Nintendo’s newest gaming experience the Wii is lucky enough to be one of the many highly sought after holiday gifts snatched off the shelves of major retailers and quickly finds it way to Ebay;s version of America’s Most Wanted. Yes, these thugs with the box in hand scurry home and snap that picture of the poor lonely Wii next to its store receipt, and wait for the crazed public to try to rescue it for quite possibly their own entertainment or even worse….the resell. Marketing 101 as we know it today. I need to go on record and inform you that I am also addicted to this craze, but I can say that I set my price and we got our Wii, and yes I am currently in rehab for my addiction but my doctors have told me that I may not recover until all my children are grown.
System Setup
The unit and equipment is all stored in a box that measures fourteen inches by ten inches and the contents are nicely packaged in two drawers inside the box, which also can serve as storage for the game in the future. The actual contents of the box are as follows:
Wii Game Console
Wii Console Stand
Wii Remote (one)
Wii Nanchuk (one)
Sensor Bar
AC Adapter
AV Cable
Wii Sports Disk
Also included are batteries for the remote, the Wii Operations manual, the Wii Channel and settings book, and a quick setup booklet for those of us that appreciate pictures versus actually reading the manual which are listed in several languages.
Setting the unit up is quite simple and goes from box to play in less than ten minutes with only four steps. Place the sensor bar on the top of your TV, connect the AV cables, plug in the unit and sync your remote. Each of these steps worked on the first try with little to no issues. The primary functions of the unit including power, eject, and reset are all found on the front, the connections for power, AV cable, USB connectors and Sensor Bar are on the back. On the top of the unit you will find two slots for memory cards and sockets for up to four Game Cube Controllers (for playing Nintendo Game Cube games). The unit itself is white and very slick looking and is nine inches long by two inches wide by eight inches tall.
The infrared remote has standard gaming buttons and requires the two included double AA batteries to operate. Syncing of the remote worked flawlessly and was quickly recognized by the game. Having three children did require us to purchase two additional remotes ($40.00 retail), which also were quickly recognized by the unit and worked independently of each other. Should any of the remotes need to be re-synced this can be accomplished via the on-screen menu or by removing the battery cover and tapping the re-sync button.
Ready to play !
We tested our unit using the included Wii Sports disk which contains, Tennis,
Baseball, Bowling, Golf, and Boxing which can all be played by one player or up to four players. The beauty to this game is the remote is wireless and you and your children actually need to be OFF THE SOFA and in the game. The remote itself is used to swing at the ball, strike the tennis ball, roll for a strike, chip the ball into the cup, and yes hit your opponent in the face. The remotes worked perfectly as our three children spaced themselves out in our family room while playing these games. While they all needed to be in front of the TV and within a maximum range of eight feet from the TV/Sensor bar they were all off the sofa and actually moving around playing. During game play these remotes can point, hold or grab items, wave, push or pull objects, twist or curve and down right fun to play. While this included disk is enjoyable, I think it will have a short shelf life as the overall game play is fun, but limited…obviously we will have to purchase the several of the new releases to truly explore the benefits of this unit. It should also be noted that the included Nunchuk can be attached to the remote for gameplay, which for many titles is required. Lastly, we upgraded from Nintendo Gamecube and tested one of our previous titles and previous controllers on the unit and all worked perfectly. I have to give a big Thank You to Nintendo for allowing the prior games to be used on this console. On screen graphics were found to be excellent and quickly refreshed to all applicable functions.
Wii On Screen Menus
As we became more familiar with our new console we began to test some of the other features on this console. First on the Mii Channel we created characters, which allow the user to select facial, and body features, which are then saved to the remote and to the console itself for future Mii compatible games. Each remote can store up to ten different characters. You can enter the Photo Channel in which you can insert an SD card from your camera or video camera to view or doodle your pictures, make a slide show or post them to the Wii message board. Enter the Wii Shop Channel which can be accomplished by connecting your Wii to your wireless or wired broadband internet connection and you can purchase games and other features using your Wii points. For the record you do not earn points, but you can purchase points from any major retailer. The Wii message board allows users to leave messages for other players or once again if the console is connected via the internet, you will receive messages about upcoming events or share pictures and comments with others. Other menu options include setting your display to wide screen (16:9) or standard format (4:3)and the important parental control to prevent games from being played. You can also set graphics to display in HD format and restrict burn in reduction, and lastly select your sound options from Mono to Surround.
All ages are welcome
Obviously the games that you purchase to play on this console will dictate to level of involvement and acceptability of the content this console is for all ages and is a welcome venture into getting us up off the sofa and moving around. The remotes themselves are less than five inches long by two inches wide and weigh less than half a pound. The included strap can be secured around the players wrist to prevent dropping, or throwing the remote and I feel can be easily used by the smallest of hands. We actually purchased “gloves” for the remotes which are add a nice grip to the remotes and allow each of the kids to have personalized their remote.
In closing…
From setup to gameplay this console is a keeper especially for all of us that have made quite an investment in prior Ninetendo games. The addition of being able to get the kids to move around and play, as well as playing all their favorites is a bonus. Graphics are most than acceptable and the ease of use well worth the investment. The small footprint of the console and perfection of wireless technology a benefit for all playing. Bottom line, after you get past the marketing genius of making the game nearly impossible to find you and your family will enjoy playing the Wii.
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