The Nintendo Wii Console was the first of its kind to take motion gaming seriously and has been a formidable piece of equipment in interactive gaming ever since. Since the initial release of the console, new games and add-on’s have flooded the market to an extent that people buying their first Nintendo Wii don’t know where to start.
A Nintendo Wii Console & Accessories Buying Guide
Let’s face it, things have moved on a lot since the first Mario Brothers and with motion games in genres such as action, sport, design, fitness and music it helps if you know what you like playing to help make your choice.
The Nintendo Wii Console Package
The basic Nintendo Wii console package consists of the console, a single Wii remote controller, a nunchuck controller, a sensor bar and stand, power cord, standard composite cables, and the Wii sports game. This package alone will give you several hours of Nintendo fun and is all you need to get started from your sofa. You can pick up some fairly good deals on the basic package and can expect to pay between £150-£180. But there soon comes a time to get more people involved in your new found toy, and this is when you are going to need extra controllers.
Extra Controllers
Nintendo designed the Wii console for its’ sociability factor so it would be rude not to have at least one spare set for when that unannounced guest drops round whilst you are in the middle of a Wii Sports game! Although some games are designed for multiple players, unless you have trouble getting a game because the kids have taken over, you could probably start with one extra set. The controller will set you back about £20 and the nunchuck from approximately £10 which is a must if you don’t want to play alone.
Setting up
To set up the Nintendo Wii Console is easy. Once you have unboxed all the relevant cables, connect the audio/video cable (the heads are red, white and yellow) to the inputs of the correct colours on the back of your TV. Once this is complete, plug the power cord into the power socket and the other end into the console. Plug the sensor bar in and place it close to the TV so that the Wii is able to sense your Wii controllers. Finally plug the connector at the end of the sensor bar cord into the red input on the back of your console and off you go!
Get those Wii Controllers in sync
After putting 2 AA batteries into your Wii Controller, leave the battery cover off and turn the console on. Press the red button next to the batteries on the remote and then the red sync button below the DVD drive slot on the front of the Wii.
Connect Online
The great thing about the Nintendo’s interactivity is once you connect your console to the internet you can play against any other Wii user around the world that is also connected. To set your Wii up simply go into the consoles system settings, select internet and connection options. Your Wii will search for your home wireless network, add your password and turn on Wiiconnect24. Your system will now inform you of any updates, new content and you can wage war on others.
Wii Game
Without the games to play it on the console would be nothing and there are list after list of games that you can buy. There are always new games being released every week which cost around £30, but then there is the used option. Many gamers either sell their second hand games online or big supermarkets like Asda and Tesco have started to sell used games at some of their bigger stores. Games that you shouldn’t do without though is Super Mario Galaxy guiding Mario through space, the Wii Sports Resort game where you can play Frisbee, golf, bowling but to name and few and then the family classic Just Dance where you dance the day away to earn respect from your dancing peers!
Wii Fit and the Balance Board
The infamous balance board! Where would Nintendo Wii be if it hadn’t of created this little beauty which cleverly, when released and even now, appealed to the masses from the kids right through to the ladies. As well as being one of Wii’s most popular games it has also sold a lot of the Wii Fit Console packages. You can really work those problem areas with an assortment of mini games, Yoga, strength training and much more. The game even measures your body mass index and weight so you can see if your workouts are reaching you goals. Listen to the advice of the online trainer and away you go to a fitter and healthier life style.
Wii Games Add On’s
There are many games which you need to experience and for most of them no further equipment is needed. However if you want the full Nintendo Wii experience then I would certainly look into the games that fall under your favourite category of games choice. If you like ‘shoot-em-up’ games and the feel of carrying a gun in a game then the Wii Zapper could well be for you. It will cost about £15 and the Zapper comes with Link’s Crossbow Training Wii game which in itself is very addictive but some of the more advanced games to look out for in this category are; Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Ghost Squad and the House of The Dead. All great games for you to really unload your rifle on.
Since Wii was launched in 2006 there has been a development in motion gaming technology that has had an amazing effect on the industry, making games more sensitive to the players movements enabling a more enhanced interactive feeling. Games released after June 2009 have taken advantage of this technology and in order for the standard controllers to keep up Nintendo have developed the Wii Motion plus. This plug in has enabled Wii owners to keep their original controls but still benefit from the new technology. Once you play one of the compatible games like, like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 with the Wii motion plus you will notice the difference. This little add-on will cost around £15
Charging the Wii Controllers
As displayed in lots of Nintendo’s adverts, the Wii console is for the whole family and is a great way to spend a wet Sunday attacking the kids over a game of Lego Star Wars whilst the roast is cooking. Again big multi player games involve more controllers and these controllers go through batteries like nobody’s business. If you don’t want to be replacing batteries all the time then it might be in your best interest to buy the Wii docking station ‘Quad’. The docking station includes 4 NiMH batteries for your controllers that can simply be docked when you have finished playing. It will set you back about £20 but it is money well spent as over a short period time you will be saving on batteries.
Wii Channels
The Wii console has a few channels on the home screen but in order to get more channels follow these instructions. Go to the Wii Shop Channel and scroll through the kind of free and paying channels that appeal to you such as Wii Speak as mentioned above or the Everybody’s Nintendo Channel which allows you to interact with other Wii lovers about latest games video and free downloads or the Mii channel which allows you to replicate yourself and others into a cartoons. A more recent channel allows you to cast a vote for several questions, and see the results from other voters all over your region or even the world!
There is a Virtual Console Channel you can download old games from past Nintendo consoles (NES, SNES, N64) and others. There are a limited number of games available, and you do have to pay plus some games will also require a Nintendo GameCube controller or a ‘classic’ Wii controller. If it s classic and’ old skool’ you want then the Virtual Console Channel is for you.
Last but not least from the Wii Channels there is the chance to make this interactivity even more unique as Nintendo have come out with a cool device called Wii speak. This enables you to speak to anyone else around the world that has the same set up. Simply plug it in enter your friend codes and away you go. The microphone is sensitive enough not to need a headset so you are not restricted in your gaming when you use it on games that have the chat option like Animal Crossing and The Conduit.
