Topic: Journalist Returns Wii Due to "Hidden Costs"

[brian577]

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14194403?

This guy reviews technology for a living?

[King of Twitch]

Old people and technology just don't mix!

[broodwars]

Wow, just wow. That's an epic failure of research before purchase right there, but at least he admits it.  You know what, though?  From the sounds of it, his family had a great Christmas anyway, so maybe it was for the best.  Some people just aren't ready to own a video game system.

[ShyGuy]

Somebody post the Penny Arcade Gamecube connectivity comic strip.

[Stratos]

An here I thought casually interested people loved their add-ons and extra peripherals.

[Chozo Ghost]

Yeah, what a moron. He says he hasn't owned a video game console since the original Atari in the early 80s. His ignorance shows, and he has no business whatsoever writing reviews about technology.

[Kairon]

You know, read the article and the guy comes across as a responsible parent and sensible decision maker. So he plunged into a Wii purchase without doing research and quickly became overwhelmed with all the things it would involve, from internet connectivity to accessories to added costs. He started getting concerned over how to handle as a parent his children's playtime. He then returned the goods to the store within a day after some dedicated thinking.

He deserves to be admired. No $200+ purchase should just be jumped into. And in the end, his family's Christmas was great anyways. And when he DOES buy a Wii, which he says he most likely will do within the year, he'll have a better idea and won't get nearly as confused.

This isn't an article about technology. This is an article about how to be a responsible parent, an educated consumer, and rational human being.

[that Baby guy]

I'm not so sure, Kairon.  The scenario sounds a bit iffy, to me.

He decided to buy the $200 Wii for his children for Christmas.  He tacks on additionally prices that are inaccurate, to say the least, and not even necessary.  He looks at the game selection, and decides Wii Sports is enough for his kids.  He goes home, and talks to his wife about how he spent about $90 more than he had originally planned.

Then, suddenly, he realizes he'll have to create rules to go with the new gaming console.  Suddenly, he realizes that the Wii, itself, could overshadow the other gifts he got his children at Christmas.  Suddenly, he realizes there's other options.

A responsible consumer and a responsible parent would have considered the cost of buying a Wii for multiple family members.  He'd know that instrument-based controllers can cost extra, or else Best Buy wouldn't try so hard to sell them to you.  He would know that he'd have to make sure his children played the games responsibly.  He's already told us he's already done that with the free games on his computer his son plays.  Of course, if he was planning on limiting the amount of Wii time his children would get, he'd also know that they would certainly appreciate their other gifts, as well.

To me, it sounds like he found it was too expensive, and decided to make several excuses afterward.  If he's someone intelligent enough to read about in an advice-style column, then I'd venture to guess he'd be smart enough to understand what's involved with this decision, and a sharp enough critical thinker to foresee at least one of the trouble-scenarios he divines after he made the purchase.

I suppose the article may be an attempt at how to be a responsible parent, an educated consumer, and a rational human being, but not in what you pose as the intended nature.  We observe from the journalist's poorly thought out, potentially erratic behavior the complete opposite way a responsible, intelligent, and rational person would go about making a purchasing decision for his children.  In essence, that's why I believe most reactions to this article I've seen have been quite a bit negative.

[SixthAngel]

You know, read the article and the guy comes across as a responsible parent and sensible decision maker.

He came across to me as a control freak parent.  He said he only allows 30 minutes of screen time for his kids a week! 30 a week! One episode of Sesame Street?  One Saturday morning cartoon?  His possible plan for the Wii was 10 minutes a day which is essentially one game of bowling.  I understand limiting tv time, and I think it should be done, but these are the kids that I felt sorry for when I was a kid.  I do agree the Wii would have overshadowed the other gifts though.

He also claims his kids are "content" with their consumer electronics device, a calculator.  Best. Gift. Ever.

[Chozo Ghost]

You know, read the article and the guy comes across as a responsible parent and sensible decision maker.

If he is so sensible then why was he "overwhelmed" and had to return it? I don't buy what you're saying at all. There are no hidden costs to the Wii. Right out of the box the system had everything needed (minus the tv) to get it up and running and have someone playing Wii Sports in single player mode. Granted, you need to buy an extra controller for other players but this isn't a hidden cost. Nintendo isn't hiding that information from anyone.

He also went for the Rock band games that require additional peripherals. Why did he do that? Maybe he knew what he was doing and just wanted to have something to whine about so he could write his article.

[ShyGuy]

Either the man doesn't have five minutes of foresight or it's a contrived situation for the article.

The PA strip: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/8/25/

[SixthAngel]

I think its perfectly okay  for him to be overwhelmed when buying a system.  Many people who haven't played games don't realize the extra controllers and things that are needed to get the experience they want.  I've seen people who were actually surprised they had to buy games with it.  He also makes a good point about the number of free games available on the internet, especially when his kids only have enough time to turn on the computer.

I still think he is a house rules nazi though.

[ShyGuy]

I have to CONTINUE putting gas in this car I bought? Double You Tee Eff, Ford Motor Company.

[broodwars]

There's a tremendous irony in all these people coming down on a guy who's obviously an extremely casual/lapsed gamer being overwhelmed at all the stuff you have to have to use a modern console.  Casuals don't do research, and they don't know what's out there.  Aren't people like this guy the people we're supposed to be sympathetic and understanding to?  It's not like this guy was buying a Wii for work purposes (he even admits as much in the article that that's just an excuse), where I would expect him to know the hardcore facts about the system like we do.

[SixthAngel]

Do you think someone who only lets their children spend 30 minutes a week on the computer and interent combined will really be tech savvy in the slightest?  By tech savvy I mean know the slightest thing about any computers or videogames in the last 10 years besides the fact that they corrupt the young.

[ShyGuy]

He runs a website called siliconbeat.com Does he know what silicon is and how it's applied to technology? Why is he writing about something he has little knowledge of?

I bet he was mad when he bought a television and got screwed by the "hidden cost" of batteries for the remote. Plus he probably had to get a cable TV subscription! How dare they!

[Stratos]

He even admits in the article that it was bad of him to run to the store without first researching the matter. I think it was a matter of him being too overzealous in getting a popular gift for his kids without thinking it all the way through.

Also, my Mom made the observation that its the kids without those systems or on 'gaming time budgets' are typically the most out of control and obsessed. My sister (who is 11) is a very well balanced child and loves playing games as well as other activities but some of her friends where the parents have 'TV limits' or ban gaming all together come over and literally cannot stop playing unless you force them to stop. Its like because of those controls the child never learns proper self control and balance on their own. Though I'm sure every child is different.

[ShyGuy]

I just find it hard to believe that as a technology journalist, the consequences of owning the #1 christmas gift of the past four years has never occured to him. "Hey, in the fifty million pictures of people playing over the past four years and two months, I've never seen a cord running into the controller they're holding. Guess it uses magic."

Did he return his iPod when he discovered it didn't come with music?

[Peachylala]

I discovered that my PS3 Slim doesn't come with a time machine built in. I should sue Sony right now!

[EasyCure]

Please forgive me, forum, for what I'm about to say..
(NOT FOR THE SENSITIVE!)

he should have just aborted those kids of his when he realized the "hidden cost" of having sex. Normally i'd recommend adoption but if he went that route he'd be pissed he'd still have to pay the hospital bill for having said children delivered. Wait, he'd still have to pay for the abortion.. wait..  even before the sex that produced the children he had to pay for dinner and gifts to court his mate (unless he's a rapist).. **** there's "hidden costs" in dating too? Poor guy can't fucking win, guess lifes too hard with all these "hidden costs".. maybe he should just end it all...

[Ian Sane]

I think the cost of the controller is the ONLY thing that would have been an issue.  Two kids, two controllers.  Makes perfect sense.  It's been a long time since videogame systems came with multiple controllers.  Meanwhile the Wii comes with a game.  If he did his research he would know about Wii Play and then, bingo, second controller and second games for the kids.  Internet play is optional and wouldn't be that necessary for his family's needs.  Plus I'll bet he doesn't know it's wireless and for all he knows he already has a wireless router and just doesn't use it.  If he did research he would also realize that Lego Rock Band is an EXCEPTION and that most videogames for any console are not so expensive.

Now the Wii does have some hidden costs.  I think selling nunchuks seperate is a pretty mean cash grab.  The batteries requirement is fucking annoying as well.  But you don't need rechargables on DAY ONE.  Doesn't he have AA's lying around the house?  The clerk owned him on that one.  He could always get rechargables at a later time if he felt they were needed.  I've never bothered.

If the guy did five seconds of research he would have spent $250 for a Wii, two games and two controllers and his kids would have been absolutely THRILLED.  But he's a yutz.

It also seems that a big part of his decision is that him and his wife were so overwhelmed by the idea of how they could regulate their kids' videogame time.  Let kids be kids and quit worrying.  Though I'm not a parent so I'll admit I don't know how I'll feel in the same situation.  I do know that kids get bored of games if you don't buy them new ones.  I would only get my kids videogames for birthdays and Christmas so I figure that would help balance things out.  With nothing new to play for months at a time, Ian Jr. would have to go outside to find something fun to do.

[EasyCure]

Screw outside, give Ian Jr a guitar! Let his hair grow long and oily while he shreds (and maybe FAPS?) In the basement.

[Ian Sane]

Screw outside, give Ian Jr a guitar! Let his hair grow long and oily while he shreds (and maybe FAPS?) In the basement.

I wouldn't force my kids into music, but probably at least one of them would have some instinctive interest.  I would probably give my kid my cheap ass guitar and buy myself something better, ha ha!
 
Still the guy's kids are 7 and 4 and I was thinking more about that age.  No one faps in the basement at age 7.
 
I wouldn't force my kids to play videogames either if (for some weird reason, since all kids like videogames) they weren't interested.  I would only force them to find SOME sort of interest, something to be passionate about.

[EasyCure]

Ian you need to lossen your seriousness-belt, in now way did I mention forcing your kin into anything, and was only joking about fapping. I do agree though with the idea of not forcing ones child into anything. I dont't want to be the Sports Dad or Beauty Pageant Mom type when it comes to music, just because its one of my passions. I do believe however that its okay to give your children a slioght push in the right direction..

When I was younger, no one ever gave me an outlet for my instinctive interest in music, and so for a long time I lost interest until I went out and bought my first guitar. I see one of my younger cousins just loves drawing and coloring, so one christmas I bought her this huge coloring set; built in eisel with a big selection of crayons, colored pencils and markers, as well as huge drawing pads. She loed it so much she ignored all the dolls and clothes she got and went off to color. Since then there've been times when I find out she's not been coloring simply because her mom didn't resupply her with tools for her craft. That's when I step in, she seems to have a "gift" so I'll do my best to nurture it.. but its not like I'll ever scold her for not drawing anymore or submit her things into art contests. I just believe that giving a child a little push, as opposed to letting them get discouraged and give up onEVERYTHING, is healthy for their development.

But anyway, uh.. these guys stupid? (The one from the article not Ian)

[Dirk Temporo]

He came across to me as a control freak parent.  He said he only allows 30 minutes of screen time for his kids a week! 30 a week! One episode of Sesame Street?  One Saturday morning cartoon?

Yeah, what the hell is that? When I was seven I got a half hour each DAY. Half an hour is absolutely nothing. It's 1/48th of the day. It's 1/336th of the week.