A lot of the users of the NowInStock.net Wii Alerts system are parents or even grandparents. The majority of the time these parents are asked for a Wii for a birthday or holiday. As a result, understanding what you are buying for your son, daughter, granddaughter or grandson becomes a big question. Does the Wii come with any games? What is this accessory that I have to buy with this bundle? What exactly do I need to buy so that when the present is opened it can be played? In the following page, I hope to answer the most common questions posed buy Wii buyers.

Let’s start off simple:

Wii Console - $249.99

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The Wii console is the brains of the operation. If you do not have this you will not be playing anything. The console comes packaged in one box. Contained within this box is the following:

• 1 Wii Console (the brains) - The console itself is the unit where the games (on discs) are inserted just like a cd or dvd player.
• 1 Wii Remote (controller) - The main controller of the Wii System. I believe every game uses this controller.
• 1 Nunchuk (controller) - What I call a supplementary controller. Not always necessary, but necessary to have for some games.
• 1 Sensor Bar (motion sensor) - This monitors the body movements of a player. It sits on the top or at the base of your television.
• Wii Sports (5 games on one disc) - The basic set of games included: Golf, Baseball, Bowling, Boxing, and Tennis. These games will provide hours of fun.
• Instruction Manuals -Essential reading. Understanding the ins and outs of the Wii makes for a better experience.
• Batteries - Those controllers are not solar powered. They need AA batteries to power them.

What you see above is all you will need to start playing the Wii… one player at a time.

Networking

The Wii comes with wireless connectivity in the standard console. If you do not have a wireless internet router in your house already, you may need to purchase a Wii cable adapter.

This is important to know as there are some really neat features that are part of the Wii’s main operating system that take advantage of this internet connection. The two major ones are Mii’s and the Virtual Console.

Mii’s - A Mii is your user’s online identity and allows for email like communication between other Mii’s out there in Wii Land.

Virtual Console - The other major feature, the Virtual Console, is basically a built-in gaming system where you can play older Nintendo games. You purchase these older games via the online store which is accessible through the main Wii interface. When you buy games, you first buy Wii Points, which then can be used to purchase these games. Some classic Nintendo games available are Donkey Kong Jr., Mario Borthers, Super Mario Bothers, etc. They are constantly adding more and more games.

To play alone or not?

While the above basic setup will provide endless hours of fun, it is a lot more fun when you can play against someone else? This is where you need to go a little further with your purchases. In order to ensure more than one player playing at once, you will need to purchase another set of controllers. The following shows your options:

• Wii Remote (controller) - $39.99 - A main controller of the system.
  - or -
• Wii Play with Wii Remote - $49.99 - Wii Play w/Remote is a set of 9 more great games plus the addition of another Wii Remote. Being only $10 more dollars than the stand alone Wii Remote this is a steal of a deal!

  - and -

• Nunchuk - $19.99 - as stated above, not essential to all games, but an essential controller.

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Each of these controllers, either Wii Play w/Remote or Wii Remote and a Nunchuk, will give you and another player the chance to play two player games without problem. I suggest buying the Wii Play w/Remote and a Nunchuk. The reason being, for only $10 more than the stand alone Wii Remote, you get Wii Play, a collection of 9 more games like Wii Sports.

The Final Decision

So after all of that, what should you be looking to purchase? I recommend the following when purchasing a Wii system as a gift…

• Wii Console ($249.99)
• Wii Play w/Wii Remote ($49.99)
• Wii Nunchuk ($19.99)
• One Wii Game ($39.99-$49.99)

Total = $369.96

Remember, you do not have to purchase all of it yourself. Coordinate with other family members having them pick up pieces to complete the set, and you will make a kids dream come true as well as the whole family! Also, remember that if you can not afford to spend the $370, then spend just the $249.99 and you will still have a happy kid, but good luck getting the controller off of him when you are ready to play!