call the few within a short driving distance around me each day at lunch, but have had no luck.

Gamespot had an article that stated that Gamestop had already been restocked, but that is false I called and they had none. When I stopped in there on Monday they said they would get more Wii's in 2 weeks.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I GOT A WII!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Gamestop opened at 7am. I set my alarm for 6:30 and didn't get up until 6:50. Put on pants & shoes & coat, stopped to grab new Pearl Jam CD from my collection for driving music (good driving music can cut any commute time by 15%) got in car, drove. Line was formed outside Gamestop, I was like NOOOO!!

Parked, got in line. Was like 15 people ahead of me. I'd heard GS's were getting 20 Wii's each. Store opened about 3 minutes later. Stood in line. Someone joked, "Oh, they don't have any Wii's" then someone else said "No, they have a bunch lol." Well, some of the people in line were families, so groups of 2-4 each. So actually I was about 6th in line perhaps. The guy got a Wii from under the counter for the first customer, which seems to prove that GS's and probably other stores had Wii's but refused to sell them until the morning of BF (rumor widely circulated around the net and confirmed by Best Buy employees at least). Then, there were two boxes of Wii's. I got the 2nd-to-last one. There looked to be 3-4 in a box; I think the store had about 8 Wii's total and I got one, for camping for 3 minutes. Not bad!

I also picked up Excite Truck with it, because "It's got BIG DAMN TRUCKS!" There are probably no Zelda's left in town nor will there be for some time, which is fine by me since I won't run out of RPG's I haven't played yet (but own) for quite some time. By now, the city has been swept clean of Wii's until the next shipment, that is for sure.

So, that's what I got for my troubles of camping... for 3 minutes.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by DjMeas

Wait... does this mean that most stores will have Wiimotes in today?!?!

I'm gonna go check ^_^

Hastings didn't have any Wii accessories at all. I didn't check at the Gamestop where I purchased my system, because I was too busy just trying to get the system itself before they sold out. When I went to the other Gamestop in the mall, they had 3 Wiimotes left, and 2 classic controllers. There were no nunchucks left. If it weren't so crazy with shoppers around here I'd hit Walmart just to see how things are going.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by DjMeas

Just checked out Target and they had about 15 Wiimotes!!

GRAB THEM NOW!!

15? You could tape them to your body and make some crude motion capture suit! (Actually, I see that coming eventually. Why just sensors for your hand? Why not your torso and feet!)

On-topic though, when syncing extra remotes to the Wii it might take a couple tries. Mine didn't sync at first. The blue lights flash a few times, then there should be a steady blue light that comes on denoting whether it's the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th controller. I tried pitching to myself and hitting the ball in the baseball game.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I know that mine was 2nd shipment because I saw it come out of the cardboard box yesterday morning at 7:10 am.

I just bought a Linksys Wireless - G broadband router and got it up and running with the Wii in no time. Using WAP2 security, and it did the system update no problem. I'm planning on getting Mario 64 simply because I never had an N64, and possibly Bonk's Adventure.

I could swear that the music playing in the shopping channel is from Katamari Damacy 2...

Most amazing jew boots

So what's the final word on the blue light surrounding the disc slot? Does it only come on during sytsem start-up, or when there is a disc being ejected or inserted, or is it supposed to stay on all the time? I've heard a couple of different things...

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Thanks for the info. It would be cool if, when Nintendo releases new colors of Wii, they change the colors of the led's on the controllers and the disc slot to match. For example, a black Wii could have red lights on the controller and the disc slot. I wonder how long until someone swaps out the colors through modding...

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by BlueMikey

I thought it was odd, the people in line seemed oddly uninformed. This rumor went through the whole line that a nunchuk wasn't included in the box and no one seemed to believe me when I told them it was.

I think this, and the fact that they're still doling them out in bunches of 50 a week after launch, goes to show that they're reeling in the casual gamer.

Anyone know of a reliable source for sales #'s for the PS3/Wii?

How ya doing, buddy?

WiiPlay has cow tipping? I'm so there! :doggy:

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Omg - just saw a couple of the "Wii would like to play" commercials. Best video game commercial ever. I have seen 2 different ones now.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by DjMeas

I've been playing the Wii all day with my new TV...

Man, the Wii went from Super Fun to ADDICTIVE now lol!
What a great system.

So, you're happy with your results with the Wii at 480p on HDTV?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Grubdog

It's not worth using extra batteries for.

Only if you are this guy should this be a problem: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6178659.stm

If this truly becomes an issue then there's money to be made, and I would think someone like Madcatz would make an extender cable, just like companies have made controller extender cables in the past for non-wireless controllers. Much better/less expensive than a wireless 'chuck.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Regarding that PC/Wii mod: How do they keep the case cool? They must have quite a few fans in there or I bet the Wii overheats. I have my Wii sitting on its bottom rather than on its side, and when I pick it up after I've been playing a few minutes the bottom feels very hot...

I was speaking idiomatically.

Found this over @ Fileplanet - it's from Fargo's blog:

Quote:

February 20, 2007
True Tales of Buying a Wii

I'm also a cartoon in real life. Ladies and gentlemen, gather 'round the Internet. Turn down the lights and put the children to bed, because this is scary, scary stuff... and it's 100% true.

Months after the release of the console, it's still hard to find a Wii in stores. A friend of mine -- we'll call him Bob -- decided it was time to get his hands on one. So he starts calling around. And calling around. He was coming up empty. Couldn't even find so much as a controller. In frustration he asks one store: "Do you know who might have one?" And he gets the tip: "Try the K-Mart." The K-Mart in the sketchy part of town.

So he calls the K-Mart in the sketchy part of town, then asks the guy in the electronics department. Bob waits on hold. And then the K-Mart guy picks up from another line and whispers into the phone: "Yeah, we got one left. Come up to the counter and ask for me, then ask for 'The Package.' How fast can you be here?"

The answer to that question is twenty minutes. So there Bob is, walking into the K-Mart in the sketchy part of town, asking for the dude at the electronics counter, and then -- honestly this story is true -- he asks for "The Package." The electronics guy lifts up his head in a kind of conspiracy nod, then disappears into the back. He returns with an unmarked brown paper bag and hides it under the counter while ringing up the sale. He barely even opens it to scan the barcode.

Bob begins to get suspicious. 'Hold on a second,' he thinks. 'This guy could be selling me a bag of bricks.' He asks to see it, and the guy behind the counter looks around, then brings the bag up over the counter and opens it just a little bit, so that Bob can verify it's actually a Wii box.

Suspicion now turns to paranoia: why all the secrecy? Now Bob looks around and sees all these people milling around the electronics department, who are all looking at him. The electronics guy hands Bob his receipt. "Head straight for the door," he says. Bob starts walking for the exit... and three of four of the people milling around the electronics department start to follow him. They follow him into the parking lot.

Bob is fumbling with his keys, doing what he called the "Willy Wonka walk" to his car. He hurls himself into his car, slamming and locking the door. People are still looking at him. He tears off for home.

Once he gets into his apartment -- again I'm not making any of this up -- he's so worried he might have been followed that he hides the Wii under his couch while he and his girlfriend went out for dinner. Only later that night does he feel comfortable enough to bust open the package and enjoy the delicious Wii action.

There you have it kids. Remember: when buying your Wii, be sure to call ahead. And wear a disguise.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by IdleChill

Are there any games worth anything that were only released in PAL regions? o=

Of course! http://www.gamingforce.com/forums/ma...wii-games.html















FELIPE NO

It seems like many games that are not first-party titles are being developed/published by Ubisoft. The release schedule for Wii is fairly sparse at this time, as we would expect for a newly-launched console. Which developers are in the Wii's corner, so-to-speak? For example, we know that Hideo is going to make another MGS game for PS3, and that Squeenix is working on future FF games for PS3. So far, besides ports, what we have seen for the Wii is mostly first-party original titles. The biggest anticipated games (Super Mario Galaxy, the new Paper Mario title, the new Super Smash Bros. title) are all first-party games.

Now that Nintendo's console has launched successfully, what's the word on developer support for the Wii?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Miyamoto GDC keynote @ Gamespot: http://www.gamespot.com/events/gdc07...om_clk=topslot

Quote:

11:36: "When I'm creating a game, what I always try to envision is the core element of fun within a game," he tells the crowd. "And to do that, I imagine one thing, and that's the face of the player as they play the game."

Plus, major lolz @ wife-o-meter!

Jam it back in, in the dark.