Wii Experiences

[aidanpendragon]

OK, a thread neither about preordering or ordering, but actuallly having the thing...here are some of my thoughts -

- Wiimote pointer on Channels/Menu screens generally holds up well, but gets a bit janky if you're not in straight-line with the sensor. Cursor can drift off the screen and be a bit hard to re-center/acquire, but this seems to get easier.
- Text input surprisingly fast/easy with the on-screen keyboard - more than twice as fast as any pad/joystick input via a similar menu. Still wouldn't want to write stuff like this on it. Wondering if I hook up my USB Apple keyboard & could get any results.
- Internet channel/Opera browser unavailable/"coming soon" - boo.
- VC/Store has NO TG-16 GAMES AT LAUNCH!!! Despite Nintendo repeatedly saying at least Bonk and/or Bomberman would be up. Guess I'll try again on 11/20 ("updates every Monday"). VC selection generally a bit anemic. Did get Mario 64, a game I'd missed out on.
- Memory still handled in goofy "blocks" format. 512 MB internal memory = 2072 or so blocks.
- Doing Miis ate up a lot of time. My wife was really into it (we each have fair likenesses now).
- Wii Sports is great. Played a bit of tennis & one game (only 3 innings) of baseball. My right bicep hurts, and I was on the verge of breaking a sweat (playing vigorously/full-arm). This is definitely great fun, and a perfect pack-in game. Not something to do for more than an hour, though.
- Playtime log it gives you on the main screen is boss. 40 min. on Miis, then 47 on Wii Sports. Can view a calendar with every day's log on it. Kids are doomed.
- A fair amount of screen, sound, internet options to play around with - even pick your country out of literally every one in the Western hemisphere (and I'm talking Caribbean islands, too).


Thank God I got a system a day prior to launch (thank you Amazon & 11/18 delivery). Not sure, but the few phone calls I made for accessories make it sound like anything Wii, in general, is quite scare on launch day. And that's a bit of a bitch: I want at least a second Wiimote so wife & I can play tennis together (i.e., the whole point of Nintendo's strategy). But good luck getting that, an extra nunchuck, an extra Classic controller, etc. - most folks I called are wholly out. Guess good for Nintendo, if they move all that inventory, but bad for us.

[extraextra]

Try Target, they had about a million nunchucks and remotes when I went to get my Wii. Don't know about Classic controllers though.

I basically agree with everything you said, the Sports mode/games are really fun to play with other people. Haven't tried the whole wireless thing yet!

[AJ Muni]

I kno that kmart also had tonssss of nuncuks and wiimote's. Good review man, hope your enjoying it. :)

[Winstonp]

I'm impressed. Graphics aren't fantastic, but I have decided I am buying a PS3...so that can easily fill that void.

I am not playing Zelda until I finish my classwork.

[viccles]

I'm impressed. Graphics aren't fantastic, but I have decided I am buying a PS3...so that can easily fill that void.

I am not playing Zelda until I finish my classwork.

How can you hold on? :D I know I bought my 360 last week and I'm busting to play my games all day but I promised myself not until after exams. 3 weeks away? Why did I torture myself :cool:

[bobber205]

Wii = AWESOME.

My grandpa who's about 80 is seriouslyl considering getting one. I am not kidding!

[Dagless]

Wii = AWESOME.

My grandpa who's about 80 is seriouslyl considering getting one. I am not kidding!

My 70-odd year old gran wants a Wii to serve as a basic portable internet system. My MUM wants a Wii, a typical non-gamer. It's madness. Though it's actually a bad thing for me, I was hoping that the Wii would end up most of the time in my room but the more people like it... the less time I have :o

THE LOG sounds incredible. I love reading my stats. I spend hours a month (which is longer than it sounds) just mulling over the details in Smash Bros Melee, just observing how me and my friends fare against each other. A universal version of that? ****ing excellent.

[zap2]

Wii Sports is SO much fun..!

I have to say 10 hours in the freezing cold was well worth my Wii!

[dan-o-mac]

I got my Wii with Zelda and Red Steel this morning, actually it's for my 2 boys for christmas. I'll be giving it a test run tonight after they go to sleep. Hey I have to make sure it works right. ;)

[furryrabidbunny]

I got my Wii today... it was a Christmas present but really no reason to wait, i'm mature and don't care if I don't have something christmas day. My parents actually went in line at a new best buy near us. They got about a hundred in. Go an extra wiimote and nunchuck and a classic controller.

It is really fun to play... wii sports is fun, but like others said, it wont occupy you for hours. The other game I picked up was Madden 07. the graphics are on par with (original) xbox, which isn't bad, it is it easy to learn to play (a lot easier than the ds version).

I wanted to get Zelda instead, but they sold out somehow. I'll wait till i get a better discount at game stop for the holidays.

It really is a great gaming experience... you feel like you are participating in something... thats the best way i can describe the experience.

[Krevnik]

I would have something to chime in with, except... I tried to setup the internet connection first. I have been stuck updating for about 30-40 minutes now. :(

Edit: The first update just finished, and it started a second one. :/

[aidanpendragon]

Two other thoughts:

- Good on Nintendo for the way you buy Wii Points: $10/20/30/50 denominations (1/2/3/5k points). That $10 option gives a lot more flexibility.

- There's no "system startup disc" included; instead, my box has a sticker covering the original printed contents, which lists Wii Sports instead of the startup disc.

EDIT - Internet update did take me a while - first one, then the other. However, ran it about 1:30 AM EST, so probably less load on the servers; it should level off in the next few days.

[topgun072003]

I got my Wii today... it was a Christmas present but really no reason to wait, i'm mature and don't care if I don't have something christmas day. My parents actually went in line at a new best buy near us. They got about a hundred in. Go an extra wiimote and nunchuck and a classic controller.

It is really fun to play... wii sports is fun, but like others said, it wont occupy you for hours. The other game I picked up was Madden 07. the graphics are on par with (original) xbox, which isn't bad, it is it easy to learn to play (a lot easier than the ds version).

I wanted to get Zelda instead, but they sold out somehow. I'll wait till i get a better discount at game stop for the holidays.

It really is a great gaming experience... you feel like you are participating in something... thats the best way i can describe the experience.

being mature allows you to NOT have something on Christmas day?...weird I that maturity taught patience. ;)

[Bubbasteve]

I really love the system....what I don't love is the Mario Bros for NES VC download isn't the Super Mario I thought it was...it's the battle version -- I learned this the hard way

[FleurDuMal]

being mature allows you to NOT have something on Christmas day?...weird I that maturity taught patience. ;)

Don't burst the poor guys bubble :(

[wPod]

i think the wiimote and such input rocks. much cooler than sitting infront of a screen twiteling your thumbs!!! unfortunatly i think the graphics stink. granted i was only playing wii sports. im not much of a gammer, but i got the system for my younger brother. but since its his christmas present im playing it at my apt until then O:-) though i think i might eventually get my one (i will see how much i play b/w now and then!) i was a little disappointed that most of the internet stuff isnt working. and disapointed that there was such a small selection of virtual console games. i really wanted super mario 3 (from back in the day when i was a gammer!) but overall i was impressed.

any recomendations for good games?

[2nyRiggz]

Excite truck is just fun(although can get boring fast)....I'm going to pick up maden in 15 minutes. I've had a blast playing the wii.

Now that all the consoles are out and I've played all I can say all of them are monsters when it comes to enjoying yourself.



Bless

[Oofie]

- Doing Miis ate up a lot of time. My wife was really into it (we each have fair likenesses now).


Sorry for the noob question, but what is Mii? Im eriously thinking of getting one just for the wii sports. Just sold my xbox 360 so I have a couple bucks to spend.

[smitty330]

Sorry for the noob question, but what is Mii? Im eriously thinking of getting one just for the wii sports. Just sold my xbox 360 so I have a couple bucks to spend.

A Mii is a character that you create to play the games for you esencially, it identifies you. So, when you go into Wii sports you play as your Mii character, although thus far Wii sports is the only game like that as far as saving games if you have more than one person working on a game you use a small picture of your Mii to Identify which saved game is yours. Other than that It is just fun!!!

-Matthew

P.S. I absolutly love my Wii, Wii sports is ALOT of fun especially when you are playing against a friend or something of that nature. Also if you currently own a Wii buy zelda it is worth it!

[psycoswimmer]

Just got back from my local GameStop. I saw the blue lights as I was walking by in the mall and got super excited. The game I played was Excite Truck... I wish there would've been Zelda, but it was great anyway. I didn't have my glasses with me, so I had to stand close to the screen. Being close to the sensor bar makes it pretty difficult to use the pointer. Even though I couldn't see that good, I noticed that it was fine when I backed off. I also created a Mii. About 50 people did so before me, so I had fun using the whistle to order them.. Pretty amusing. The wiimote definitely took some time to get used to though; on Excite Truck I was steering way to far to the left/right. I'll probably be back there soon though.. I'm getting a Wii for x-mas so I have to wait until then. :(

Edit:

Forgot to say, the graphics aren't half bad! I don't see what everyone was complaining about. I'm not sure if the Wii was hooked up with composite or component cables though; I forgot to check.

And it was great seeing the enthusiasm of everyone looking at the Wii. The PS3 in the store was actually vacant for quite some time. :D

[sikkinixx]

I find the Wiimote is really touchy for inputting stuff :( For games it works great though. My parents are still playing bowling and tennis...*sigh*....And they wanna buy me more Wiimotes so we can all have our own *double sigh* Now they are gonna take over my big tv and I will be stuck watching them play!

[zap2]

Opera not being out is a killer..and Nintendo not getting some online play is not good, but since its free I'll let it go

I have to say even with the limited Virtual Console games, I love being able to buy games online! I download Sonic and Donkey Kong, and plan to get Mario 64 and a few more games!


Also I LOVE the power button on the remote! So nice!

[LastLine]

A couple of questions from me now
The wiimote and the nunchuck are sold seperately - why is this? I'm slightly confused as to the logic here as I thought they were both part of the same device.

And how dos it look on a HDTV set? I know it isn't a HD console, but my PS2 looks ***** on my 26" set, I'm concerned the wii would too...

[Dagless]

A couple of questions from me now
The wiimote and the nunchuck are sold seperately - why is this? I'm slightly confused as to the logic here as I thought they were both part of the same device.

And how dos it look on a HDTV set? I know it isn't a HD console, but my PS2 looks ***** on my 26" set, I'm concerned the wii would too...

What cables are you using on your HDTV? With component cables it will run in 480/576p and look dandy indeed.

[LastLine]

Yeah, I could do that - just switch my 360 over to the VGA cable I guess.

[zap2]

A couple of questions from me now
The wiimote and the nunchuck are sold seperately - why is this? I'm slightly confused as to the logic here as I thought they were both part of the same device.
.

They work together...but the Wii mote also works alone for some games(Some wii sports games, Excite trucks)

If you just by a Nun-chuck you can't do anything with it, while a Wii mote can be used for other stuff(virtual console )

[Archmagination]

Don't worry about the HDTV LastLine.. as long as you buy the Composite Video the Wii will then be able to output in 480p and 16:9 Widescreen.. which is way better than the PS2. Heck even those with a large HDTV shouldn't have many complaints.

Anyway I am actually having to shove my Dad away from my Wii.. he's is going crazy over the bowling version.. He was a former bowler and he is doing things like reverse spins and stuff.. he is crazy!!

[Spanky Deluxe]

A couple of questions from me now
The wiimote and the nunchuck are sold seperately - why is this? I'm slightly confused as to the logic here as I thought they were both part of the same device.

And how dos it look on a HDTV set? I know it isn't a HD console, but my PS2 looks ***** on my 26" set, I'm concerned the wii would too...

Not all games require the nunchuck, hence being sold separately. Chances are the most you'd want is 4xWiimotes and 2x Nunchucks.

[sikkinixx]

Don't worry about the HDTV LastLine.. as long as you buy the Composite Video the Wii will then be able to output in 480p and 16:9 Widescreen.. which is way better than the PS2. Heck even those with a large HDTV shouldn't have many complaints.



You mean Component I'm sure :D



Anyone know what USB devices can be used on it? I know the Network Dongle is probably USB but I'd like to know what else (if anything) can be used with the Wii.

[technocoy]

on my 30 inch hdtv widescreen and i haven't even gotten my component cables in yet.. It let's you select widescreen even with the composite input so that it doesn't look all stretched. which is nice.

[sikkinixx]

how do you get the slot to glow blue like in the pics? I found a setting in the menu but it isnt glowing...I want neon glow damn it.

[Jimmery]

how do you get the slot to glow blue like in the pics? I found a setting in the menu but it isnt glowing...I want neon glow damn it.

I'm currently enjoying Madden NFL 07 and Wii sports (where I've reached PRO level in tennis--it's really fun)! I was looking for this answer myself regarding the blue light, and found the following at www.kotaku.com/gaming/wii/the-wii-blue-light-explained-205053.php:

"What is up with that glowing blue Wii light, Nintendo? It's on, it's off. Sometimes we see it, sometimes we don't. Take the recent Fusion Tour, where it was turned off. What. Is. Up.

Go Nintendo took matters in its own hands and pinned down a local Nintendo rep and squeezed out the following info out: The final retail Wii will have the blue light, but not constantly during play. Instead, it will glow when the console is fired up, so players in pitch black rooms will be able to insert game discs. There will only be a green light on during play.

Furthermore, the rep did not know if there was an option which would allow players to keep the blue light on 24-7. As far as the rep was aware, there was no such choice. Bad news for gamers who like to look at their consoles during play."

When I turned on my Wii while it didn't have a disc inside, the blue light flashed on for a split second, and that was it. I don't think it will light up longer than that.

[GFLPraxis]

I found an option in the settings to tell the blue light to be on more often. It's pulsating blue right now (getting darker and lighter) while the system is off. But when I play games the light turns back off :(

[Dagless]

I found an option in the settings to tell the blue light to be on more often. It's pulsating blue right now (getting darker and lighter) while the system is off. But when I play games the light turns back off :(

PLEASE let that sound as hypnotic as I think it does. I mean my throbbing iMac light is so... it's fantastic to go to sleep to. hah, maybe it's me.

[rockthecasbah]

I like it. The controls are very intuitive and i was completely used to it after about a minute. The one thing i do notice is that my wiimote sometimes slips down as i get used to playing Zelda so my fairy is resting at the very bottom of the screen... an insignificant quality just worth pointing out...

I haven't actually played Wii Sports yet, i'm going to wait until my friends come over later this week so we're all equal in skill :)

[GFLPraxis]

A couple of questions from me now
The wiimote and the nunchuck are sold seperately - why is this? I'm slightly confused as to the logic here as I thought they were both part of the same device.


Not all games use the nunchuck. In Wii Sports, only Boxing does. Excite Truck doesn't use the nunchuck at all.

Since not all games use it, they are sold seperately. Since I have no four player games that use a nunchuck (Zelda is single player, Boxing is 2-player), I got two nunchucks and four Wiimotes...

I like it. The controls are very intuitive and i was completely used to it after about a minute. The one thing i do notice is that my wiimote sometimes slips down as i get used to playing Zelda so my fairy is resting at the very bottom of the screen... an insignificant quality just worth pointing out...

I haven't actually played Wii Sports yet, i'm going to wait until my friends come over later this week so we're all equal in skill :)


I seriously got owned a couple games by NON-GAMERS. My mom beat me at bowling. And I'm the guy all the gamers fear in multiplayer games, normally.

Wii Sports will put you on an even playing level :)

[bobber205]

PLEASE let that sound as hypnotic as I think it does. I mean my throbbing iMac light is so... it's fantastic to go to sleep to. hah, maybe it's me.

Mine is doing the same thing. :D

[AJ Muni]

Alright guys this might sound stupid, but I'm dieng to find out. For those of you who have the wii, do you see yourself jumping around alot? Obviously with wii sports you do, but with zelda/excite truck? The reason I ask is because im use to my traditional gaming, like with my xbox 360 i just lay down on my bed, or sit on a chair and play. It seems to me that with the wii, your going to be moving your arms all over the place because of the control (i.e. swinging around with your sword in zelda). Are you able to set the sensitivity on the remote?

P.S. Come on guys keep the experience review's coming!!! It helps those (or atleast me) who dont have a wii make it want it even more!! I'm a patient waiter :) .

[aidanpendragon]

I'm getting sore...right arm is sore from Tennis yesterday, and even more so from Tennis & Baseball today. Was just playing boxing like a fiend; once I got the hang of it, my score's shot up near 700. I'm definitely getting some exercise from this. Also seems like the controls have a learning curve, even their quirks, but you get the hang of it.

My buddy called from waiting for 10hrs to successfully get a Wii in Canada - my wife comes over, unstraps the Wiimote from my arm, and proceeds to play tennis like a fiend for 45 min. - she was almost as good if not better than me. I was watching her bounce around like a maniac and realized Nintendo may really be onto something. Whether or not all these first impressions convert into continual playing is another thing.

EDIT: ^^^ So far I'm/we're jumping around a lot. Honestly don't know how long the body can keep that up. Rayman should arrive in a day or two, and I suspect that will entail more frantic thrashing. Zelda, I HOPE can be played without needing a shower.

[AJ Muni]

Whether or not all these first impressions convert into continual playing is another thing.

Thats exactly what I want to kno :confused:

[technocoy]

You really don't have to be as active with zelda... it's perfectly playable with some simple hand and wrist gestures.

I love it so far though... my neighbors little boy and i were jumping all over the living room playing tennis. lol.

[.Andy]

Reading all this is killing me. It sounds awesome. Only 16 more sleeps in Aus :)!

[colocolo]

I tried the Wii a couple weeks back, and I found the Wiimote to have a bit of lag - about 250ms (granted, I only played Tennis). You could easily get used to that, but I hoped it would react in real time.
I am more than willing to try it again though to see if its just a matter of getting used to it.

A couple of questions: when I played the Tennis game, the salesman at Nintendo World couldn't answer a very simple question; does it have levels of difficulty? I found it way too easy to beat the computer on the match I played so I really hope it becomes harder the more you play it or have some kind of setting controls.

Also, have you have any luck doing slice/lobs? I only played for a little while but seemed unable to ever hit the ball with any move but top spin, and i deliberately tried to slice it lots of times.

[seenew]

My roommate and I made nearly everyone we know into a Mii, surprisingly accurate, too! We also made the cast of Seinfeld, hahaha. George looks the best. :D

[7on]

I could sit back and play Red Steel. Which is probably the best way to play it - with your hand in the air you get tired pretty fast.

There is no easy way to switch players with a Remote. Say I own my own controller and there are 2 people playing a 2 player game. The 2nd player leaves and I join in. Now all that's left is a player 1 and player 3. Even turning off player 2's remote doesn't bump me down to player 2's spot. Also this was able to freeze GT Pro Series (having only a player 1 and 3, no 2)

[bobber205]

Zelda requires a bit of motion in the very beginning so far, but it's not too stressful. Definitely can't fall asleep in games like I used to!

But I have had NO problems with control issues at all on any games.

Now Wii Sports.... whew. Tiring! :D Especially the boxing. My bro and I totally get into that game!

Nintendo = gods on earth.

[aidanpendragon]

A couple of questions: when I played the Tennis game, the salesman at Nintendo World couldn't answer a very simple question; does it have levels of difficulty? I found it way too easy to beat the computer on the match I played so I really hope it becomes harder the more you play it or have some kind of setting controls.

It appears so. With each match you win, you get "experience points," and the Miis you play against go up accordingly. Baseball seemed tougher against more-experienced opponents, and boxing definitely was; Tennis seems like it too. That way, you always play against someone not too hard nor too easy. Also, since your "level" is tied to the specific Mii you use, assuming every player has their own, the difficulty tracks each individual player.

[furryrabidbunny]

all the demo models in all the stores had the light on... why did they kill that option!!! Small rant over... the wii is so much fun. I left for work tonight and my family was playing it while i was gone.

[.Andy]

all the demo models in all the stores had the light on... why did they kill that option!!! Small rant over... the wii is so much fun. I left for work tonight and my family was playing it while i was gone.
I've heard you can turn it on in the Wii preferences. Have a search around the config.

[Ja Di ksw]

Does anyone else notice that there seems to be a tilt to the left in Bowling? Maybe it's just me and the way I'm holding it, but I crank my wrist as far as I can to the right, and if I'm lucky I can get the ball to go straight, otherwise it goes to the right.

Oh, and I agree that they should have left the blue light on. I thought they said it would be off when there was no disc inside, and on when a disc was inserted. Could Nintendo change this with a firmware through WiiConnect24? I would like to see the little light on. Petty, I know, but I would like it.

[GFLPraxis]

I can get the ball to spin to the left or right easy, no problems here.

[Ja Di ksw]

I wonder why I'm having so much trouble with it, then. Maybe I'll have to take some time out of Excite Truck to work on it

[aidanpendragon]

Small annoyance: can't find a way to back out of GC games into the main Wii menu. It looks/sounds like, when you hit a GC game, it boots the GC "OS." Home button does nothing. Reset (I think) acts like a GC reset. Ejecting the disk gives the "disc cover open" message. You have to eject the disk, then reset to get back to Wii. Guess memory management should have been a hint - these are entirely separate entities, with little to no overlap.

[thegreatunknown]

Does anyone else notice that there seems to be a tilt to the left in Bowling? Maybe it's just me and the way I'm holding it, but I crank my wrist as far as I can to the right, and if I'm lucky I can get the ball to go straight, otherwise it goes to the right.

I've been having the exact same problem. Maybe our bowling skills are just bad? However I've purposely cranked my wrist the other direction to no help. Not sure what is going on. The game is extremely great though.

I expected online playability like the DS lite but there is no mention of it?? Does it not exist?

[Krevnik]

I've been having the exact same problem. Maybe our bowling skills are just bad? However I've purposely cranked my wrist the other direction to no help. Not sure what is going on. The game is extremely great though.

I expected online playability like the DS lite but there is no mention of it?? Does it not exist?

The WiFi online play isn't in any of the launch titles.

As for bowling... I am still trying to figure out what I do to make it not curve... :/

[gloss]

I've been having the exact same problem. Maybe our bowling skills are just bad? However I've purposely cranked my wrist the other direction to no help. Not sure what is going on. The game is extremely great though.

I expected online playability like the DS lite but there is no mention of it?? Does it not exist?

I played with four people yesterday, and although I tended to curve left almost every time, no one else had the same issue. It probably does boil down to your form. Shape up!

[bobber205]

I am curving left also. But in real life bowling I have the same exact problem, always to the left.

Must be REALLY accurate. :p

[aidanpendragon]

I retract my previous statement. It DOES work! I have version 1.04 [of Freeloader] and when i inserted it I tried turning the power off and restarting the machine before i tried it.

once selected and told to start it rebooted the machine, but the second time i QUICKLY selected the channel and hit start and it booted into the freeloader screen! I hit eject and it spit it out and asked for a game. Slipped in irukaga and BAM! I was playing away.

so, some good news anyway.

Good luck with all you systems!

technocoy

Apologies for reposting this from another thread, but I know a lot of PAL users were wondering. And I wanted to tie it in to my earlier comment in this thread: the GC functionality is a world apart from the Wii, so much so that they might as well have dedicated GC guts in the thing. Thus, it stands to reason that anything that worked on a GC will perform almost identically on a Wii - Freeloader, probably Gameshark, probably GBA Player (disc, don't know how you'd hook the hardware up).

[atszyman]

I really love the system....what I don't love is the Mario Bros for NES VC download isn't the Super Mario I thought it was...it's the battle version -- I learned this the hard way

Hmm, this makes me wonder if maybe for once they won't try to milk the customers for everything they can and only release Super Mario All-Stars for the SNES rather than do 1, 2, 3, and then All-Stars to get people to buy all the originals for $15 US and then spend another $6 to get the lost levels/updated graphics.

Hopefully they release All-Stars first and then maybe do the others for people that only want one to get a slight discount.

[LastLine]

So I'm gonna pre-order a Wii in the UK - what should I get eh? :)

[aidanpendragon]

So I'm gonna pre-order a Wii in the UK - what should I get eh? :)

Get some controllers - they sure seem scarce here: Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, 2 EBStops all out.

My damn back hurts from too much Boxing. Get some pain medicine.

[Ninja_Turtle]

the graphics are on par with (original) xbox





sad....the wii has xbox 1 graphics :(

[paddy]

sad....the wii has xbox 1 graphics :(

Hopefully they'll be a bit better than that... :o

[AJ Muni]

Well I finally got my wii today, its sitting in my trunk waiting til I get outta work now at 7 PM. It seems like everywhere is sold out with the wiimotes, but here at kmart they have the wiimote, but NOT the nunchuk. Which wii sports game require the nunchuk? I wanna play today with my girl, But i'm not sure whether I should go ahead and get the wiimote or just wait so I can buy both when available. Thanks guys!

[GFLPraxis]

Well I finally got my wii today, its sitting in my trunk waiting til I get outta work now at 7 PM. It seems like everywhere is sold out with the wiimotes, but here at kmart they have the wiimote, but NOT the nunchuk. Which wii sports game require the nunchuk? I wanna play today with my girl, But i'm not sure whether I should go ahead and get the wiimote or just wait so I can buy both when available. Thanks guys!


Only Boxing uses the nunchuck.

Get the Wiimote fast before someone else does. Tennis, Bowling, Baseball, and Golf all use the Wiimote. Tennis is the best in multiplayer IMHO.

[gkarris]

sad....the wii has xbox 1 graphics :(

Actually, I'm hearing it's slightly BETTER. But a far cry from XBox 360.

Can anyone out there find the component cables for it? Around here in Chicagoland, everyone's out of all the accessories. Only games (but not Zelda).

Great system! I didn't realize how small it is!!!

Take my poll!

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=253901

[AJ Muni]

Only Boxing uses the nunchuck.

Get the Wiimote fast before someone else does. Tennis, Bowling, Baseball, and Golf all use the Wiimote. Tennis is the best in multiplayer IMHO.

Gracias GFLPraxis, They got 2 left, I'm gonna run over there and get it now

[dan-o-mac]

I was up till 2am playing Wii Sports. My favorites were Golf, Tennis, and Baseball. I thought I would like Boxing the best but the controls were jank. I can't wait till they start pumping out real sport titles.

[seenew]

these are first gen games, being slightly better than Xbox 1 isn't bad. It will probably develop in 6 months into some really beautiful games.

[kuyu]

I stopped in my local EB last night. All they had on the demo station was excite truck, but I thought it was pretty cool. The controls are tighter than I expected.

I was underwhelmed by the graphics though. I've been playing 360 on a HDTV for a year and this feels like a step in the wrong direction. I'm going to buy a Wii (for Zelda and Mario) but I can't help thinking "how much cooler would this be in 720p."

My only guess is that Nintendo will release a new console in about 3 years. By then MS will be showing off xbox 720 (with Wii tech built in, I'm sure). They should have upped the ante on graphics or sold this as an add on for gamecube.

I know that gameplay > graphics. But to use an analogy I'm sure we're familiar with "it's not the size of the boat, but the motion of the ocean.... but if you have both you can part the Red Sea." Wii HD would have obliterated Sony and MS. Now we've got a 3 way tie.

[aidanpendragon]

On graphics: I still bring up the "RE4 on GC" argument. If this is GCx2, I'd be fine with RE4x2.

I think Nintendo's smart, in that most people don't have HDTVs now. In 5 years, they probably will. 5 years is the rough life of a console-gen. Look for a new box by then (component cables sell-out was probably a wake-up call for them).

Nintendo has already sold out their 1 million or so NA launch quantity. Think I heard their profit margin per unit is $15 or so. That's $15 million profit right there - plus an instant, 1-day installed base of 1 million to sell software to. Did GC sell 15 million in 5 years? That's 1/15th total GC sales in one day.
(EDIT: If $15m profit doesn't sound like much - Sony loses $300 or so per PS3. At 200-400,000 sold, that's a loss of $60-120 million for them, in the hopes of selling software...except nobody's really buying, from the sound of it. Being Nintendo suddenly sounds better.)

Also - it would be very tough for Nintendo to follow up the market-share hit they took with GC with a massive takeover/resurgence. Think they will do better than break even with their last-gen. share, and probably tap new segments too (remember when everybody had an NES?) Plus, given price+gimmick, probably will be lots who buy either PS3 OR XBox (but not both) AND a Wii - i.e., the others' market share doesn't necc. come at Nintendo's expense, or block Nintendo sales.

[zap2]

I stopped in my local EB last night. All they had on the demo station was excite truck, but I thought it was pretty cool. The controls are tighter than I expected.

I was underwhelmed by the graphics though. I've been playing 360 on a HDTV for a year and this feels like a step in the wrong direction. I'm going to buy a Wii (for Zelda and Mario) but I can't help thinking "how much cooler would this be in 720p."

My only guess is that Nintendo will release a new console in about 3 years. By then MS will be showing off xbox 720 (with Wii tech built in, I'm sure). They should have upped the ante on graphics or sold this as an add on for gamecube.

I know that gameplay > graphics. But to use an analogy I'm sure we're familiar with "it's not the size of the boat, but the motion of the ocean.... but if you have both you can part the Red Sea." Wii HD would have obliterated Sony and MS. Now we've got a 3 way tie.


But HD Wii can be upgrade fairly easly....an upgraded Wii supporting 720p would be done, along with a DVD player and a 2-4Gb flash drive and still older Wiis would not lack anything needed to play games. With Nintendo already promising a Wii w/ DVD play back in late 2007, who is to say that won't support 720p? (or push it back a little

[Dagless]

On graphics: I still bring up the "RE4 on GC" argument. If this is GCx2, I'd be fine with RE4x2.
I played RE4 for the first time the other day. 480i with composite graphics and it looked stunning. I can't see how graphics can feasibly be pushed much further now. That said I found the Quake 1 graphics good enough to pull me in, to absolutely make me forget of the outside world.

But HD Wii can be upgrade fairly easly....an upgraded Wii supporting 720p would be done, along with a DVD player and a 2-4Gb flash drive and still older Wiis would not lack anything needed to play games. With Nintendo already promising a Wii w/ DVD play back in late 2007, who is to say that won't support 720p? (or push it back a little

Yup. Just like the original Xbox and PS2 could run HD. Of course it will be able to do it, just not to the super-textured effect of the 360/PS3 (which, let's be honest it means a lot less plasticy looking graphics... urgh). Again though. I've always had a decent PC to play games on. I've lost the novelty for graphics... just me though. a firmware update could allow for Opera and less demanding games to run in higher resolutions. It is entirely possible, component cables have the ability to run up to 1080p after all.

[rockthecasbah]

The Wii just gets better and better. I got done a bit ago playing a 4 hour marathon of Zelda with my two friends, we had just as much fun watching and helping solve the puzzles as we did playing the game itself ourselves. TP is a truly remarkable and beautiful game. I s till haven't touched Wii Sports yet... i suggested we try it after we'd played almost 3 hours and they rabidly said "NO WE MUST GO ON IN THE STORY" ... gotta love 'em :p

[SMM]

The Wii just gets better and better. I got done a bit ago playing a 4 hour marathon of Zelda with my two friends, we had just as much fun watching and helping solve the puzzles as we did playing the game itself ourselves. TP is a truly remarkable and beautiful game. I s till haven't touched Wii Sports yet... i suggested we try it after we'd played almost 3 hours and they rabidly said "NO WE MUST GO ON IN THE STORY" ... gotta love 'em :p

pardon my stupidity, but what the heck is Wii?

[GFLPraxis]

pardon my stupidity, but what the heck is Wii?

:eek:

Nintendo's new system. The greatest thing ever.

http://regmedia.co.uk/2006/07/13/nintendo_wii_1.jpg

Motion/tilt sensing remote that also detects where on the screen you're pointing. Swing it as a baseball bat or sword or whatever. Point on the screen to shoot in FPS. Etc.

[flopticalcube]

pardon my stupidity, but what the heck is Wii?

ROTFLOL :) :) Now, that is funny!

PS It is not unlike an Atari 400, but newer.

[AJ Muni]

Well after playing my wii for a couple of hours here is my experience. Im not a nintendo fan boy, I just decided this week to get the wii, but MY GOD, nintendo is REALLY onto something with the wii. I mean, I believe its close to breath taking, something we have never ever experienced. Graphically speaking, obviously it isnt as great as the 360, or the PS3. But it does have that fun factor. Wii sports is soooooooo much fun. Like the tennis game isnt just swinging your wrist left and right, you really gotta stand up and think you are playing tennis. the same goes to the other games, bowling, baseball etc. I bought zelda and it is so far a fun game. again, so different. IMO I think if your iffy about getting one, I suggest playing one for yourself and jumping into the excitement. I really take my hat off to nintendo here, great great job.

[Counterfit]

pardon my stupidity, but what the heck is Wii?

It's basically this
http://linewid.free.fr/ordis/nes.jpg
times fifty million.

[7on]

I could sit back and play Red Steel. Which is probably the best way to play it - with your hand in the air you get tired pretty fast.

There is no easy way to switch players with a Remote. Say I own my own controller and there are 2 people playing a 2 player game. The 2nd player leaves and I join in. Now all that's left is a player 1 and player 3. Even turning off player 2's remote doesn't bump me down to player 2's spot. Also this was able to freeze GT Pro Series (having only a player 1 and 3, no 2)


Figured out how. Press the home button then select 'Reconnect.' Then you press the 1+2 buttons in the sequence you want everyone to be 1,2,3,4 player.

[aidanpendragon]

Rayman is very cool - after Wii Sports, nice to see something with good graphics. Gameplay is fun and would be hard or impossible without the controller. The mini-FPS element suggests FPS's can be near-pixel perfect on this.

[xparaparafreakx]

Wii Sports - Tennis is fun with lots of people wanting to try it. Boxing hurts but its a good work out. Played with roommates til 3am launch night.

Madden - Ill never go back to regular. The hike, pass and running game on wiimote is so different and I like it

Truama Center SO - If you like the DS one, your gonna like the Wii one

Red Steel - NO TIME TO PLAY IT

Zelda - NO TIME TO PLAY IT

I got a PS3 but I left back to UC Davis after getting it. I got the system on saturday, 11/18. (Dont ask how it happen, you wont belive me and I would have to scan the recepit to prove it) Very nice system with graphics and what it can do.

I love them both like my children. :)


PS: Anyone getting component cables? I got my coming tommorow

[jdechko]

Last night, my wife and I went over to a co-worker's house to play. We had a blast with Wii sports and Super Monkey Ball: BB. RE: Wii sports graphics, not once when I was playing did I think "You know what, these graphics suck." I was having loads of fun, and didn't find myself staring at the actual graphics (unless it wasn't my turn). This was on a 42" DLP display using the composite cables. We did have some issues with the controllers (mainly temp syncing 2 of them) and some pointer issues, but overall it was far less frustrating for my wife, who's a non-gamer. She was talking about how much fun she had the whole ride home.

[Hobofuzz]

PLEASE let that sound as hypnotic as I think it does. I mean my throbbing iMac light is so... it's fantastic to go to sleep to. hah, maybe it's me.

I've always found the throbbing light to be distracting >.<

I don't like seeing my shadow on the wall while I try to sleep. The throbbing light makes it look like my shadow is moving, something I really don't like considering shadows move on their own quite frequently in my home.

A couple of questions from me now
The wiimote and the nunchuck are sold seperately - why is this? I'm slightly confused as to the logic here as I thought they were both part of the same device.

And how dos it look on a HDTV set? I know it isn't a HD console, but my PS2 looks ***** on my 26" set, I'm concerned the wii would too...

I'm sure you can find a Remote/Nunchuk bundle someday. I'd expect stores to capitalize on the appeal of getting both at once for a slightly lower price.

And from what I've read, the Wii looks TERRIBLE on really big HDTVs. Of course, these were 1080p-native screens we're talking about, so of course it'll look like crap because the image is being upscaled.

[GFLPraxis]

I've always found the throbbing light to be distracting >.<

I don't like seeing my shadow on the wall while I try to sleep. The throbbing light makes it look like my shadow is moving, something I really don't like considering shadows move on their own quite frequently in my home.

I always hide my MacBook under the bed so I don't see the light.

[aidanpendragon]

Tried to order controllers direct from Nintendo. Wiimote shipped today. Both nunchuk and classic say "backordered." Hmm...will try stores again.

[gloss]

A couple of questions from me now
The wiimote and the nunchuck are sold seperately - why is this? I'm slightly confused as to the logic here as I thought they were both part of the same device.

And how dos it look on a HDTV set? I know it isn't a HD console, but my PS2 looks ***** on my 26" set, I'm concerned the wii would too...

Not all games make use of the Nunchuk attachment.

Although it would make sense for them to also sell a Remote/Nunchuk combo.

[mrgreen4242]

I'm sure you can find a Remote/Nunchuk bundle someday. I'd expect stores to capitalize on the appeal of getting both at once for a slightly lower price.

And from what I've read, the Wii looks TERRIBLE on really big HDTVs. Of course, these were 1080p-native screens we're talking about, so of course it'll look like crap because the image is being upscaled.

I can't say with any sort of authority since I don't have a Wii, BUT I do have a ~96" projection TV that takes native 480p signals from my DVD player (well, actually I send the 480i signal from the DVD player and let the PJ deinterlace it because it's a much better deinterlacer, but I digress), my XBox, and a 480i from my GC for that matter, and NONE of them look terrible. In fact they all look very, very good.

The output from a Wii is about the same as from a DVD and those can look quite good. The trouble comes from craptastic scalers in TVs. A fixed pixel display has to scale the incoming image to whatever it's native resolution is and if that's done crappily, well the end result is terrible. On the other hand, good scalers, like the Faroujita (or however it's spelled) in the Oppo upconverting DVD player or the one in the Xbox360 (so I hear) can translate the lowe res images to larger resolutions and while they don't look any (well, much anyways) better, they do look exactly like they should, without any artifacts, jaggies, or any of the other things crappy scalers can introduce.

[takao]

The output from a Wii is about the same as from a DVD and those can look quite good. The trouble comes from craptastic scalers in TVs. A fixed pixel display has to scale the incoming image to whatever it's native resolution is and if that's done crappily, well the end result is terrible. On the other hand, good scalers, like the Faroujita (or however it's spelled) in the Oppo upconverting DVD player or the one in the Xbox360 (so I hear) can translate the lowe res images to larger resolutions and while they don't look any (well, much anyways) better, they do look exactly like they should, without any artifacts, jaggies, or any of the other things crappy scalers can introduce.

i second that ... and with PAL scalers even worse it sometimes gets all too obvious that some manufactures put in those crap tuners in on purpose to push more of their other equipment
how can it be that in many stores where they run a simple PAL signal on their 2000 buck hdtvs it looks worse than on some 200 buck crt PAL TV at the same size
(and why do we only get 640x480 through digital and not full 786x576 PAL resolution like through analog... or even *grasp* PAL plus widescreen with 1024x576 resolution)

[kuyu]

But HD Wii can be upgrade fairly easly....an upgraded Wii supporting 720p would be done, along with a DVD player and a 2-4Gb flash drive and still older Wiis would not lack anything needed to play games. With Nintendo already promising a Wii w/ DVD play back in late 2007, who is to say that won't support 720p? (or push it back a little

Good point. I'd love to see this in the future. I suppose it's a matter of the gfx chip being able to render at 1280x720 without dropping framerates.

[jdechko]

Good point. I'd love to see this in the future. I suppose it's a matter of the gfx chip being able to render at 1280x720 without dropping framerates.

However, jimmi made an interesting point in an earlier thread, that Nintendo could use 2 separate graphics chips... a render chip and a scaler chip like the ones found in TV's and upconverting DVD players. If they could make the scaler chip small enough, they could fit it into a box with a MultiAV dongle (to connect to the wii) and component (no HDMI because that would mean an ADC and make it really expensive) outputs and market it as an HD-Addon to the Wii. For 60 or so bucks, I'd consider buying one.

Of course, this actually doesn't change any of the (shader) effects that the Wii can or can't do, but it should give a sharper image on HDTV's if they were to use good components. (I realize that some scalers do a better job than others).

[Dagless]

You remembered :D

Well it won't be that hard to do. The European Xbox could only do 480i, but with a hacked firmware/launcher (something like that) and the right cables you could get up to 1080i.

I bet my bottom Euro that in 2-3 years time the low-polygon games will be hacked to upscale a little. As it has been said... The GPU is capable, 10 year old PC's are capable. It's just whether the frame rates will suffer or not.

[jdechko]

You remembered :D

I did because it seems like a really smart idea for either Nintendo or a 3rd party manufacturer. And with the external scaler, you really don't have to worry as much about dropping framerates because, as you mentioned earlier, the internal chip is doing the heavy lifting (3d rendering) and the scaler is only doing a 2d resizing. It's genius.

[aidanpendragon]

I did because it seems like a really smart idea for either Nintendo or a 3rd party manufacturer. And with the external scaler, you really don't have to worry as much about dropping framerates because, as you mentioned earlier, the internal chip is doing the heavy lifting (3d rendering) and the scaler is only doing a 2d resizing. It's genius.

Bet Nintendo will package all this in a slightly smaller Wii, multiple colors available, with no pack-in, for $149 or $199 by mid-2008. As every one of the thousand Gameboy models (and Legend of Zelda re-releases) will attest, they're a company that loves selling you basically the same product, slightly tweaked, over and over again. All of that is to say the possibility of Nintendo releasing an add-on, as opposed to selling you a new system, is nil...gee, they really ARE following the Apple/iPod business model!

[AJ Muni]

I found this pretty cool review of the wii (http://www.short-media.com/review.php?r=345) and IMO its not really biased. I pretty much feel the same way as that guy, but not going thru that toy's r us dilemma.

[Spanky Deluxe]

Bet Nintendo will package all this in a slightly smaller Wii, multiple colors available, with no pack-in, for $149 or $199 by mid-2008. As every one of the thousand Gameboy models (and Legend of Zelda re-releases) will attest, they're a company that loves selling you basically the same product, slightly tweaked, over and over again. All of that is to say the possibility of Nintendo releasing an add-on, as opposed to selling you a new system, is nil...gee, they really ARE following the Apple/iPod business model!

If I remember correctly, Nintendo have never released two hardware models for a non portable console (per market).

The 2D scaler thing really wouldn't be that good. When you upscale an image from 480p you can't increase the image quality without heavy processing and even then its only faking it. You can't create pixels out of nothing. The only kind of scaling that adds 'detail' is the Eagle Eye kind of scaling used in many emulators to increase the apparent resolution, which works great for 2D graphics but is rather poor for 3D content. I don't see them releasing a small plug in scaler like that, it just wouldn't be worth it.
I do potentially see future games somehow pushing the resolution that the component video can output though, that seems far more reasonable.
It is a real shame the Wii can't output 720p but hey ho.

[Chone]

If I remember correctly, Nintendo have never released two hardware models for a non portable console (per market).

The 2D scaler thing really wouldn't be that good. When you upscale an image from 480p you can't increase the image quality without heavy processing and even then its only faking it. You can't create pixels out of nothing. The only kind of scaling that adds 'detail' is the Eagle Eye kind of scaling used in many emulators to increase the apparent resolution, which works great for 2D graphics but is rather poor for 3D content. I don't see them releasing a small plug in scaler like that, it just wouldn't be worth it.
I do potentially see future games somehow pushing the resolution that the component video can output though, that seems far more reasonable.
It is a real shame the Wii can't output 720p but hey ho.

Hey technically the Wii can output 720p, its just a matter of whether it can sustain good framerates at that resolution, if Xbox had some 720p and even PS2 had a 1080i game, then I'm quite certain developers will start releasing some games in 720p or 1080i once they get used to the developing process.

At the very least Nintendo should give Wii owners HD support for old N64 games... it would be a great incentive for people to buy the VC games, "replay Ocarina of Time in full 720p glory!" yeah you get the picture:)

[aidanpendragon]

I still am thinking good things about the console, but to be realistic, also have some some gripes:

1. Shop channel: various complaints.

- Many times I go into the thing, I just get the screen which says "Wii" with the blue circle, which spins unendingly. Not sure if this is my wireless connection, or a problem with Nintendo's servers; think the latter. When I did get on last night, it took 2-3 attempts, and I got "server too busy" error messages at various stages of log-on, buy points, etc. I'm worried Nintendo doesn't have the architecture in place to support 1m users.

- When the Wii does the above - endless spinning in attempting to access the shop channel - there's no way to quit it short of powering off the console. Home button gives a "can't do that" icon. Very annoying.

EDIT: - Forgot to add: the Shop Channel music is nice...for a sanitarium. How about playing a selection of VC/classic tracks instead? Or let us choose one? "Turn the soothing music off! Turn it off! I ORDER you to turn it off!!!"

2. VC emulation. Just got Bonk's Adventure, and it's a little lacking. Colors seem too dark/not as vibrant; also, in the 1st round's dino belly, there were noticeable black afterimage-shadows when the image shifted. Some sound FX (the teeth-chomping cliff climb) seem a bit off. It appears slightly inferior in appearance, audio, etc. to an emulated ROM, which is much more faithful to my memories of the game (of course, never could get that to work consistently). I realize games on the computer will look superior to 480i TV with component, but still...seems (and this is memory again) off even compared to playing on TV back in the day.

Plus...no turbo, which was an integral part of the game. Try the 10-second wall climb challenge without it.

3. Remote interference: when sitting on my couch facing the TV, my large glass-top coffee table is just off-center to the right. The cursor/finger on the main menu gets jumpier the closer I get to the table (just overlapping the left edge). Going into the calibration screen, I keep getting a third random dot, below and to the right of (what I assume is) the two dots from the sensor bar. No amount of calibration will eliminate this. I assume this is a reflection of some light or IR source off the table, which the remote picks up and freaks out over. I'd read this could happen, but looks like I've found proof. Wish they made the sensor emitters stronger or the remote more discerning. Standing up, with the table to my right, only two dots, no jitters.

If I remember correctly, Nintendo have never released two hardware models for a non portable console (per market).



Up until now, Nintendo has had a hardware/processing advantage, or at least been even with competitors, in every console generation (GC more powerful than PS2).

[Spanky Deluxe]

Hey technically the Wii can output 720p, its just a matter of whether it can sustain good framerates at that resolution, if Xbox had some 720p and even PS2 had a 1080i game, then I'm quite certain developers will start releasing some games in 720p or 1080i once they get used to the developing process.

At the very least Nintendo should give Wii owners HD support for old N64 games... it would be a great incentive for people to buy the VC games, "replay Ocarina of Time in full 720p glory!" yeah you get the picture:)

You're right there. I'd love it if they allowed mods to be run on VC games and allowed the games to run at higher resolutions like you say. Emulators for the N64 at Windows already allow much higher resolution game play as well as support for higher resolution texture packs which effectively make some N64 games look nearly like Gamecube games. Yes, OoT is one of them. With an emulator and Windows you can play OoT with higher textures at 2560p if you want!! :p
If Nintendo did allow this kind of homebrew plugin module support for VC games then people could also conceivably develop Wii Remote support for games. Goldeneye controlled with a Wiimote, imagine that!!

[aidanpendragon]

Somebody's already done it. (http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/wii/bad-man-plays-emulators-on-his-wii-216551.php) Seems utterly, utterly superfluous, and a lot of work. Just use the VC. Or play emus on your computer. Other than proof-of-concept and ain't-it-cool, what's-the-point?

The only effects I can think of this having are A. Nintendo entering into a Sony-esque hash of constant firmware updates, to everyone's detriment; or B., Nintendo realizing that they'd better stock the VC with lotsa games PDQ. As Apple has shown, given the choice, people will pay a reasonable cost for a product rather than rip it off. They just got 8 bucks out of me for F-Zero.

EDIT: Wanted to add another VC tip/experience. Got a classic controller, plugged it in, tried F-Zero. 3-2-1...nothing. Car won't go. Check the manuals, yep, accelerate is assigned to B. Is the controller broken? No, B button works just fine in menu select. Eventually tracked it down to this: my GC controller was plugged in and, thanks to the way I had it sitting, the B button was depressed. Wii remotes are always supposed to take precedence over GC, but it seems that little bit of contradictory input was enough to glitch the thing.

[p0intblank]

I found this pretty cool review of the wii (http://www.short-media.com/review.php?r=345) and IMO its not really biased. I pretty much feel the same way as that guy, but not going thru that toy's r us dilemma.

That is a great article! And you know what? It made me want a Wii even more... :p

[xli_ne]

Anybody try this out yet?

http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/board/message?board.id=revolution&message.id=2549265

[gloss]

"Turn the soothing music off! Turn it off! I ORDER you to turn it off!!!"

"But you LIKE scented air! It's fresh and exhilarating!"

[GFLPraxis]

Plus...no turbo, which was an integral part of the game. Try the 10-second wall climb challenge without it.

When I played it at E3 it had turbo...:confused: try playing it with a VC controller or GameCube controller.

[Sky Blue]

Somebody mentioned you can email pics to your Wii? how do you figure out the email address?

[aidanpendragon]

Time for some more impressions:

- BATTERIES ON WIIMOTE JUST DIED. Thanks to the console's built-in playtime tracking, I can put to the test Nintendo's battery life claim of "30 hours with direct pointing, 60 hours with just wireless." All my playtime was split fairly evenly between the two, with a lot in Wii Sports (tennis mainly) and VC, some in Rayman, less in Zelda, Miis, and channels. Hard to distinguish with most of those games which type (both?) they count as. So let's run with the 30 hours as the stated figure.

My total? 18 hours, probably with some generous rounding-up. Even using the most conservative estimate, that falls far short of Nintendo's prediction. Glad all my earlier ranting about "why-doesn't-Nintendo-make-this-rechargeable" now seems more justified. Also glad I invested in some rechargeable AA's (note: the 18 hrs. were with the pack-in batteries).

Not glad that the controller gives no indication that the batteries are about to go out. Whenever I had pressed "Home" (up to & including last night), I thought the battery icon with four full boxes meant I still had a full charge. Silly me! Turn it on today and notice the signal's erratic. Go into the Home menu and find an angry red battery icon alternating between one and no boxes. If I'd had more warning, could have charged my AA's in advance, rather than being stuck with no juice for the next 3 hrs.

Also not glad that the way this thing sucks down batteries could become a consumer deterrent. Imagine all the parents a week after Christmas finding that they have yet another dead gizmo to pump batteries & cash into.


Other impressions:

- Zelda: I can see why Gamespot gave it "only" an 8.8. It's very nice, but I'm not blown away (the way Link to the Past --> Ocarina of Time blew everyone away). Basically OoT with prettier graphics. Which is fine, but not jaw-dropping. I'm really on the fence about sword controls: normal attacks take too much effort; cutting grass, a simple yet integral function, is a pain in the ass. It's much easier to Z-target & leap, or spin attack, which is fine but a little silly. The tinny sword noise out of the controller is cheap & annoying. Part of me wishes I'd waited for the GC version. Saving grace is targeting, which the slingshot alone makes me realize will be awesome with a bow. Just saw the first glimpse of the "Dark World," and it seems almost too similar to Metroid Prime 2...was that an Ing?

- Thanks to comments here for resolving one of my VC complaints: Bonk's Adventure (and TG-16 games, I assume) does come with turbo. Just hadn't realized as I'd been using a GC controller. With a classic controller, it's very well implemented (on Y and X).

- Thanks to Nintendo for seemingly resolving some of my wireless problems. Advice: change router channel to 1 or 11. Appears to work OK.

[Haoshiro]

Does the Wii system itself track the time or is this logged in each game you played separately?

Just asking because I'd like to see a breakdown of your numbers, how many hours doing what, etc.

Also, could the controller been left on while not in use??

[Laslo Panaflex]

- Zelda: I can see why Gamespot gave it "only" an 8.8 . .

Saving grace is targeting, which the slingshot alone makes me realize will be awesome with a bow. Just saw the first glimpse of the "Dark World," and it seems almost too similar to Metroid Prime 2...was that an Ing?


Umm, you are barely into the game. I admit, the beginning of the game is pretty boring, it took me a while to get that stupid cat off the dock. I am halfway through the temple of time dungeon (#6) and think the game is awesome. Maybe not as good as OoT, but it is probably the best game I have played since then.

[apfhex]

Does the Wii system itself track the time or is this logged in each game you played separately?

Also, could the controller been left on while not in use??

The Wii Message Board keeps track of your play time inside a message, one for each day. It tells you how much of each game (also the Wii Plaza, Store, etc.). Also, the controller doesn't have on/off. You just set it down when you're done.

Here are my impressions after owning one for a couple days:

Wii Sports: duh, it's cool. But I can't seem to get the hang of baseball, I always hit fouls. I love all the sports though. First time a game has made my arms sore. :o

Excite Truck: very exciting! Hard to control, but I'm getting the hang of it (two S ranks so far). Waiting to get an SD card to try out some custom music. :D

Red Steel: I think the control scheme works quite well, but there needs to be custom adjustments beyond 3 preset levels of sensitivity. The framerate seems needlessly low to me given the graphic quality present. The graphics are buggy, sometimes objects will collide in very strange ways. The cut scenes are pretty lame looking, it's like they were going for a quasi-manga style but failed miserably. Also, the subtitles (not they they're really needed) sometimes get cut off the bottom of the screen. I think this could be a great game with a bit more work put into it. It just feels a bit rushed (which it probably was). I do find it fun though.

Overall it's been an nice launch week and I've having a blast with my Wii. My component cables are still backordered, grr.

[aidanpendragon]

Anyone have any experiences to report playing video files via SD card? Got a couple AVI's I'd love to see on my TV. Wii will recognize those files but not play them. Tried to convert AVI to MOV using DivX Doctor; again, Wii recognized but wouldn't play. Tried to convert to MP4 via iSquint, Wii wouldn't even recognize the file.

[apfhex]

Tried to convert to MP4 via iSquint, Wii wouldn't even recognize the file.
According to the manual the Wii will only play QuickTime .mov files in Motion JPEG format.

[seenew]

My roommate's .avi's from his camera worked on the Wii..

[GFLPraxis]

Up until now, Nintendo has had a hardware/processing advantage, or at least been even with competitors, in every console generation (GC more powerful than PS2).


Every generation Nintendo has actually had the most powerful hardware (Genesis had a faster processor but SNES beat it out in every other hardware capability and could handle more, N64 blew away PS1, etc). The only exception was the XBox, and that was only because it cost almost double (Nintendo was selling the GameCube at $199 at a profit, Microsoft was selling the XBox at $300 at a nearly $100 loss per system).

[asxtb]

I know absolutely nothing about the Wii and I have a few questions. Can you play Wii games with the classic controller or only with the Wiimote? Do you need internet access? Or can you play without it? Finally does the Wii have regions? Living in Japan I'd get a Japanese Wii but there are American games I'd like to get that aren't usually offered in Japan. (ie. Madden) Thanks for the help.

Edit: Another question... How available is the Wii? Is it all sold out or are a few still available?

[Dagless]

I know absolutely nothing about the Wii and I have a few questions. Can you play Wii games with the classic controller or only with the Wiimote? Do you need internet access? Or can you play without it? Finally does the Wii have regions? Living in Japan I'd get a Japanese Wii but there are American games I'd like to get that aren't usually offered in Japan. (ie. Madden) Thanks for the help.

Edit: Another question... How available is the Wii? Is it all sold out or are a few still available?

Wii games are played with the Wii controller, sometimes nunchuck add on. Apparently the new Wii Smash Bros will use the classic controller.
You don't need internet access. It's just for updates and messaging at the moment. You can play without it.
Wii is region locked (boooo). But I think Japan gets the Wii very soon indeed.

[Spanky Deluxe]

Wii is region locked (boooo).

This is the only thing that *really* pisses me off about the Wii. I really want to play the new Trauma Centre game but have to wait until next year for that. Quite understandable though, I mean it takes a good few months to translate from American to English after all.

[Roy Hobbs]

This is the only thing that *really* pisses me off about the Wii. I really want to play the new Trauma Centre game but have to wait until next year for that. Quite understandable though, I mean it takes a good few months to translate from American to English after all.

Well it will take a long time for them to add the "e" to the end of center.

[seenew]

Well it will take a long time for them to add the "e" to the end of center.

That's my favourite. <--OSX is telling me I misspelled that. :D

[e²Studios]

Wii is region locked (boooo). But I think Japan gets the Wii very soon indeed.

Japan gets it this weekend. As far as region locking goes it is up to the developer if they will region lock their game or not. The system is not region locked.

"It depends soley on the software. Just like the 360. It is region locked, but many games are not. So you can actually import some games from japan for a cheaper price then buying the US version. Though it depends soley on the game. A good place to check would be an import site."

Ed

[Dagless]

Well it will take a long time for them to add the "e" to the end of center.

I've seen games that still use "z" (specialized etc) in European versions. That's a little sad to see. If they're going to localise games they should at least do a proper job of it.

[aidanpendragon]

According to the manual the Wii will only play QuickTime .mov files in Motion JPEG format.

I had assumed from that sentence that .mov/QT files were all, by default, in "Motion JPEG" format. Is that incorrect - is Motion JPEG a sub-format of QT?

Again, if anyone has luck converting a DivX/Xvid AVI to run in the Wii's Photo Channel, please post how!

[aidanpendragon]

Separate question: anyone figure out how to do the ultra-fast "ace" serve in Wii Sports tennis? The computer does it to me occasionally. I did it once but can't repeat. Think it may have to do with button presses...?

[steamboat26]

I am thinking about getting a wii for christmas, but i have a couple questions:

If the wii is capable of 720p/i next year, would that most likely be a software update for the wiis that are sold this year, or would it involve something else entirely?

I know this has been asked before, but i will ask again: what are the odds that nintendo will get GTA on the wii? I know a nintendo exec said that they plan to get all the best games for the wii, but does anyone think that it is a possibility? (I also found a GTA that came out for the Advance SP, could that be the beginnings of a nintendo/rockstar parternship?)

[e²Studios]

I am thinking about getting a wii for christmas, but i have a couple questions:

If the wii is capable of 720p/i next year, would that most likely be a software update for the wiis that are sold this year, or would it involve something else entirely?

I know this has been asked before, but i will ask again: what are the odds that nintendo will get GTA on the wii? I know a nintendo exec said that they plan to get all the best games for the wii, but does anyone think that it is a possibility? (I also found a GTA that came out for the Advance SP, could that be the beginnings of a nintendo/rockstar parternship?)

The ATI chip in the Wii is more than capable of doing 720i/p, and since the Wii's firmware can be updated via downloaded updates i dont see why they couldnt make this happen. Component cables can adequately carry a 1080i signal with little to no loss so they are set there, the only real thing i was hoping for and didnt get was a optical out. Heck i would pay for the update via wii points if it was available.

Rockstar has stated that they are interested in talking with Nintendo to bring their games to the Wii. I think the Wii has the chance to woo back the 3rd party vendors that Nintendo shoo'd away in its past life. Lets just hope that Nintendo will welcome them with open arms this time.

Ed

[apfhex]

The ATI chip in the Wii is more than capable of doing 720i/p, and since the Wii's firmware can be updated via downloaded updates i dont see why they couldnt make this happen. Component cables can adequately carry a 1080i signal with little to no loss so they are set there, the only real thing i was hoping for and didnt get was a optical out.
Even though the component cables are more than capable, I wonder if the hardware can actually create a 720p signal with just a firmware update. It seems to me that if it were that simple, they would have done it already.

[JackAxe]

I partially agree with your comment, that they would have done it, but I don't see why they couldn't offer it if they choose to do so later on.

Higher rez gaming is by no means new, so I'm guessing Nintendo is waiting for the right time to unlock it, as in when the market is ready. Look at the X360 as an example, they just released a 1080p update. Why didn't they offer it in the first place? I could've stated basically same thing you're saying, about that system last year if you get my drift.

The Wii's GPU was completed either late last year or earlier this year, I don't recall which, so it's a modern GPU and that makes it more than capable of handling 720p if Nintendo chooses to unlock it.

This is just me speculating, but it's safe to say the Wii is using basically a X1xxx series GPU, which is more powerful than the GPUs I've used on my PCs in the past. My guess is a x1300 varient, which makes it pretty much the same as the X360's x1600 varient. I was running 1280x1024 on a GF2 Ultra 64m here at home, and on a GF2 GTS 32m down at my old job. My old 9500 Pro 128m pushed out 100 FPS at that rez on high detail for games like Battlefied 2 when I was still heavy into PC gaming.

If anything, Nintendo would just do what the others are doing, dumb down the texture detail and so on to achieve a higher rez.

<]=)

[GFLPraxis]

Even though the component cables are more than capable, I wonder if the hardware can actually create a 720p signal with just a firmware update. It seems to me that if it were that simple, they would have done it already.

Well, games need to have support for it too (the Wii is unlikely to have hardware video scaling chips, so a firmware update wouldn't scale 480p up to 720p).

The problem is that the Wii's RAM is limited...HD is doable, but Nintendo doesn't consider the performance loss and RAM used to be worth it and hasn't provided developers with the API's to do it.

I partially agree with your comment, that they would have done it, but I don't see why they couldn't offer it if they choose to do so later on.

Higher rez gaming is by no means new, so I'm guessing Nintendo is waiting for the right time to unlock it, as in when the market is ready. Look at the X360 as an example, they just released a 1080p update. Why didn't they offer it in the first place? I could've stated basically same thing you're saying, about that system last year if you get my drift.

The Wii's GPU was completed either late last year or earlier this year, I don't recall which, so it's a modern GPU and that makes it more than capable of handling 720p if Nintendo chooses to unlock it.

This is just me speculating, but it's safe to say the Wii is using basically a X1xxx series GPU, which is more powerful than the GPUs I've used on my PCs in the past. My guess is a x1300 varient, which makes it pretty much the same as the X360's x1600 varient. I was running 1280x1024 on a GF2 Ultra 64m here at home, and on a GF2 GTS 32m down at my old job. My old 9500 Pro 128m pushed out 100 FPS at that rez on high detail for games like Battlefied 2 when I was still heavy into PC gaming.

If anything, Nintendo would just do what the others are doing, dumb down the texture detail and so on to achieve a higher rez.

<]=)

From what I've been told by developers, the Wii's GPU is based on the GameCube's GPU, just much faster. One PR rep told me that he didn't believe there were any new shaders or hardware effects, although it could do stuff like Bloom lighting in software because it was a lot more powerful.

[SamIchi]

Separate question: anyone figure out how to do the ultra-fast "ace" serve in Wii Sports tennis? The computer does it to me occasionally. I did it once but can't repeat. Think it may have to do with button presses...?

Just hit it at it's apex with good speed. I don't swing my arm, I just bring my hand up to the top (tosses the ball up) then quickly flick my wrist down (no arm movement). You time it right you can get it most of the time.

[JackAxe]

88 megs is more than enough for 720p, if the specs are real. The PS3 only has 256 total. The PS2 only had 32megs. :)

You make good points. I'm not keeping my fingers crossed for 720p, but I'm also not writing Nintendo off yet, not until they actually come forth the nitty gritty about the Wii . I'm not sure why Nintendo is still so secretive about things, maybe so peeps like us will ramble back and forth. ;)

<]=)

From what I've been told by developers, the Wii's GPU is based on the GameCube's GPU, just much faster. One PR rep told me that he didn't believe there were any new shaders or hardware effects, although it could do stuff like Bloom lighting in software because it was a lot more powerful.

The Flipper is the basis for all modern ATI GPUs. The same team that created it, worked on cards like the Radeon 9700. I've read rumors and blurbs that the Wii's GPU is just an overclocked Flipper, but I don't buy into that at all. Nintendo would have to be really asinine to stick with such a dated GPU, when things have changed so much in the past 6 years. From what I've read the Flipper is similar to a DX7 GPU, and that would limit them to some really ugly shaders by today's standards.

I'm already seeing shaders that if they were possible on the GameCube, Nintendo didn't showcase them until the Wii. And if that's the case, then what took Nintendo so long.

I'm interested in seeing how Zelda GC compares to the Wii version. I've heard they're identical, but the only screen shots I can find of the GC, don't look nearly as good as the Wii's version, which seems to be a mix of stuff I'm familiar wtih on the GC, but lots of newer effects to soften things up. The Twilight World's use of shaders is beyond anything I've personally seen on the GC.

<]=)

[Spanky Deluxe]

While Nintendo *could* theoretically update the maximum resolutio to 720i/p, I don't really see it happening. The reason being that they don't really need to. Microsoft introduced 1080p in order to directly compete with Sony. I think Nintendo have made it pretty clear that they don't care what the competition is doing, they're going to do their own thing and its working.

Personally, I'd love it if they upped the resolution to 720p. I don't think it would be hard for them to implement since it would only need a firmware update and fairly simple software updates for the games, if that. N64 emulators have been able to run games at non-standard resolutions since day 1 since the resolution was set in the hardware. The hardware has to set the resolution to different levels for NTSC/PAL etc anyway.

I'm hoping that they will introduce 720p at a later date, for the first time, they are in a position to do so. Component cables are readily available and updates can be downloaded over the air, from the internet, straight into the console and onto the 512MB flash memory available on the machine. The gamecube had no such ability for software updates.

[aidanpendragon]

Just hit it at it's apex with good speed. I don't swing my arm, I just bring my hand up to the top (tosses the ball up) then quickly flick my wrist down (no arm movement). You time it right you can get it most of the time.

Thanks, will try that out. Have got spin and shot placement down...any ideas on lob vs. ground shots, possibility of overhands at the net, etc.?

AND - is it possible to play AGAINST your Miis (with them under computer control)? I've got a Roger Federer just aching for a pounding. Haven't yet figured out how to assign your Miis to the computer, but it'd be cool if you could do so.

My Zelda opinion has improved. The general format isn't groundbreaking, but the wolf mechanic is a nice addition/innovation. *spoilers?* Also like the retro touches like some Zelda 3 music and the Zelda 2 downward slash! It's nice to see a more overlapping take on the Light/Dark World dynamic, rather than the old chestnut of similar but parallel worlds. */spoilers?* Still seems very influenced by Metroid Prime 2, though. And I still think an 8.8 is fair.

[Dagless]

AHHAHA

BWAHAHHAHAHA

I was in town doing a spot of xmas shopping in Manchester with a mate. Went into HMV and they had a Wii display unit. Can't play it though. hahah quite funny actually, my mate said "oh look, it's the Wii" and I actually dropped the game I was holding (some DS one) and ran over. that thing really is ****ing small.

Disappointed as hell I went into Virgin Megastores and I asked if I could play theres - they said yes! SO I spent 5 minutes on Code of Honor/whatever that WW2 shooter game is. I could not believe it. I absolutely loved the game, despite it not being my genre of choice at all.

I was smiling all the time playing it. Took me all of 2 minutes to get used to the controls. I can't believe how natural it all felt after a while. I could only feel my thumb pushing around the analogue stick on the nunchuck, even the button pushing felt so natural!

I absolutely cant wait till xmas now. My plans for any 360 games, hell even PC and DS games just went out the window. I cannot wait.

Controller felt heavy too, I liked that. Vibration felt weak.

[gloss]

The vibration is a bit weak. The Nunchuk is also a bit light/cheap feeling for my taste. But the Wiimote itself is great.

[Spanky Deluxe]

AHHAHA

BWAHAHHAHAHA

I was in town doing a spot of xmas shopping in Manchester with a mate. Went into HMV and they had a Wii display unit. Can't play it though. hahah quite funny actually, my mate said "oh look, it's the Wii" and I actually dropped the game I was holding (some DS one) and ran over. that thing really is ****ing small.

Disappointed as hell I went into Virgin Megastores and I asked if I could play theres - they said yes! SO I spent 5 minutes on Code of Honor/whatever that WW2 shooter game is. I could not believe it. I absolutely loved the game, despite it not being my genre of choice at all.

I was smiling all the time playing it. Took me all of 2 minutes to get used to the controls. I can't believe how natural it all felt after a while. I could only feel my thumb pushing around the analogue stick on the nunchuck, even the button pushing felt so natural!

I absolutely cant wait till xmas now. My plans for any 360 games, hell even PC and DS games just went out the window. I cannot wait.

Controller felt heavy too, I liked that. Vibration felt weak.

Oooh!! The excitement mounts! I haven't seen or touched a real world Wii yet and I don't plan on going to town when not going to a club any time soon either so my Wii will probably be the first one I touch/see/use. I can't wait!!

[paddy]

7 more painful days of waiting to go!

[GFLPraxis]

AHHAHA

BWAHAHHAHAHA

I was in town doing a spot of xmas shopping in Manchester with a mate. Went into HMV and they had a Wii display unit. Can't play it though. hahah quite funny actually, my mate said "oh look, it's the Wii" and I actually dropped the game I was holding (some DS one) and ran over. that thing really is ****ing small.

Disappointed as hell I went into Virgin Megastores and I asked if I could play theres - they said yes! SO I spent 5 minutes on Code of Honor/whatever that WW2 shooter game is. I could not believe it. I absolutely loved the game, despite it not being my genre of choice at all.

I was smiling all the time playing it. Took me all of 2 minutes to get used to the controls. I can't believe how natural it all felt after a while. I could only feel my thumb pushing around the analogue stick on the nunchuck, even the button pushing felt so natural!

I absolutely cant wait till xmas now. My plans for any 360 games, hell even PC and DS games just went out the window. I cannot wait.

Controller felt heavy too, I liked that. Vibration felt weak.

Psst...it's Call of Duty 3 ;)

[jdechko]

I'd really like to see 1080i/720p (I have a 480p/1080i set, so 720p only does me no good, plus 1080i should be less demanding than 720p) on the Wii. As it's been mentioned, the power/RAM is there, the developers just have to be able to use it. Even if the HD resolutions were locked at 30 fps it would be great. Maybe Nintendo is waiting for something (market penetration, X number of component cables to sell) before they unlock the true power of the Wii and the Revolution begins. Heh. :cool:

[suneohair]

I'd really like to see 1080i/720p (I have a 480p/1080i set, so 720p only does me no good, plus 1080i should be less demanding than 720p) on the Wii. As it's been mentioned, the power/RAM is there, the developers just have to be able to use it. Even if the HD resolutions were locked at 30 fps it would be great. Maybe Nintendo is waiting for something (market penetration, X number of component cables to sell) before they unlock the true power of the Wii and the Revolution begins. Heh. :cool:

Um. It doesn't really make sense that you have a 1080i set, and that 720p does you know good. Most are 720p and thus are capable of 1080i. So what you are saying makes no sense.

Clear this up for me if I am wrong.

[aidanpendragon]

Um. It doesn't really make sense that you have a 1080i set, and that 720p does you know good. Most are 720p and thus are capable of 1080i. So what you are saying makes no sense.

Clear this up for me if I am wrong.

It's no wonder that most consumers are baffled by tech. If not for next-gen consoles, I would know zip about HD; as it is, still couldn't tell you if 720P is better or worse than 1080i (less pixels! but prog-scan!). Is plasma better or worse than LCD (does the gas still escape?) Etc.

Bah - I'll stick with my CRT, true-color and good at many resolutions eMac.

As for Nintendo, think there's probably a lot of overlap between the people who are baffled by HD and those who are baffled by 20-button controllers; their decision makes a lot of sense for their targeted market. Whether or not it can be cheaply fixed in the future is a valid question, but for now, it seems they made a smart move.

[timmillwood]

I can't wait to get me Wii, i really think they can do so much with it.

It has got enough power to do more than people first think, maybe in a few years after a couple of firmware updates it will have 1080p and HDMI cables.

You couldn't get much HD stuff on a DVD but Microsoft seem to be doing ok with HD on DVD with the xBox 360.

I really can't wait though, after having a go on one today (and being beaten by my girlfriend nan) it made me even more excited.

The controller feels so real on Bowling, excited to see what a FPS is like.

[bobber205]

I can't wait to get me Wii, i really think they can do so much with it.

It has got enough power to do more than people first think, maybe in a few years after a couple of firmware updates it will have 1080p and HDMI cables.

You couldn't get much HD stuff on a DVD but Microsoft seem to be doing ok with HD on DVD with the xBox 360.

I really can't wait though, after having a go on one today (and being beaten by my girlfriend nan) it made me even more excited.

The controller feels so real on Bowling, excited to see what a FPS is like.

Metroid Prime is supposed to be spectacular, I can't wait for it. And I can attest that the bow-and-arrow aiming in Zelda is spot on!

[Donz0r]

Metroid Prime is supposed to be spectacular, I can't wait for it. And I can attest that the bow-and-arrow aiming in Zelda is spot on!

The aiming is great in zelda with the wiimote, However, Since Zelda Twilight Princess was actually originally Made for the Gamecube, it really doesnt take advantage of the Wii Remote and nunchuck...

Basically, Shake wiimote in any direction = sword attack and shake nunchuck in any direction = spin sword move.
You don't actually feel like you're in control of the sword, I'd almost rather have a button because you can press a button more quickly than you can shake your hand around.

Maybe it's just me but I think since Zelda was made for GC, it's disappointing me in the fact that it really doesnt take that much advantage of the Wiimote as other games do.

That said, its supposed to be the best Zelda game yet, and I'll admit it's pretty sweet!

[LethalWolfe]

The vibration is a bit weak. The Nunchuk is also a bit light/cheap feeling for my taste. But the Wiimote itself is great.
Personally I like how light the nunchuk is. The less I'm reminded I'm holding a controller the better, IMO.


Lethal

[seenew]

Yeah, the density of the remote is a nice contrast to the light weight of the nunchuck. It makes it feel like the nunchuck is not there, so you've got most of your focus on the remote (as you should, in most games). If it were any heavier, people might forget which was dominant, which one had the pointer abilities.

[gloss]

Personally I like how light the nunchuk is. The less I'm reminded I'm holding a controller the better, IMO.


Lethal

Yeah, the density of the remote is a nice contrast to the light weight of the nunchuck. It makes it feel like the nunchuck is not there, so you've got most of your focus on the remote (as you should, in most games). If it were any heavier, people might forget which was dominant, which one had the pointer abilities.

I like controllers that don't feel cheap and worthless in my hand. If I spend $20 on something, I'd like it to have a little heft.

I think more of an issue is that I'm not fond of the joystick feel. Too plasticky.

Nitpicks, though. It functions fine.

[JackAxe]

The aiming is great in zelda with the wiimote, However, Since Zelda Twilight Princess was actually originally Made for the Gamecube, it really doesnt take advantage of the Wii Remote and nunchuck...

Basically, Shake wiimote in any direction = sword attack and shake nunchuck in any direction = spin sword move.
You don't actually feel like you're in control of the sword, I'd almost rather have a button because you can press a button more quickly than you can shake your hand around.

Maybe it's just me but I think since Zelda was made for GC, it's disappointing me in the fact that it really doesnt take that much advantage of the Wiimote as other games do.

That said, its supposed to be the best Zelda game yet, and I'll admit it's pretty sweet!

I look forward to a 100% Wii Zelda, but for now, this one is supreme and I'm savoring every moment. The shaking doesn't bother me, even though it's not what I was expecting, mainly because it pulls me into the game just that much more, since I'm not just pushing a button. :)

The aiming really makes it for me and if you have widescreen, even better.

<]=)

[guifa]

I've seen games that still use "z" (specialized etc) in European versions. That's a little sad to see. If they're going to localise games they should at least do a proper job of it.
Well, as much as you Brits like to differentiate your spelling by using that s, the Oxford still prefers the z so actually it would be more properly done with the z :)

[Dagless]

Well, as much as you Brits like to differentiate your spelling by using that s, the Oxford still prefers the z so actually it would be more properly done with the z :)

We don't like to differentiate. We like to speak in the language that you guys built your own upon.

[jdechko]

Um. It doesn't really make sense that you have a 1080i set, and that 720p does you know good. Most are 720p and thus are capable of 1080i. So what you are saying makes no sense.

Clear this up for me if I am wrong.

My TV isn't capable of 720p, only 1080i and 480p. It doesn't know how to respond to a 720p signal. Like I said, 720p does me no good. So if Nintendo and/or the developers only put in a 720p mode (and leave out 1080i), I'm just SOL.

Fortunately, 720p and 1080i require similar amounts of power to process, so the chances of them leaving out one or the other are really slim.

[patseguin]

I'm really interested in the Wii because the gameplay/control seems really cool. However, I have a 61" DLP TV that does up to 1080p. Will Wii games look like crap on a 61" screen?

EDIT: FWIW, I already have a 360 so the Wii would only be for certain kinds of games obviously.

[JackAxe]

I'm really interested in the Wii because the gameplay/control seems really cool. However, I have a 61" DLP TV that does up to 1080p. Will Wii games look like crap on a 61" screen?

EDIT: FWIW, I already have a 360 so the Wii would only be for certain kinds of games obviously.

With the component cables it looks good. The Wii runs at the same resolution as a DVD, which interpolate up nicely to HD screens.

What kind of games do you see specifically for the Wii? IMO, it's pretty much better for all games, epecially FPS games. Nintendo finally introduced a console that can actually handle RTS games and even old school graphic adventures. Overall the Wii's control setup really puts a controller pad to shame. ;)

<]=)

[princealfie]

I'm impressed. Graphics aren't fantastic, but I have decided I am buying a PS3...so that can easily fill that void.

I am not playing Zelda until I finish my classwork.


PS3 fry, PS3 fry... geewhiz are graphics everything? Hellno, the wii wins. :rolleyes:

[topgun072003]

My arms hurts, yet I can't stop playing...

[spicyapple]

My arms hurts, yet I can't stop playing...
Heh. I haven't been this excited about a gaming console since I was 7 years old begging for a SNES system. Looking to try bowling, it looks like a LOT of fun! :)

[JackAxe]

I've only been Zeldaing every other day, and only for about an hour. I have tooo much work right now, so my arms are fine. :)

The Wii is absolutely great. Nintendo managed to steer clear of the "boring," where as the other two guys were too busy making themselves pretty and hit it head on. :o

<]=)

[Dagless]

British press have been all over the Wii again.
2 days ago Granada News had a bit about it, even going cliched by sticking a reporter in a tennis match against an old pro. Nothing but praise it seems!
Then yesterday some BBC news thing (I missed it myself) spoke about it some more.

I thought "meh, Europe is Europe, we won't care about any games console", but after seeing all the news and seeing the huge queues just to play demo units in stores I am seriously thinking this Friday is going to be mad.

[aidanpendragon]

Thought I'd ask again: anyone have luck getting various video files - anything other than QuickTime-created QT files - to run on the Wii?

[risc]

The Wii exeperience here at my house is pretty crazy. My GF saw that video of the girl acting like a retard playing Wii Sport Boxing and thought it was the best thing she had ever seen. So I bought her a Wii. She hates the 360 but the first day we got the Wii she stayed up way too late for a woman that had to go to work in the morning playing tennis and bowling and now she's complaining about Wii knee but that isn't stopping her playing it. She loves the thing.

Myself I don't mind it the control is great fun but the graphics are bloody horrible even with the component video displaying the output at 480p I know you guys are going to say HD doesn't matter but I'm telling you it really does, the Wii menu looks muddy. 480p is so 2 years ago. Oh well I still love the games so I'll get over it, but I'd love to see a Wii doing 720p!

[aidanpendragon]

Just discovered a cool if not terribly relevant thing -

Playing a VC game with Classic controller for a while (until remote "went to sleep"). Pushed the Home button on the Classic and found, to my surprise, that I could navigate the menus using the left analog stick. Clicking back to the Channels menu, I could still navigate all around with the stick & L/R buttons. But once I re-awoke the remote - Classic/stick support disappeared.

This is only a novelty, but it's very interesting to experience the difference in control between stick and remote. With the analog stick, it gives a standard, cursor-moves-at-uniform speed, kinda floaty feel - normal for past consoles but very weird to see on the Wii. Then switching back to the remote, it really drives home the difference: mouse-like, as-fast-or-slow-as-you-want-it, "click" to select (plus rumble cues). Makes you realize what a change Nintendo has made.

[Philgr]

Got my hands on a Wii today, :)

Its currently sitting in it's box in the garage out of sight, none of the family know i have it,

i only got it because it looks like really good family fun, cannot wait till new years eve as we have a big party planned

Should i reveal all now, or wait till xmas morning,

[MacRumorUser]

Should i reveal all now, or wait till xmas morning,

Wait... if you can ;)

[seenew]

Yeah, wait, that should be a big, nice, fun surprise for everyone. Make sure you get some extra remotes and nunchucks, though!

[MacRumorUser]

Actually open it to see that's its ok and working and then put it back. It would be awful to open on xmas, have all the excitement and then when you plug it in to find its faulty or some such.

[aidanpendragon]

2 random Zelda experiences:

1. After being apprehensive, I'm now enjoying sword control and glad it's not 1-to-1. That wouldn't work in a Zelda game (better for SW FPS! lightsabers!); and, as I ride around on my horse frantically slashing at birds strafing me, my actual flailing mirrors Link's. If we could only do something about the tinny sound...have to crank the speaker up for Wii Sports, then down for Zelda.

2. Anyone else notice one casualty of the "let's flip the world to make Link a righty" decision? Namely, the sign over the Kakariko bomb shop is an exact mirror reversal of what it should say, namely "Bomb." Oops. Nice QC, Nintendo.