Knowing your Wii console and accessories

I know, I know its only 40 days before I get to open my Wii! Pardon our Wii, its for the kids not for me. I have to remember to keep telling myself that.

Fish are friends not food!

As I wait for Santa to deliver our Wii all I have is friend and families who can share their experiences of owning an playing with their Wii’s.   So, here’s a breakdown of all the components that you’ll get from your basic Wii package.

1. The Basic Wii Console

 

Price varies depending on what you want, but if you’re looking just for the base model. It’ll cost around $249 w/o taxes

2. The basic Wii package will get you two controllers (1- Wii Remote & 1 – Nunchuck), no fun when you’re planning on playing with your family. 

Controllers prices also vary depending where you shop.  The Wii Remote is priced roughly around $30 and the Wii Nunchuck controller under $20, again w/o taxes.

3. Now I’ve been given some great tips to getting some extra controllers.  First as always shop around again you’ll save a few dollars here and there and in today’s economy every penny counts. 

Second tip is buying bundled packages

 

The Wii’s MarioKart is one of a few games that includes an extra Wii Accessory, the Wii Wheel.  Another title is the Wii Play with Remote, which includes a Wii Remote

5. Another key component included in your basic Wii Package is the Wii Sensor Bar:

This bar mounts either atop of your TV or below.  It has two infrared lights that are used to calibrate the distance between you and your TV with the Wii Remote.  It’s best to be around 6-10ft away from the sensor with your Wii Remote.  The sensor bar is only for a maxium of 4 Wii Remotes.

6. In final other compenents included in the Wii Basic Package are:

- Wii AV cables (RCA Cables)

- Wii AC Adapter

- Wii Console Stand

- Wii Sports Video Game- Which introduces you to all the Wii Remote capabilities

THANK YOU, PABEC FOR THE GREAT PICS!

Buying a Wii shouldn’t be that hard, yeah right.

 

Woohoo, I have bought our first Wii! But can’t open it ’til Christmas! Let me tell ya, I’ve tried every which way to convince my wife, but no go. We’re waiting on Santa to deliver it on Christmas morning. Nonetheless, this was the toughest ordeal. As with any of these new gaming consoles the initial investment was toughest, but this one had the added benefit of being hard to find too. It reminded me of the funny line in

Disney Pixar – Toy Story. When, while driving around Al’s Toy Barn, Tour Guide Barbie tells them as they were driving down a Buzz Lightyear aisle “back in 1995 short-sighted retailers did not order enough dolls to meet demand”

That’s exactly how I felt. But now we’re coming up on the 2 year anniversary of the Wii release here in the States and the units are still hard to find in some places. Some retailer are starting to bundle them with other games/accessories, now driving the initial investment up. I bought ours at Bestbuy, which was the only place at that time which that had it stock, locally. But that’s not where I first started.
BUYING STEPS

1. Save some money – The first initial investment won’t be your last purchase. Just the basic Wii console retailed around $250 w/o taxes (included Wii Sports, 1- Wii Remote, 1- Nunchuck, batteries for the Wii remote, and a composite AV cable containing RCA connectors) add extra controllers, games, cables, etc.. You get the picture.
   
2. Shop around Online - Check online retailers sites for package deals or just the stand alone console. I used sites similar to http://wiitracker.com/, just to see what the prices were and who had the consoles in stock.
   
3. Pick up the phone – After browsing around on the web and when I was ready to buy, I called the local stores. Many of them did not have any units in stock and this was just a few months ago. Find out when they’ll get their shipment arrive.
4. Early Bird - Once you get the shipment information, try to get their early. I had a weird experience w/ BestBuy. When I finally settled on BestBuy I called ahead to check availability. I got the answer I was looking for they had units available, WOOT! The funny thing happened when I got to the store, about an hour later after calling, one of their floor sales guys in the gaming section said they were all out. WHAT!? Well, needless to say I kept my cool and asked them to call the manager or to check again. He decided to check again and sure enough they had a few units in the back.
   
5. Be Patient - Don’t settle, unless you really, truly are forced too. Keep calling and going to the local stores, you’ll see soon enough persistent will pay off
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TIPS

1. Target Shoppers Hack – Try locating on the price checkers that they have around the store. Enter the following Wii product code: 207-25-0001 and press the [ENTER] button. It’s supposed tell you how many Wii are on the floor or in the back stockroom. (unconfirmed)
2. Keep your cool - I’ve heard that our local Target gets their shipment in on Tuesdays. So when you get there try to remember that being polite goes a long way, when asking for help.
3. Rentals/Pre-owned – Rent games before you buy. It’ll save you alot money down the road. If you must buy, try going w/ the pre-own games.
4. Avoid the holiday rush
5. Becareful with ebay & craiglist

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STORES

• Target
• Blockbuster
• Costco
• Toys “R” Us
• EB Games
• BestBuy
• Sears
• K-mart
• Circuit City
• Walmart
• Sams Club
• GameStop
• Fred Meyer

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Good luck and please let me know what has worked for you and maybe what hasn’t.