nintendo wii

[Asha]

i have somehow been assigned the daunting task of purchasing the nintendo wii as a christmas gift for my nieces. i really would like to avoid the fights at toys r us, so can anyone please fill me in on where i could purchase one. in addition, if you have any other tips on how to purchase a very popular christmas gift without having my hair torn out please let me know.

[young lioness]

I'll have to ask my DH...he is the gamer in our house.

He preordered his Wii and will be picking it up at either EB (Electronics Boutique) or Gamestop (I can't remember which one) on Sunday when it comes out. If you don't want to do Toys R Us, you should be able to find them at discount department stores (Target, Wal-Mart) and electronic/game places (EB, Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.).

When we were talking to some of his friends last weekend, they were saying that Nintendo hasn't had the production problems with the Wii that others have had in the past (like Microsoft with the 360), so there should be enough of them to go around by Christmas. The first week or so, and around Thanksgiving there will probably be a big rush of people looking for them, but shipments should be continuing to come in.

[allyray231]

Chances are it is going to be REALLY HARD to get one at and EB or Gamestop. Most have been preorderd already and there are going to be just enough to go around. You might want to call and ask.

You are acutally better off going to a Toys R Us because they might have extras. Or I would try online at Best Buy

My husband will be online at Nintendo World at 6am on the day of launch to get his :)

[lml41981]

DH preordered his through Gamestop. They said they were slated to receive 8 and they were all going to preorders. DH got the #7 preorder slot and was there an hour after the store opened.

I would say go to Toys R Us on release day. Seriously. And go to a less popular/well known TRU. Alternatively, you could try online at Target or something as soon as the clock hits 12:01 on 11/19.

[t3h_wookiee]

There will not really be any Gamestops/EBgames in the country that will have extra beyond the pre-orders. And really, that's the first place that everybody goes, because they're game stores.

I'm buying mine at Target. Here's a helpful website, and I can vouch for at least all of the Oklahoma Target stores having the correct numbers: http://www.ps3seeker.com/wii/ . An employee took the time (and I hope they don't get caught...) to copy down how much each store was getting off of the manifest.

My store is getting 24 in officially, but they just got her today, and there were actually 30. A pleasant surprise! :) Also, Targets are not opening early, and you do not have to worry about any employee hiding some units in the back for themselves. It is an automatic termination if you get caught doing that. Luckily I'm off that day!

Wal-marts could be a good place too, as nearly all of the Super-Centers are doing midnight releases. The average number a store is getting is 53, so that's pretty good too.

TRU is getting a TON of units! They got a sweet deal from Nintendo, and they're getting the highest percentage of units of any store chain. They're also hosting the West Coast launch party. :)

You really shouldn't have too much of a problem finding one. If you don't need it launch day especially. They're planning on having over 4 million units shipped by the end of this year worldwide. We're expecting shipments in every 5-7 days.

If you need to know anything about the console at all, I can help. I'm a huge Nintendo freak you could say. ;) I've been looking forward to this system for a very long time now, and know just about anything anybody would want to know. ;) What can I say, I'm a geek? :D

[salysaturn]

The Target here will have 30.

People have been calling for the PlayStation 3 more, and we only have like 10 of them. People will be camping out:) They are doing tickets for that one, so if you have a ticket, you get one. No ticket, too bad. Not sure if thats the same thing with the wii.

I am not a gamer, so I really don't know. But I doubt it will be as hard to get as PS3. Call the stores, find out how many they will get, and plan. For example, if you were here, there is a walmart and best buy in the same complex, one could go to walmart, the other best buys. Target is by the game stop. Prob anywhere open 24/7 is a good plan. Not like you have to work Sunday :)

[t3h_wookiee]

Yep, it's the same thing with the Wii. The tickets look pretty cool too.

We only got in 6 PS3s. Ouch.

[salysaturn]

yikes! People at the Best Buys have been camping out since Monday. Nobody was at Target last night, tomorrow they should be. We are giving out popcorn and soda :)

[DisneyGirl]

my DH wants a PS3 so BAD!!! He did preorder the Wii. He would have dif the preoder for the PS3 but he missed it..hes so pissed and people have been camping out since 2 Pm this afternoon..YIKES

[Asha]

do you think costco will have the wii?

thanks everyone for the info. i may hit target first thing in the a.m. on sunday.

i actually know nothing about the wii except that is what my bro said we should get our neices.

[lml41981]

do you think costco will have the wii?

thanks everyone for the info. i may hit target first thing in the a.m. on sunday.

i actually know nothing about the wii except that is what my bro said we should get our neices.
You are a very generous aunt. Our nephews and nieces get a $25 gift, generally...certainly not a $250 gift! :p

[Asha]

lml - well, i am usually not so generous. also, we are splitting the cost in half with my bro (their uncle not dad), and it is a gift they are going to share. plus, they have had a really tough year, so i wanted them to get something really nice. when we were kids, we had to use our own money to buy nintendo.

[allyray231]

No Costco will not have them

[Asha]

thanks allray.

i called target, and they said they will have them sunday morning. they open at 8 a.m. i'll go there shortly before. no camping out for me. if i don't get it there, i will hit the walmart across the road from target. if i still can't get it, so be it. i will try again in another couple of weeks after the rush.

[allyray231]

I really think you will get one no problem

[Daniel's Kitty]

Good luck! My poor dh wants one so bad. If we weren't paying so much for the new baby thanks to our health ins. he would probably be getting one.

[PurpleRose]

My DH really wants one too. I was hoping I could pre-order, but our Best Buy isn't taking preorders. Is anyone still taking pre-orders?

[laura]

I don't think you can still pre-order. I am having Amazon email me when they get more in stock, but other than that I am leaving it to fate. It's a gift for my nephews and they will survive w/o it if it doesn't pan out. :p

[jenjunum]

There's maybe 100 people camping out in front of the Best Buy by my house for the PS3. They've been there for 2 days. It's nuts. I doubt they'll all get one, there's so many people in line.

Is the Wii CDs now or still the tape things? Is it blu ray or HDDVD?

[allyray231]

The Wii is CDs and NOT blue rays. The PS3 is Blue Rays.

There have been people the Circut City here for 3 days

[dream]

I saw people camped out in front of Target today at lunch time.

[t3h_wookiee]

There's maybe 100 people camping out in front of the Best Buy by my house for the PS3. They've been there for 2 days. It's nuts. I doubt they'll all get one, there's so many people in line.

Is the Wii CDs now or still the tape things? Is it blu ray or HDDVD?

Neither. It uses 12cm optical discs. The GameCube used 8cm for comparison.
Blu-Ray is a Sony thing.

[DisneyGirl]

My DH was so tempted to camp out for the PS3, until h saw that there were people there for 2 days already..He said was willing to wait 24 hrs.

I am sitting her laughing and feeling kinda bad as the same time becasue it is freakin pooring rain and its super windy here..those poor poor people.

[jenjunum]

I knew PS3 was blu ray. I was curious if they were jumping into either the blu ray or the HDDVD camp. I know a few movie studios are going blu ray and a few are going HDDVD. I wonder who will win?

So I guess they won't be able to play DVDs? Not that I'm buying either right now. I'd like to have both but I'm not willing to shell out that much $. I'll wait a little while until they're cheaper.

[t3h_wookiee]

I knew PS3 was blu ray. I was curious if they were jumping into either the blu ray or the HDDVD camp. I know a few movie studios are going blu ray and a few are going HDDVD. I wonder who will win?

So I guess they won't be able to play DVDs? Not that I'm buying either right now. I'd like to have both but I'm not willing to shell out that much $. I'll wait a little while until they're cheaper.


Nope, they're staying out of the whole new dvd format race. Even though the Blu-Ray players and movies cost more, I think it will end up winning, because it has more future expansion that HDDVD does.

Technically, no the Wii can not play DVDs yet. They have announced however that in the second half of 2007 they will add back in DVD playability. The hardware is there apparently right now, but the firmware and such is needed. Nintendo said that it's more than just a software download though, so I'm not sure. Originally DVD playability was part of the Wii, but they removed it for the first year or so because it drove the cost up, and they wanted a system that was affordable for most people. But really though, who needs another DVD player? I have 4 right now when you count in my game systems and surround sound. I'm sure not going to watch 4 movies at once! lol :)

[allyray231]

My DH stood in line at Nintendo World for 7 hours but got his Wii :)

[lml41981]

Did you get one, Asha?

[DisneyGirl]

My DH is playing with his Wii as we speak..

[sublime311]

I waited in line at Toys R Us, but missed getting a voucher by 7 people. Poop. TRU said they would have another supply in 2 weeks.

[Sin Nombre]

Well, you could freeze yourself for 3-4 weeks, and after you've been thawed out, the crowds should've thinned somewhat and you can purchase one...besides, think how fast the time will fly when you're in a state of suspended animation...

C'mon, didn't anyone see this episode of Southpark? Where Cartman froze himself because he couldn't bear waiting out the 3 weeks before the Ninetendo Wii came out, but wakes up far, far in the future? Hilarious!

(Sorry, doesn't really solve your problem, but I couldn't resist!)

[Asha]

nope, i had to go to the dr. sun. morning, and by the time i got there they had sold out. i'll just wait for another shipment.

[lml41981]

Well, you could freeze yourself for 3-4 weeks, and after you've been thawed out, the crowds should've thinned somewhat and you can purchase one...besides, think how fast the time will fly when you're in a state of suspended animation...

C'mon, didn't anyone see this episode of Southpark? Where Cartman froze himself because he couldn't bear waiting out the 3 weeks before the Ninetendo Wii came out, but wakes up far, far in the future? Hilarious!

(Sorry, doesn't really solve your problem, but I couldn't resist!)

Loved that episode. I can't get Mr/s. Garrison hollering, "I'm a monkey! I'm a monkey!" out of my head. :p

[Sin Nombre]

Loved that episode. I can't get Mr/s. Garrison hollering, "I'm a monkey! I'm a monkey!" out of my head. :p

Wasn't that the funniest thing you ever saw? :D

[Alanna]

has anyone heard about next shipments?... the guy at target said we should call everyday this week ...

dh got up at 5am on sunday and drove to like 7 places but all the lines exceded the expected allottment.. he wants one so badly for this long weekend....

[Lauren23]

has anyone heard about next shipments?... the guy at target said we should call everyday this week ...

dh got up at 5am on sunday and drove to like 7 places but all the lines exceded the expected allottment.. he wants one so badly for this long weekend....

My FH and his friend did the same thing. No luck. They stood on line at Toys R Us just to buy a game and an extra controller so they wouldn't have to worry about it later. The bad part is they enountered someone at one store claiming he was going to buy 6 of them (?!), like that's fair (or even allowed) and someone at the Toys R Us who loudly talked about how she didn't even really want it (and she was with her best friend's husband whose credit card kept getting declined...unfortunatly he finally found one that worked.) :rolleyes: That kind of stuff really annoys me to no end.

From what I have heard it seems the stores will be getting in more this week. I know most game stores get shipments every day this time of year.

[salysaturn]

Nintendo is expected to send out weekly shipments, at least thats what they said at the target I work at.

[Alanna]

Well its almost 630am. Im up and getting ready to get to target by opening to see if they got any today... ill report back when i get home....

ETA: No luck :( there were about ten people there with me hoping that there was a new shipment. I think we are going to go the craigslist route.... we are hearing a lot of rumors about lots of shipments on Friday... i cant deal with that crazinesss though!

[Lauren23]

Sorry you had no luck, Alanna. My FH has the crazy idea of driving into Manhattan after work if the store he's planning to call has any. We only live about 45 north of there, but that still seems a little crazy to me, and I really want one!

My co-worker stood in line to get one, brought it home and plugged it in, and it was broken! She called Nintendo and they are sending her a new one, but how annoying is that?

[Alanna]

My co-worker stood in line to get one, brought it home and plugged it in, and it was broken! She called Nintendo and they are sending her a new one, but how annoying is that?

OMG. that is SO something that would happen to me! Nightmare!

good luck to your DH... he puts my crack of dawn trip to Target to shame :)

Dh is the driving force behind our purchase... but... i love Zelda...and i will definitely play that with him.... im really looking forward to that... so hopefully he will score one tonight off of craigslist for a not too inflated price....

[MsPeachy]

Does anyone know if the Wii is backward compatible with GameCube games?

[allyray231]

Does anyone know if the Wii is backward compatible with GameCube games?

yes it is

[Alanna]

Our Saga has ended happily via Craigslist. We got ours last night and it exceeded all my expectations. We played around with bowling, tennis, golf and baseball - DH tried boxing.. i sat that out...

i loved bowling and tennis.. not a fan of the golf... and baseball is very hard.

then we put in Zelda! Sigh. It was like going home :)

[Lauren23]

Still no Wii. Maybe this weekend. But we did get our PS3 yesterday. (We had it pre-ordered and just missed getting one from the first shipment.) It's cool, but I've always liked Nintendo more, so I really want a Wii!

Congrats on getting one, Alanna! Wii sports looks like a lot of fun.

[DisneyGirl]

yeah, i love the bowling too! I bowled a 199 yesterday!

[Alanna]

yeah, i love the bowling too! I bowled a 199 yesterday!

impressive! My highest was 143 last night....

have you tried the fitness - age thing? mine was 78 :o

[young lioness]

have you tried the fitness - age thing?

We did the fitness thing and DH got 60 and I got 61.

I'm a much better wii bowler than I am in real life. I've gotten 140-150 playing the wii, and IRL I'm lucky to hit 100.

I love making the avatars. We had friends over to play and made avatars for them, and now whenever DH and I play the bowling game, our friends characters are sitting behind us watching us bowl. :)

[DisneyGirl]

I would be happy if I bowled a 40 in real life..but with the Wii I can be a pro! LOL

I never tried the fitness thing..Hmm i will ask DH about it when he gets home since i don't play video games unless hes home.

I love how you can create a character..I made my girl weird looking.

[PurpleRose]

Well, I tried to get a Wii last Sunday. I stood in line for 2 1/2 hours, but missed buying one by 3 people. Now I'm just hoping I can find one after this weekend. I know I won't stand a chance trying to buy one Friday, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll restock the next week.

Any rec's for places I should check? I'm keeping an eye on Target and Best Buy. I figured the small games stores won't have as many, and Walmart will probably stay sold out.

[Sunshine]

I know here in town people were camping OVER NIGHT to buy the Wii....I think it is next to impossible to find one here:(

[PinkMartini]

I was returning something at our TRU yesterday and I asked the girl there if they knew when they were getting another shipment in. She said they probably weren't :eek: She said they got extras in the day they came out and people were lined up outside, but that she didn't think they'd get anymore in... I find that odd and am wondering if that's just MY TRU or all TRU's :confused:

[t3h_wookiee]

I got in line at 11:50 on Saturday night and was number 16 out of 24 at my Target.Froze my butt off, but had a ton of fun in my 8 hours in line with everybody else. Got the games I wanted, so I was quite happy. LoZ:TP is quite awesome! Man it brings back a lot of memories from OoT! I love the game. :D

We're getting some Wiis on tonights truck, but no idea how many. The Nintendo rep told us to expect at least one shipment every week, and possibly more, because of how well we sold everything Wii-related. :)

I worked Black Friday in electronics this morning, and I swear every 5 minutes somebody was asking me if we had any Wiis in yet. lol. It was like a 20:1 ratio of Wii:PS3 questions!


A few people have had their system brick on them when downloading the WiiConnect24 update. It seems to mostly (if not completely) be those who downloaded the update the first day when it was so busy (mine had no problems at all thankfully). They're being really quick about replacing them, but man that would suck!

[nawsgirl]

Bumping... how is everyone liking their Wii?

I am kind of tempted b/c I read that the controllers are much easier to use, plus the original Mario Bros will be available soon....

[lml41981]

DH loves it...but I don't really care for it. I find the controllers extremely sensitive and can't really get it to do what I want.

[SiValleySteph]

Have they started to become more available? I heard that there really wasn't going to be a limited suppy of the Wii. I haven't ventured out, but I'm thinking about getting one. Is it impossible without a lot of effort?

[TriSigmaNC]

I need to get one too for DH, for Christmas. Anyone know of where they are actually kept that I could walk in and purchase right now?

[PurpleRose]

I've been calling in the morning when our local stores open, but I haven't had any luck finding one. They seem to put out stock whenever, not first thing in the morning. I think they're tired of me calling. ;) The employees have told me that they don't know when they have new shipments coming in, or even that they're in until they open the box. I think that's a little odd... wouldn't they have a shipping manifest confirming the items they received on the truck? t3h_wookiee, since you work at Target, can you confirm this? And maybe give me hints on how to find one? (pretty please?)

[PurpleRose]

BTW, I know several local stores have a few PS3's in stock...but no Wii's. :(

[Alanna]

we are still loving ours! we are in a deep tennis competition and now i have totally come around to baseball... and zelda is still really fun...


when we were still looking our target told us that they would know first thing in the morning if they got any wiis....

we got ours off of craig's list... we paid $75 extra to get it a couple weeks ago...

[Asha]

no luck with target or walmart this morning. target told me they won't be getting anymore till after chrismas, but i don't know how reliable that information is. walmart had no clue when they were getting anymore. i think i might just get my nieces a gift certificate to target for the price of a wii, and tell them to buy one once they come in stock after christmas.

[NotDesperate]

I've been calling in the morning when our local stores open, but I haven't had any luck finding one. They seem to put out stock whenever, not first thing in the morning. I think they're tired of me calling. ;) The employees have told me that they don't know when they have new shipments coming in, or even that they're in until they open the box. I think that's a little odd... wouldn't they have a shipping manifest confirming the items they received on the truck? t3h_wookiee, since you work at Target, can you confirm this? And maybe give me hints on how to find one? (pretty please?)


I think it depends on the store. Walmart's Wiis come off the truck and then yes they would know when they have them- but maybe not when they are putting them out.

TRU's Wiis come FedEx and so there is no manifest (and they can't check what the distribution center has in stock) and they just have to wait until they arrive. They usually know a few days in advance.



I need to get one too for DH, for Christmas. Anyone know of where they are actually kept that I could walk in and purchase right now?

I wish! ;)

Both Walmarts in our area won't just put them on the shelves and are telling people when to line up.

:rolleyes:

[TriSigmaNC]

We got a flier for Wal-Mart the other day (not sure if it was national or local, probably local). They have a shipment coming in Wednesday and said I could start getting one at 8am, but stand in line for as long as I want at the electronics counter. I'll be there probably around 7am waiting, and hoping. I'm also on an online list at Game Stop.

[ivansbabe]

DH got one last week via ebay (from a local seller). She had bought it at Target...surprisingly he won it for less then retail which was cool.

So far we have really enjoyed it, as well as my sister's family. So if you like playing video games I highly recommend it. Four people playing tennis is great fun. We also enjoyed the golfing. I'll have to try out the fitness/age thing.

We also have Zelda (DH plays that), Raging Bunnies (very funny and enjoyable with a group of people) as well as Monkey Ball. It was pretty lame that the next day after playing all night we had slightly sore arm muscles :)

[laura]

I gave up - my nephews are officially getting Nintendo DS Lite's for Xmas instead of the Wii. :p

[sublime311]

Oh yeah!! We scored two today at Target!! We arrived at 6:10 am and were the first in line. They had 21 to sell and everyone in line was able to buy one. They had a few left over even. Cool beans, man!

[Lauren23]

We were sick of not having one so last weekend we went to NYC and got one finally. It was a long story that involved both the Nintendo World store and the Times Square Toys R Us, but we got one and all the accessories we wanted.

I think the hysteria is dying down a bit, so it will be easier to find soon.

[NotDesperate]

I think the hysteria is dying down a bit, so it will be easier to find soon.

I hope so!

Our Target got some in today too, but the line started at 3am and they had less than 10 I believe.

Also, our Walmart is getting some in and having people line up to receive them at 8am on Wednesday as well, but if I were you, TriSigmaNC, I would get there earlier than 7am just in case. as our lines our forming super early.

I really want to get mine at Walmart since we have a 20% off coupon for anything, including video game systems, but they have so few!

[TriSigmaNC]

Notsodesperate
Thanks for the tip. Anyone know how I can know if our Target has any (besides the obvious call them). I thought there was someone on here that knew those stats. Also, notsodesperate any clue on how I can get one of those Wal-Mart coupons? I'm getting up at 6 to go get in line for my DH.

[NotDesperate]

TriSigmaNC, We got the coupon because DH works at the Walmart Distribution Center part-time for extra cash and sometimes they give them out. Sorry I should have said that before!

I asked my Target if they know when they are getting them in and the girl said no! I find that very hard to believe. Maybe she just doesn't know, you know?! But she did say that because they were in the weekly/Sunday sales flier that they try to have them in for that. So I guess you should check the sales.

It is just annoying because nobody at the stores has the same info. Everyone should be informed but I guess the stores don't care! Like when my DH tried to buy the Playstation 3 at Walmart, all they would say is they weren't letting anyone line up until 8am on the day before they went on sale (and then since the store is 24 hours you could buy at midnight). Well of COURSE people were there before 8am, but they wouldn't announce where the line would be. So at 8am, they do it over the PA and everyone tramples everyone to get to that spot. It was so unfair!

[NotDesperate]

BTW- I have been so concerned over just getting this thing for DH, I don't even know what it can do!

Besides playing games, what else can it do? What is that menu thing that I read about on their site?

TIA! ;)

[salysaturn]

Our stupid manager sold the 40 we had on Wednesday, ignoring the email from corporate telling the mgrs NOT to sell them til today.

Needless to say. today at Target was insane...almost every call was for the wii...and said manager, he was off.

[salysaturn]

Our next shipment is Dec 14.

[Sazoo]

BTW- I have been so concerned over just getting this thing for DH, I don't even know what it can do!

Besides playing games, what else can it do? What is that menu thing that I read about on their site?

TIA! ;)My DH used to work for Nintendo (until last week - he just quit), so I asked him your question. He says that you can use the Wii to play video games, download & play old classic video games, download/store/view photos from your digital camera, & eventually it'll have Internet capabilities, so there'll be things like a news channel, a weather channel, etc.

We have Zelda but he hasn't played it yet. So, the only thing we've played so far is Wii Sports, which comes with the system & includes golf, bowling, boxing, tennis & baseball. It's pretty fun - tennis is my favorite! :)

[Jill1228]

Best Buy in Dublin, Tracy and Stockton, CA were out

I see Wal-Mart will be getting more on Tuesday

[NotDesperate]

Thanks Sazoo! Sounds fun!

Our Walmart is getting them in on Wednesday and they open at 8am. So DH and I are going to get up at 3:30 and try to be in line by 4am. Wish us luck!

[NotDesperate]

Okay, every time I call Walmart, I get a different story!!

First they say, they are passing tickets out at midnight on Tuesday the night before they go on sale on Wednesday morning.

Then they say, nevermind that, they will just hand out tickets on Wednesday morning at 8am.

Now they are back to the midnight thing!!!

I even asked to speak to a manager because this is getting ridiculous, and she said to come at midnight on Tuesday.

I plan on calling a few times today and tomorrow to make sure I get consistent stories.

I REALLY don't like the midnight plan. I don't know why Walmart insists on doing these things the hard way. I asked where should we line up if we come early because the store will still be open then and I would be so angry if I lined up outside, when the line was really inside somewhere. She said to wait outside- but we will see what happens!!!

[TriSigmaNC]

Our Wal-Mart said, "8am, come get in line, right here at the electronics counter" we even went back to the counter and got that exact same story. Wish me luck Wednesday morning :) I'm going around 6:20am.

eta: I know they only have 30, so if there are 30 ahead of me, I'll leave, if not, i'll stay and get one!

[NotDesperate]

Our Wal-Mart said, "8am, come get in line, right here at the electronics counter" we even went back to the counter and got that exact same story. Wish me luck Wednesday morning :) I'm going around 6:20am.

eta: I know they only have 30, so if there are 30 ahead of me, I'll leave, if not, i'll stay and get one!

I wish our Walmart was still doing it that way. It makes so much more sense than having people line up the night before, giving out tickets at midnight and then sending people home to come back in the morning with your ticket to buy it. :rolleyes:

Our Walmart also will not say how many they are selling. I know they have to know. I would also like to count how many people are in line and then leave if I know I won't get one.

But since it is now the night before, we are going to go hang out in front of Walmart (while they are open- how embarrassing) at around 6pm. It'll be 6 hours of waiting but worth it if we get one.

I would rather wait in line once, even if it is for longer, than several small times. I just want this thing!

[SiValleySteph]

Still seems like too much trouble for me. I would love to get one for DH for Christmas, but face it, I am too lazy.

Maybe I should be checking craigslist...

[NotDesperate]

Haha, yes it is a lot of trouble!

It's just my DH is SO hard to shop for that I have to get him something when I know he will like it! I can't give him clothes and shaving supplies and coffee this year again! Bleh!

[SiValleySteph]

I just checked the local craigslist. There are TONS of Wiis on there.

What's the retail price of the Wii? I can't tell how badly I would get gouged on there. The cheapest is $325 up to $600. Craziness.

[NotDesperate]

The retail price is $250. I would never pay more just to have a good gift to give. I'm too cheap! :)

Some of them sell as bundle packs and include games and accessories. I guess some bundles could end up being cheaper if you add up what all that would be retail- but i would rather pick and choose what I want to buy extra.

[PurpleRose]

I had to come and update... I got a Wii on Sunday! I went to two Targets and they each only had 6. I was able to get one at Circuit City after waiting about 2 hours. I'm having a hard time not telling DH, but I want it to be a surprise for him on Christmas. Good luck everybody!

[NotDesperate]

Yay, congrats Purple Rose!

Did you get to Circuit City before they opened?

[Rose]

The retail price is $250. I would never pay more just to have a good gift to give. I'm too cheap!

I don't know, it seems like your time is worth the price. To me anyway.

I hate the way these always come out before Christmas and there is never enough!

[NotDesperate]

I don't know, it seems like your time is worth the price. To me anyway.


You definitely have a point! But when you are broke anyway and shouldn't even pay the retail price, you will find the time to stand in line.

Now if you were missing work, then that is not worth it!

I don't have kids or anything, so my time is my own and I have lots to spare right now! :D

[SiValleySteph]

I think I would pay $325. After you add tax (here 8.25%) to the retail price of $250, that's only a markup of $55. My time is worth more than that! :p

That guy probably already sold his... I'm not willing to go up to $400, though. Maybe somewhere in between???

PurpleRose, Congrats on your Wii!!! :D

[NotDesperate]

Well we do not have sales tax in Delaware! :)

Plus, I have the 20% off coupon to use, so it is definietly worth it for me to wait in line a few hours.

On eBay today they have been selling on average for $400-$450. Yipes!

[PurpleRose]

Thanks, guys! I left Target around 8, right after I found out they only had 6 Wii's (and I was #10 in line). I headed straight to Circuit City and waited there until they opened at 10. They had 14 there, and they gave out vouchers to the 1st 14 people in line (I was #5). It was actually very well-organized. The 2nd Target I went to just made people do a mad dash for the electronics counter.

The funny thing is that I rarely play video games, and if it were for me, I would have just waited until there were plenty available. But DH really wanted it, and he never asks for the hard-to-get items (or expensive items, really) so I was determined to get it for him.

Just get there really early. I didn't want to wait so long just because it was so cold (which is why I missed out the other times I waited), but I bundled up Sunday and it wasn't that bad. Hope you all can find one too!

[NotDesperate]

Thanks, guys! I left Target around 8, right after I found out they only had 6 Wii's (and I was #10 in line). I headed straight to Circuit City and waited there until they opened at 10. They had 14 there, and they gave out vouchers to the 1st 14 people in line (I was #5). It was actually very well-organized. The 2nd Target I went to just made people do a mad dash for the electronics counter.



Well it sounds like you didn't have to get to Circuit City too early, that is good!

I'm glad they organized it well. Best Buy is like that too.

Target and Walmart both screw people over when it comes to stuff like this. I would never shop at either store for Black Friday, either.

One year we went early to Target and waited in line. And as it got closer to opening, people who arrived just started waiting by their cars (instead of getting in line) and then when the doors opened everyone in the parking lot bum rushed the doors and we got stuck in this stampede!! This oen lady even fell down and someone ran over her with a cart!!

At Best Buy they make sure that you stand in line and that you enter the store orderly. They give out tickets too. This is the way every store should do it.

[TriSigmaNC]

I got an email from Gamestop and I'm #22 on their list and their getting their shipment late this week or early next and I'm guaranteed one as they have 42known coming. So, we may not go to Wal-Mart in the am, that's fully up to DH. I kind of like that I don't have to run and try to beat other people. I'll let you know what DH says at lunch.

[NotDesperate]

That is great Tracie!

BTW- How did you ever get on that list?

[TriSigmaNC]

Katie my DH is good friends with an Asst. Manager of a Game Stop (we have 3 in town). He told us to email the District Manager and that the DM had an email list that he kept. We didn't do it right away, but were in another store and asked the Manager there, he handed us a slip of paper with the DM's email address and we emailed him and got on the list. A few weeks ago I was #78 on the list and now I'm #22. He just emailed and said he's getting 2 shipments one of 42 early next week and one more shipment of about the same the next week. He guaranteed all of us one before Christmas ;)

[NotDesperate]

Oh that is great!

Walmart changed their minds again! Now it is come in the morning when they open. That is better than giving out tickets the night before at midnight. Maybe fewer people will be able to get there early on a weekday. So wish me luck! If GameStop is getting so many in, maybe that will be my last resort.

[t3h_wookiee]

Good luck! It's well worth the wait I have to say. :) Especially Rayman's Raving Rabbids-OMG that game is so much fun!! And Zelda's amazing. :love: it!

[allyray231]

Good luck! It's well worth the wait I have to say. :) Especially Rayman's Raving Rabbids-OMG that game is so much fun!! And Zelda's amazing. :love: it!


Rayman is way fun :)

[NotDesperate]

Well nevermind because people are already lined up to buy them at 8am tomorrow morning! :eek:

I just called Walmart to confirm it *was* tomorrow and not tonight at midnight and they said people are already lined up and then the jerks hung up on me!!! That is the second time they have hung up on me (the first time was another store though) and just about every time I call they are so rude and unhelpful!!!

I know they are sick of people calling, but it is their JOB! Have some courtesy!

People are probably lined up because Walmart waffled between telling people midnight tonight and 8am tomorrow. Why can't they come up with one policy and stick with it!

Geesh!

[TriSigmaNC]

We went to Wal-Mart this morning at 6am. There were already 42 people in line for 28 Wii's. So, we saw that, turned around and went home. It's ok, because I'm #22 on a list for 42 that will be at Game Stop next week.

[Aimee]

We (finally) got our Wii this morning. We'd planned on getting up at 4:30 to get to the local Wal-Mart for 5. They open at 7. Yeah, that didn't work so well. DH ended up getting there around 6 and he said the line stretched from one entrance to another.

He passes through another town on his way to work, so he stopped at the Wal-Mart on his way, and was #23 in line, with a shipment of 30 Wiis. Apparently the Wal-Mart across town only got 9 units. He got to that Wal-Mart around 6:45ish. They handed out tickets at 7 and distributed units at 8a. We're not sure why there was such a low turnout at the other Wal-Mart, other than the town where we live has a higher concentration of SAHW/Ms who'd be able to go early in the morning, rather than getting ready for work.

It's funny, but I found the Wii more difficult to get a hold of than a PS3. Yesterday I was driving by EB and saw the UPS truck outside. I stopped in and they hadn't gotten a Wii shipment, but they did get a PS3 shipment. They only had 2 extras over what they needed to fill pre-orders, but they release any unclaimed pre-order units after 48h. So, if I wanted one (I don't, but my cousin does) I'll know exactly when/where to go. The Wiis don't have the preorder angle like the PS3 - they're gone in a matter of minutes.

What I've found very frustrating about the whole thing is nobody will say when they're getting a shipment, or, if they are, what the protocol is. Last Sunday our Circuit City was due for a shipment and they said it was first come, first serve. What they meant was "We'll start giving vouchers at 4am and you can come back later and pick it up." By 7am (they opened at 10) all the tickets had long since been given out. So frustrating!

Either way, I'm glad our search is over. Good luck to the rest of you still on the hunt!

[NotDesperate]

I finally got a Wii!

Since one Walmart in my town already had a line a 6pm the night before, I decided to try our larger volume Walmart store early the next morning.

We got there at 3:30am and were numbers 6 and 7 in line.

The line quickly built after that to 26 people. There were 26 Wii's.

It was worth the wait, the time flied just talking to people and drinking hot chocolate. I also watched a movie on my portable DVD player. It was kinda fun camping out for 5 hours!

[t3h_wookiee]

I'm glad that you guys were able to get your Wiis! :D

Found out something today during our huddle after work. We're not allowed to tell anybody that we got any high-wanted item in, like the consoles, or Baby Alive or TMX Elmo (we put 9 on the shelves today btw, and only 3 sold by noon. lol). It causes too much trouble with people camping outside the door and then getting pissed off if they aren't on the shelf yet. Which they won't be. Target Corporate sent out an email to all ETLs to not put all of the units on the shelves at 8am. We're supposed to spread them out during the day, so that a greater number of people have a chance at getting one.

[PurpleRose]

Congrats on your Wiis, NotDesperate and Aimee! Glad to hear the wait wasn't that bad. I kind of enjoyed talking to the people in line as well, although hot chocolate would have made it even more enjoyable. ;)

Thanks for sharing that, t3h_wookiee. I suspected that's what was going on, as no one would/could tell me how many they were getting in (or even when). They wouldn't even confirm they would be getting them at all at Target, even after they ran an ad in Sunday's paper. I was really impressed with our local Target, though. They gave out vouchers and let me know right away I wouldn't be able to get one, which enabled me to get one at Circuit City.

Good luck to everyone else who's still hunting!

[shopaholic]

I wasn't even interested in this but now I am. I always liked nintendo and enjoyed their games but now it seems nearly impossible to come across one in the stores.

[t3h_wookiee]

We're getting a shipment in on the truck tomorrow of both the Wiis and the PS3s. They'll be on the shelves on Sunday. Same thing with Gamestop too. No idea how many we're getting though.

[Lauren23]

I heard a lot of stores are holding all their Wiis until Sunday. Probably because it's the last weekend before Christmas and all the stores are trying to cash in.

Good luck to everyone still searching for one!

[gator97]

t3hwookie- are they going to put them out all at once or stagger putting them on the shelves all day? I think you had mentioned that previously.

[gator97]

Do we know how many Target and Game Stop are getting? According to wiiseeker- it seems like everyone will have them tomorrow and I'm having trouble deciding which store to go to. Our Game Stop doesn't open until 10 a.m. I'm not sure what time I'm willing to get up and stand in line- but I want to have a game plan. circuit city, best buy, game stop, target! I just don't know!

[t3h_wookiee]

We're putting them all out at once this time. At least that's what I remember the LOD saying yesterday.

My Gamestop says they're getting 9 in. The closest Bestbuy is getting 18 in. I don't know how many we have yet, but it'll be a multiple of 3 at least. ;) I'll find out tomorrow when I stick them out on the shelf in the morning. I'm stuck going in at 6 to do pulls, so I'll likely get electronics/entertainment.

[gator97]

Thanks for the info! Sorry you are having to go in so early! Good luck with the craziness!

[t3h_wookiee]

Though really it's late for me right now! I've gone in at 5 these past two weeks. lol I'm just griping cuz I was off this weekend, and now I'm working both days (so 12 straight days).

Good luck finding one! Target opens at 8, and Best Buy at 8 also. Best Buy is expecting to get slammed here, as that's the first place people think to look for electronics.

[Asha]

thanks for filling us in t3h wookie.

am i glutton for punishment that i am going to make the rounds again tomorrow morning?

[TriSigmaNC]

Katie, I'm so glad you got one!
I think we're just about giving up and waiting until after Christmas, unless we can get our hands on one Wednesday when we get paid.

[Anna]

DH and I waited in line at Best Buy this morning at 5:00 AM. We were number 17 in line out of 18 total tickets. The line was about 40 people long by the time they handed out tickets around 7:20 AM.

We've been playing Wii Sports and Zelda today. It's been a fun experience so far!

[t3h_wookiee]

When I showed up to work, there was already more people in line than there was at launch! And we only had 18 units. Oh and yeah we didn't get any PS3s in-big surprise there eh? We handed out tickets again, and everything went really smoothly.

I'm glad that you were able to get one Anna! I'm now 52 hours into Zelda and still loving it. :)

I hope you were able to find one Asha!

[Anna]

Thanks teh_wookie! I'm so amazed at how responsive the system is to your own movements.

I think I like bowling the best in Wii Sports, and my DH likes tennis and boxing.

Any game recommendations? I tend to like cutesy (not very scary) games.

[Asha]

nope, not able to find one. i was too sleepy and i slept in, so i wasn't able to find one. no big deal though. the nieces weren't aware they would get one anyways, so its not like i am disappointing anyone.

[NotDesperate]

Anna,

Elebits and Raving Rabbids are fun, cutesy games.

[allyray231]

well my husband just called me and told me he had a PS3 in his hand and can he buy it.

Ummm since right now he doesn't have a job and we just moved to a new area and are living with my PARENTS I said no :)

[Anna]

Anna,

Elebits and Raving Rabbids are fun, cutesy games.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll check them out.

[Lauren23]

I second Raving Rabbids. That game is very fun. But some of the games had me nearly pulling my hair out!

Anyone download any virtual console games? I've only downloaded Mario 64 so far. I never actually owned that game for N64 and I love all the Mario titles.

[jenjunum]

Have you guys seen the Wii have a problem (http://www.wiihaveaproblem.com/)website yet?

It's hilarious. Check out the video of the chick boxing.

[TriSigmaNC]

We FINALLY got DH's today! He's putting it together right now! Also got him Zelda of course, so we'll be playing it all weekend!
We got it at EB Games, we were on a private list ;)

[Anna]

Has anyone used the Mii parade feature?

Our Wii number is 0235 2470 8292 5911. Does anyone else have one?

[TriSigmaNC]

Anna
My DH says no we haven't used it yet, "it's probably pretty lame". The message board is pretty cool. I don't have our # right now, because he's playing Zelda.

[PurpleRose]

Congrats on the Wii, TriSigmaNC!

[TriSigmaNC]

Thanks PurpleRose!, my DH joked we need another TV solely for it.

[NotDesperate]

I haven't used the Wii parade because I'm not on the internet with it yet. I just got a wireless router though so it would pick up our cable signal but I need to set it up. Plus, after that- I have no idea what to do on the wii to make it connect to the net.

[TriSigmaNC]

NotDesperate
After you set up your wireless router, go under Wii settings, then Internet, and then it will ask you to choose your connection. I hope that helps :)

[NotDesperate]

Oh Thanks Tracie!!

I can't wait to try it out!

When I figure out what my friend code is, I will let you know so you can check out my miis!

;)

[PurpleRose]

Just wanted to let you know, DH was so excited about his Wii! He was completely suprised. I don't know how I managed to keep it a secret, lol!

I got him Zelda to play but I'm wondering if there are other Wii games he should try. We have Gamefly, and I know he plans to try out Raving Rabbids. Can anyone recommend other games that are good?

[Anna]

When I figure out what my friend code is, I will let you know so you can check out my miis!


lol, awesome. For me, creating a mii is a fun game in itself. :p

PurpleRose: I haven't tried any games other than Zelda & Raving Rabbids, but let me say I have thoroughly enjoyed both. I hope others have some suggestions. We probably won't purchase any new games until we return home from our christmas vacation.

[gator97]

I was able to get a Wii from Amazon.com for DH. He was very surprised! It is so much fun!

We are big fans of Monkey Ball---we had it for the Game Cube so I got him the Wii version. It's lots of fun. There are about 50 party games- some good, some not so good. But we have enjoyed it so far. We're hoping to pick up more games this week.

[PurpleRose]

Thanks, Anna. I'm glad to hear you're really enjoying both games. I think DH is ready to buy Raving Rabbids just because he keeps hearing such good things about it!

[ivansbabe]

I've heard Madden is pretty good, DH opted for Raving Rabbits though since he has Madden for the Xbox.

[t3h_wookiee]

I didn't really like MonkeyBall myself. Single player was ok, but the minigames just weren't as good as I expected after the other games in the franchise. Rayman's is awesome though! :)

[mrs_pell]

I was so dead set on finding one for DH for Christmas, that I was furious when he called me 8 days before Christmas saying he'd found one. He totally lucked out and found one at Walmart so he bought it. I got over being mad that night when I started playing it! ;) Then I just made my goal finding him an extra controller for Christmas (that was hard enough...geez!!). He ended up taking it up to Indiana for Christmas, and it was TOTALLY worth the $250 to see my mom play it. She was kicking everyone's ass in baseball (like 5 homeruns in one inning!!), and she does NOT play video games. She was talking so much trash it was hilarious!

I absolutely love this thing. So far, we've gotten Madden and the GT racing one (I got that one for him for Christmas). The tennis is my favorite. Well, and the bowling (I'm a pro on that one..hehe). My arm is so sore though from tennis! :o How sad is that?!?!