Buying Wii ???

[shruley]

DH has decided he wants to get a Wii for the family for Xmas. We have never owned any sort of "video game", ever. Where is the best place to buy it? Does anyone ever offer sales or anything, or is it more I'm just lucky if I can find one? How far in advance of Xmas do we need to get one? Last one, games are expensive. Do people find any used anywhere or anything to make them cheaper?? Thanks

 

[SaraMc]

If your just starting off, Walmart and Costco often have bundles where you get a few games other than just Wii Sports and a extra controller and a nunchuck. If you are looking to just buy the system, what we did to make sure we could play together was we bought the system and then bought Wii Play which comes with an extra controller and got a nunchuck.
They seem to be around a lot right now, we saw tons at costco. If your looking for Rockband for it too its been on sale at EB in canada and the states too.

 

[SaraMc]

Oh I forgot, games. EB or Gamestop often have the games used. Its usually cheaper that way. My BIL works for EB games and they make no money on the systems its all in the games, so that's why games are so expensive. Also waiting for the new games to get older they drop in price. Like a lot of the games that came out when Wii originally came out are now about 20.00

 

[OverplanninJess]

First, let me say that the Wii is definitely a lot of fun and very family friendly (my grandmother has played with all of us before!), so I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

As far as availability of the Wii, I'm not very knowledgeable (we got ours the day it came out!)...but I know that places like GameStop and EBGames sell refurbished video gaming systems as well as used games for pretty decent prices-I know we've gotten at least 3 different games there for $5 or less. The best thing to do is wait until the game you want has been out for a little while-if you buy a game right when it's released you will pay top price for it.

Also, watch for specials on games around Christmas-I got DBF quite a few games last year and didn't pay more than $25 for each (and they were all fairly new or brand new games).

Another way to get games is by using the Wii's internet feature to buy old Nintendo and Sega games using Wii Points (which you buy using a credit card)-the games cost somewhere between $5 and $15 (if I recall correctly) and they are downloaded directly onto your system.

You can also play old GameCube games on the Wii, which you can buy used for pretty cheap most of the time. Check Ebay!

Hope this helps!

 

[MineMail]

It seems like there are inventory outages every holiday season, so if you see one now, buy it. Don't wait.

I also recommend having at least two pairs of controllers and numchuks. It makes it more fun to not have to change hands. We bought an extra two sets used from Gamestop, so they weren't as expensive as the new ones.

We use rechargeable battery packs and a charging station for the controller. The kids have to put the controllers in to charge, so they don't leave them laying around. If they forget, they can't play because the batteries are dead, lol.

We have the Wii as well as Wii Fit, which we all love to use. There's a lot of variety in the choice of workouts so it doesn't get stale quickly. We only have one balance board with a cover, but the kids take turns with it and DH and I usually work out alone. Wii Fit is also hard to find.

If you're thinking about the Guitar Hero games, buy them at Target. They often put a game/two guitars on sale as a package and the price is good.

The games really are expensive, but the price drops after a few weeks, so plan to wait before buying. Best Buy and Target discount them occasionally, so if you're looking for a particular one, keep an eye on their circulars. Walmart always has the lowest regular price on a new game.

BJ's Costco Sam's Club has low-priced games, but they're usually not the better ones. They're like the low-budget versions and my kids haven't liked any of them as much as the more expensive ones.

I've bought used games at GameStop and similar stores, but the savings was small. They do buy used games, so I've "traded in" a few that we didn't use, so that helped lower the cost. Those used game stores' regular prices are the same as BestBuy/FYE/etc.


ETA: Don't buy the fancy "covers" for the controllers at regular retailers. There are holder knockoffs of the golf club, baseball bat, tennis racket, etc. that work just fine (they're just a plastic shape) that you can buy from the dollar stores and Five Below for much, much less.

 

[Aliceacc]

We got one for the kids last August, as a family Christmas gift. We found it at Target the week before we left for Disney, and were thrilled to have that done so early!

We got the kids a few games. But the genius move of the year (aside from the original purchase) was letting all the aunts and uncles know that we had gotten them the Wii. They ended up with quite a collection of games, courtesy of family. But the Wii comes with Wii Sports, which is a collection of 5 or 6 different games. So not having other games isn't a big issue at the beginning.

We gave the Wii from us (not Santa), but a short note from Santa could easily handle the "how did they know?" question-- as long as Santa arrives before the gift-bearing-family-members do.

Also, don't forget some of the extras-- you'll want at least 2 sets of numchucks and at least a total of at least 2 controllers. My 6 year old loves the boxing (which uses the numchuks) and we all love the bowling (which uses the controllers) and it's so much easier if you have more than one.

 

[MineMail]

BTW, if you want the Wii for the "get up and do something" benefits, don't buy any of the "traditional" video games like the Mario Brothers' versions. The kids will plop themselves down and twiddle with their thumbs, but it doesn't get them moving. (Which was our intent with the Wii, that's what makes it unique from the Playstation -1- that we already owned.)

I've been disappointed with some of the specific-sports games like snowboarding and figure skating. My advice is rent a game once or twice before buying, just to be sure you like it. It adds to the overall cost but it's better than buying a game that goes unused.

My kids keep bugging me to set up the internet connection on the Wii. I really don't need to give them another way to sit around bs'ing on the 'net, so I've been ignoring their requests.

Are there any advantages to the internet connection? What mischief can they get into when I'm not looking?

 

[princessmom29]

You are probably never going t ge a discount on the actualy system. It's just the way consoles work. They have a set price piont and that is it. You will see a little savings when the consoles are bundled with other items like games and remotes. Also, I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, but if you want to download games from the shopping function, you will need an SD memory card like the one that goes in some cameras.

 

[princessmom29]

BTW, if you want the Wii for the "get up and do something" benefits, don't buy any of the "traditional" video games like the Mario Brothers' versions. The kids will plop themselves down and twiddle with their thumbs, but it doesn't get them moving. (Which was our intent with the Wii, it's what makes it unique.)

I've been disappointed with some of the specific-sports games like snowboarding and figure skating. My advice is rent a game once or twice before buying, just to be sure you like it. It adds to the overall cost but it's better than buying a game that goes unused.

My kids keep bugging me to set up the internet connection on the Wii. I really don't need to give them another way to sit around bs'ing on the 'net, so I've been ignoring their requests.

Are there any advantages to the internet connection? What mischief can they get into when I'm not looking?

It is pretty controlled as to what they can access. if they don't have your credit card info they can't buy anything witout buying a points card. You can check the weather. There is a news channel, and some Mii applications where you can enter mii's you have created into various contests like best drssed ect. Not really anything that could get them into trouble.

 

[iheartdisney]

BTW, if you want the Wii for the "get up and do something" benefits, don't buy any of the "traditional" video games like the Mario Brothers' versions. The kids will plop themselves down and twiddle with their thumbs, but it doesn't get them moving. (Which was our intent with the Wii, that's what makes it unique from the Playstation -1- that we already owned.)

I've been disappointed with some of the specific-sports games like snowboarding and figure skating. My advice is rent a game once or twice before buying, just to be sure you like it. It adds to the overall cost but it's better than buying a game that goes unused.

My kids keep bugging me to set up the internet connection on the Wii. I really don't need to give them another way to sit around bs'ing on the 'net, so I've been ignoring their requests.

Are there any advantages to the internet connection? What mischief can they get into when I'm not looking?

They can't "surf the 'Net" unless you buy the browser window from the wii points system.
My kids love the "vote" channel, a free download, but you vote in live polls, and it gives you the results.
we bought a bundle from Sams club, black friday '07, which was the 3, 3 sets of controllers, and 4 games. One game we really, really love, and have almost worn it out. (Mario party)
New games are in the 30-45 dollar range, older ones you can find for around $20.
I also ageree with renting a game before buying. I was all set to buy DD6 the dora game last Christmas, but I rented it first, and she beat it in 3 plays...about 3 hours total!

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

BTW, if you want the Wii for the "get up and do something" benefits, don't buy any of the "traditional" video games like the Mario Brothers' versions. The kids will plop themselves down and twiddle with their thumbs, but it doesn't get them moving. (Which was our intent with the Wii, that's what makes it unique from the Playstation -1- that we already owned.)

I've been disappointed with some of the specific-sports games like snowboarding and figure skating. My advice is rent a game once or twice before buying, just to be sure you like it. It adds to the overall cost but it's better than buying a game that goes unused.

My kids keep bugging me to set up the internet connection on the Wii. I really don't need to give them another way to sit around bs'ing on the 'net, so I've been ignoring their requests.

Are there any advantages to the internet connection? What mischief can they get into when I'm not looking?

Some games allow play with others via internet connection., ie Animal Crossing.

I would never rent a game once much less twice before buying it, at least not around here. Too much to rent that money could go towards the game instead of to a rental fee.

 

[Mom of three]

We love our Wii as well and play it quite often as a family.

Pawn shops are also another great place to hunt for games. Sometimes you can find great deals.

Definitly get a charging station for your controllers!

Our favorite game to play as a family is Mario Kart!! We have 4 controllers and 4 wheels so all of us can play at the same time. Very fun.

 

[melancholywings]

You won't find the Wii new for cheaper prices unless you find a store coupon that you can apply to it. The best discount you can hope for is to find is a bundle - but often times the stuff bundled with it won't really save you much. Or free shipping. Or you could hold out till a bit later to see if Nintendo announces a price drop before the holidays - I don't know if they will or not.
Outside of the system I would recommend:

- 2 nunchucks total (they are rarely used in multiplayer games but you need them for boxing)
- 1 controller for every family member up to 4 (if you get wii sports you'll get a controller with it) but this will allow you to play bowling and golf together.
- a AA battery recharger - it's better than the docks which have a lower life expectancy and the battery packs overheat. (I have gone through 2 of these and they've burned out).
- A multiplayer wii game: I'd recommend the other Wii Sports or Mario Party as family friendly multi user games for first time players.

 

[p00h4me]

I just purchased a Wii yesterday that included Wii sport plus 4 free games for $199. I also bought Wii controllers they offered for $16. It also has free shipping. I'm waiting to get a shipping notice from the company I purchased it from. Would you like a link to the web site? I can let you know when I actually get the Wii.

The 4 free games are Space Chimps, Mario Kart, Ferrari challenge and Petz Crazy Monkeyz (the last one had bad reviews but the other 3 seems to be good games).

 

[brettb]

Random Wii thoughts:

There *are* occasional sales with modest discounts on Wii systems (not bundles) at places like Dell Home, and maybe even NewEgg. They show up on Slickdeals.net from time to time. It's hit and miss, and the discount may not be worth the time spent searching for a deal over several months.

I have seen Wii Play (includes semi-cheesy game and a controller) at Justice (Dad's notice these things when dragged along to girl-stores) when they have their 40% off everything sale. That would be $30+tax instead of $50 for Play elsewhere or even $40 for the Wii Remote most other places. (Amazon's price at this second is $35 for just the controller, $45 for Play.)

If you're connecting to a HD TV, you can get get the component cable for a 480p (slightly better picture quality) at monoprice.com for < $4 plus shipping (and monoprice is VERY fair with shipping costs). (monoprice.com is also great for HDMI, A/V and other cable products.)

Availability isn't nearly as bad as it was in past years. I wouldn't wait until the last minute, but I do NOT recommend buying one immediately, though. We had to send ours in for a warranty repair. I wouldn't want to waste 4 months of the 1 year warranty. Also, if I recall correctly, they would extend your warranty by 6 months or so if you registered it, so do it!

Another warranty related thought: Nintendo is known for outstanding customer service. There are numerous stories of Nintendo performing courtesy repairs for systems slightly out of warranty or when "user error" was to blame. If you have a problem, call them, they want you to be happy!

Try your library for games. As for buying used games, I never have, and never will. Anything decent is almost as much money as new (especially if you watch for online sales). If it's super cheap, there's a good bet it's super lame and not worth the money. And my experience with borrowed (from the library) games hasn't been the best. What I would consider VERY light damage on a disc gave my Wii heartburn, which leads to:

Handle discs carefully. By the edges, store in the case, yadda yadda, yadda. The kind of scratches that don't cause problems on CD's or DVD's could cause a game to hang completely and that's no fun! (In fact, I don't even use the game discs anymore - my Wii is, um, modified and all my games are now stored on an external hard drive. There's nothing illegal about this, but it can be tricky and isn't without risk. If you have a geek/hacker in the house, you might consider doing it after the warranty is up -- it's not clear to me if putting the Homebrew stuff on your Wii voids the warranty.)

I've been fairly happy with the "pre-charged/hybrid" NiMH rechargable batteries. (Sanyo Eneloop, Ray-O-Vac Hybrid, etc, etc.) Regular NiMH batteries discharge over time even without being used; "hybrid" batteries are much better about that. If I were going to get a charging system, I'd probably look for one with Lithium-Ion batteries instead of NiMH. But I'm not sure if these system will work well with the the new Wii Motion add-ons.

I also don't recommend getting (or at least "granting access" to) a whole bunch of games at once. I've seen it with my daughter and even with me - we'll focus on one game for a while, and others will just about be forgotten. I think it's better to get into a game for a bit before introducing a new one to the mix. Many games have a developing story, or get progressively more difficult, or have new levels to unlock. If you jump around from game to game, you can miss out on the "depth" of some of the really great games.

 

[PinkRhombus]

I LOVE the Wii Active...have the balance board, too.

I have our's hooked up to our wireless network so I can race others on Mario Kart. There is no interaction other than racing. I like it better than racing the computer ones because there is the human element in there. More random reactions to things.

I also have raced some other friends and family members (you have to put their friend code in) that live out of town.

If you have younger girls, mine really like the Littlest Pet Shop game.

There are a lot of $20 games at Wal-Mart and Target. Some $15 at Target. Kohl's carries them. Good price if you mix a 30% off coupon with it, and they do have them online.

Celebrity Showdown was really cheap and surprisingly good.

 

[shruley]

Thanks for all the help/ideas. I will make sure to put the game completely out of the girls reach. The girls have wrecked several DVDs, so good to know even a little scratch can be a problem! Also good point about the warrenty. DH got a Best Buy gift card, so thinking maybe we'll just try to find one there.

 

[JB2K]

DH has decided he wants to get a Wii for the family for Xmas. We have never owned any sort of "video game", ever. Where is the best place to buy it? Does anyone ever offer sales or anything, or is it more I'm just lucky if I can find one? How far in advance of Xmas do we need to get one? Last one, games are expensive. Do people find any used anywhere or anything to make them cheaper?? Thanks

Wii/Wii Fit will never go on sale at a reduced price -- Nintendo of America prohibits retailers from doing that.

However, the Costco/Walmart bundles are a good workaround, and as recently as last week, Target was giving $20 gift cards with every Wii console purchase.

 

[princessmom29]

I just purchased a Wii yesterday that included Wii sport plus 4 free games for $199. I also bought Wii controllers they offered for $16. It also has free shipping. I'm waiting to get a shipping notice from the company I purchased it from. Would you like a link to the web site? I can let you know when I actually get the Wii.

The 4 free games are Space Chimps, Mario Kart, Ferrari challenge and Petz Crazy Monkeyz (the last one had bad reviews but the other 3 seems to be good games).

you have to be getting a reconditioned unit for that price or it is a big time scam.

 

[The Iron Giant]

Amazon has them in stock with free shipping and no sales tax.