If you lose your VC game, it is supposedly restorable without paying again.  Now if you own multiple consoles, I'm going to wager it's not transferrable across new hardware.

Games are console specific; you can download them as much as you like to the same console.

It offers wired and wireless connectivity, but I don't see an ethernet jack on the Wii for the wired option.  I am assuming you need to hook up a networking device through its USB ports, but I can't confirm.  If you go the wireless route, you can choose to connect to a wireless access point or the Nintendo USB Wi-Fi adapter (DS)

To connect to the internet with the wired option, you need at least a cable or DSL modem.  The wireless option requires a wireless router and a cable or DSL modem.  Or you can jump onto someone else's wireless network, but that would be bandwidth stealing.

Nintendo will release a USB ethernet jack for the Wii in January.  For now, you can use wireless either over a wireless router or with Nintendo's wireless broadcast dongle that connects to an XP PC via USB.

I think you are right about that.  From what I've been able to gather, it appears that if you have purchased VC games and your Wii dies, you need to send the machine to Nintendo so that Nintendo can either fix the machine or use Mario voodoo to move all your account stuff onto a new Wii which they will then return to you.  I don't think there's a way for you to do it yourself (to prevent piracy of VC games, naturally).

Another VC wish: It'd be really nice if Nintendo added free playable demos for all the VC games.  Microsoft has this for all the XBLA games, or at least I'm pretty sure it does.

Ah, good. I have DSL, it should work out, then.

I got the Wii on the morning of 19th, and I'm amazed with completely everything.
got it with the Zelda TP and ExciteTruck, there was no Metal Slug Anthology available on the launch day, but it should be released within a week.
Wii Sports is awesome( I found all 5 games compelling and fun to play), Zelda is incredible(finished forest dungeon), I didnt open ExciteTruck yet, too busy as of now.
if you can find the system, go for it!

Good god, is anyone ELSE sucking as much at Wii Sports as I apparently am?! I can't get my boxer to hit the target, I can't hit a freakin' tennis ball, and keeping my golf swing constant is impossible. What is you all's secret?! It is pretty fun in multiplayer mode, nevertheless.

Picked up Trauma Center yesterday.  As someone who got about halfway through the first Trauma Center, I can say this version plays undoubtedly better for the most part.  Better graphics, remixed music, new tools, and some new missions make this the better Trauma Center  I just wish it was a full fledged sequel, though.

Woohoo!  Got me a Wii!!!  And man, was it an adventure!

Just got to work and didn't get any sleep last night... so I'll have to wait 'til I get home to bask in the glory. 

Me and Twilight Princess are gonna make sweet love tonight...

Here's a question for you. I thought Trauma Center was cool, but after a while I just got way too frustrated with it. I'm thinking about renting the Wii version and giving it a shot... but for someone who loved the first TC until Chapter 3 or so, would it even be worth my time?

MAN! Finally! Hahaha, I'm happy for you, dude. Enjoy the hell out of that magic little box. I think Zelda is going to tighten your pants.

Thanks Zane!  I'm happy for me too!

I trust you guys' opinions more than any other on the net, so I know it's gonna be great...  I'm just bracing myself.

I'm gonna pull an XLord007 with Twilight Princess, as I usually do with Zelda titles, and take much longer than the reported 60 - 70 hours it takes to complete the game.  I'm sure I'll get at least 80 out of it.  I don't like to just bust a quick Deku nut with Zelda titles... these games get looooong marathon lovin'.  I do whatever I can on the first playthrough, then clean up the second time through.

Can't wait 'til I get off of work.  Shit is gonna take forever man.

I never got around to finishing the original either.  There is something that you'll like in this version; at any point in the storyline, you can go down to a new easy mode or up to a new hard mode if you're feeling particularly masochistic.  Normal mode in the Wii version is the original difficulty. So if you're stuck at some point, you could always go down to easy.

Question about the Wiimote; I recall it being personal, i.e. storing your Mii and whatever game data you'ved amassed on it. Is this data transferrable to other Wiimotes? I'd like to get in on the hot gaming action, but don't want to (a) make my brother's second Wiimote "mine," and (b) don't want to buy my own Wiimote yet (must come in black first). But if it's transferrable (and/or erasable) I won't feel so bad about using his in the meantime.

AFAIK, and if anyone knows otherwise, please correct me here, but I think the only things the Wiimote stores are up to 10 Miis which can be freely downloaded from any Wii console and which console is its home console, if any.  For example, you can sync up a Wiimote with a console which gives the Wiimote the right to power on/off that console.  If you don't do this, the Wiimote is just treated as a guest and doesn't have that power.

There are two syncrhonization modes (they are described in the manual).

1) Sync via the red buttons on the Wii and the remote (the remote's button is next to the battery holder, so you need to take the cover off.   This registers the remote to the Wii permanently until you change this.

2) Hit the remote's Home button and a menu comes up.  You can hit the reconnect button in the menu.  This is a temporary sync to the Wii.  It's basically a guest account.

I dunno. I played the wii today and I just don't like it at all.....I really think its a "toy" more than it is an actual video game console. It is very cheaply produced and too innovative for its own good. I just predict that this system will be completely dead by mid 2007.  The Playstation 3 will certainly kill it as soon as some real games start coming out.

Ken? Is that you?

Yeah, too much innovation is a bitch. Obviously super-powered graphics engines and generic FPS games are the real wave of the future. And don't forget about the annual Madden.

???  Me?

EDIT: And am I the only one who things eb4eva2006 is being sarcastic?

I was referring to Ken Kutaragi.

You could be right, maybe he was being sarcastic. But then... what would be the point of him posting it?

No, my guess is he's Ken.

Oh, Ken Kutaragi...  That completely went over my head!

I disagree about the construction of the unit.  It appears to have a solid build compared to other electronics.

I haven't had too many problems playing Wii Sport, Trauma Center, or Zelda.  They play like more immersive video games to me.

Mine too.  I thought he was talking about you.

Clarity hasn't been my strong point lately.

Here's another question: Are Wiimotes and nunchucks region-coded somehow? I'm on the verge of buying Japanese versions of the controllers for use with my U.S. system, if I were sure they'd work.

Why? Would they be somehow cheaper to import? More colors to choose from?

Don't honestly know, though I seriously doubt it.  I suppose it's possible the wiimote might be since it has a small amount of onboard memory, but I still think it's highly unlikely.

No...it's more because certain sites actually have the Japanese versions in stock whereas most places in the U.S. are out of stock until lord knows when.

By all accounts controllers work on both US and JP consoles no matter where they came from.

I can confirm I bought a Japanese controller yesterday and it works with my US system.  Also, grab them while you can because Japanese accessories disappeared as fast as the US ones, it seems (I was at the local large retailer three minutes after they opened and grabbed the last remaining wiimote from the shelf).

Here's what I want to know - has anyone read if you can use the Japanese point cards with your American virtual console account?  I was tempted to buy the Japanese package deal of classic controller + 5000 points for 5000 yen, but it was too big a risk to take if the points ended up unusable for me.

Nope, that's been confirmed as not working. It was either on Play-Asia or NCSX but one of the sites tried it and points only work for the region they were bought for.

Along the same lines, Play-Asia also confirmed that there is a region lockout for the games as well.  US Wii and Gamecube games will not work on the Japanese Wii, and Japanese Wii and Gamecube games will not work on the US Wii.  Not shocking news to anyone, I bet, but it has been verified.