This is basically a guide to people that just bought the Wii. It has some technical details and whatnot. Enjoy!
Table Of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. The System (Hardware)
3. The System (Software)
4. The Games
5. Misc.
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1. Introduction
So you want to get a Nintendo Wii? Well its easier said than done! The Wii is by far the hardest system to find. "But it came out over half a year ago" you say? Despite that, it is still flying off store shelves faster than new ones can arrive. Just to give you a taste of how its selling, ill tell you how I got it: My dad started searching for weeks to get it (hes very determined), one day he lucks out and comes into a store where they're unpacking new Wiis to the store as he walks in. He asks the manager if they have any and he says they have 32 Wiis in stock. He buys the very first one. He goes back to his office (10 minutes away), and tells his co worker (who also wants a Wii), that the store just got a new shipment. The Co-Worker immediately rushes to the store tobuy it. He goes there and back in an hour total. He then tells my dad that he bough the very last one! Yep, thats 32 Wiis sold in an hour, at one store.
Now here are some tips on how to get a Wii, first go to many stores, don't even bother trying to order online. Check as many stores as you can. If none have, ask when they get new shipments of Wiis and try to time your visits to the stores just when they get the new shipments. Also, try different areas where not many people go to buy video games.
2. The System (Hardware)
Now that you have your Wii, its time to talk hardware. Out of the Box, you get: The Console, A Wiimote, A Nunchuck attachment, Composite AV Cables, The Power Supply cables, The Sensor Bar, All the Manuals and documents, the Console stand (The stand itself and an optional attachment to the stand to make it sturdier), Sensor bar adhesive to keep the sensor bar from moving, The Wii Sports Game, batteries,and an optional sensor bar stand. You also get the box itself :P
The Wii Console Has a Self-Loading Disc Drive which accepts both Wii Discs and gamecube discs. On the Front there is a Power, Reset, and Eject Button. There is also a hidden flap that opens to reveal the Sync button (used to sync controllers to the wii), and an SD Card Slot. On The Sideis the Gamecube Ports,These include the 4 Gamecube controller ports, and 2 GamecubeMemory Card Slots.Finally, on the back of the Wii, thereis 2 USB ports (So far used forEthernet cable attachments, cooling fan attachments, and general power supply), and the sensor bar, power supply, and TV-Out Ports (All Proprietary, the gamecube AV Cables will not work on the wii, and vice versa).
Now to set up the Wii! First, you must choose to either put the system horizontally or vertically. If you cant decide, id recommend horizontally, because putting it vertically will block one of the air intake areas, and the wii has problems overheating especially when wiiconnect24 is on. Now, Connect all the cables to the tv and outlet. If you have a choice between putting the sensorbar above or below the TV, it is recommended that you put it above the TV.
3. The System (Software)
Now that the Wii is Setup and ready for overheating- err I mean playing, its time to fire it up! (Excuse the pun)
When you first turn on the Wii, there will be a Message about safety, asking you to press A. You would think this is a one time thing, but no, everytime you start the Wii you will see this BSOD (Black Screen of Death). After you press A, Set all your settings as needed. After All is done, you will be in the Channel Menu. The Channel Menu is basically the Operating system of the Wii. The Main Focus is the Disc Channel, from this channel you will launch your Wii or Gamecube games. There is also the Mii Channel, The Photo Channel (it plays videos as well), The Shop Channel, where you will buy VC games and download new free channels, The WiiConnect 24 Channels (Weather, News, Etc. - more on these in a bit), the downloaded Channels (Internet Channel, etc.), and last are the VC Games Channels, which are basically all the games you bought off the Wii Shop Channel. On the Bottom Left is the Wii Settings Button, and on the Bottom Right is the Messages Button, whichshows all your messages including a record of what you did on the Wii, and actual messages.
Before doing anything else, I suggest you go to the Wii Settings again and check over everything, and if you havent already, update your Wii System firmware (assuming your connected to the Internet). As a side note, Id also like to mention that if you do not plan on using WiiConnect24, turn the standby mode off. The standby mode causes the Wii To overheat, and has been known to cause problems with the GPU and any game disc in the wii. After youre done, you might want to check out the Shop Channel and download some free Channels, or if you want buy a VC game. Finally, you might want to make your own Mii, because no doubt the first game you are going to play is Wii Sports.
When you are finally done getting acquainted and whatnot, pop in the Wii Sports Disc, PUT ON YOUR WRIST STRAP, and Play (about time!). Pay special attention to the wrist strap part. Im going to say it now, you dont have to ALWAYS wear the wrist strap. For games like Super Paper Mario or Zelda, where you dont really use the Wiimote intensively, you can leave it off. HOWEVER, when playing games like WiiSport, playing without a wriststrap is Suicidal for your Wiimote.
4. The Games
Now that you have everything set up and ready to go, you will probably soon want to buy a game. Well there are some things to look for when buying games. On the Back of each game box is important info on the game. As seen in the picture above, in the top right corner, there are some icons. The Wii Mote and Nunchuck icon mean that both a Wiimote and Nunchuck attachment are required to play this game. The number on the Wiimote tells you how many players the game supports (1-4). On the Bottom Left corner is the standard ESRB rating. Also, on the right-middle side, you can see that a Players Guide is available for this game.
Inside the box is the Manual, promotional inserts, and the game disc. When Removing the game disc, be sure to press the release button in the middle and pull the game disc out. They come out easy, so if theres to much force when its coming out, stop pulling, and try pressing the release button right this time.
5. Misc.
Here is a List of prices for Wii Products:
- Wii Console- $249.99
- Wiimote- $39.99
- Nunchuck- $19.99
- ****c Controller- $19.99
- Game Titles- $29.99-$49.99
- Component Cable- $19.99-$29.99
- Wii Points Card- $19.99
- Wii 2GB SD Card at Gamestop- $19.99
- Gamestop Wii Cooling Stand- $9.99
- Wii Broadband Adapter- $19.99
---Go To Nintendo.com, create your own account, and register your Wii! Doing so will Extend your Wii's Warranty for an extra 3 months!
And finally, something cool I came across:
^ Note Dpad instead of analog stick, some buttons above it, an on-off switch (its wireless), and the cool black color!
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I hope you found this guide helpful. I will try to update it when new info comes or something. Once again, enjoy!
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