Nintendo have just announced the Wii will be going on sale here on the 7th of December for $399.
For those of you unfamiliar with it, there some stuff on the Nintendo website, and a nice video on youtube showing basically what it does ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73yDRm8KaWY )
This is definitley on my shopping list now, it looks like its going to be very fun to play, pretty innovative, and hopefully will be a sucess for them.
My fingers are crossed they do a cricket game on it, lol imagine bowling.
Was anyone planning on getting this?

Oh I wish I was still into gaming.

It certainly does look good, and I hope it does Nintendo good, as to be honest, they haven't done so well over the past few years or so.

Unfortunatly I gave up gaming for education and Broadcasting (thats Broad, not POD) a few years ago.

I can't remember the last time I touched that Playstation 2.

Yeah, i havent done it for a while to focus on year 12, but i guess ill have a bit more free time by then to do stuff like that again.

I've been waiting and waiting and finally it's almost here. Looks awesome. Sure, there's some things about it I'd change, but can't complain. Definately going to start saving for it.

I love the name "wii" its amusing and how the games will be region free or region Fwii. It looks good. The playstation 3 has been delayed to march now so thats good for nintendo to rake in the money before sony stamps all over them.

Crap. PS3 will be better. Save your dough for the PS3.

Who in their right mind would pay over $1000 for a gaming machine? not me... especially when playstations break easy.

*coughs* My disc draw snapped on my PS2, warranty was expired. Glued it up and sold it on eBay. Problem solved.

Only problem with the Wii is that half of its services rely on having WiFi, something most of us probably wouldn't have. I'll probably look into it though. 81 days to go I think...

Looks like a new beginning for Nintendo, never really been a fan of them, although it does look like fun to play. Also looks like it would take a while to get the hang of the controllers.

Why???

Maybe, but i was thinking their goal was to make it easier because it uses natural movements which dont require the fine motor skills of manipulating a normal controller

Well IMO, the controllers should be simple to use. I thought they were designed so that anyone could pick one up and play straight away. No questions asked.

I paid over $1200 when the PS2 was released for the console and a few games. At the time, I thought it was money well spent.

Should be absolutely awesome, but I'm extremely dissapointed that Resident Evil 5 won't be making it to the Wii.

I was at Highpoint shopping center in Melbourne on Monday and I was fortunate enough to have a go at a few games on the Wii demo they had there. (DW Rulz, since you head there often you should check it out, its on Level 1)

I came away very impressed and I am looking foward to it being released here finally.

First up i had a go at Wii Play, its basically just a few minigames that come packaged when you buy a second Wiimote. They had a duck hunt type game which basically involved pointing and shooting little targets, not paticulary special IMO. They also had laser hockey, where you move the remote to move the hitter, and turn the remote to change the angle. But it seemed far to sensitive and again seemed a bit plain.

Next I had a go at Wii Sports, the game that is included with the system.
This game was fantastic, the motion control worked flawlessly and they were plain fun.
It was surprising in tennis just what you could do, if you held the remote above your head and and hit foward lightly it would do a lob high in the air, similary swinging it sideways fast would do an equally brutal shot. It was quite funny doing a drop shot, the person i was playing against tried running towards the screen in attempt to hit it even though this doesnt actually help to do that.

The other sport they had going was 10 pin bowling. Again this was good, you just had to swing the remote foward and release a button to let go of the ball, if you relased it too late it would just go high, hit the alley and roll slowly towards the end. But it was challenging, i only managed 1 spare and no strikes.

On another unit they had Zelda going, so i tried out the fishing game in it (im not really a fan of adventure games so i didnt try the other part)
Again, your motions translate well in this, you sort of whip the remote over your head to cast off, and when a fish comes near you wiggle the remote so the lure on the end attracts a fish. When it bites you then rapidly wind the nunchuck attachment connected to the remote around in a circular motion to reel in. Unforunatley this made the connector cord whip around a fair bit, maybe i should have held the remote further away.

Lastly i had a go at WarioWare, for those not familiar with this game, basically you get these little 4 second 'microgames' thrown at you with short breaks in between, and the idea is to win as many as you can without stuffing up.
This was my personal favourite just because of all the ways it made use of the remote. Some of them included holding the remote vertically and shifing a car into gear, holding the remote on your palm and then moving your hand to keep a broom balanced, shaking the remote to rid a banana of ants, holding the remote like a baton and then swinging your arms to make an athlete run towards the finish line, holding the remote like a pen and scribbling madly to make a biro start working, and holding the remote with both hands and pushing towards the screen to make someone fall over.

So overall its a good system, its very innovating and Im looking foward to seeing to sort of things they can come up with to work with this control system.

I got to have a go on one up here at Myer in the Myer Centre Brisbane. Only got to play the tennis game, but it was something unique. I would have liked to try the Bowling game but did not have the time. For something that costs $400 it is well worth the money, not only is it fun but actually requiring physical activity is a great thing for computer games these days.

Until I saw it I also did not realise how small it is. I already have a XBOX 360 and would considering getting a Wii too.

But yeah, if you see one, make sure you take the time to go and have a try, don't knock it unless you have tried it. It is rather unusual at first, but playing a tennis game using real movements is somewhat better than just hitting buttons.

Edit - If you want to try one for yourself, a list of locations and dates are available on http://wiievents.nintendo.com.au/

Is it @ EB Games or Game Rush?

Sounds familiar.....EyeToy PLAY, EyeToy SPORTS.
Everyone copies everyone these days. Just like Dreamnova's "Spark of Brilliance."

Im not sure if it will still be there,
But, it was on Level 1, down where the meet santa thing is. Its basically across from JB HiFi, but its not in an actual shop, its just a little thing they have set up.

Just in case you dont know..a few places will be having a midnight sale for the Wii on the 6th of December..

Toys R Us at highpoint will be having it, here's the other stores:

VIC / TAS

e2games
Time: 6pm – Midnight
Activities: Giveaways through-out the night for best dressed. Food & drinks supplied


EB Games
Chadstone
Time: 9pm – Midnight
Activities: Play Wii, Dress-up competition and Wii Tennis Tournament plus giveaways


JB Hi-Fi
Melbourne City

Game Mania
Ringwood
Time: 10pm – Midnight

Tunzagames
Shepparton
Time: 10pm – Midnight
Activites: Giveaways, game playing


Toys R Us
Chadstone, Frankston, Highpoint, Knox City & Northland


EB Games Doncaster, Northland, Chadstone, Dandenong, Frankston Town, Southland, Airport West, Watergardens, Eastland, Ballarat, Fountain Gate, Northgate, Highpoint, Greensborough, Keysborough, Forest Hill, Knox, Eastland, Werribee Plaza, Chirnside Park, Richmond, Midvalley, Melbourne Central, Cranbourne, The Glen, Bendigo, Hobart, Camberwell, Epping Plaza, Elizabeth St, Karingal, Corio, Shepparton, Sunshine Market, Mildura, Launceston, Chapel Street, Waverley Gardens, Geelong, Hobart, Brimbank, The Pines, Rosebud, Brandon Park


NSW / ACT

The Gamesmen
Penhurst, Penrith, Wollongong


Toys R Us
Bankstown, Campbelltown, Chatswood, Erina, Kotara, Hurstville, Miranda, Moore Park, Parramatta, Penrith, Belconnen


EB Games
Miranda, Tuggerah, Macarthur Square, Charlestown Square, Penrith Plaza, Macquarie Centre, Hurstville, Parramatta, Belconnen, Warringah, Kotara, Bankstown, Woden Plaza, Warrawong, Tuggeranong, Winston Hills, Chatswood, Liverpool, Castle Towers, Erina Fair, Burwood, Carlingford, Tweed Mall, Albury, Hornsby, Wetherill Park, Mt Druitt, Moore Park, Westpoint Black, Greenhills, Eastgardens, Canberra City, Roselands, Dubbo Orana Mall, Coffs Harbour, Sydney Centre, Wollongong, Bondi, Pt Maquarie, Bathurst, Rhodes Waterside, Orange, Warriewood, Bateau Bay, Tamworth, Galeries Victor, Cambelltown, Broadway, Nowra, Lismore, Jesmond, Shellharbour, Glendale, Tweed City, Goulburn, Marrickville, Ballina, Sylvania Waters, Woy Woy, Lavington, Chullora, Broken Hill, Taree

QLD

Toys R Us
Asphley, Mt Gravatt, Pacific Fair, Townsville


EB Games
Garden City, Pacific Fair, Sunshine Plaza, Toowoomba, Tea Tree Plaza, Indooroopilly, Strathpine, Cairns, Townsville, Carindale, Chermside, Brown Plains, Morayfield, Mt Ommaney, Capalaba, Logan Hyperdome, Cairns Central, Rockhampton, Clifford Gardens, Brisbane City, Kawana, Castletown, Brookside, Sunnybank, Northlakes, Canelands, Bunderberg, Victoria Point, Taigum, Burleigh, Queens Plaza, Beenleigh, Robina, Helensvale, Australia Fair, Wynnum Plaza, Aspley, Stafford City, Peninsula Fair, Smithfield, Noosaville, Runaway Bud, Toowong, Mt Pleasant, Lutwyche

SA

In2Games
Mt Gambier
Time: 11:30pm onwards
Activities: 10% off all games and peripherals, Wii, launching 12:01am 7/11/06



Toys R Us
Noarlunga, Rundle Mall, Tea Tree

EB Games
Marion, Arndale, Golden Grove, Colonnades, Rundle Mall, Hollywood Plaza, West Lakes, Elizabeth, Parabanks

NT

EB Games
Casuarina, Alice Springs

Yep. I will be picking up my Wii at the midnight Pac Fair EB launch. Have preordered the Wii, Red Steel, Zelda, an additional nunchuck, additional remote/Wii Play pack, classic controller and 2000 points card. All completely paid for exact for the console. Will probably pick up a third game as well.

What are you all getting at launch in terms of games/gear?

Nothing at all. In fact, I'm not even getting one. Plus, I don't even understand what it is. :S

The link in the 1st post in this thread is a good start.
As for me, Im just getting the console, a Nunchuck and the Wii play/Controller bundle. I think Wii sports/ Will play will do me for now, im not really interested in Zelda, and WarioWare doesnt come out till January.
Unfortunatley (Well not really considering) I have an interview for RMIT on the same day so hopefully they will hold one for me till I get back to shepparton that evening. I dont really want to go at midnight and be tired during the interview.

Well, after having a Wii for a couple of weeks now i thought i would post some, well thoughs.
Overall its a very good machine, i have had no real problems with it (Except for accidentally putting it in 60Hz mode, and then not being able to use the pointer to put it back to 50Hz because the screen was severley distorted, i was able to feel my way to the reset console screen though, but this is something they should do a safeguard against).
But id recommed it, it will be great when some more games come out for it, especially proper sports sims. But in the meantime there is enough to amuse buyers.

First of all, the physical aspect of it is true, in your first day of use you will probably be stiff after, but it goes away and you can play it fine. Maybe its not so bad for me since i only really use it for an hour a day or so since thats enough for me) Also, its true about the potential for injuries. The wrist strap breaking thing is a load of bull, it would be interesting to take a strap into the lab and actually see what it can take. IMO i think what is happening is people are not using the strap, the accidentally letting go, and then breaking the strap after to save face.
But in terms of the silly things i have done, i hit a ceiling fan trying to hit the ball high in tennis, and i hit an office chair playing baseball. Both these incidents happened at a mates place during an 18th (they talked me into going home and getting it since i live around the corner) so make sure you clear the way a bit and have adequate clearance. But there was no damage to me or the remote.

As for the non gamer playabilty, its completely true, at the said 18th both my mates mother and a young cousin who looked to be about 7 were both able to pick up and play without any real explaination on how to play, and more importantly no "here you have it" out of exaspiration in not being able to do it.

As for the games, I got Wii Sports, Wii Play and Rayman Raving Rabbids.
I summed up tennis and Bowling above, but after having more time with bowling i was able to appreciate it more, and you can defintiely use things such as spin to your advantage.
Boxing is a bit of a workout, so im actually trying to do a game or so a day just to see if it has any benefits. It doesnt seem as deep as the other sports though as there arent that many types of hit. Golf is quite good, people have said the controls are too touchy, but i havent found that to be the case. Putting in paticular has gotten some complaints, but if you hit it as hard as you would in real life then you avoid any problems.
As for baseball, im still terrible at so lets not go there (How many times have i used the thing today, ill try and cut back....)

Wii play is really just a program that builds your remote skills, but it doesnt come across in that way as they are still games and not boring "wiiducational" activites. Billiards was a decent game, though it has a tendency to go iffy when it actually comes time to shoot, i think the key is just to make sure the sensor bar is in line of sight to the remote lens and you dont have any problems. The duck hunt esque game is decent, and very competitive when you do 2 players, it also has a cool feature where you can weild two remotes so you can shoot in 2 places at once. Some of the games arent so great, table tennis for example basically involved only moving the paddle, its the pong of the 21st century.

As for Rayman, it was OK, but I'd only rent it (I ended up trading it in, but since it was only a couple of weeks old i got a good amount back so it was like renting it anyway)
While the shooting sequences were fun, too many of the games merley required you to simply move the remote and nunchuck alternatley as fast as you can. Think things like milking a cow, running fast to deliver a bomb, pumping a mine cart along, running up for a soccer penalty, tiptoeing through a prison but stopping at the right time and you can begin to see how it got repetitive and tiring to play, add to that there were "Part 2" versions of each game which were harder and maybe added a small extra thing (For example in the cow milking game the original one was just a mad shaking session, but the part 2 one was the same again except you had to aim at each bucket when you filled it to bring the next one over. Granted there were some good ones in there but it didnt really appeal to me, maybe others would like it more.

As for those "channels", i have only used the photo and Mii channel as i havent got the thing online yet. The photo channel is a fairly good way of looking at your photos, and if you want to show others some stuff you took its really easy just to get the card out of your camera and stick it in the console. A funny thing i found is the puzzle mode where you use the remote to put one of your photos back together, whats even more funny is that its works with videos too, so if you feel like an imposible challenge where the picture you want to assemble is constantly changing this is it.
Lastly, the Mii channel. Kids will probably like it more, but it is quite possible to make accurate people in there of all ages. Silly stuff is possible too, like emos and Picasso like creations. Below is one where i managed to get all the facial parts into an ant like figure.

But this is probably enough for now, maybe Tony will post his thougts since he has one too.

Wow, sounds great! Heh, I had to read through a few times until I realised what that picture was supposed to be. I'm definitely getting one this chrissy. I'll be getting Zelda and Wii Play along with a classic controller. I've sold my GameCube on eBay and surprisingly it went for $92. What game should I put the money towards?

Hmmm, maybe they could make a Wii version of Thrillville and you pull the lap bar down and simple things like that... Just an idea...

My sister purchased the Wii and i love it. I've played baseball 10 times with my sister and i've only beaten her once. Same as Bowling & Tennis. I sound s*it i know. The Boxing gives you a real workout.
This is me playing the Wii

LOL, well i guess you changed your tune, glad you are enjoying it though.


I thought exactly the same thing, also you could do stuff like using the sideways hold to drive a bumper car, or in pointer mode to operate those spray stations, or the vertical hold to operate the steering lever in a paddle boat. Also the pointer makes this sort of thing much easier (Its actually quite similar to using a mouse and doesn't take long to use it accurately)

Rather that start a new thread i thought i'd post it here.

Nintendo Wii goes online with Opera

EDIT : You have to use the Wii remote to type in the URL but it's time consuming.

Woo! Talk about PERFECT timing! I'm getting one in a few days time. Does it work with all websites? Does anyone know if more plugins will be available apart from flash?

Your best bet is to look at the offical site or at some gaming sites since they probably would have reviewed it properly by now.
Enjoy it BTW.

It works on all web sites that i know of. But just remember you can only view web sites.

I got mine today! The sensor bar looks a lot different to how I imagined it would. Concerning the WiiConnect24 Service, has anyone found it to be really slow? At first I thought it was just my internet connection, but then I noticed there was hardly any bandwidth being consumed. I'm using the WiFi adapter from my DS as I don't have a wireless router. Will the distance away from the Wii affect the speed?

Yes it does. It's pretty slow loading but as i have a wireless router i find that the closer it is the router the faster it loads.

It's working fine now! I'm posting this from my Wii! Slow to type though... Best thing since sliced bread IMO.

Yes very time consuming although you can buy a keyboard but i'm not sure if it's available yet. Have you mastered the Baseball yet? The Boxing gives you a great workout.


EDIT : Check your wrist strap to see what version you have. I've got the old version. I'll be ringing them up on Wednesday for a replacement.

Check here

Nope, I suck immensely at baseball! I tried the fitness test thing, and what did it tell me? It said I was 61 years old! All because I didn't hit a single baseball. I'll try again tomorrow, it was the first thing I did so I probably have improved.

I'll definitely buy a keyboard if they aren't expensive. Are they wireless or do they plug into the USB ports? About the wrist strap, I've got a feeling I've got the old version, but I can't really tell. The newer picture looks rubbery and mine is the string version you find on most lanyards/wrist straps. Is it worth bothering to get a replacement?

(Oh, and I'm using the computer again, to slow to type on the Wii).

I've got no idea if their wireless or not. Don't know nothing about price i don't even know if it's available here yet. 61yo I've hit a few homies and few out of the park. I'd say you've got the old version. It wont hurt to ring Nintendo up and get a replacement. Here's a tip for you. If your playing Tennis and you want to cheat make sure you keep both of your Mii's on the court. That way everytime your opponant hits the ball you'll be able to hit back harder (The Mii that closesest to the net)

Thanks, I already figured that out, I just jump madly and hope I hit the ball sometimes. You know how sometimes in Tennis you smash the ball really hard and it's impossible to hit? How do you do that? I've tried waiting until the ball reaches its peak height before I hit it but it hardly ever works.

I think with the ace serve it is pretty random, there probably is a way to do it every time but i dont know it. I think it tends to happen when you do an "A" button serve, and then just flick the remote down like a hammer instead of doing a full on swing.
But what do you mean about "cheating" in tennis? You have 2 Miis by default so its not really cheating at all. Its funny trying to rally between the front two people though.

And WnW_Rocks, just stick with baseball, i used to be terrible at it, but you eventually get a feel for the timing and you can be pretty consistent. Its probably the hardest one there. And for the record my best Mii fitness age was 30.

Now, as for the wrist strap thing, i wouldnt really bother, i think the whole snapping thing is a load of bull anyway, you would have to be doing something VERY drastic for it to occur. As for me, i took off all my wrist straps. Dangerous? Maybe. But id rather have a more free playing experience, its not like I go letting go of bats in real life or anything so i cant see it happening to me. And as i have said i have whacked an office chair with one and they are pretty sturdy so even if i do release i cant see it breaking.

And, on a side note, i found a cool vid of a must own game for the Wii:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83Vd3obVvps

Yeah, I managed to cork my knee playing golf somehow with the WiiMote. They're pretty solid.

Ok maybe it's not cheating but it's close to it. I can't beleive that you don't use the wrist straps? I used to be crap @ Baseball but like gazza said you get to used to it. Have you tried bowling? My highest score is 177. Crap i know, i was on the verge of breaking it as i got 4 strikes in a row anyway my oldest sister had her 5th turn and the Wii remote hit the console knocking it off the crate. The game rebooted and my bowling has never been the same since.

But serioulsy, even if you do have the wrist straps attached people dont tend to bother looping their hand through anyway so there is really no point.
Plus the TV im playing it on is old school and i cant imagine it taking any damage (or me being too woried if it did )
Click to view attachment

Holy crap that tv is old.

Perfect for playing Virtual Console games on Ok, let's swap Wii Codes. Mine's 8934 5222 4765 1246. Anyone can add me but let me know in this thread so I can add you back, otherwise you won't be able to message me.

Wish Nintendo gave us a present via Virtual Console today. There was a rumour going around that they were going to give Super Mario Bros away for free as a bonus but oh well.

I'll give you mine in the morning as my baby sister & her BF are currently playing it.

Whoa, that's an old TV alright! Can you even get RF Switch Cables for the Wii or can you just use GC/N64 ones? I've got a nice big LG Flatron CRT Widescreen myself. Sure it doesn't have the best quality picture and takes up a fair bit of room being a CRT but it has composite input jacks so I'll be looking at picking the cable up when it comes out.

One thing I've noticed which I can't seem to fix, my TV supposedly supports up to 100Hz. When I set it to 60Hz it screws up, but if i change the ratio to 4:3 it works fine. Any ideas?

I kept my gamecube controller but I sold all but one of my games. (Smash Bros. Melee). Can I use it for anything apart from GC games? I bought a classic controller and I'm wondering whether I really need it if I've got a GC one... Or should I just keep 'em both?

I'd keep them both. Sorry can't help you with your tv.

Nah, im going via an equally old VCR which has the ports, and the vcr is connected to the TV via RF, but it doesnt matter anymore since we are picking up a new TV in the sales.
Good call there tony, its the perfect retro experience for VC games.
Also, i think one thing they need to update urgently is the 60Hz mode thing, if your TV doesnt support it its very difficult to put back on 50Hz since the screen becomes garbled. As for your situation, is there something you have to do to the TV itself in its settings to actually have it on 60Hz?
And WnW_rocks, you can get the composite cables now, i saw them at the Big W here so just look around and you should be able to get it, they cost $50 though.

Oh, and my Wii code is 7777 8408 4704 8441 but i wont be online till i get broadband, which should be in about a weeks time when they send the start up disc.

Just a side note, when I tried to visit the Wii Shop this arvo, it said that the system was currently undergoing maintenance. Is that because they're adding games to the virtual console?

I doubt it. I think it's just a case of most new TVs having it on by default. Don't quote me on this though.
We can only hope. A Boxing Day bonus perhaps? Games are normally added about 10am every Friday. Maybe all the new people Wiiing broke the system.

I brought a component video cable today. Dished out the whole $50, EB wouldn't do it any cheaper even though they supposedly were having a 'Massive 50% Off Clearance'. Do you think it's worth keeping? To my dismay, I plugged it in, set the screen settings to EDTV/HDTV 480i, and the screen completely f'ed up! I spent ages looking through the manual that came with the TV, and then I realised my TV only supported 480p. At least it works fine when I set it on 60Hz now! The picture is a bit clearer, but nothing spectacular like I hoped. Thoughts?