In case you’re not one of the two hundred people I stood in line with outside of Target this past Sunday morning (or aren’t someone who’s done something similar to purchase a Nintendo Wii this year), I’m sure you’re dying to get a Wii console for yourself or someone you know this Christmas.
The bad news is that this weekend was the last shipment of Wiis to major retailers before Christmas. My local Target had 177 Nintendo Wiis in stock, and they were all spoken for by the crowd of people waiting in line by 7:30 AM – a half hour before the store even opened. Other stores with less stock were probably “sold out” much earlier than that.
If you haven’t found a Wii yet, you can either live without one for now, or pay a fortune for one on eBay. (My suggestion: Wait for it.)
In the meantime, I’m going to let you know a little bit about the Nintendo Wii…
First, let’s start with what comes with the console. The Wii console comes with one Wiimote controller and one Nunchuck controller. The Nunchuck attaches to the Wiimote, allowing you to use both of your hands to control games that support this functionality (not all of them do).
A composite video cable is also included, which is the lowest quality connection cable available. If your TV has component video connections, you can purchase a separate Wii component cable from Nintendo or a third party (recommended). There is no HDMI connection cable available for the Wii, which is fine, since the graphics aren’t high-definition like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
The Wii console comes with Wii Sports – a collection of five sports games that utilize the Wii’s motion controllers (tennis, golf, baseball, bowling and boxing). Only the boxing game makes use of the Nunchuck controller, and only the tennis game allows up to 4-players. Most folks will be content with just playing Wii Sports. The games are fun for casual single-players and large groups.
In order to play in groups, you’re going to need additional controllers. When you get a Wii console, you should also pick up an additional Wiimote and Nunchuck. Then, if budget allows, you should also get additional Wiimotes (for a total of 4). I suggest purchasing Wii Play, which includes additional sports games (like ping-pong and billiards) and a Wiimote.
You can expect to pay $250 for the Wii console, $30 for a component video cable, $50 for Wii Play w/ Wiimote, $20 for a second Wii Nunchuck, and $80 for two additional Wiimotes. Total cost will be around $450.
When you get tired of playing Wii Sports, there are plenty of other fun games currently out for the Wii, including Super Mario Galaxy, Guitar Hero III, Mario Party 8, and Metroid Prime 3.
Generally, the Nintendo Wii game play and game selection are geared towards casual or new gamers. The target audience seems to be children/seniors and non-experienced gamers. Its popularity is due to its mass, general audience appeal.
For someone like me (a life-long gamer), the Nintendo Wii offers a limited experience. It’s fun for parties and family gatherings, but the single-player experience is less than satisfying. I’m not a child, and I’m not a casual gamer. I want amazing graphics, intellectual complexity, and adult themes in my games. Nintendo products have always been – and continue to be – safe and kid-friendly.
But there will always be a larger market of non-gamers than gamers. By targeting non-gamers with a simple, fun gaming experience, Nintendo has greatly increased its potential customer base, and sales of the Wii are reflecting this.
Personally, I’ll be giving my Wii to my mom for Christmas. She’s been asking for one, and I’m sure she’ll enjoy it much more than me.
This entry was posted on Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 6:41 pm and is filed under AOL Shopping Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
