To Wii or not to Wii that is the question?

[RAV TUX]

To Wii (http://wii.com/) or not to Wii (http://wii.com/), that is the question?

A co-worker was telling me about the Wii and it sounds pretty cool, the games on the website look awesome.

I have never played the Wii, I was wondering what your thoughts are on the Wii.

...of course I will have to try the Wii in person first before buying but what are your thoughts?

To Wii (http://wii.com/) or not to Wii, (http://wii.com/) that is the question?

[mozetti]

The Wii is awesome -- multiple friends and family have one and I enjoy it every time I play. I bought an Xbox 360 over a year ago and have been wondering if I should have bought the Wii instead. But, after thinking about it I think the 360 was the better purchase. For example, I really like Halo and the other FPS (Call of Duty, GRAW, Gears of War), and I also like the EA sports games and racing games. The 360 gives me all of those and the Xbox Live service -- I use that to not only play with/against people online, but I also play & buy the arcade games it offers.

It's fun to sometimes just kick back and play PAC-MAN, Double Dragon, Sonic the Hedgehog and numerous other arcade games.

[Incense]

I like the Wii because it's the only video game system that my wife will happily sit down and play with me. (the only exception being Dance Dance Revolution but she preg right now so that doesn't really work). She loves Wii sports, and to be honest so do I. I'm also an old Nintendo guy, so I love having Mario and Zelda back in my home. The virtual console also gives you access to the older Nintendo library, so games like Super Mario Bros 3 and Donkey Kong Country are just a couple clicks away. The Wii also has an Opera browser built in, so you can surf the web in your living room if you really want. It's also fun to make and share Mii's with your friends and family. I don't really know why, but it is.

Cheers!

[jaytek13]

I love my Wii. Zelda, Metroid Prime 3, Mario Galaxy, Zak & Wiki, Super Paper Mario, No More Heroes, Endless Ocean... and soon enough SSBB and Mario Kart. It offers a very diverse library of A+ games with many more to come in the future. Not to mention all the "party" games that you can play with your friends and family. And the virtual console also offers the old school games.

[Rhubarb]

If you get a wii, you can do some good things with the wii controller, bluetooth, and compiz-fusion:

http://wiki.compiz-fusion.org/Plugins/Wiitrack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT4N5P3XOjI

[mysticrider92]

If you get a wii, you can do some good things with the wii controller, bluetooth, and compiz-fusion:

http://wiki.compiz-fusion.org/Plugins/Wiitrack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT4N5P3XOjI

This stuff with a wiimote is pretty awesome: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/

My sister got a Wii last year, and it has actually been quite fun. The single-player games have not impressed me much, but the Wii will probably have your whole family playing almost immediately. For that reason, it is worth it.

If you want serious and realistic games, you won't find them on the Wii, but there are plenty of games that are more "fun", without any real purpose behind them (what makes the Wii so addicting).

[Sami_Sdata]

I bought the Wii back in September for my oldest son's birthday. Since then it's been the most played system in the house. It dragged me back in to console games after years away from them. Even my wife will join in and play. It's a system that keeps our whole family, ages 7-45, entertained at the same time. That's not an easy task.

[wanttolearn]

The wii is fantastic, our current flavor of the month is sonic and mario and the olympic games... to be honest i don't know which is better, playing the game or watching people "run" like nutters with the remotes :)

[billgoldberg]

If you can stand the ancient graphics of the wii, then it's a good machine.

It's no ps3.

[Zero Prime]

If you can stand the ancient graphics of the wii, then it's a good machine.

It's no ps3.
Ancient graphics? While it may be no PS3, thank God, it's graphics are rather nice.
http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/index.html

[RAV TUX]

If you can stand the ancient graphics of the wii, then it's a good machine.

It's no ps3.Reminds me of the YouTube titled "PS3 vs. Wii" (similar to the Mac vs Windows vs Linux ads).

[fuscia]

playing tag outside > wii, etc.

[jaytek13]

playing tag outside > wii, etc.

Couldn't you say the same thing about browsing internet forums?

[fuscia]

Couldn't you say the same thing about browsing internet forums?

absolutely. it probably beats changing your wallpaper every five seconds, as well.

[BigSilly]

Don't mention the friggin' Wii to me at the moment. I'm well annoyed with mine right now. It's had an intermittent drive problem for a while, so I decided to send it in to Nintendo for repair. I included a detailed cover letter (not too detailed - I didn't want them falling asleep reading it!) explaining the problem. Just got it back today, and guess what? They've done nothing to it. It's doing exactly the same thing as before.

Customer service simply does not exist does it? These companies have nothing but contempt for the customer. I'm annoyed, can you tell?

[Incense]

absolutely. it probably beats changing your wallpaper every five seconds, as well.

I don't know if I'd go that far. Changing wallpaper can be a very enjoying thing! Especially when the guy next to you doesn't lock his work station, and you set the wallpaper to a screen shot of his desktop will all his windows open, then minimize everything, hide the icons and taskbar. That is > tag IMO! ... not every five seconds though. That's a lot of wallpaper!

[days_of_ruin]

To Wii (http://wii.com/) or not to Wii (http://wii.com/), that is the question?

A co-worker was telling me about the Wii and it sounds pretty cool, the games on the website look awesome.

I have never played the Wii, I was wondering what your thoughts are on the Wii.

...of course I will have to try the Wii in person first before buying but what are your thoughts?

To Wii (http://wii.com/) or not to Wii, (http://wii.com/) that is the question?

Buy one and get super mario galaxy!VERY GOOD GAME.
look it up on gamerankigs if you dont believe me.

[days_of_ruin]

If you can stand the ancient graphics of the wii, then it's a good machine.

It's no ps3.

Which is why its outselling the ps3 by a mile.

[ibanez]

We've had our Wii for over a year now, we have 40 plus games, and although it was used daily initially ,it hardly gets used now, but the good thing about the Wii is , Its always fun no matter how long it hasn't been used .

I'm thinking it will get used in a couple of months as the girls are waiting for "WiiFitness"

& it outlasted our PS3 , We couldn't live with the sloooow load times

[billgoldberg]

Which is why its outselling the ps3 by a mile.

So, that doesn't mean anything.

I've played on the wii before and i'm not impressed, the wow factor wears of pretty fast.

It's more a game console for small children or women.

I can't wait untill god of war3, final fantasy 13 and tekken 6 are released, those three games alone can make the ps3 the biggest again.

[Tom Mann]

Wii! I am nearly at the end of Zelda and feel like playing it from the beginning again when I'm done! THe last game that did that was Final Fantasy 7, screw graphics - I'm hooked :)

[fuscia]

I don't know if I'd go that far. Changing wallpaper can be a very enjoying thing! Especially when the guy next to you doesn't lock his work station, and you set the wallpaper to a screen shot of his desktop will all his windows open, then minimize everything, hide the icons and taskbar.

might have to try that on mrs. fuscia.

[days_of_ruin]

So, that doesn't mean anything.

I've played on the wii before and i'm not impressed, the wow factor wears of pretty fast.

It's more a game console for small children or women.

I can't wait untill god of war3, final fantasy 13 and tekken 6 are released, those three games alone can make the ps3 the biggest again.

What games did you play?Wii sports?Try SMG or LOZTP or SSBB
or NMH and tell me they are just for small children or women.

[PureSamuel]

In my opinion:

The Wii is great fun with friends and family, but not so good when you're playing on your own.. also the range of games is not the widest of the consoles.
However the price is good.

[jaytek13]

In my opinion:

The Wii is great fun with friends and family, but not so good when you're playing on your own.. also the range of games is not the widest of the consoles.
However the price is good.

In comparison to what? The PS2?

Wii has
Zelda - Action RPG
Zak & Wiki - Puzzle
Mario Galaxy - Platformer
No More Heroes - Action
Endless Ocean - Adventure
Metroid Prime - FPS

And once SSBB comes out that will take care of the fighting genre, and Mario Kart will take care of the racing genre, and these are all A+ games... Along with all the other unknown innovative games that are coming out in the future.

360 has... uhm, well any game worth mentioning is always a FPS, just as it was for the original xbox.

PS3, well, I guess it's nice if you just want to play sequels with updated graphics. They do have some games of interest coming out in the very distant future, but IMO the PS3 is the neo geo of this generation.

But, it doesn't always have to be a competition. People can and most often do own more than 1 console and can actually enjoy playing games on both.

[Incense]

Wii! I am nearly at the end of Zelda and feel like playing it from the beginning again when I'm done! THe last game that did that was Final Fantasy 7, screw graphics - I'm hooked :)

A lot of people say this about the Wii. It doesn't have HD or any of that, but the games are fun. I think that's really the key to the success of the Wii.

[tuebinger]

We got the Wii when it first came out. It's a great party system. When firends come over we put their Miis into the system and the first game we pop in is the Wii Sports. Tennis is our favorite -- we always have a blast playing tt! Bowling and boxing are really fun, too. Everyone that's come over to play it has been fascinated by the Wii. Although I wouldn't trade in my XBOX 360 for the Wii, it definitely corners the market on fun. So far no one who has come over has said, "Ooh, you have the XBOX 360 Elite! Let's play that!" It's always, "Wow, you have a Wii??? Can we playwith the Wii???"

I would definitely recommend buying it.

[Zipster90]

The Wii is incredible. Never before have I loved a console so much. I'd definately recommend it. I'm going to stop by GameStop today to see if they have any copies of the new Smash Bros. (I know they won't.)

[sub2007]

As a self confessed hardcore Nintendo fan since the NES days, my opinions are probably not worth much as I think I'd buy anything that has a Nintendo label on it :P

As for PS3, I don't really want to spend $600 on a machine that displays pretty pictures. I won't lie, I watch adverts for PS3 and 360 and think "wow, that game looks impressive" but I never think "wow, I really want to play that game" the same as a Wii or DS advert would excite me. If I liked the GAMES I would buy a PS3, my choice of console is not based on how pretty it looks. Likewise, I wouldn't buy a Wii just because I can make crazy gestures with it. It's because I know I like the franchises and, so far, they haven't disappointed - Mario Galaxy was one of the best Mario games I've ever played. And for what it's worth I really am not disappointed with the graphics, I'd barely call them ancient.

But each to his own, if you like the games for Playstation then then get one and if you like Nintendo franchises then get a Wii. A console is only as good as it's games.

[Sunflower1970]

The Wii's great. It's the only game console I'd think seriously about buying.

[Incense]

might have to try that on mrs. fuscia.

The hardest part is keeping a straight face when they are clicking on the windows or icons and nothing is happening. Then you learn to duck real fast.

:lolflag:

[RAV TUX]

In comparison to what? The PS2?

Wii has
Zelda - Action RPG
Zak & Wiki - Puzzle
Mario Galaxy - Platformer
No More Heroes - Action
Endless Ocean - Adventure
Metroid Prime - FPS

And once SSBB comes out that will take care of the fighting genre, and Mario Kart will take care of the racing genre, and these are all A+ games... Along with all the other unknown innovative games that are coming out in the future.

360 has... uhm, well any game worth mentioning is always a FPS, just as it was for the original xbox.

PS3, well, I guess it's nice if you just want to play sequels with updated graphics. They do have some games of interest coming out in the very distant future, but IMO the PS3 is the neo geo of this generation.

But, it doesn't always have to be a competition. People can and most often do own more than 1 console and can actually enjoy playing games on both.About "Endless Ocean" that game looks awesome!!!

I have mostly heard nothing but great things about the Wii, and it would probably be the only gaming system I would buy. Since I already have a gaming computer I can not see buying the Xbox or PS3.

The human interaction that the Wii brings looks awesome!...and a main selling point.

The Wii is not just another gaming system but in a league of it's own.


The Wii is incredible. Never before have I loved a console so much. I'd definately recommend it. I'm going to stop by GameStop today to see if they have any copies of the new Smash Bros. (I know they won't.)

Awesome positive review, Thanks for sharing.


The Wii's great. It's the only game console I'd think seriously about buying.

At this point I tend to confer with you.

One important Question about the Wii, I don't own a TV can I hook it up to my LCD computer monitor?

[sub2007]

You can do it with either a video capture (and I'd guess a TV tuner) card which has composite ports (red, white and yellow). If your graphics card has an S-video port which supports in/out then you can use that provided that you get an S-video cable. If your graphics card has video in/out then you can also get an S-video to composite adapter which will turn your S-video into a yellow composite port which you can use your standard composite cable with, plugging the red and white into your sound card (you can get a splitter for that as well if you only have a line in slot).

[Polygon]

its free to play online

can use SD cards as expandable storage, but im not even close to running out of internal storage on my wii and i have a lot of stuff installed (channels, saved games)

games are good

most of the games for the xbox360 are or will be coming to the pc....halo 3...gears of war.....call of duty 4...etc

its cheap

the graphics arnt as advanced as the ps3's or xboxs, but they are in no way bad.

i like it.

[BLTicklemonster]

To Wii (http://wii.com/) or not to Wii (http://wii.com/), that is the question?

A co-worker was telling me about the Wii and it sounds pretty cool, the games on the website look awesome.

I have never played the Wii, I was wondering what your thoughts are on the Wii.

...of course I will have to try the Wii in person first before buying but what are your thoughts?

To Wii (http://wii.com/) or not to Wii, (http://wii.com/) that is the question?

Oui oui!!!

oui're going to be getting a Wii soon, and we hope oui will be having a good time, and that wii don't break the screen on our tv playing it.

[RAV TUX]

You can do it with either a video capture (and I'd guess a TV tuner) card which has composite ports (red, white and yellow). If your graphics card has an S-video port which supports in/out then you can use that provided that you get an S-video cable. If your graphics card has video in/out then you can also get an S-video to composite adapter which will turn your S-video into a yellow composite port which you can use your standard composite cable with, plugging the red and white into your sound card (you can get a splitter for that as well if you only have a line in slot).


its free to play online

can use SD cards as expandable storage, but im not even close to running out of internal storage on my wii and i have a lot of stuff installed (channels, saved games)

games are good

most of the games for the xbox360 are or will be coming to the pc....halo 3...gears of war.....call of duty 4...etc

its cheap

the graphics arnt as advanced as the ps3's or xboxs, but they are in no way bad.

i like it.


Oui oui!!!

oui're going to be getting a Wii soon, and we hope oui will be having a good time, and that wii don't break the screen on our tv playing it.

Thanks for the tips gents.

[jpittack]

A Wii is a GameCube with a different remote controller. My girlfriend's brother and his girlfriend enjoy it, but it takes a backseat to Final Fantasy 11 for them. The games don't look that great to me, but I'm waiting for Gran Turismo and Metal Gear Solid.

My advice, if you can find one, buy it. If you end up hating it, you can sell it for profit. My store hasn't had a Wii in it since November.

[Polygon]

A Wii is a GameCube with a different remote controller. My girlfriend's brother and his girlfriend enjoy it, but it takes a backseat to Final Fantasy 11 for them. The games don't look that great to me, but I'm waiting for Gran Turismo and Metal Gear Solid.

My advice, if you can find one, buy it. If you end up hating it, you can sell it for profit. My store hasn't had a Wii in it since November.

it is not a gamecube with a different controller, there are many differences.

And i can tell from super mario galaxy that the graphics are much improved, if you play the game, some characters have fur thats pretty realistic. Also the fact that its still fairly new, and graphics usually go up as time goes on

[Knyven]

Those pc games rarely supported linux users, so our outlets in gaming is (not wine) but consoles! get the Wii for wholesome, casual fun and PS3 for pc games alternative.

Pc games deserves a decline, and Xbox what???..

[BLTicklemonster]

absolutely. it probably beats changing your wallpaper every five seconds, as well.

Maybe 5, but not 6, right? :)

[jpittack]

it is not a gamecube with a different controller, there are many differences.

And i can tell from super mario galaxy that the graphics are much improved, if you play the game, some characters have fur thats pretty realistic. Also the fact that its still fairly new, and graphics usually go up as time goes on

There are differences, but they are no where near the level that ps2 to ps3 offers. Graphics did get a boost, but they couldn't do much there to keep costs down.

The ps3 on the otherhand, went from 420p to 1080p, double the color and pixels of the wii. MGS4 will no longer have an ! above a soldier's head to let you know that he saw you. You will see his face and how mad he is that you are trying to kill him.

So I made the comparsion based on the idea that the Wii shows fur, and that the PS3 shows anguish. When is the last time you saw anguish?

[ghandi69_]

It all depends on what your looking for.

I personally play games only for the 'simulation factor'.

If I'm playing a first person shooter, I want to feel as close as I can to actually being there.... and for that.. the most important thing is graphics and sound, and Call of Duty 4 fits the bill.

If I'm playing a racing game, for that time I'm racing I want it to look and feel as close to the real thing as technology currently allows, like Gran Tourismo can...

Graphics and Sound are the most important things to me.

So obviously for me.. the playstation 3 fits the bill.

[sub2007]

it is not a gamecube with a different controller, there are many differences.

And i can tell from super mario galaxy that the graphics are much improved, if you play the game, some characters have fur thats pretty realistic. Also the fact that its still fairly new, and graphics usually go up as time goes on

Are you implying that fur shading is an improvement on Gamecube? Because fur shading wasn't a new invention for Wii, it's been around since Donkey Kong 64.. Starfox Adventures had gorgeous fur shading, possibly more impressive than Super Mario Galaxy's. It's definitely a huge improvement on Sunshine, but when you look at games like Starfox Adventures and Metroid Prime for Gamecube you can tell that not a lot has changed graphically. Metroid Prime 3 barely looks better than Prime or Prime 2, to be honest. Sure the graphics will get better over time, and are slightly better on Wii than Gamecube (just because you're working with increased power) but I'm not sure how much by. The only place you'll probably see improvement is if you use a high def TV and a component cable.

The point was that Nintendo didn't want to spend lots of money adding high-def, DVD players and all the jazz you get with the other more expensive consoles when, in their (and my) opinion graphics don't make a game. They set out to create a console that was fun to play and that was ingenious. Back in 1995 when they announced Mario 64, people said "that game looks great" but also "I can't wait to get my hands on that" - as Reggie said it wasn't about the looks, it was about the feel. Nintendo pioneered a tiny little joystick that you can use to control your character instead of using a D-pad to give you full 360 degrees of interaction. Everyone thought "that'll never catch on" and yet 10 years later what controller hasn't had an analogue stick? Nintendo have always, in my opinion, tried to push the boundaries and invent something different (and possibly hugely risky) that takes your game experience to a new level and tries to appeal to people that don't normally play games.

[jpittack]

Are you implying that fur shading is an improvement on Gamecube? Because fur shading wasn't a new invention for Wii, it's been around since Donkey Kong 64.. Starfox Adventures had gorgeous fur shading, possibly more impressive than Super Mario Galaxy's. It's definitely a huge improvement on Sunshine, but when you look at games like Starfox Adventures and Metroid Prime for Gamecube you can tell that not a lot has changed graphically. Metroid Prime 3 barely looks better than Prime or Prime 2, to be honest. Sure the graphics will get better over time, and are slightly better on Wii than Gamecube (just because you're working with increased power) but I'm not sure how much by. The only place you'll probably see improvement is if you use a high def TV and a component cable.

The point was that Nintendo didn't want to spend lots of money adding high-def, DVD players and all the jazz you get with the other more expensive consoles when, in their (and my) opinion graphics don't make a game. They set out to create a console that was fun to play and that was ingenious. Back in 1995 when they announced Mario 64, people said "that game looks great" but also "I can't wait to get my hands on that" - as Reggie said it wasn't about the looks, it was about the feel. Nintendo pioneered a tiny little joystick that you can use to control your character instead of using a D-pad to give you full 360 degrees of interaction. Everyone thought "that'll never catch on" and yet 10 years later what controller hasn't had an analogue stick? Nintendo have always, in my opinion, tried to push the boundaries and invent something different (and possibly hugely risky) that takes your game experience to a new level and tries to appeal to people that don't normally play games.

That Nintendo is inventing a new way to enjoy playing games, that much is true. But I can't really look at a difference between the gamecubes gameplay and the wii's gameplay. The games didn't change, just how you manipulate the character. And for some people, that didnt change much either. People were flaying their arms to try and get their character to move before it had an effect.

I just don't find the appeal of swinging my controller to make Link swing his sword as opposed to pushing a combo of two buttons or a control stick. The movements are still predefined. Same as the NES. You just have more choices as time progesses.

I won't be buying a Wii because its no different then the N64 for me. If my NES worked, I would be playing that. At the moment the games available to me are Ubuntu pre install games, Battle for Wesnoth, and super mario 64.

I won't buy a PS3 until it gets a revision, is cheaper, and MGS4 is out. Then I will be watching everything closely, trying to sneak around a robot that moos, blend into the background, and slice some poor guys throat. For me, thats a lot better than swinging a sword and shooting a hookshot. I can do that on a SNES.

I don't really pay attention to how fur is ending up on my screen. I just look at the screen and try not to die.