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The Wii Hits the UK
Gamespot is reporting on the Wii's launch in Britain. As with the U.S. launch, things seem to have gone quite smoothly. Celebrities and very long lines of gamers marked the occasion, with one store giving out pizza, merchandise, and champaign to their customers. From the article: "At Nintendo's official event in HMV on Oxford Street, celebrities Ian Wright, Nell McAndrew, Pat Cash, and Ricky Hatton turned up to play Wii Sports. Cash and McAndrew played Wii Tennis, with Cash winning two games to zero. Wright and Hatton sparred at Wii Boxing, with the ex-footballer winning the virtual game against the boxer. Heba Elgamal, who had been camping outside the store in an alley for two days, was first in line for a console at the HMV store, and it was presented to him by Ian Wright. Elgamal bought The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess with his purchase, and Wright asked him if Zelda was a fighting game--which didn't go down well with the crowd. " Errr ... who is Ian Wright? And how has he never heard of Zelda?
giving out champaign
You can tell I'm an aries because of my ram.
http://content.imagesocket.com/images/controllersb 6d.jpg
Errr ... who is Ian Wright? And how has he never heard of Zelda?
He's an ex-footballer. He's never heard of Zelda in the same way the poster's never heard of Ian Wright.
Is a ex-footballer, now minor sleb. Probably never heard of Zelda as he's not a gamer.
"It's also great to see so many girl gamers in the queue. I think one in 10 was a girl gamer."
it has wireless...
You can tell I'm an aries because of my ram.
I got my Wii yesterday, and I was *shocked* that it doesn't include any way of connecting it to the net. WTF! You need to buy an external adapter to connect it the net. F**king ripoff Nintendo.
Obviously a troll, but I wanted to share this anyhow.
The Wii, at $280CDN has built in wireless. To get wireless for an xbox360? How about $130CDN. That's almost HALF the cost of a hole Wii console that comes with 1 Wiimote, 1 nunchuk, built in wireless AND A GAME!
Please, don't talk about the Wii as a ripoff troll.
* And for those of you who want to argue that the xbox360 has built in ethernet, and the wii doesn't. All I have to say to that is, at least they're charging a reasonable price to add it!
AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
Woah, get a reign on your nerdish indignation there - D-list celebs aren't infallible.
Delivered by courier only 20mins ago, if only I didn't have to work! Still at least I didn't have to camp out in the bitter cold for well, days ;)
;)
Unfortunately, my experience of getting additional controllers has been rather less easy. Preordered from play.com just after they put them up for preorder and have been told they don't have enough nunchucks, classic controllers, component cables, wii motes or copies of wii play to fill even one out of my order of 3 nunchucks, 2 classic, 1 component, 2 wii motes, 1 wii play. Also they were unwilling to tell me where I am in the preorder queue but that they were getting some in before xmas - doesn't help that they didn't tell me if the ones in before xmas would reach me in the queue though!
I have a local supplier that lives just down my road though, keeping my fingers crossed he'll get enough in to save one/some for me!
For reference, current eBay price seems to be about £250 - £290, not terribly spectacular but still a nice profit if you put no effort into getting your Wii by just pre-ordering online, mines for keeps though
There's been a lot of talk on the net and on TV about supplies not being sufficient to even fulfil preorders let alone allow non-preorders to buy. I enquired at a few of the big name stores (HMV, Virgin and Game) and was told no chance.
By chance on my way home (Newcastle upon Tyne) I walked passed a local games store, not owned by a big chain. I asked and they said they'll have 5 available and to try back in the morning. I arrived an hour before they opened, queued and got my hands on the 2nd Wii.
Moral of the story: its worth trying local and less well known places, they're often a safer bet!
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
Have fun guys. Good luck getting a console at launch and spending some time with it. Myself, my brother, and friends agree this is the most fun we've had with a console since the SNES. Don't forget to order some component cables though, it makes a pretty big difference if you're running an HDTV.
That's not fair--they get some decent packaging. The classic controller I bought was in that kind of plastic that only a very sharp knife can cut through, and then you have to pull it apart hoping not to cut your hands or break the cable. Just give me a box with tape on it please.
We got the same packaging in Australia :)
That said didn't know the Wii had it built in, release a jedi game and I'll have one soon.
"I may be full of crap about this game, and I may be wrong, and that's fine." -Jack Thompson
Yesterday was Swiss Wii launch too. Very orederly. Very planned. Very Swiss. Very boring.
I preordered my Wii and had to wait a full 10 seconds before being served. Couldn't get a second Wii Remote though which is a must.
Judging from the configuration screens the Wii seems to have an optional LAN adpater which I would favour over WiFi.
I hadn't the slightest objection to his spending his time planning massacres for the bourgeoisie... (P.G. Wodehouse)
I preordered my Wii from PC World a month before release, and so far, no Wii. I was operating under the assumption that they might be one of the less well-frequented retails, and was encouraged to see them closing off preorders after I ordered, expecting that this was a sign of honest pre-allocation rules. To be fair, Nintendo have been shipping short orders to the UK.
They are now listing the expected release date on my order as 31st January.... I really, really hope they are just being pessimistic to cover their ass. They go out of their way to make it hard to cancel too, with no discernable means of doing so on the website.. at least play.com get this right - you can cancel a preorder with a nice clearly labelled button and it's made clear that there are no penalties for doing so.
Also have a bunch of stuff on order with play.com and Amazon. Looks like Amazon might be coming through, as my order is listed as "Dispatching soon..."
Ah well. The rumours I hear is that the next shipment is Wednesday. Whether that's Wednesday 13th or the 20th I don't know. Fingers crossed, eh?
No matter how good it is, it still reminds me of a child's name for urine.
Working with Noah's Arcade all those years ago has finally paid off.
Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals... except the weasel."
I picked mine up this morning. I had a preorder, and got mine without trouble. There were none for sale not preordered.
I'm pleased with it so far, though there has been a massive shortage of accessories as seems usual for Nintendo on launch.
GAME (the store where I got mine) had no separate Wiimotes at all, and only a very limited number of the ones packed in with Wii Play. They were also very limited in extra nunchuks and classic controllers.
They also didn't have any additional cables at all, so I'm stuck with composite until the (seemingly mythical) component cables appear.
They seemed to have plenty of stock of games at least.
A Tesco Extra store in Swansea had 27 people queue inside the store in the Non-food department, they were given chairs while they waited until it was 12am. One person had been there since 5pm in order to be first.
Jonathanjk.com
Not only the UK, all of Europe had the launch today.
:-)
:-)
I was at the local Saturn (large electronics chain in Germany) at about 8:50 - they open at 9:30. This specific shop is the largest electronics shop in Germany (or Europe? I forgot - anyway, it's huge). So I was confident that they would get enough units.
So were many others. At 8:50 I was about 100th in line. At about 9:15 the line had grown to maybe twice that. Someone near to me had a friend who knew one of the employees and had just called him on his cell phone, he said they had about 200 units, so at that point I was fairly confident I'd get one.
Lots of pedestrians asked us in the line what this was about, if there was anything for free.
Shortly after, employees from the shop moved along the line and told the crowd that the entire console section had been chained off, and to remain calm and organised and - what I especially welcomed - that anyone pushing or making trouble would be expelled immediately.
At 9:30 exactly they opened the door, the line moved in. Some pushing and running, but mostly a very well-behaved crowd - most live music gigs don't go as smoothly. Another half hour wait because they only let us into the chained off console section one-by-one. Was ok, we had some fun in the line cracking jokes, etc.
I got mine, back at the checkout I see a large crowd with sad faces leaving the store, figure that was when they had sold out. But no trouble, no aggressiveness.
Interesting fact: More women in the line then I had expected. Quite a few older people, though probably a good part of them were buying for their kids. Very friendly staff, friendly non-hostile people in the crowd.
This was the first game console I've ever bought, and the first time ever that I've waited in line for some consumer gimmick at launch day. But it was a thrilling experience.
Downside: At least in my store they didn't have the extra remotes, the only way to get one was to buy the Wiimote+Wii-Play bundle. And they didn't have Rampage! Damn.
Now I'm here at work, and have to wait another 4-5 hours before I can get home. Damn.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
You were at Saturn Hansaring in Cologne? Because that was where I got at 10:15. Six Wiis left on the pallet, no line, no land-rush in sight, must have cleared off fast enough. When I left a couple minutes later, there were still four left.
We've been trying to hunt down a Wii since 7 this morning. They're all gone - I passed a half dozen stores, each of which had a very harrased looking person explaining that they'd run out and try back next friday.
As ever, Nintendo launch a new console in the EU to the sound of "Oh for fucksakes! FUCKING NINTENDO EUROPE!!!".
fortune -o
Everyone gets that packaging, except the USA that is.
The nunchuck, wiimote and wiimode + wiiplay bundle come in the same kind of boxes by the way.
Blame your shoplifting crowds.
"The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
WiFi is built-in, tool.
"The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
Actually, they should have, there are rumors (and pics) showing that the euro wiimotes seem to come with a sturdier strap. It's Nintendo by the way, Sony are the other guys.
"The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
I'm still waiting for parcel force to deliver my wii, I have been waiting to try out the controller on the pc but all I have is the nunchuk controller they delivered.
Nice of them to deliver the part of the Wii I can not use.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire
Sony? Fix the wriststrap on a Nintendo Wii? You're rambling, my friend...
I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of killer sig, which this margin is too narrow to contain.
snicker - Here is a tip for all wii and ps3 hunters.
First signup and create accounts at all the online stores in advance of actually finding one.
Second automate the task of locating it online with something like http://www.ps3seeker.com/ or http://www.zootalor.com/.
Third, and most important, most of the online stores are forcing overpriced bundles on buyers. For example Walmart has a ps3 bundle which I picked up yesterday for 1500 out the door. Here is the trick to bundles. After you have made the purchase and the console has shipped, you can contact the online store and CANCEL the remaining items and not be charged for it. You can also return any games/controllers/etc you do not want to the brick and morter for a full CC reimbursement. This is what I have done for all the consoles I have flipped to friends/ebay.
Happy Hunting!
I thought Id go down to the local store and pick up one. Nothing. So i tried another. And another. And another.
:/
I dont think theres a single wii for sale left in the UK.
Seriously, wtf? Are we playing sony games now?
GP here, posting from another machine.
e t.html?CFID=2931673&CFTOKEN=18990343
I was in Hamburg, and I'm mistaken, it claims to be the largest electronics store in the world: http://www.saturn.de/frontend/html/outlet/40/outl
...supplies are in limited quantity in the States too. I waited in a long line the night before release and got one of the few that were around. I imagine they'll be enough by January though.
"...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
The Wii's WiFi even handle all 3 versions of WPA (the DS only supports WEP, so it's good news)
"The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
And there's still 10x more classical controllers to nunchucks. Pff
"The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth." ~1984 George Orwell
Television sales skyrocket as the new "Oopswii phenomenon" strikes the UK...
You can get 15 minutes of fame, but you can go down in history for infamy.
They have football in England now?!
Property is theft.
Safety first!
You anglotroll.
Is it bigger than a Nomad?
No, but he *is* paid to read (and therefore edit) his own summaries.
From the summary - (with the important text highlighted for the benefit of those who cant make it through an entire paragraph)
Only one sentence after he was named, there's your answer. That wasn't too hard was it?
If this were really happening, what would you think?
Troll? Anything that's not pro-nintendo is a troll around here, it seems. Why do all the fanboys act as though their system is an extension of their little penis somehow and negative comments just cause it to shrivel up even more?
In regards to the price though: at least with the Xbox360 (and PS3), you get a next-gen system, not hardware that's from 5 years ago.
I pre-ordered at Gamestation, walked in at 9:30 bought the Wii, found out they had no extra Wiimotes, so I walked to Game and bought Wii Play with the extra Wiimote, and another Nunchuck. No problem at all. Nobody apart from pre-orders were getting Wii's though.
The Wii Hits the UK
..Due to Broken Wrist Strap
mod me funny
In France and in other countries that recognize EU protected designations of origin, the province of Champagne owns exclusive rights in the name "Champagne" for sparkling wine, just as an agency in the State of Idaho owns exclusive rights in the "Grown in Idaho" certification mark. It would appear that makers of sparkling wine outside of the province of Champagne they have to have to misspell the name of sparkling wine in order not to run afoul of these exclusive rights.
Holy crap man, they even got weird upside-down controllers! Looks like the Euro-gamers get all the cool stuff this time around.
But Nintendo Europes internal launch seemed to be kind of chaotic (nothing more to expect from a company whose website only lists 7 european countries as countries where they accept registrations for for the consoles)
The funy thing is. I walked into the store at opening time, it was a rather huge electronics market, and they had about 20-30 consoles, 3 minutes after opening half of them have been gobbled up by students. No significant waiting line upfront however. Zelda instantly was sold out while most other third party titles were left alone (there was no rayman on the shelve and no trauma center to afair)
The funny thing is another store did not have any consoles in the open but had a bunch of Zeldas in one hidden corner.
Anyway, to the prices of the games. It is not too amusing that many vendors tried an upfront price hike of the games up to 60 euros, shortly before opening most of them dropped the prices of the games down to 55, but most of the games still are above the promised 50 euros, even nintendos own.
Some markets even tried that with the consoles, one having advertised the wii for 409 euros another one for 300.
Most of the markets however sold them for the standard 250.
Could be, I checked the strap on my wiimote and it does not seem to be easy to break. But neither is it easy to lose the grip on the wiimote. I do not know what those people were doing I dont think losing the grip and breaking the strap at the same time is very easy.
Still plenty in au, not flying of the shelves
Prices $388 to $395, lots of stock.
Not even one person watching the store demo either, but a few kids playing 360s in stores.
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
Little known fact; it was the Scots who named it. The Scots from Nintendo of Europe saw 'The Revolution' for the first time and said 'My... that's a Wee console.' Upon hearing this Iwata, Miyamoto and the two Guinness guys toasted its' new name...
Brilliant!
Our Wiimotes, Classic Controllers, and Wiiplay's are in boxes that you can easily open.
- works at a store that sells them, in New Zealand
Do not anger the Karma Whores, for they don't bathe often, and might decide to come visit you in person. -Ryan Amos