Vague sexual euphemisms and toilet humor aside, who got their console and/or games? Any stores doing a midnight launch? How were the lines and crowds? Any problems? I still have 2.5 hours to go as of this writing before the Wii goes on sale here.

This launch is definitely going under the radar; all the stories I've seen on the Wii so far in the mainstream media are talking about Nintendo's place in the console war and how the Wii will stack up against the PS3 and other next-gen systems. One story specifically called Nintendo "the loser in the console war," heh. A far cry from all the stories talking about the hullaballoo of the PS3 launch.

Oh dear god, I just found an AP story who quoted this one guy named -- I am not making this up -- Isaiah Triforce Johnson, who, the story said, "had legally changed his middle name to a reference in Nintendo’s 'Zelda' series of games." I don't think I'm *that* much of a fan, hehe.

Exactly what I was referring to in the other thread...Most of the news seems focused on PS3. Would be a shame if this console race is decided because of where the media naturally flocks to.

Then again, most of the PS3 stuff I've seen has been explicitly bad news or ebay-related.

I'm almost tempted to ride out to Wal Mart tonight and have a looksee...Not to buy one, but to see if there's any kind of mad rush out there.

There was a midnight launch at the EB where I preordered, and I just spent the past few hours experiencing my Wii. Well, less than that - it took me about 40 minutes just to unpack everything and get it set up properly. The console is sexy and sleek, and the hidden GCN ports at the top of the unit are brilliant. I had no problem using the controller (either portion), and I'm really excited by how much fun I've had tonight.

Wii Sports is a lot of fun. I played that for an hour or so tonight with my girlfriend, and we rocked it. My favorite game is probably Tennis. Boxing was a little too iffy to be enjoyable, but other than that it's a really great pack in. First time I've ever had to move a couch to play a video games. I also got Rayman, which is really fun, and Zelda, which I am not touching for a while. I need to make sure I have time for that, and that time is nowhere to be found tonight.

But, yeah. f---ing Wii, man. I am pumped.

I'm not going to be buying a Wii, but I /am/ going to swing by Target and Walmart to see if  I /could/ get one. The former I think might be 24 hours so it's probably gone by now, but the later opens at 7AM.

(Edit: Er I was thinking of Meijer, not Target. Verdict: Meijer - No sign of Wii at all, though one PS2 shelf was clearned. Target: More than 30 people, no chance. Circuit City: A bunch of people waiting, no idea idea if it was "full". Wal Mart: Most likely "full")

-Joshua

Where I live they did a midnight opening, my friend was one of 11 who pre-ordered the console so I got to play it tonight!!!

First, Wii sports is definitely awesome.  I disagree with Zane, boxing was my favorite.  My friend's favorite was the bowling.  It seems like there will be something for everyone with wii sports.

I also watched my friend play Twilight Princess for a little while.  Mostly it's classic Zelda (Grab a chicken and jump off a roof!), but the classic no-dialogue Link felt out of place for me.  The fishing seemed very confusing.

Mine was picked up for me tonight by someone kind enough to wait overnight (with another one of my friends who actually was getting one for himself) for the launch at a Target.  Just confirmed acquisition and can't wait to get the box with it inside.  I'm so jealous of all of you playing it now!

My friend and I were 16th and 17th in line at Walmart at 6:45 this morning and they only had 15 Wiis.  Shit, man!  I was right there!  So I'm gonna have to wait a few days to get one.

I have a shitload of accounting homework to do, which I wouldn't have done with a Wii and Zelda, so I guess there's some good that comes outta this.

But damn!  So close!

Ah, very interesting. My only real problem with Boxing was that it seemed like the controls were too wonky. For example, when I would use the remote to throw punches, only one out of every two or three punches looked like it went through... it was kinda confusing. Maybe I just need to practice.

That about sums up the game.

Picked mine up at midnight, w00t! It wasn't bad at the Gamestop I went to...I was maybe the 15th person in line and I was out of there in less than 30 minutes. The employee who rung me up said other employees had gone to Wal-mart at 9 p.m. and said it was chaos there, which kind of surprised me, considering how many units are supposed to be available. Then again, considering GS had only limited preorders, I suppose those were all the people who didn't manage to get a preorder in.

Anyway, so I got home, set it up -- I agree with Zane about the amount of time it takes to hook up; this is probably the most time I've ever taken to set up a console, heh -- and then went to sleep. Now I'm reading the Zelda instruction manual and boy, am I getting confused by all the button placements! I guess it's something that'll come to me naturally after I've played for awhile, but unfortunately I must force myself to NOT play for now. I'll have to content myself with watching others play in the meantime. Man, it stinks when you have a project and a tight deadline!

Heh...I like this warning in the Wii manual: "Wii gameplay with the Wii Remote can involve rapid or vigorous motion. Please use the wrist strap to prevent losing your grip on the remote and causing damage to the remote or surrounding objects, or injury to other people." Heh, I can see the stories now about people getting whacked by a flying Wiimote...

Speaking about Wiimotes, were any of you able to pick up extra controllers? GS said they got in absolutely no accessories. As I was telling a friend, I found that surprising considering the Gamecube was pretty much being billed a party machine with multiplayer games, whereas the Wii seems to be going for the solo aspect. Heh...solo but active, I guess.

I got an extra 'chuck and an extra Wiimote, but that's only because I preordered them last month. Aside from the preorders, the EB I went to didn't get any accessories besides a few of those remote condom looking things, and a 2000 point Wii card. I want a classic controller, dammit!

went to about 8 stores (at 7:00am), all lines were already filled up.

Got mine today with a bunch of stuff.  My Trauma Center comes later today and I also picked up Call of Duty 3 and Zelda  I took the time to buy a points card and a classic controller as well and promptly downloaded Mario 64.  Getting your Wii online is almost as easy as getting your DS online as it has roughly the same interface.  Using the controller to put in characters is less easy than using the stylus, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.

Mario 64 plays like a dream.  They mapped the buttons properly and with the right analog stick as C buttons, the camera is, I think easier to control here than on the N64.

Wii Sports.  Great fun and I can't help but stand up while playing it.  Tennis, Golf, and Baseball are the winners on this game.  The graphics are hilariously stupid, but it's great for a free game.  It was great of them to include it.

Call of Duty 3.  The controls take some getting used to, but once you get a hang of the sensitivity (turn it down a bit; it helps a lot), you'll be shooting Nazis like nothing else.  Graphics are slightly better than the PS2 version but not nearly as pretty as the PS3 or 360 versions.

Zelda I haven't gotten to play much of (I don't even have his sword yet), so those impressions are later. 

Right now, I'm highly impressed with how sleek and well designed the console, the controllers, and the interface is.  It was a breeze to plug in my SD memory card from my Camera and show the folks my pictures from my trip to NYC and DC.  Easier than a computer, imo.

Best purchase all year, I think.  But, where the hell are the good Virtual Console games?

YES! I'm sitting in my friend's dorm at the University of Calgary, playing the Wii as I sit here. Marc is making his Mii right now. This thing is really cool!

And in about half an hour, Twilight Princess, which is sitting right next to me.

I got mine last night at midnight at my locak gamestop.  Kind of broke so I just picked up the console and Zelda.  I need to sit down and put some serious play into Zelda, but I am kind of miffed I dont have component cables.  Wii sports is pretty fun too I am pleasantly surprised.

Anyone want to exchange friend codes so we can share Miis?  My code is 0494 7103 5222 8098

So does that mean they've mapped the crouch to the L button and the follow-Mario camera to the R button?  I was a little worried after they made me crouch and hip drop with the R button in the DS game...  x_x

Yeah, the crouch button is L.  Here's the controls.

N64 control pad--->Wii Control pad.
N64 Analog-->Wii Analog (L)
N64 A-->Wii A
N64 B-->Wii B
N64 C buttons --> Wii Analog (R)
N64 Z --> Wii Zl/Zr
N64 L-->Wii L
N64 R-->Wii R
N64 Start --> Wii +

Screw you guys for not sypathizing for me!!

I'd probably be more sympathetic... but I'm not even able to get one, so...

Hey, my accounting stuff is driving me up a wall too. ~_^.

So...The Wii hooks up differently than GC? I mean, for PS2, I just removed the PS1 and snapped the PS2 right in. I was just kind of planning on doing the same when it came time to snap out the GC and snap in the Wii.

"N64 control pad--->Wii Control pad.
N64 Analog-->Wii Analog (L)
N64 A-->Wii A
N64 B-->Wii B
N64 C buttons --> Wii Analog (R)
N64 Z --> Wii Zl/Zr
N64 L-->Wii L
N64 R-->Wii R
N64 Start --> Wii +"

Hmm, so I take it this is for the classic controller? Or am I missing something on Wiimote, because I didn't see a right analog stick.

Any kind of texture smoothing or anything (ala the OOT GC version)?

Oh yeah, my bad, I forgot to tell you I was using a classic controller.  I should use a GC controller later to see how that feels.  I'm pretty sure the A/V cables for the Wii are slightly different than the GC (which were the same as the N64).  They looked similar, but, I didn't have my Cube on hand to compare directly.  The plug seems different, though.  It's got a huge box on it now.  Fortunately, it runs real quiet.

I didn't notice any graphical enhancement either.  They didn't even change the text to reflect the fact that I wasn't playing with an N64 controller.  But, I haven't noticed any screw ups with the port either (I just got the first three stars).

Thanks! I was almost thinking you meant you could control the camera by moving the Wiimote. Which, would actually be pretty neat...

Heh, that'd be really trippy, actually.  But hard to do the rest of the stuff, I think.

As for Zelda  Graphical style is somewhat reminiscent of Ico/Shadow of the Colossus.  The gameplay works brilliantly with the Remote/Nunchuck.  If you move the remote around slowly, you guide your fairy around the screen (it hasn't had much of a purpose yet).  If you move quickly, you attack/swing your sword.  Destroying stuff with your sword is fun and awesome.  Not at all tiring since you can make sharp movements without big movements.  But where's the fun in that?  Everytime I see an enemy, I can't help but sit up and swing my remote of death around. 

The camera is the same as Ocarina's, so no free-roaming.  Items seem to be mapped to the B Trigger as I've got a Slingshot and a Fishing Pole so far.  Aiming the slingshot is extremely easy.

The game is far more mature and darker, reflected in its T rating.  Within the first hour, there's some decisively not kid-friendly scenes (I'm not spoiling anything).  The world is highly reminiscent of the Link to the Past Dark World/Ocarina of Time future.  Your helper is only slightly annoying this time and some people may actually like him/her/it.

More impressions later.  Tomorrow I get to pick up my Trauma Center.

Sadly, yes. RF units have been my savior all these years, but there isn't one out yet, if ever, for the Wii, so I had been hoping I could use the GC's RF unit. No such luck; the part of the cable that plugs into the back of the console is different between the Wii and GC. I'm gonna have to get that box I saw some time ago that you can plug several systems' AV cables into...

Kenology: There were a couple times in life I've been that close to getting something, too, only to fall short. *sob* Would you like a hug? ^_~

And it's crazy, but I can't believe I had to stand in line just to get CONTROLLERS. So much for preordering the console and games! I saw that Best Buy and Circuit City were advertising Wii consoles in their Sunday circulars, so I went off this morning hoping for the best after Gamestop let me down in the accessories department. I got to BB just after it opened and the line was insane, so I went off to CC and go there 20 mins before it opened. A good crowd was outside by the time the doors opened. The stand with the Wii controllers was right by the door, and I swear, we all bum rushed that thing. I managed to grab 1 classic and 2 each of the nunchucks and Wiimotes. Annoyingly enough, they didn't have any points cards (they said they never received any), which I remembered only at that moment. I wonder if those cards are going to be in short supply also?

Seriously, though, this whole "unequal distribution" thing is rather annoying. I guess it is mostly in Nintendo's favor that they at least got the consoles themselves shipped out to the stores, but I was very annoyed that I couldn't complete my entire Wii spree all at one store.

So wait... the classic controller has both R/L and Zr/l buttons?  How does that work?  Are the Z buttons comfortable at all?  How are they aligned?  Like the PS2 controller where the buttons are above each other?

I got it at midnight this morning from Wal-Mart; I was #20 of 20.  I also got Zelda: Twilight Princess and an extra wiimote and nunchuk.  I've played a lot of Wii Sports with one of my cousins (he came over after I got it this morning and we played until 7am) and at the first dungeon of Zelda now.  We just now played some of Trauma Center that I rented from Gamefly, since the other three games I rented have not yet arrived.  It's fun enough, but I think I'll return it tomorrow or Tuesday, depending on if I really care to keep it.  The control seems better for Wii than the DS, thanks to the nunchuk selection.

I also got some VC games and am glad that I really don't need the Classic Controller since they are all at least compatible with the Wavebird.  I hope they have some good releases for the VC Monday.

Put more time into Call of Duty 3 and Zelda.  Zelda is huge.  It took me six hours before I was through the first dungeon and out on the field for the first time.  It's great.  Camera is a slight issue as mentioned earlier, but other than that, it's great.

Call of Duty 3 is pretty good too.  The controls are brutal the first time you play.  It's not the best intro to the Wii control scheme, but once you get into it, you'll be sniping Nazis like no one's business.  The hand to hand combat stuff is really annoying and some of the controls aren't as responsive (don't even bother trying to throw a grenade with the Nunchuck; it's defaulted to off for a reason), but the basic FPS structure is solid here.

Got mine at Nintendo World in NYC.  They opened 6am to take care of pre-orders.  I showed up around 8:30am as a walk-in.  There were plenty of walk-ins.  There was a small line, but it did not go beyond the doors.  They were serving Starbucks coffee and morning pastries.  They had a raffle at 9am.

You were limited to 1 extra nunchaku, remote, and classic controller.  But, Nintendo World appeared to have plenty of units to serve those that were there and then some.  They might run out at the end of the day, because some employee was counting the line.

The remote comes with a pair of AA batteries, so you don't even need to worry about getting batteries.  Nintendo thought this through very well.

The classic controller has a zL and a zR positioned evenly and inside of the L and R buttons.  The analog sticks are the same size, which I think is a good thing, as I never really liked the differently-sized control stick and c-stick on the GC controller.

I managed to get the system, an extra remote and nunchaku, a classic controller, and Zelda for $400.  That's 2/3 the cost of a PS3 (without even a game).

Sony must really think they're so good.
I think this comic is most appropriate:
http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=212

I read this, and boy does the envy creep up.

Of the big three, the Wii is certainly the one I'd want the most. The Wiimote sounds like a great controller, I really appreciate the the GC backward compatibility, and of course I'd love to revisit the classics again. But alas, due to my high-commute job and the cost of fuel, it's just a luxury I cannot afford right now.

So I'll just have to be patient, and content myself with the GC version of Twilight Princess. I'll catch up with y'all later.

Rather than hijack the friend code thread, can anyone here tell me what way the codes work? What's Mii and is that what Nintendo are calling it or a made up thing like Wiimote? Is it one code per console or per game, as in DS friend codes?

I have no idea how all that works either.  Whoever answers, please consider people who don't have a DS.

Mii is an avatar you create that can be used in Mii compatible games.  It's just a cute little person that can be imported into games like Wii Sports and visit other Wii consoles via WiFi if you have the mingle and travel options on.

Friend codes are console specific, not game specific.  Your Wii has one friend code, unlike DS where every game has a code.  You can find your friend code by going to your address book under Wii Messaging.  Like DS, both parties have to agree before you can communicate.  Unlike DS, you can exchange friend codes with other machines like PCs and cell phones (the wii friend code becomes an email address and the other friend code is an email address).

I pre-ordered my Wii from GameStop and boy am I glad I did.  I had a painless launch day with no waiting in line or anything.  My store still owes me the classic controller, but I got everything else I pre-ordered and all the VC games are overpriced (especially considering that I own most of them already), so I don't really need it yet.

I agree with those that said the system took forever to set up.  The sensor bar, while small and pratically invisble when setup, is so light that the double-sided tape is basically essential to keep it in place.  I also had some trouble with there being loose plastic fibers (the color of the console shell) coming out of my disc slot the first several times I ejected Wii Sports and my Wii Sports is heavily scratched, though I'm not sure entirely how it happened.  I'm pretty sure there weren't any major scratches on it before I put it in the first time, but I can't prove it.  I don't know if the fibers were scratching it or if my original wii location was not ideal (I originally had it setup horizontally on a surface that had a slight slope).

All I know is that the fibers have stopped appearing and I moved the console to a completely flat surface.  I didn't try Zelda until after doing this, and Zelda went in and came out clean after two lengthy play sessions, so everything looks fine now (knock on wood).

Anyway, I absolutely love the Wiimote and nunchuck.  The pointer works exceptionally well and it's really neat having a controller that be held in either hand any way you want.  Zelda handles beautifully with the Wiichuck combo and I can play much more relaxed than with a normal controller.  My only complaint is that you have to swing the controller a little more sharply than I would like to get Link to swing his sword, but otherwise it's great.

In Wii Sports, tennis and bowling are my favorites, baseball is boring, golf is ok, and boxing seems pretty pointless to me.  Still, it's a great pack in.  I had two non gamers try out tennis, and they both picked it up immediately.

So, after a day and a half, I'm very happy with my Wii purchase.  I hope Nintendo will offer the following firmware upgrades, however:

-More TV output settings controlled by Wii itself (you shouldn't have to switch your TV back to 4:3 to play a VC game if you have 16:9 selected on the Wii)
-Fully configurable buttons on VC games
-Brightness settings (I was annoyed to discover that I had to change the brightness on my TV for Zelda -- RE4 let me do this in the game itself).
-Ability to return to the Wii Home menu during NGC games

Well, if this is where nagging questions about the Wii are answered, lemme throw my chip in:

What, specifically, is needed to access the online features? Would I need a wireless router? A phone jack? Is it all internal? Or something else?

My DSL has wireless built into the modem and set-up was fairly decent.  Not really knowing what I was doing would explain why it took so long.  For the Wii itself you have to buy nothing else if you can take advantage of a wireless set-up.  Not sure how wired set-up would go.

Am I right in thinking that means the code is not stored remotely? I mean, if you have a problem with your console or whatever and end up getting another at some point, how does that work? I'm just wondering for things like the VC games - anyone know if they can be transferred?