looking for a wii?

[dafink]

I got to play the system a few weeks ago and it kicked ass. Went by my rescue squad building to pick up some forms and a few people were playing it...ended up staying for almost 4 hrs playing the Wii Sports tennis and bowling game.

It was freakin awesome....more fun in that 4hrs then in the yr i've had the 360. Although I havn't played the 360 much online, friends just got Live so it's been single player up till now.

Anyways, if anyone's been looking for a Wii

For those of you who have been waiting to buy a Wii but haven't been able to, now's your chance.

Circuit City and Best Buy stores throughout the United States will have a Wii "re-launch" on Sunday, January 21.

Here are the details for Circuit City:

Vouchers will be handed out on Sunday 1/21/07, 1 hour prior to store’s opening.

Voucher will entitle customer to purchase ONE Wii Game System

One voucher per customer – One Wii allowed per customer

Limited quantities - No rain checks - While supplies last

Minimum 9 per store

Details for Best Buy:

Minimum 20 per store - No rain checks

The actual link - http://gaming.monstersandcritics.com/wii/news/article_1247589.php/Circuit_City_and_Best_Buy_Wii_re-launch

[Whyzman]

My son is a dyed in the wool Nintendo dude. As most of his ilk, not primarily for the systems, but for the games. With the Wii, I think they've outdone themselves...

Interesting to see the number of PS3s sitting on the shelves these days...Hmmmmm

[johnny_quest]

the straps for the controllers have been recalled... so be careful not to take out any windows :)

[Whyzman]

I guess some straps have failed, but the warnings out there have more to do with not throwing the controllers. Especially, with the bowling game! I suppose since you hold onto your tennis racket, but "bowl" a bowling ball...

Folks have apparently "bowled" the controllers into their TV sets... :D

[Whyzman]

Hehe...I'm thinking a compilation of "Funniest Home Videos" with the looks on folks' faces beholding their Wii controllers sticking out the front of their TV sets...would be hilarious! :D Picked up that spare didja?

[Laguna]

Got one of these on launch.
With the Wii sports game aside, Zelda is the best!!
Unfortunately now I have finished that, I'm waiting for another game I'm interested in to come out.
Roll on the PS3 in March!!!

And whoever did Damage with a Wiimote has nobody to blame but themselves.
It takes extreme carelessness and mass flailing about to cause any damage.
I sit down when playing and use subtle movements and relax!!!
More fun that way.:D

[Whyzman]

I sit down when playing and use subtle movements and relax!!!
More fun that way.:DBowling?? Bowling??

[Laguna]

Well I said with sports aside, and was aiming at all the Zelda accidents.:D
But yes I stand for Bowling, Baseball and Golf.
But I still don't flail, the Wiimote is sensitive, people don't get that.

You hear all these stories that say "I was jumping for the Ball in tennis...."
Why?Why do that?You don't have to jump anywhere!
I sit down for God's sake!Your player automatically runs, and jumps for the ball,
you simply have to swing...that's all!!!:D

It's all user error.

[Whyzman]

Yes, flailing is definitely out! :D

Well, unless someone comes up with game that requires flailing... :)

[Whyzman]

Okay, one of those really really weird visuals....

A cheerleading competition game where the pompoms are Wii controllers...requires 2 Wii controllers per contestant...

Flailing practice advised... :rolleyes:

[Budfred]

Part of the advantage of the Wii is that you can use it to get up off the couch and move around... Flailing is a good thing and it needs to be designed to safely do that...

[Whyzman]

Part of the advantage of the Wii is that you can use it to get up off the couch and move around... Flailing is a good thing and it needs to be designed to safely do that...Ooooooo....good observation...I'm suprised the marketers haven't capitalized on this...

CPT prevention (Couch Potato Tush) prevention

[sassie05]

FYI I was at my local FRY's last Saturday and they had a sign "We have Wii's"

[mjc]

Maybe furniture manufacturers can get involved too...sell special Wii couches...automatically eject you if you sit in one place too long.

[Whyzman]

Maybe furniture manufacturers can get involved too...sell special Wii couches...automatically eject you if you sit in one place too long.Or, randomly...if you happen to choose to sit rather than stay up and active.... ;)

[dafink]

Lol that'd be too funny if they did do that.

In another forum I posted that to a guy said that half the time he tried it, he had a beer in one hand and just swung the controller with the other.

[Laguna]

There is already a game that assumes flailing, although not a necessity it's pretty much guaranteed, and that game is warioware.

The Wii is not just a way to get you up off the couch, that's more so aimed at parents.So they think excellent our kids can play Video games like they always do, and get a bit of exercise at the same time.

I'm a gamer for 16 years now, and I like the sitting down and not moving part.
I think the Playstation 3 with it's tilt function in it's six-axis controller is more up my street.No swinging the controller around, just tilting.For example when you take off in a plane you tilt the pad to take off.

The Wii's incredible motion sensing is being blown way out of proportion, it's silly and unnecessary to flail.Nintendo even tell you to not get carried away and make sure there are no objects around you if you do.

Wii sports is a bundled game that comes with the Wii.
The game has five separate mini games to play, each one using a different feature of the Wiimote.Extremely innovative and great fun!
But that's it, there is no depth to the game, it won't keep you hooked for that long, especially not on your own.

Games like Zelda, are examples of how the Wiimote is used to excellence and you can simply relax while using it.
I never stood up once during my 40 hours of playing through it and finishing it.
Yet I got the full experience and had no added difficulty playing.

Yet somehow people are punching their kids, slitting their wrists off ceiling fans, and abusing their expensive TV's playing this game.
Why?simply because they let themselves get carried away, show off, and are plain idiots.

There will be many games like Wii Play and Wii Sports released in the future that will have intensive action and encourage flailing, but it's not needed, not at all!

I disagree that the Wii is some sort of pumped up exercise bike!
It's a gaming console that requires the same seriousness and concentration that the Playstation 3 and the X-Block 360 do.

I'm not saying anyone here is is doubting that, it's just the spin the media gives it and all these accidents through foolishness don't help the matter.
I guess the bottom line is, be careful don't kill yourself, others, or expensive objects.And for God's sake don't show off!!:D

[Budfred]

Believe it or not Laguna, some of us actually want to get up and act like fools for the sake of the exercise... I just bought a Playstation2 with the game Eyetoy:Kinetic for just that purpose... It sets up a number of different games I can play that involve jumping around and acting like a fool to hit or kick things floating in the air on the TV that appear around my video representation... There are a number of other options that use the same technology and if I get tired of this, I will probably get some of them too... I have been doing 45 - 60 minute workouts at least 4 times a week since I got it and it is helping my health... I have managed to injure myself a few times by hitting objects in my living room that I didn't clear out of the way before I started, but it is worth it to do that...

I don't see the Wii as being as effective for that purpose, but I do see it as an option that some people can use to be more active and that is a good thing...

[sassie05]

I was at Fry's today and no Wii's to be seen!

[Laguna]

Ok Budfred I think you missed my point...
In those games (Which I own also by the way) you have to move and jump around.You're on screen and have to respond dramatically in order to accomplish your goal.When you compare that to playing most games on the Wii it's completely different, as on the Wii it's not needed.

But aside from that, it's the casual gamer that seeks games like that out Budfred.The eyetoy was bought for me by someone I didn't go out and get it myself, and I don't play it anywhere near as much as you as there is no depth to it and nothing that would keep me hooked for long.

I'm an avid gamer, I play games like someone who loves movies would watch a movie.I'm looking for depth storyline and great game play.
And on that note, our points can't really be argued as the Eyetoy isn't competing with other consoles it's competing with other games.

The Wii is a console itself and has to compete with the two other consoles on the market.And to be honest it's getting the wrong public attention.
And by that I'll point back to my exercise bike comment.
If you get a Wii Budfred I can guarantee you that you will get more enjoyment out of the Wii sports game than you would get out of Zelda.

And it's the opposite for me, because we are two different types of gamers.
But by no means am I a lazy fat slob!I have other things to do that keep me fit.But gaming is something I take seriously, I know a lot of other people who are the same, and a lot of other people who aren't.
My points were mainly aimed at peoples perception of the Wii.

[Budfred]

Laguna,

My point is that while serious gamers like yourself may find the hype about the Wii and people jumping around and smashing things with the device to be overdone, it is exactly what is appealing to a large number of people out there... I respond to several aspects of how video games work and have looked for something like these options for a long time to not only increase my activity level, but also to recommend to other people who want to increase their activity or to get their children to be more active.... You may be fit and active in addition to your gaming activity, but there are huge numbers of kids and adults out there who are not... Current predictions now say that this is the first time in human history that the children of this generation will have a shorter lifespan than the previous one and the primary reason for this is obesity and diabetes...

I hope all of the video game companies develop tools like the Wii, the EyeToy and anything else that will get people up and moving... Even if it can be done with subtle movements while sitting peacefully on a couch, it is worthwhile to get up and act like a fool for a huge number of users out there...

[Fruss Tray Ted]

So this Wii is going to be the death of the Mosh Pit? :( At least mosh was done with others and not in a closet (alone)! :eek:



Just kidding!
:p

[Laguna]

Budfred, you're the niche market, the Wii isn't trying to convert all the gamers they already have, they're trying to expand into new categories and attract new people who have never given gaming a thought.The percentage of people who go out and buy the Wii for exercise and to jump around is a very small one in comparison to the amount of avid gamers that buy it, and perhaps even smaller than the new people who try it out for reasons other than exercise, like the innovativeness of the console and how it's played.

TV in itself is a cause of bad health for people who sit down and watch it all day long everyday, they're couch potatoes.Yet I don't see the TV companies bringing out remotes that require doing a cartwheel to change the channel.

And realistically, Nintendo don't really care whether the people who buy their consoles are fit or not, a sale is a sale to them.
And you're right, I do find all the accidents over done, but not the hype.

Do you not think I enjoy being able to aim my arrows myself?
And aim my grappling hook in the direction I point the Wiimote?
It's amazing and the hype about that wasn't lying.
But my problem is with people over doing it and doing damage.

I point back to my post where I said I hated people saying "I was jumping for the ball in tennis" Why were you jumping for the ball?
You jumping has absolutely no effect on the game.
Your Mii jumps his/herself, why are you jumping?

If the game's aim was to exercise you to that extent then it would require you jumping.But it doesn't, and you know why?It's not safe.
Yet these people are doing it anyway and causing accidents.

My points aren't against your personal use of the product Budfred,
but against the idiots behind punching 2 year old kids, giving their girlfriend a blackeye, and cutting their wrists off ceiling fans.
That's ridiculous, what happens if someone dies?
You know what will happen and you can't deny it,
Nintendo will somehow get the blame!

[Budfred]

Then Nintendo needs to make it safer for people to jump around, especially since their marketing shows people doing exactly that...

And yes, TV has a lot to do with the epidemic of obesity and inactivity... However, it is also true that video games and computers have played a major role in the same trends... I think video games have far more potential for getting people up and active than TV does and I would like to see them develop more safe ways to do that... The "Dance-Dance" thing does that fairly well and EyeToy is a reasonable step in that direction... Wii has that potential, but needs to be made safer...

If anyone has had their hand removed by a ceiling fan, they need to stop sharpening the fan blades... Most ceiling fans could be stopped with a pinky finger...

[jlreich]

TV in itself is a cause of bad health for people who sit down and watch it all day long everyday, they're couch potatoes.
Don't forget computers. :p :D Unless you count typing and slight movements of the wrist to control the mouse as exercise. :D

[Laguna]

Well I'm just going by pictures given with reports of accidents.
But how exactly is it on Nintendo to make it safer?
You are given a wrist strap and are warned at the start of every game to watch out for objects around you and to be careful.
What else are they supposed to do?Give away free padded rooms with every console purchased?

The reason people are getting hurt is because they are doing something that they are not supposed to do.Nintendo never once said this console was a means of getting fit.If you're over weight (Not you yourself lol) it's most likely your own fault.If you have a bad metabolism then work around it, exercise, go running, eat healthy, give yourself less time sitting watching TV.Your Doctor could tell you all this?

Since when is it up to Nintendo?
You're supposed to follow the rules, heed the warnings and play properly.
I don't feel any sympathy for the people who hurt themselves, no matter how badly, I feel sorry for the people who get hurt by other people playing.

And as for advertisements showing people doing James Bond dives etc...
What advertisement doesn't lie?Fact is, you're warned, and these people who hurt themselves and others shouldn't even get a passing glance, never mind media coverage.

[Budfred]

If you're over weight (Not you yourself lol) it's most likely your own fault.If you have a bad metabolism then work around it, exercise, go running, eat healthy, give yourself less time sitting watching TV.Your Doctor could tell you all this?
And the amount that most MDs know about obesity could be publish on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper... People who are overweight are one of the only groups that people feel free to attack simply for the way they are... It someone has a metabolic issue, it is not simply a matter of exercising and eating healthy... If it were, there would be far fewer obese people in the world...

A recent report showed that a microbe in the human gut may digest food at an extremely efficient level in people who are obese, so that they get many more calories from every bite of food than someone who doesn't have that microbe in quantity... It is possible for someone who is obese to eat half as many calories as they supposedly need to survive, exercise an hour a day and still either stay the same or even put on weight... On the other hand, someone else may eat twice as many calories and sit playing video games all day (or watching TV or using the computer) and still not gain any weight at all...

Some obesity is due to personal choices and it is easy to say that everyone should be able to make good choices all the time... The truth is that no one makes good choices all the time and marketers/businesses make constant efforts to get us to make bad choices to their profit... Junk food caters to 3 elements that have been essential for human survival throughout the existence of the human race: sweet, salt and grease... Humans who had access to these elements of food were more likely to survive, until the last century or so... Now the opposite is true, but our bodies still crave these things because they haven't caught up with the realities of the present... If I want to make a lot of money, it is pretty reliable if I can create a tasty treat that is cheap, but has sweet, salty and greasy flavors... A similar reality is true with activity... Until recently in human existence, there was no need to exercise since staying alive provided plenty of activity for most people... Leisure comes much more readily to people than activity for that reason...

So please stop blaming overweight people for being overweight and encourage the things that might help some of them to become healthier...

As for Nintendo's responsibility to make the product safer... If I advertise a new toy ball on TV that is something fun to throw around in the house and show people doing just that, including small children -- then I make it clear on the packaging and the insert that this ball could explode and send plastic shrapnel into the faces of anyone in range if it is bounced too hard... How long do you think that product would stay on the market?? We expect people in the USA to make their products safe, not just warn people that they could be dangerous... It is not up to me to figure out how to make that product safe, it is up to them...

[Laguna]

I'm not going to disagree with your points about obesity, but that's not on Nintendo's shoulders, and your well being isn't in Nintendo's hands it's in your own.If you're not responsible and intelligent enough to play a games console then you may as well just go into a bubble and live in it for the rest of your life and get food passed into you in-case you burn yourself at the cooker.

You can kill yourself playing a sport, it's not the sport's fault if you make a mistake that's just exactly it.There are warnings left right and centre on the packaging, and in the games themselves, there isn't much more Nintendo can do, unless you know they put in a device that shocks you if you get carried away...

I could say it's not up to me to defend Nintendo against all these accidents but I'm just giving my opinion.I haven't and won't hurt myself using the Wii, because I know not to exceed reasonable movements.How hard is that to learn?Especially if you have already had an accident once, many of these people cause a bigger accident the second time.

If a company sold your child a toy sword, and your child then proceeded to swing the sword dramatically, hitting his/her younger brother/sister in the eye and breaking expensive ornaments at the same time, Who would you blame?The child, or the company that made the sword?
I guarantee you no warnings came with the sword..

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Then Nintendo needs to make it safer for people to jump around, especially since their marketing shows people doing exactly that..

Maybe they could branch out into the Home Improvement / Consumer safety market and begin selling padding for the walls.. :p

(...as visions of Budfred danced 'round in his head..) :D

[Laguna]

Or give away free sumo suits with every Wiimote purchased!!:D

[rond36]

A rubber room or padded cell may be better options!

[Laguna]

A rubber room or padded cell may be better options!

What else are they supposed to do?Give away free padded rooms with every console purchased?

I agree.:)