Post by: Smash_Brother on July 25, 2006, 09:43:14 AM
I've noticed that Nintendo products, especially the latest ones, have a viral effect on people: once they try it, they're determined to go out and get one of their own. Such is true with the DS I won in the birthday contest which was given to a friend and then promptly stolen by his mother after he made the mistake of making a reference to Animal Crossing and then had to show it to her to explain what he was talking about.
She just recently gave it back (after 2 months or so) and went out and bought her own DS, AC and a copy of Nintendogs (since she loves chihuahuas with a passion).
Yesterday, I went to Gamestop to pick up Killer 7 and Rayman DS. I asked the two clerks about Wii preorders and they both expressed excitement about the Wii, one of them saying "I can't wait!". This surprised me as I had long ago resigned myself to the notion that any game store employee would more than likely be a Sony/MS fanboy, usually MS. These two had been converted by just the promise of the Wii on the horizon.
So, in the interest of that, report occurrences of the "Nintendo Virus", be it Wii, DS or otherwise. If anyone you know has opted to buy a DS because of a game they tried or if you've seen Wii excitement in people who you didn't expect to see it in (game store employees, friends who don't game much, etc.) report it here.
I remember someone had seen a Wii ad already. Feel free to report sightings of those as well.
Post by: eljefe on July 25, 2006, 11:15:09 AM
Before ringing up my game he was like, "Wanna preorder any DSlite or Wii products"? Again, I was shocked. I told him no that I'll pick it up when it comes out. He said, "I don't you'll find one here...It's gonna sell out really quick". I told no again but while he finished scanning my card I talked to him about E3 and what Wii demo kiosks might be like.
I would have stayed to chat longer but I was headed somewhere important.
But I'm still dumfounded. If Nintendo has ALREADY convinced clerks that usually advise customers to avoid their products in favor of XBOX and Playstation, they really have the casual fan in their pockets. They didn't even mention the PS3 once!
Post by: Smash_Brother on July 25, 2006, 11:23:53 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: eljefe But I'm still dumfounded. If Nintendo has ALREADY convinced clerks that usually advise customers to avoid their products in favor of XBOX and Playstation, they really have the casual fan in their pockets. They didn't even mention the PS3 once!
Hot damn...
See, this is EXACTLY what I mean. I've never seen prehype for a product like this before, let alone a NINTENDO product.
Again, I wonder if Nintendo's marketing machine suddenly became massively more effective than it has been in the past or if the Wii is catching on like this on its own.
Either way, this bodes extremely well for Nintendo.
Post by: JonLeung on July 25, 2006, 11:27:43 AM
So I brought it to work today to show her. She got a 63 (she's not near that actual age). I laughed. At her.
Am I mean? But at least she's definitely getting a DS Lite and Brain Age (she said she probably would've even if I didn't have a chance to show her today). Though I have still helped to spread the word by mentioning it in the first place!
She likes to play Xbox/Xbox 360 games with her son (she thinks Halo/Halo 2 are awesome), but now besides the DS, she seemed interested in the Wii when I gushed about it after coming back from E3.
If Brain Age comes out for the Wii, it may be my topic for another of those silly office presentations "about anything you want, so long as it's somewhat relevant". I hope to dispel myths about games, since most people in my office (besides my supervisor) don't play games at all.
Post by: Smash_Brother on July 25, 2006, 12:50:07 PM
Quote
I was shocked when I overheard the other clerk trying to convince a guy to preorder Red Steel.
Wait, I read this as convincing the other CLERK. It was just some random customer he was trying to push a Wii game on?!
Post by: Louieturkey on July 25, 2006, 01:37:08 PM
It's also a plus for me because he works at Walmart in the electronics dept. He can secure two Wii's and we can get them at the EE discount.
Post by: EasyCure on July 25, 2006, 02:17:46 PM
as for wii, there's one guy at the gamestop i go to thats excited about it, but the rest of the staff.... all these new guys... i dunno.. they talk about it in a positive way but it doesnt come off as convincing. the older staff, who i see every now and again in their various new jobs are all raving about it, and some of them were former sony fanboys who are completely turned off by the price point and lack of any new types of games on the ps3. one of them actually got to go to e3 and was even more excited about it after playing it, though he was already the lone nintendo fanboy of the staff.
a few of my coworkers who favor their ps2s or xboxes over ps3's are also showing excitement about it, but their the types who called the gamecube tiku tiku tiku! . one of them hasnt played video games since snes/genisis days and i've told him all about the virtual console and he's stoked. he's also really intriguied about the motion sensing controls of the wii, and says hed love to try it out.
Post by: Smash_Brother on July 26, 2006, 07:39:33 AM
Best Buy's Wii info
Again, I'm not sure if Nintendo had a sales rep talk to the BB higher-ups to get this kind of information onto the website, but I'll tell you THIS: this is the most amount of support I've ever seen for anything Nintendo by a retail chain.
Also, FYI, you can reserve most Wii games at BB and Gamestop right now, it's just the system itself which you can't reserve.
Post by: SgtShiversBen on July 26, 2006, 08:09:57 AM
I think Nintendo is doing something right. I will say this though, I will keep playing on like a playa because that kid told me to.
Post by: Requiem on July 26, 2006, 08:31:46 AM
I told my other brother's friend (23) about the Wii and showed him the Red Steel trailer. He's really excited about it. He said something to the effect of "There's that one game that comes with every generation of new consoles. Like, there was GTA and Halo, or GoldenEye for the 64. Now this.....this is that game that everybody will want."
I couldn't agree more (if it ends up exactly like the trailer).
Post by: Ceric on July 26, 2006, 12:09:03 PM
Thought this went well with this topic if memory serves me correctly.
Post by: Smash_Brother on July 26, 2006, 12:17:37 PM
God willing, their support will be better than the abysmal support they offered the GC.
Post by: eljefe on July 26, 2006, 02:03:54 PM
My mom needed something at the mall, we haven't been in ages. I avoid the EBX there because they're usually less informed than me and their selection is crap. Plus they usually have broken demos.
I decided to go there JUST because of this topic. I took my neice so we went straight to the DSlite kiosk w/ NSMB. My brother went over to NCAA Football 07 on 360.
After playing for a little bit, I decided to see what was on the other side of the 2-sided kiosk (after a little kid left). So I'm playing the Hunters demo now..
And these two guys walk past me arguing about PSP and DS graphics. The "DS dude" eventually starts talking to the other one about how "the DS will be Revolution compatible".
My ears perked up and I struck up a conversation with him. First, to confirm my suspicions, (and since he was talking about graphics vs. style) I asked him if he'd seen the Heroes stuff. He hadn't; and I realized he wasn't up to date with all things Wii.
He brought up his concern about controller sensitivity; I explained how Wiitennis and other games work and how it allows differing play styles and levels of effort. Then I asked how even got interested in the "Revolution". He said once he saw MP:C he was sold.
Pretty cool guy.
I had another cool experience with a guy I work with today, but I don't feel like typing it all down right now.
Post by: RiskyChris on July 26, 2006, 02:21:28 PM
This past Saturday, one of my oldest friends came by since I was in town. We chatted a while, talking about the upcoming Wii, and I told him I don't fear for Wii's future, seeing the social phenomenon in Japan with the DS. I pulled out my DSL and started playing Ouendan. Not even 20 seconds into the game he told me to stop so we could go shopping for one. I had to hold him back to show him other games, because I didn't want him to make such a rash decision that he'd regret. 5 stores later, we found a system and he picked up New Super Mario Bros, which we played competetive minigames for a few hours on. Today he calls me saying he convinced 3 families to pick up a DSL while he was at EB.
Post by: IceCold on July 26, 2006, 03:11:29 PM
Post by: SixthAngel on July 26, 2006, 06:27:11 PM
Post by: Caterkiller on July 26, 2006, 07:39:27 PM
I have been crusading around my work place spreading nothing but the greatness that is the DSL and Wii. But there were several times when I stumbled onto conversations discussing the Wii that were very pro Nintendo. Just yesterday my friend asked if we could drive out and look for a DSL. I called around to 2 targets, 2 EB's and 1 Walmart, of course each one had them sold out. And each one also had plenty of PSPs. Our power went out as I was gathering store numbers online so we just drove out hoping to find one, not even thinking about looking in a phone book or anything.
Toys R Us was up first and wouldn't you know it, they had 4 left. We both baught one each, and the clerk just starts praising the machine like crazy, and tells me that people aren't buying their PSP's as much any more because of the price. Im thinking to myself... "wow, and I didn't even have to jump start the conversation."
There has been many more instances where something like this has happend, but much more surprising. Usualy because I assume no one knows about the Wii, and if they do they are on the PS3 bandwagon no matter what.
Post by: Smash_Brother on July 26, 2006, 08:55:56 PM
At Toys R Us, when I went to return a DSL with a stuck pixel, the women at the counter, upon seeing the DSL, said, "Oh, is that the new one? It's nice!" as though they not only were excited to see the DSL but had positive experiences with the original DS as well.
It begins to feel like the whole gaming market has come full circle: Nintendo used to be what everyone talked about. They lost that status, but now it seems that they're rapidly gaining it again, even in the ultra image conscious US.
Sony may have buggered up badly this gen, but I start to think that the Wii could have pulled this off even without their screw-ups.
Post by: Smash_Brother on August 05, 2006, 04:55:29 PM
They decided to buy one after that.
Post by: ThePerm on August 05, 2006, 05:23:43 PM
Post by: Sir_Stabbalot on August 05, 2006, 05:32:29 PM
Post by: BlkPaladin on August 05, 2006, 05:59:29 PM
Post by: Smash_Brother on August 05, 2006, 09:33:20 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: ThePerm i was at the mall and saw a lady in her 70s playting ds...
Umm, wow...
Post by: Requiem on August 06, 2006, 08:57:02 AM
Then I had dinner with him and his parents, and he felt obligated to tell them about what he just saw. They were amazed. Suprisingly, his mom loves to play Donkey Konga (which is an awesome game by the way).
I told them how much the PS3 would cost for the premium and un.....premium version, and there jaws dropped. His younger brother wanted a PS3, but there at that table, they decided that the Nintendo Wii was the better choice (especially after I told them about the VC).
Post by: WalkingTheCow on August 06, 2006, 10:47:44 AM
(customers in question are usually buying videogames)
Post by: Smash_Brother on August 07, 2006, 10:54:34 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: Sir_Stabbalot
A few days ago, my barber asked me if I knew how much a DS and Brain Age would cost.
You know, I missed this, but this is likewise HIGHLY unusual.
How old is your barber and is this male or female we're talking here?
Post by: couchmonkey on August 08, 2006, 08:26:19 AM
Post by: JonLeung on August 08, 2006, 09:09:49 AM
In my opinion, though, most of the current Touch Generations games are kind of weak. But if Nintendo insists on promoting them and will come out with more games targetting the more casual/atypical gamer, it could become a very powerful brand.
Post by: Smash_Brother on August 08, 2006, 09:22:46 AM
Did you show her Nintendogs yet?
Post by: JonLeung on August 08, 2006, 09:36:50 AM
When I did show her, I think she thought it was neat, but I don't think it was exactly her thing, but Nintendogs and Brain Age have been the only games I've bothered trying to show other people who don't usually game.
(As for my boss (supervisor, really) she actually plays a lot of Halo and Halo 2 with her son. She plays games on their Xbox 360, as well. So it's not like she doesn't play games. But judging by how busy she always seems to be, she only wants to play games that are worth her time, and her enthusiasm to get Brain Age even before I showed her must mean that Nintendo's doing something right.)
Post by: Smash_Brother on August 08, 2006, 09:39:27 AM
Women seem irrationally drawn to that game.
Post by: ShyGuy on August 08, 2006, 09:56:14 AM
Chicks dig the Harvest Moon to, that comes out soon
Post by: couchmonkey on August 08, 2006, 10:55:42 AM
Post by: Smash_Brother on August 08, 2006, 11:00:21 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: ShyGuy
Are you calling me a woman??
Chicks dig the Harvest Moon to, that comes out soon
I'd have to be calling myself a woman in the process if I were.
And yeah, HM has drawn them in quite well in the past.
Post by: JonLeung on August 09, 2006, 09:45:04 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: couchmonkey
I think Nintendogs could look like a big timesink to a lot of busy professional types. You could be caring for a real dog (or your kids, if you've got 'em) instead. Brain Age, on the other hand, may feel like it's improving your "productivity".
I think couchmonkey's got it.
I could show anybody all the games that I like, but I think that some people don't play video games not specifically because they don't like them, but because they think it's such an investment in time. People always have "better things to do", but Brain Age is so much more pick-up-and-play and gives a sense of productivity that it's able to break down those barriers.
As I said, I don't feel that the other Touch Generations games even compare, but it could be a very powerful brand if there were more games like Brain Age to keep it going. (And no, I didn't find Big Brain Academy to be as engrossing - without a daily graph to keep you playing, without research from a doctor to back it up, and with "brain mass"...a relatively odd thing to "measure", I think - I would bet that BBA would always be in the shadow of BA.)
Post by: Ceric on August 09, 2006, 09:59:13 AM
Post by: Smash_Brother on August 09, 2006, 10:19:34 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: JonLeung As I said, I don't feel that the other Touch Generations games even compare, but it could be a very powerful brand if there were more games like Brain Age to keep it going. (And no, I didn't find Big Brain Academy to be as engrossing - without a daily graph to keep you playing, without research from a doctor to back it up, and with "brain mass"...a relatively odd thing to "measure", I think - I would bet that BBA would always be in the shadow of BA.)
I have to agree, and I'm hoping games like Cooking Navi and the language training games will make it out of Japan.
"English Training" was topping the charts in Japan for a while. Not sure why we've never seen anything like that here, and having a talking cookbook which you can control with your voice just screams perfect for people who want to make something good but don't want to have to rifle through old, dusty books in order to find a recipe.
You can also tell the thing to set a timer and go off. TOO perfect...
Post by: Athrun Zala on August 09, 2006, 07:18:44 PM
Post by: Smash_Brother on August 10, 2006, 04:17:13 PM
Post by: Athrun Zala on August 10, 2006, 07:45:08 PM
Quoteagreed
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother
I'd love a "Learn Japanese" game, personally.
and somehow these seem to be proper names for the tests!
- Advanced Engrish
- The Morning Sun Shines Over The Snowy Mountains of Happiness and Frozen Lake of Ninjas (Poetry Lesson)
- Proper Manners I
- Proper Manners II
- Proper Manners III
- Kanji Nightmare
Post by: Smash_Brother on August 11, 2006, 08:15:07 AM
I hope these do make it stateside. Every time I glance over business software, it's always chock full of "Learn ______" language programs, replete with an attractive girl on the cover who is supposedly of the nationality of the language the product offers.
I can only imagine that these programs would do immensely better on a handheld portable which would allow you to do a few language learning exercises on your bus/train ride to work or during a bathroom break.
These are likely attempting to cater to businesspeople who will have to communicate with customers of other nationalities, the very same businesspeople who don't even have time to raise their kids properly, let alone sit down at their PC to try and learn a language.
A DS which lets them learn a language would be a godsend and an easy million-seller.
Post by: EasyCure on August 15, 2006, 08:46:32 AM
i was at the cash register ringing up a customer where i work when they noticed the gift cards we had, one of them being the NES controller and they thought it was cute. they then noticed my mario bros. tshirt and figured i liked video games so they asked if i knew about the wii. i was shocked because the customer was a beautiful college girl that looked more like the type that would rather go out and party on the weekend then learn about the Wii (though you could joke that she knows all there is to know about the Wii at the party ;-))
we talked about it for awhile and she seemed genuienly intrigued by it, and couldnt wait to play WW:Smooth moves.
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on August 15, 2006, 09:05:50 AM
.
Post by: Kairon on August 15, 2006, 09:10:07 AM
~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com
Post by: Ceric on August 15, 2006, 02:39:03 PM
Post by: EasyCure on August 19, 2006, 06:28:53 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: BlackNMild2k1
You should have gotten her # so that sometime in the 4th quarter you could call her up and invite her over to play with your Wii. That way you could show her all the Smooth Moves she could handle
i would have but my gf was there too
i was telling that to one of my friends he said the exact same thing you did (cept he didnt use "fourth quarter"), thats very odd to me
Post by: Ghisy on August 19, 2006, 11:18:10 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: BlackNMild2k1
You should have gotten her # so that sometime in the 4th quarter you could call her up and invite her over to play with your Wii.
Now that sounds kinda dirty! haha
Anyway, at work the other day, one of my colleagues brought her son for the day and he had a DSL. Me having a regular DS went to talk to him (he's a 10 year-old kid) and I tried it. DSL was on my "to buy list" of course but after trying it, I went home and ordered the Ice Blue one!
Ok, enough off-topic, my point was: we were all talking about videogames for a bit and when I mentioned the retail price for the PS3, they both went o_O.
They seem to be more Nintendo-oriented people though (they have a GC and play Mario Kart often apparently). I later told my colleague about the Wii and I'm pretty sure she's gonna buy one at some point.
Another (funny story): she told me that, when her son is away from home, she leaves the DSL in her bathroom so when she "has to go", she remembers she has to feed the dogs in Nintendogs!!! That made me go totally ROFL!!!
Post by: KDR_11k on August 20, 2006, 06:48:14 AM
Post by: ThePerm on August 20, 2006, 08:56:45 AM
Post by: Athrun Zala on August 20, 2006, 06:41:48 PM
QuoteLOL, kinda similar over here with my mum
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
I introduced my mother to the concept of Brain Training. Took a bit of convincing but she started to like the idea. Then she learned that it costs 30 € (38.47$) and that was the end of the idea.
but I told my dad what it was about, and was thrilled (especially because he loves sudoku and has a crappy memory) and actually agreed to buy a DSL and BT, so I told my sister (who was in Europe) to get one......but she forgot to buy both
so, until someone I know goes to USA/Europe I'm DSLess T_T....
EDIT: clarified a bit...
Post by: Donutt007 on August 24, 2006, 11:17:19 AM
Her boss was talking about how much she would enjoy the games if she didn't have to sit around the whole time and that whenever she plays the games she moves her arms around anyway trying to mimic the jumps and stuff. So my girl started talking about the Wii to her and all the great things that Wii is. She sounded kinda excited about the idea.
Wow, a 35 year old female massage therapist and yoga instructor is now interested in buying a Wii. Talk about reaching out to a new market!
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on August 24, 2006, 11:26:00 AM
combined...
NEMIAN!!
Post by: mantidor on August 24, 2006, 11:55:41 AM
Post by: JonLeung on August 25, 2006, 09:51:50 AM
Post by: EasyCure on August 26, 2006, 09:26:37 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: Donutt007
My girlfriend, who is a massage therapist and is probably tired of hearing me talk about Wii all the time, was talking to her boss at the spa and they somehow started talking about video games.
Her boss was talking about how much she would enjoy the games if she didn't have to sit around the whole time and that whenever she plays the games she moves her arms around anyway trying to mimic the jumps and stuff. So my girl started talking about the Wii to her and all the great things that Wii is. She sounded kinda excited about the idea.
Wow, a 35 year old female massage therapist and yoga instructor is now interested in buying a Wii. Talk about reaching out to a new market!
lucky you ;-)
Post by: Donutt007 on August 26, 2006, 10:39:09 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: EasyCureQuote
Originally posted by: Donutt007
My girlfriend, who is a massage therapist and is probably tired of hearing me talk about Wii all the time, was talking to her boss at the spa and they somehow started talking about video games.
Her boss was talking about how much she would enjoy the games if she didn't have to sit around the whole time and that whenever she plays the games she moves her arms around anyway trying to mimic the jumps and stuff. So my girl started talking about the Wii to her and all the great things that Wii is. She sounded kinda excited about the idea.
Wow, a 35 year old female massage therapist and yoga instructor is now interested in buying a Wii. Talk about reaching out to a new market!
lucky you ;-)
I was talking about her boss. My girl's a 24 year old massage therapist and yoga student, even luckier!
Post by: EasyCure on August 26, 2006, 11:32:24 AM
Post by: Killer_Man_Jaro on August 28, 2006, 05:43:37 AM
Post by: JonLeung on September 06, 2006, 09:51:12 AM
That surprised me. o_0 I mean, that a Whyte Ave diner person would care about such things.
EDIT: Oh, I forgot to mention. My supervisor (I may have referred to her as my boss in the past but she isn't really), who I introduced Brain Age to, recently introduced Brain Age to our (actual) boss, who now has a DS Lite and Brain Age as well - and as an early birthday present. Couldn't wait to train the brain, I guess. Passing along the love of Brain Age is truly "viral". I didn't really believe the whole word-of-mouth thing, really, but now I'm a link in that chain. Perhaps my boss will introduce Brain Age to someone else...or me and my supervisor probably will again.
Post by: IceCold on September 06, 2006, 03:07:28 PM
Post by: Svevan on September 06, 2006, 05:56:19 PM
There's still a long way to go, Nintendo. TRY HARDER.
Post by: MarioAllStar on September 06, 2006, 06:02:30 PM
Post by: Svevan on September 06, 2006, 06:20:57 PM
Post by: KDR_11k on September 07, 2006, 06:20:19 AM
Post by: EasyCure on October 05, 2006, 11:07:40 PM
i took a glance at the women and she was easily in her mid to late 30s, and she didnt have a kid with her. i assume its for herself.
then just yesterday, i was talking to a friend whom i havent spoken to in years. the subject of video games came up and he asked if i was still interested. he expressed his excitement about ps3 (im sorry, i mean PLAYSTATION 3). i asked him if he even knew the price of the thing... boy was he in for a suprise. i gave him all the bad news there is about it and told him he'd be better off waiting a year or more to get one.
to my suprise he hadnt heard about the wii. he asked if nintendo was coming out with a new console or not. i told im all about Wii and its motion sensing controls, showed him pictures of how small it is and showed him trailers for red steel and even Trauma center and he was simply awed. he didnt say a single thing about graphics or asked if it was anywhere near as powerful as ps3. he was just floored at how fun the games would be and how new it felt. he was genuienly excited.
he's a complete mainstream gamer who wanted a ps3 because it was the 'cool' system to have, but i think i converted him to Wii after telling/showing him all it has to offer.
ps i didnt tell him the price of the console until the end and he couldnt believe how much cheaper it was then ps3.
Post by: JonLeung on October 06, 2006, 09:28:34 AM
With a month and a half or so before the launch, I expect that non-Internet-dwelling citizens of the planet Earth will soon catch up to what the Wii is all about. Though now I'm wondering if I'd rather they weren't excited, so that I'd be more likely to get one on launch day without having to preorder. >_>
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on October 06, 2006, 09:40:54 AM
Post by: JonLeung on October 06, 2006, 09:44:28 AM
Yeah, I know the Wii just might interest Oprah-watchers...but still, everyone keeps talking about it as if it's a sure thing.
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on October 06, 2006, 10:04:15 AM
Oprah's audience falls in line with the non-gamer audience. Plus, she has massive media potential.
And I'M the only one saying it'll be on Oprah. You just see my posts too often.
Post by: Kairon on October 06, 2006, 11:19:00 AM
HSN. MARK MY WORDS... with spaghetti sauce.
~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com
Post by: WuTangTurtle on October 06, 2006, 10:03:25 PM
Post by: Caterkiller on October 06, 2006, 10:39:13 PM
Post by: JonLeung on October 07, 2006, 09:17:15 AM
So long as she doesn't see it as some kind of fanboy bombardment, if she's able to wrest time away from her gazillion other duties to take a look at what the Wii is all about, it just might work.
Post by: Kairon on October 07, 2006, 09:32:40 AM
*clicks on TV*
~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com
Post by: Athrun Zala on October 07, 2006, 10:32:40 AM
the funniest part was that my sister was dissapointed that we had to wait until November to get one XD
Post by: Caliban on October 07, 2006, 04:50:08 PM
Post by: EasyCure on October 08, 2006, 12:42:19 PM
im not sure what was said exactly becuase everyone was talking but i definately heard "nintendo Wii" on the radio. it was one of the more popular stations in NY too, which made quite an impression on me, tho i just wish i knew what they said about it! the station plays all genres of (mainstream) music and they do a few live shows at a club in the city on saterdays (so last night was one of those times).
the funny thing is, i was with the friend whom i told the ps3 price to (see my last post) and i said to him "see jeremy, they said Wii on the radio, not ps3" and we laughed about it.
Post by: IceCold on October 08, 2006, 01:05:48 PM
I've been trying to refrain from predicting it, because there are still a lot of unknowns. But now I'm convinced that Nintendo is going to reclaim their rightful spot at the top of the heap.
Post by: Smash_Brother on October 09, 2006, 05:57:49 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: JonLeung And if Oprah can afford to buy audience members new cars, couldn't she buy audience members new PS3s? :P
That would require those PS3s to have been manufactured.
Also, what the hell would your average Oprah watcher do with a PS3? I've never seen a game on it which looks like it would even remotely appeal to a middle aged woman.
Post by: couchmonkey on October 11, 2006, 09:27:25 AM
You know, I've been trying to contain myself to protect my inner fanboy from disappointment, but I'm really beginning to feel like Nintendo will not only take this generation, but take it by f'ing STORM.
Post by: Smash_Brother on October 11, 2006, 09:30:34 AM
I give more credit to Nintendo's theories now that I've seen so many of them in action.
Post by: JonLeung on November 20, 2006, 06:57:44 AM
Some people here at work are also interested in the Wii (since I won't shut up about it) and one woman (it feels weird saying that, she's like two years younger than me) said her husband wanted a PS3 but was floored by the price and now the two of them are considering the Wii not just because it's cheaper but also because it looks like a lot of fun.
I don't think I'll have a Wii launch party (or I guess now, a near-launch Wii party) since my (non-co-worker) friends are being snobbish, but I might have something going if enough of my co-workers are still interested. My supervisor joked that I bring my Wii in to work, but we don't have a TV here. I wonder if the Wii can hook up to a projector, and if so, would the sensor bar work? Interesting...
Post by: Edfishy on November 20, 2006, 07:11:53 AM
Quote
I wonder if the Wii can hook up to a projector, and if so, would the sensor bar work? Interesting...
There's no reason why it shouldn't be able to work, you'll just have to find a way to get the sensor to be somewhere near the top/bottom of the projector screen. The only issue I can see is the projector's distortion, but that should be correctable.
Post by: Zach on November 20, 2006, 04:51:56 PM
I get to my school this morning, with my wii. Now I had an oral presentation that counted for a third of my grade in just a few hours, and I had been playing Zelda the whole day before. So naturally I had to resist the urge to set up the wii and play some more. So I leave it on my dresser and get to work. Afterwards I go to class, (kinda) prepared.
While Im in class, my roommate sees my wii, and he mentions it to my friend down the hall. My friend has impecable timing, right in the middle of my presentation, my phone starts to vibrate when he called me. Then it vibrated again when he sent me a text message after I failed to pick up. (thank god I remembered to turn my phone on silent.) After my presentation, I discreetly check the message, and see that my friend asked me if he could set up my wii. I say sure, just dont mess with my Zelda file.
So class lets out, and I go back to my dorm. I find my friend, and my roommate, and about 4 or 5 other people in my friends room all already addicted to WiiSports (not to worry, I knew all of them, and I know my friend well enough that I know he wouldnt let anything happen to my stuff). A couple of people have left since then (my friend quit, so we moved to my room). Now its just me, my roommate and another guy, and we have been playing ever since.
Post by: WuTangTurtle on November 20, 2006, 06:00:58 PM
It was really surprising to see a whole family together camping out at a console launch. Observing them I was totally thinking this is exactly what Nintendo wanted, that and how smoking hot the daughter was : )
Post by: Therac-25 on November 21, 2006, 03:48:50 AM
I was driving home from the Superstore I got my Wii at on Sunday morning, and I noticed that Starbucks had their Christmas drinks out, and since I'm addicted to gingerbread lattes, I went through the drive through.
The lady there tried to start up a conversation (as it takes forever to do anything at a Starbucks it seems), and I mentioned "Uhh, I just got back from waiting in line for the new Nintendo system...", fully expecting the blank stare that usually results in talking about video games.
And then her eyes light up and she starts complaining about "Oh yeah, one of my friends boyfriend's is getting one today and she's going to be playing Wii today and I'm stuck at work all day..."
Very weird.
Post by: KnowsNothing on November 27, 2006, 10:15:22 AM
Now that I finally have Wii, I can confirm stuff. EVERYONE LOVES WII. This is a fact. Especially bowling. There have been eight different people that have tried out bowling and every one of them had a blast, including my mom who basically hates video games. She even made her own Mii =D
Excite Truck also seems to be popular, even though the controls are frustrating at first. It doesn't matter though, because it doesn't matter what you're playing, wii is just FUN ALWAYS.
So that's about it.
Post by: couchmonkey on November 27, 2006, 10:43:31 AM
Post by: decoyman on November 27, 2006, 01:08:08 PM
There was a 40-something man behind me in the Target release-day line who'd never bought a console before. He'd played his nephew's Gamecube a couple times, and had decided that he was going to make the leap into gaming with the Wii. He'd done his homework, I was pretty impressed with his knowledge of the release lineup and the console itself.
In front of me in line was a guy about my age named Walter. He was buying it for himself mostly, but he mentioned that his wife was super-excited about it too.
At the post office the next day, I was mailing some of my video game related ebay sales. Some random guy noticed a SNES cart and we started chatting video games. I mentioned that I kind of wished I could keep all my old systems for nostalgia's sake, to which he replied, "Well, at least you'll be able to play all the old games on the Wii's Virtual Console." And I was all like, "You sure will."
Since I've brought it home, my wife has taken it over several times to play Wii Sports (she consistently schools me at bowling, but I get my vengeance at tennis:P
. I also invited over a friend and his girlfriend to play one day, and I could barely wrestle the remote out of his girlfriend's hand when they had to leave. They played Wii Sports and also ExciteTruck, and seemed to have a great time even just making their Miis. Yeah, I can agree with pretty much everyone else: Nintendo's onto something here.
Post by: IceCold on November 27, 2006, 04:12:31 PM
QuoteYou should have said "Damn straight!"
I mentioned that I kind of wished I could keep all my old systems for nostalgia's sake, to which he replied, "Well, at least you'll be able to play all the old games on the Wii's Virtual Console." And I was all like, "You sure will."
Post by: Caterkiller on November 27, 2006, 06:40:50 PM
Its a big character department so we all get lots of breaks and lots of time to do what ever. I hook it up early in the morning, and insert Wii Sports, and its not being read. The same happens with Zelda, and Rayman, and oh boy im getting very worried and embarrased. I leave the machine hooked up and return after my first set, and realize I was putting the discs backwards. You could imagine the relief I felt after I figured it out.
Anyway fast forward to the important part. One guy brings his 360 in 5 days a week, I kid you not. And he just hooks it up to one of our tv's. The gamers, gather around and watch him, always commenting on how cool it looks and so on and so forth. But if someone doesn't play games, they will not have any interest towards his 360. And I have been watching this day in and day out since the 360 came out. His 360 was the only one I think on the planet that didn't break. So I watch people and how they experience the 360 and how they react to it. With that I have been waiting a long long time to see how my co-workers would react to the Wii.
I so wish I had a camera or something, for video. You would not believe how nuts they went over it. My 50+ year old friend is a big tennis player and could not get over wii sports. Well as a matter of fact, Wii sports is what got everyone hooked. All I could really do was show them fishing in Zelda, I didnt want to confuse or bore them with traveling and exploring(especialy since I was lost at that time in the game). My friends were standing up to play, and just could not stop laughing about how the ingame characters were performing the same motions that they were. I mean we have alot of people that run in and out of our breakroom, and everyone but the hard core gamers were impressed. Most of the hardcore guys are pure Sony, and Microsoft fans. They except Nintendo, but it will always be a distant 3rd to them.
At the start of our daily meeting, our manager said "Befor I start, everyone should at least try Matthew's amazing new video game machine." Someone asked what it was, and briefly I got up and explained it and the price, and I sware everyone went "Is that all!?" well one supervisor said "I can't believe 250 is cheap now'a days."
The Wii defenitly can draw in the nongamer, It was almost like everyone was under Nintendo's spell. It really was amazing to sit back and watch how these people reacted. Especialy the difference in gamers VS nongamers.
Oh and at least 15 people said they were getting one that day.
Post by: chris1932 on November 27, 2006, 10:38:23 PM
But she loved watching me play Wii Sports and shes gonna play with me next time we have the chance!
Post by: vudu on November 28, 2006, 06:31:28 AM
QuoteNo fair! I was going to say that!
Originally posted by: IceCold
You should have said "Damn straight!"
