Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii !!!

[topspeed]

...or rather...

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

The wife, after waiting in line at Target since 6:30am, bought the family a Nintendo Wii yesterday and while I'm not a hardcore gamer, I love the orginality of the control interface ! Whoever figured out how to incorporate the visual tracker and 5 axis sensor in a freakin' video game deserves a cold one. I've been playing video games since the days of the Atari 2600, Fairchild, and Intellivision, but this is the first real breakthrough I've experienced in gaming. On tennis, you don't just swing to hit the ball, you can control the topspin or backspin. In golf, you can hook or slice, depending on how straight your swing is. WHERE'S THE RACING APP FOR THIS CONSOLE?!? droooool...gurgle...

Sure, killer graphics are nice (which this most certainly doesn't have) but it's the fun that counts. On a scale of 1-10 in fun factor, this thing ranks a 12. My wife actually had sore muscles this morning from playing the Wii yesterday! That's great! I should note that this is my first Nintendo product. I've never owned a NES, GC, or even a Gameboy. In fact, if anything I've been anti-Nintendo having owned Sega and Sony consoles. So far, I'm impressed with the build quality, compact dimensions (size of a good book), and most importantly, quietness of the Wii. I never did like the loud fan of my first gen PS2, although I'm sure later versions were considerably quieter.

Gripes? Well, the graphics are pathetic for a next gen console. The ancient PS2 puts this to shame (apparently, my Treo has more computing power), although I wouldn't sacrifice graphics for the superior playability. Also, the wand control is smooth plastic. I can see why people fling these into their tv's. If ever there was a control that needed some rubber or other grippy material, this is it. It's like trying to hold onto a iPod Nano while throwing a fastball. Throw in sweaty palms and you're looking at $3,000 strikeout. Finally, the apps are still aimed at the kiddies. My wife picked up Zelda for me because the salesperson said it was the "killer app" for the console. Whatever. I've only played it for about an hour, and all I can say is the action had better start picking up soon. Fishing and catching an old woman's cat is just not my cup o' tea. I wanna blow something up! How much fun would a Halo or Half-life game be on this?!?

Anyway, if you're into gaming...or even if you're not into gaming...check out the Wii. The controls really are revolutionary and definitely take the immersive quality of gaming to another level.

[ericl]

you sound like a little kid!! great post. Seems like a very cool system. IMO, Nintendo just kicked Sony and MS's butts by "thinking outside the box" HD graphics - who cares??

oh yeah, you should check out Metroid for the Wii. That should be a hell of a game. Lots of stuff blowing up, great game play. I don't know if it's out yet or not..

[GMichael]

The only video game I ever had at home was "Pong" oh yeah, and it also had Hocky. It was like Pong but with 2 paddles. Are the new ones any better?

[topspeed]

IMO, Nintendo just kicked Sony and MS's butts by "thinking outside the box" HD graphics - who cares??

Well said, I couldn't agree more. MS and Sony pretty much stole Nintendo's lunch money in the last battle, so instead of seeing who can produce better graphics or make a universal home entertainment system, they focused on making gaming more fun, which is why we buy the things in the first place, right?

When I play a video game, I don't like to think. I don't have time for RPG's or strategy games. I think hard enough at work all day so when I get a few moments to play a game, I just want to turn it on and play. No reading, no planning, just action. That's why FPS' are my favorite.

The only video game I ever had at home was "Pong" oh yeah, and it also had Hocky. It was like Pong but with 2 paddles. Are the new ones any better?

LOL! They look better, but whether or not they play better is another thing altogether...

[L.J.]

I had considered getting one but I'll probably invest that $$$ into my PS3 instead. Although you are making it seem a little tempting

[basite]

congrats,
have fun with your Wii,
don't break stuff eh?

here it's the pc for games, because I still think keyboard + mouse combo is the best for gaming, but if I were to buy a console, it probably would be the Wii...

Game on...
Bert.

[topspeed]

Hey LJ,

I might get a PS3 once the prices drop and there's a lot more software in both games and BR. Hopefully, they'll find a way to make it smaller as well. That thing is freakin' huge! I'll bet BR movies look sweet on the new SXRD, eh?



Bert,

For fps, nothing beats a keyboard and mouse...

except a wand that you can point at the screen .

[L.J.]

Hey LJ,

I might get a PS3 once the prices drop and there's a lot more software in both games and BR. Hopefully, they'll find a way to make it smaller as well. That thing is freakin' huge! I'll bet BR movies look sweet on the new SXRD, eh?

Oh Yeah, the picture is freakin' SWEET! Haven't had a chance to pull out the DVE yet but I'll get around to it. I've actually been more focused on audio lately and once I'm all calibrated will move on to the video side. Haven't really had a chance to watch to much BR yet (except for The Wild 3 times due to my kids loving it) because I'm still busy unpacking boxes

Has Nintendo done anything about the strap? I'd hate to have a controller go flying across the room or worse going into the TV

[topspeed]

Nope, the strap is still pretty lame. Velcro would have been more secure, but the real problem lies is the matrials used for the controller. Topside, it's shiny, slick plastic just like an iPod. On the bottom, it's not shiny but it's isn't any better either. If they could just give it a little texture or grip, that would work wonders. Honestly, I'm not worried about my wife or myself throwing the controller, it's my kids I'm worried about.

Oh well, if they destroy the set that just gives me an excuse to upgrade to the H series JVC's with their superior black levels .

[dean_martin]

That's cool, speedy. I've been caught playin' my son's Guitar Hero II on the PS2 quite a bit lately. It rocks! But better than that is when I get to tell my son and his friends that I saw the Reverend Horton Heat, Primus, Alice in Chains and others on the game live. The XBOX 360 version is due this month.

[topspeed]

I LOVE Guitar Hero! I bought two guitars for my kids for Christmas, but I play it a lot more than they do. I've nailed the medium setting, but hard is, well...too hard! That last fret screws me up every time. I've got drummer hands, not long fingered guitarist hands .

My friend in Seattle is burning me a bunch of copies of RHH that he has on his 'puter. Honestly, I'd never heard of the band until this game but have always loved rockabilly. I think I need to remind him to send those to me! Always been a fan of Primus and Alice as well. Primus for it's funky beats and Alice for Staley's unique voice. Too bad he bought the farm. Tool reminds me of a hard-core Primus.