need help with buying a wii

Well a lot of games will let you share the same controller, but of course it would be better to have some extras of those and some games probably do require each to have their own. It only comes with one controller (and nunchuk which is used for some games and not others).

Me personally I bought the "perfect shot" gun and the "classic controller", but I rarely use either. Maybe other people use them more though.

And then games would all depend on what type you want. Most people would like mario kart, zelda: twilight princess as far as an adventure game, metroid prime trilogy for shooting games, the new super mario brothers, punch-out, and a lot more games.

Some people buy some charger station thingy, but I haven't bought that. So anyway others are probably more help on what else to get because I mainly play only a few types of games. I haven't tried wii fit or most attachments or accessories.

The basic box will allow you to play bowling and golf with four humans and everyone can share one controller.

You can play boxing, tennis, and baseball, but you'll be playing against the computer.

If you want to play human versus human, the cheapest way to go is to buy one more controller which will cover tennis and baseball. (Boxing against another human requires an additional nunchuck.)

If you want everyone to have HIS/HER own controller for tennis, golf, and bowling, you'll need to purchase three additional controlles. (Personally, I'd wait to see how you feel about the games before splashing out a lot of cash for peripherals.

The sensor bar that comes with the game works perfectly fine.

Make sure you have plenty of double AA batteries or some rechargeable AA batteries if you plan to be gaming for a long time on Christmas day.

MY suggestion would be to buy ONE additional controller and nunchunk and do not open them until you play around with the games a little. That way, you can return them if you feel you don't really need them.

As Basher said there are many games and peripherals you can buy for the Wii. It just depends what kind of games you like. MarioKart is a good suggestion if you like driving games and want to compete against other people. You can play against up to four humans on one machine or take on other players on the Internet.

If you have other questions, feel free to ask.

jeepster360, I agree with Franchot. I started out with the Wii basic box w/Wii Sports, one extra Wii Remote Controller, one extra Wii Nunchuck and the Limited Edition Wii Sports Resort Bundle with two Wii MotionPlus. Lots of fun with the family .

That's a very good suggestion to buy the Wii Sports Resort Bundle which you can now buy packaged with either one or two MotionPlus dongles. Along with the Wii Sports that comes with the machine, that's a lot of games to keep the OP and his family well entertained.


Most games don't use the enhanced sensor controller and it's been my experience that this new-fangled sensor controller hasn't really panned out to be all that wonderful. Very few games use it and although it adds a level of playability, it's not a night and day difference. I'd say that if one player is using the enhanced sensor and the other isn't (IN ONE OF THE FEW GAMES THAT SUPPORT IT), one player would not have an overly dramatic advantage.

At the moment Target has the Wii Console w/$30 GC, which can be use to purchase another Wii Remote. Also Target has a printable coupon for a free Wii Nunchuck when purchased with a Wii Console.

The better route for buying a controller is buying Wii Play. Wii Play is another 9 mini games + a controller.

Next Purchase would be Wii Sports Resort which is the follow up to the game included with the system. I believe they are giving you 2 Wii Motion +'s these days when you buy that so that should cover that.

Other fun games, Mario Cart, Brian Age and of course, once you get set up, go online and download classic games.

I forgot about Wii Play (because the games are pretty forgettable in that collection ), but that is a good suggestion because you're essentially getting the games free and only paying for the controller--if you get the Amazon price. Good idea.

http://www.amazon.com/Wii-Play-Remot...1170198&sr=8-1

Sounds like you're good to go for many hours of gaming.

Merry Christmas!

Just getting into the Wii World myself. So, I'm gonna need some double A batteries for the controllers? They're not like the PS3 controllers that you can just charge as is? Can you buy a Wii-battery pack, like the 360, that you can attach and charge via usb?

I bought a Wii and bunch of Wii stuff and games for the kids for Christmas this year....and I swear I'm already up to about 5 hundred bucks! One has the impression that of the three systems, it's the cheapest.....or should be the cheapest! It's all the peripheral stuff that sucked me in, I think. My bad.

Some - if not many - Wii accessories are not really needed. For "essential" add-ons, certainly additional Wiimotes/nuncucks, Classic and/or GameCube controllers for various Virtual Console/Gamecube games, (optional) Motion Plus add-ons - go w/ Wii Sports Resort or Tiger Woods 10 w/ a M+ dongle packed in. Several deals recently had Sports Resort packed with TWO M+ add-ons.

As to batteries, there are several Wiimote charging systems out there that will have thier own battery packs. Nyko & Energizer are 2 brands of Wiimote charger that I see most often.

In my case, Wiimotes - along w/ basically anything using AA/AAA batteries in my home - are powered w/ the Sanyo Eneloop NiMH rechargables. If nothing else, invest in some rechargable AAs for your Wiimotes.

I agree 100% with jwebb. There are a lot superfluous accessories for the Wii that are designed for nothing but extracting money from your wallet. The Big Box stores offer starter packs that are full of controller shells that you don't need or will even want to use after a few days. I've noticed that a lot of the controller shells like the baseball bat, golf club, and steering wheel are showing up at discount stores like Big Lots and even Dollar Tree, so if your little ones just have to have a bat/club/or steering wheel, there are lower cost options out there.

As far as batteries go, I use rechargeable AAs. The Eneloops jwebb mentions seem to have quite a following, especially if you have a Costco nearby where they can be picked up for cheap. That being said, I was intrigued by an induction charger sold at Best Buy (sorry, I can't find a link) that included power packs for 2 wiimotes. It works with the silicon sleeve and the motion plus attached, so it sounds like it's easy to use--just flop your controller down on it. What was most intriguing for me was the claimed compatibility with PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers as well. However, they didn't have any attachments for the other systems for sale separately. If the PS3 packs were available, I would have picked it up.

http://www.amazon.com/Wii-Energizer-...dp_ob_title_vg

Would this be that charger? This is the new "flat" induction charger - just lay your Wiimotes on it. This only handles 2, but Energizer apparently does make a 4 Wiimote version, too.

These are certainly cool - I go the regualr NiMH AA route simply due to having other household gadgets (Harmony remote, digital camera, several kid's toys) that also use AAs. 2 Costco sized packs of Eneloops have held me over nicely.

^^ Thanks for the help, guys.

I'll go out and get a charger before Christmas. I'm assuming each controller uses 2 AAs.

As for "complaining" like I usually do about being suckered into the extras...all my fault...I thought about it after and mostly I've just bought games. Hm, I bought the delux Wii Sport Resort bundle with 2 Wii plus controllers....Mario Kart, The latest Dance Dance Revolution, and Wii Active....All for the wife and kids. Myself, I'd kinda like to get the last Metroid game. And maybe even Dead Space, just to throw Visceral something for the holidays. Plus, I really liked Dead Space on the 360.

Overall, I think the kids will have fun over the holidays with their big gift this year. At least I'm hoping!

If those are the "accessories" you were suckered into, then you did alright, brother.

Yes, Wiimotes use AAs, as does the Fit Balance Board. Only Wii controls (outside of 3rd party wireless Gamecube controllers or the Nintendo Wavebird GC controller or Rock Band stuff) to use batteries are Wiimotes.

If you mean the "last" Metroid, skip Metroid Prime 3 & go straight to Metroid Prime Trilogy instead. All 3 full Prime games, one disc, $50 (although Amazon looks to have had a smokin' deal yesterday). Even if you have played Prime & Echoes on Gamecube, it's worth replaying them in the Wii Trilogy for the improved control system alone (nice, real widescreen is nice, too). The only thing lacking from the Trilogy is the unlockable NES Metroid from the 1st game (of course, that can be had via Virtual Console for $5).

If you liked Dead Space, you should certainly check out Extraction - good stuff.

Don't forget Best Buy's deal: $19.99, free site2store shipping...

and they've got Dead Space:Extraction on sale as well, $29.99.

Yes, each controller uses 2 AA's. Metroid Prime Trilogy for $19.99 is probably the best Wii deal ever. I posted it in the Wii deals thread Sunday. Best Buy.com is also Bing Cashback eligible. The sale runs from 12/20 until 12/26, so DON'T miss out on it!

I hadn't heard about the Sanyo Eneloop rechargeables until now...I've been using Duracell and Energizer rechargeables in mine. A 4 pack usually costs between $10 - $11 around here. I just try to go for whatever has the highest listed mAh for more play between charges. The Duracells are the highest I've seen at 2650 mAh.

Speaking of a sucker for extras, my wife was at Walmart the other day and was looking at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - Reflex that comes bundled with the Nintendo Zapper. I'm glad she didn't buy it. The price wasn't good and I don't think people here would recommend using the Zapper when playing that game in the first place.

Doing some last minute shopping tonight - BestBuy is a likely stop - maybe I should get myself a copy of Extraction (played it as a rental - but I see it being a $30 game worth owning). Hey, I do have a $30 giftcard burning a hole in the wallet.....

Eneloops tend to hold a charge longer than some others, esp when sitting idle for long periods. They also come w/ a full charge out of the box. The 1st ones I ever used registered fully charged out of the box in a Wiimote for several days straight. But any good rechargables will do the trick.

I've played MW Reflex - ignore the low reviews in some places...it is a very good game (esp if your 1st MW experience), but skip the Zapper. Works infinitely better w/ Wiimote & chuk alone & it relatively customizable in this mode - all you can alter w/ the Zapper is the IR pointing. I played the rental & I believe a new copy is sitting under the tree at home as we speak!