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Thursday, November 08, 2007

I want a Wii

Eu Jin, Jude and yours truly went to check out Wii this afternoon. We are planning to buy the console but wanted to test it first before deciding further. Yes, we have heard about how the console is really bringing gaming to a whole new level with its motion sensor controls. But how good is it, we have always wondered.

So off we went to Best Denki (it's one of the few official Wii resellers in Malaysia) in 1 Utama. First thing we checked out was the price and warranty. The official set (will explain on the non-official set shortly) costs rm1299. It comes with 1 console (US region), 1 Wiimote, 1 nunchuck, 1 stand and I Wii Sports game. Warranty is only for 3 months. I suspect this is a MaxSoft policy rather than Nintendo's since I know consoles usually have 1 year warranty.

How was Wii? Very nice! I tested two games from Wii Sports - Tennis and Golf. The graphics are relatively simple (though I suspect only for titles from Nintendo since I know Resident Evil 4 is also available on Wii and graphics in that game is not 'simple'), but playing wii is a totally new experience. Since I was in public place (remember Best Denki), all I tried out was backhand and forehand. I was not too comfortable (shy) trying to do smashes, etc... So its just swing left and swing right. Yes, in case you have not realised, you swing the Wiimote like how you would when you play Tennis.

Next, I tried Golf. Still shy, I tried not to swing the Wiimote like what I would do with the golf club... Unfortunately, I found out that if I did not do a 'actual' swing, I would not be able to hit the ball far enough. So no choice... Had to do the full swing... Yes, you use the Wiimote just like how you would use a golf club. A truly different gaming experience -- no more classic controllers like those in PS3 or even Xbox360.

I've fallen in love with Wii. BUT... (yes, a BIG but)
We also checked out the games. Original games here cost around rm180 onwards! That's bl00dy expensive. Make that super Bl00dy expensive. Common... How can they expect the average person to afford the original games?! 3 games would almost be equivalent to a policeman's salary! For some, rm200 can pay for a month's petrol. Or a month's rent. If it's rm50, yes, I will go Ori... Common la Nintendo. Common la Max Soft. Even music CDs here are not that expensive.

And three months warranty only?!?

There are of course the unofficial sets. These are the ones that have been modded (modified). There are many modchips that allows you to modify the console to do more things. But bear in mind that using these modchips will void your Wii warranty. Modchips usually will allow you to play your backup discs. Let's be practical here. If your game is going to cost you a month's rent and constant playing will definitely scratch your disc, you will eventually have a disc so scratched that it can't be read anymore. Of course you would surely want to make a backup copy (hey, I believe this is allowed for music CDs). But official consoles will not allow you to play backup discs. I think a modded console is going for around rm1600 (comes with extra set of Wiimote and Nunchuck).

Anyway, Nintendo will be launching more accessories (and games, of course) for Wii. One of them is Wii Fit. It's supposed to be a game cum fitness thingy... Here's a video (yes, my first ever video embed) showing what Wii Fit is all about:

Finally, for latest news on Wii, click here.

Labels: misc, wii

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