We (don't) wait for the Wii (Kingston, NY edition)

by Scott Jon Siegel { Oct 30th 2006 at 8:25PM }

I don't normally do the launch day thing, but I figured I'd give it a go this time. My plan was to hit up my local Toys R Us before it opened on Sunday morning, secure my preorder for the Wii, and essentially be done with the stressful portion of the process.

Of course, I just had to stop by TRU the night before, just to see if anyone was silly enough to camp out. Sure enough, at 11pm on Saturday, there were already ten people in line, setting up tents and prepping a grill for the long night ahead.

I could have made my stand right there. I had the option of gathering supplies at home, and returning in under an hour, bundled up with my DS and a nice comfy stool to sit on. I also knew someone staying at the hotel across the street, and even had the option of crashing at their place, waking up early Sunday morning to drag my weary bones over to the store at some ungodly hour.

But why bother?

At that point the absurdity of the whole thing far outweighed the fun of it. I can understand camping out for the console itself: At the end of a long waiting period, you would go into the store, be handed the big, shiny box, and you would know that you're going to be playing it as soon as you get it home.

But with preorders, you do the same amount of waiting, and all it leaves you with is a receipt. You're cold, run-down, deprived of sleep, and all you have to show for it is a slip of paper saying "come back in three weeks." Where's the fun in that?

This post is for all those who didn't wait out in the cold. You might camp out on the actual launch day, or you might not. Maybe you're not an early adopter; maybe you're still saving your pennies; or maybe you're just waiting for Brawl. Whatever the case may be, you spent Saturday night indoors, and you're no worse the wear for it. Kudos.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

CBlake @ Oct 30th 2006 8:32PM

I stayed in. I'm waiting till release day.

Miniboss @ Oct 30th 2006 8:32PM

I didn't wait out in the cold. Of course, I just showed up at my EBgames two weeks ago at about 9:30 in the morning and I got one. Sooo... yeah...

U Division @ Oct 30th 2006 8:36PM

I'm waiting for Brawl. By that time, my favorite game would be out (Brawl) and I wouldnt' have to worry about a buggy Wii.

Skippy @ Oct 30th 2006 8:37PM

I applaud myself and others who will walk into a store on November 19 and pick one up hassle free. Preordering a Wii is for suckers; Nintendo is making too many of those things to sell out that quickly.

T-Bag @ Oct 30th 2006 8:58PM

What kind of moron lines up to buy a console that's essentially a Gamecube in all departments, only this console is 5+ years late in terms of launch date?

Pocketmnky @ Oct 30th 2006 8:44PM

I stayed in this weekend, because I already got my pre-order from EB Games like two weeks ago.

Good luck on launch day you guys.

Squeek @ Oct 30th 2006 8:48PM

Problem is it's gonna be colder three weeks from now.

News reports today (rumors) have the Best Buy average Wii count per store. They're saying about 100 units.

Now, I do the whole Black Friday thing at this particular Best Buy. 4:30 in the morning put me at 300th in line among people who wanted all different things.

There were roughly 100 items on sale at the time, and maybe 50 or 75 were worth it. The math is complicated with supply and demand unknown, but even so...

300th in line put me in the store 5 minutes after all of the people in front of me got in. I was out of that store 10 minutes later with a dozen items.

I'd wager to say if my Best Buy is one of those stores to get ~100 units, getting there within the first hour that the store is open guarantees me a console.

Sucks that I have to go to work that day. I'm planning to bring my Wii to the store and just read all of the booklets.

Plan B and C are Wal-Mart if they do a 12:01 sale (I'll totally be there.) or, my personal choice, a Costco bundle. Console box + extra controller + nunchuck + 2 games. Hoping it's at least $20 cheaper than getting them all in pieces.

Er, went on too long. TL;DR: Pre-orders are bad. Going about 10 minutes before the store opens on launch day sounds like a good idea.

Sami @ Oct 31st 2006 5:52AM

Hooray! Finally some sense in this preorder madness.

Are You Serious? @ Oct 30th 2006 8:50PM

1- Are there more or less US Wii's that there were PS2s? Because those PS2s went really quick

2- A buggy Wii? Has Nintendo ever released a buggy system? I'm not even being sarcastic.. I don't think they have.

3- Me and a friend (who was just there for the experience) left Sunday morning at 5am after drinking a 6 pack of Sparks and smoking that many bowls. Man, it was really fun. I would type out the story but I've told it so many times already. Lets just say we were the life of the line. And as far as only getting a receipt, its true. It sucks walking out with nothing, but now I can take off work on the 19th and enjoy my whole day without being all strung out and sleepless.

FuzzyPickles @ Oct 30th 2006 8:56PM

Any NY folks out there know (or at least have an educated guess as to) how many Wiis Nintendo World will have on launch day? I know they're claiming to be able to supply for demand that day, but people claim a lot of things. Cause if I wait overnight in the blistering cold only to find out that people were able to simply walk in later in the day, I'd be pissed.

U Division @ Oct 30th 2006 9:03PM

Well excuse me for thinking that new motion sesning technology may have a few bugs at launch. Sheesh.

@9 A moron who wants to try something new, have fun, thinks motion sensing is interesting, wants to spend less than half a grand for a system, and probably is a fan of Mario games or Zelda. That wasnt' a very hard question to answer.

D @ Oct 30th 2006 9:14PM

Good call on not waiting out in the cold, especially in Kingston. Kingston is a fucking hole.

bfmcxgamer @ Oct 30th 2006 9:57PM

Haha..lol......."T-bag". The wii is much more than just a gamecube...just like the ps3 and 360 are more than their past-selves.Its ok u dont have to scared of the Wii.

Kuan @ Oct 30th 2006 9:22PM

I live in SoCal and its warm and sunny and warm and sunny and - oh, did I mention warm?... :)
I do live by a University so there are a lot of Nintendo fans, but even if I do have to go to EB at like 4 in the morning - No biggie. It will be pretty warm and there are statues of dolphins swining in this river that runs down the center of the outdoor mall to keep me company... yeah...

Craig Smith @ Oct 30th 2006 9:58PM

Holy crap, I'm from Kingston (left to go to college though); I had no idea there were Joystiqers there!

But yeah, Kingston NY is a turd along the Hudson. So not worth waiting out at night unless you're getting a machine in your hands. Though I must admit there's a 24-hour Wal-Mart right by Toys R Us that's just perfect for stuff like camping out.

Insomnia Bob @ Oct 30th 2006 10:17PM

Yeah...if I wanted to spend that much time outdoors, I probably wouldn't be a gamer.

BklynKid @ Oct 30th 2006 10:27PM

Why wait in line for something you are guaranteed to find in a store come launch day?

Wiidiots...

Pretty Obvious @ Oct 30th 2006 10:34PM

Yeah I agree, these people cant be sleeping overnight for the Wii. They are obviously PS3 people. Anybody that waits in line overnight for a system you can easily buy on day one is an idiot, plain and simple.

Dracula Jones @ Oct 30th 2006 10:39PM

I did pretty much the same thing at the Totowa, NJ TRU. There was a little shanty town out front at 5pm Saturday and part of me wanted to grab a spot at the end of the line, but 18 hours for a slip of paper? I envy your steadfast dedication, but I went home, drank beer, and played my 360.

Also, what do store-campers do about bathrooms? Please don't tell me you dropped off your goods at the loading dock...

Jack @ Oct 30th 2006 10:42PM

I'm camping out Walmart, if only to make a better video for the fans/donators to my website dedicated to getting a Wii.

T-Bag @ Oct 30th 2006 10:42PM

U Division

So according to you the only reason why we should buy Gamecube version 2.0 is because it's implementing a form of motion sensing technology into it's controller? Why couldn't they have just released the controller for the 'cube instead of making loyal Nintendo fans shell out $300 for something that could have essentially cost us, the customers, around $40? I'm calling “devious marketing plan” on this one. Nintendo felt like it was drowning last time around and needed something new and edgy to regain the respect the Nintendo name once deserved. What they came up with was far from that. So they boxed their new controller with a PS2 Slim-esq console just to keep up with their "non-competitors". I've bought every Nintendo console and I love their first party games just as much as the next guy, but to support something that's ever so clearly ripping you off, well, it's just beyond me.

Psaakyrn @ Oct 30th 2006 10:44PM

Oh, stop whining about being outdoors. That's why Nintendo gave us the DS. :p

chris @ Oct 30th 2006 10:50PM

"So according to you the only reason why we should buy Gamecube version 2.0 is because it's implementing a form of motion sensing technology into it's controller? Why couldn't they have just released the controller for the 'cube instead of making loyal Nintendo fans shell out $300 for something that could have essentially cost us, the customers, around $40? I'm calling “devious marketing plan” on this one."

or... why try to make something successful by making it
AN ADDON to a FAILING console
are you that THICK headed, to think WELL it should just be a gc addon THEN itd be way better

then wheres my wifi, BC, VC, onboard memory... support for said addon

why doesnt the ps2 just have an addon bluray drive... i mean.. theres already a BILLION of them sold.. wouldnt it be smarter marketing to do this?

T-Bag @ Oct 30th 2006 11:23PM

- Chris,

Thanks for proving my point Chris. The only reason Nintendo is doing this is because of money. Simple fact, nothing but. If they think this is going to marginally increase Nintendo's slice of the gaming industry pie, they're in for some huge surprises come mid 2007.

"then wheres my wifi, BC, VC..."

All things that could have been done for a lot less than the price they're asking.

"why doesnt the ps2 just have an addon bluray drive... i mean.. theres already a BILLION of them sold.. wouldnt it be smarter marketing to do this?"

Are you implying that the PS3 is nothing more than a PS2 with a blu-ray add-on? To even conjure up such a thought without some sort of awareness hindering substance should be looked on as nothing short of blatant insanity.

Cry Havoc @ Oct 30th 2006 11:54PM

T-Bag:

The PS3 is nothing more than a PS2 with more horsepower. Much less of a difference than completely changing the control scheme. The Wii is also around 3 times as powerful as the Gamecube/Xbox.

I know it's hard for you to understand that graphics aren't everything in games, and shiny things aren't everything in life, but I'm sure you'll manage. Eventually.

VanGuardian1 @ Oct 31st 2006 12:05AM

Are you implying that the Wii is nothing more than a GC with a motion sensor add-on? To even conjure up such a thought without some sort of awareness hindering substance should be looked on as nothing short of blatant insanity.

Sorry, I had to do it.
Anyways, the differences between the GC and Wii are almost as long as the differences between the PS2 and PS3. The revamped CPU/GPU/Memory give it roughly 3x the horsepower of the GC, and while they won't ever give it the power to compete with the 360/PS3, for it's price point it doesn't have to.

With both consoles (Wii/PS3), we're paying on potential at this point. "What do I think will bring me the most fun?" My bet (and a cheaper one at that) is on Nintendo at this point. You're welcome to disagree with me at this point, and that's what's fun about opinions, if you actually try to enjoy them. ;)

Huzzah!! @ Oct 31st 2006 12:12AM

@ Miniboss

Same here... And I was in Buffalo right after a snowstorm. But I waited inside of a mall. :)

Now I can casually walk in to Gamestop on the 19th and say... "Wii, please!!" No waiting in the cold involved. :)

T-Bag @ Oct 31st 2006 12:13AM

- Cry Havoc,

The PS3 has around 80x more horsepower, a motion sensitive controller, and the next generation blu-ray drive. Whilst the Wii on the other hand... Well, the very man that made both Mario and Zelda said that the console is nothing more than a Gamecube 1.5. He's priding himself on the fact that they're taking a new step in gameplay, rather then a new step in visuals. That may be all fine and dandy, but for us gamers it's just a huge rip-off considering the fact that Sony is indeed taking charge as well, and if you cant see that then there really isn't anything worth discussing any further.

Oh and next time, try to be a bit less presumptuous. It really takes away from your whole ability to make a solid point. Might just want to keep that in mind for future reference.

T-Bag @ Oct 31st 2006 12:27AM

As I said before, the power in the Wii has been stated to be nothing more than 1.5x more powerful than the Gamecube. Also, if one were to buy an extra controller they'd basically be paying the same amount they’d need to get a 360. It's no longer a matter of price anymore. I just hope more people start to understand this before the gimmick tricks them into wasting money that could have been spent on much better products.

In the end though it is the your choice, and nothing I‘ve said can change that. You want to put money down on a Gamecube with a new controller because of a little feud you’re dealing with, with Sony, then so be it. It’s not my wasted money.

That’s enough for me tonight…

VanGuardian1 @ Oct 31st 2006 12:50AM

27 - Tbag
Sony's giving us something that is a combination of state-of-the-art technology that unfortunately includes an unproven media format, poorly designed setup (void-your-warranty-to-replace-controller-batteries, bigger than xbox1, 15s startup time, no rumble), poor launch lineup (for almost a year, if not moreso), and a miserable hardware reliability record.

You're arguing on behalf poorly executed design, where marketers and corporate bigwigs have replaced the designers and engineers. Reminds me of Intel and it's NetBurst P4's. How much marketshare/mindshare did they lose in that time?

That being said, who's the risk at this point?

Bryce @ Oct 31st 2006 1:15AM

@ T-Bag

Then don't buy a Wii. Problem solved.

Catprog @ Oct 31st 2006 1:21AM

28 T-Bag

Is that a XBOX360 with 2 wireless controllers and a game?

Psaakyrn @ Oct 31st 2006 1:19AM

Copy-pasted from an older reply of mine:

Remember, power isn't everything. Remember the room-hoarding supercomputers? Remember when people were finally able to afford a computer, which can fit on your desktop, even if it has far less power than the supercomputers at college?

Remember how the Gameboy became a household name despite being less powerful than the NES? Or how the Gameboy Pocket took over the Gameboy despite offering the exact same power?

Remember how the PS2 carried on the legacy of the PS original despite being the weakest in the group? Notice how the same PS2 still somehow competes with the 360?

Notice how laptops are more expensive based on size and battery power usage even if they have the exact same (or even lesser, when compared to desktop replacements) capabilities?

Power is just one direction that computing has innovated. If you want power, just buy more computers, and get an expert to link their processes together, and you have a more power computer. That isn't new. What is new is the usage of said power, the costs of said power (energy and material wise), and the size needed for said power.

The PS3 has "40 times the power of the PS2" despite being maybe 4 times larger. I can appreciate that. The Wii has 1.5-2 times (also likely an understatement) the power at a size reduction, far lower power consumption, and inherent physics and motion capabilities. I can appreciate that as well.

someone @ Oct 31st 2006 1:57AM

haha I feel kinda bad now for all the people that waited... I went to GameStop at 5:00, he gave me a slip that said "26/30"... and I came back in a few hours and paid. It was that simple. I might wait for the actual console since you never know what could happen on launch day, but I do kinda agree that waiting for the reserve is kinda overdoing it... I think people don't want repeats of the Xbox 360 happening so that's why they're willing to wait JUST to reserve it.

Are You Serious? @ Oct 31st 2006 2:45AM

Hey remember when I bought a ps2 at launch and about a year later it wouldn't read any blue discs (or maybe it was gold and not blue, I can't remember) and Sony could do nothing to help me.

True story.

Sorry guys I just would rather debate the worth or lack there-of over waiting in line rather than what system I'm going to buy. Man I'm glad this only comes every five years I can't handle all this stupidity floating around on the internet.

jonat3 @ Oct 31st 2006 2:52AM

1. Whoever states that the wiimote should have been released as an addon to the GC is a MORON. Addons have traditionally never done well compared to stuff included in the box. Which is why dev support for them is limited. If it were released for the GC, we might only see 5-10 games supporting it. With the wii, it´s more like 150-300 games.

2. The wii is NOT a GC. It´s not 1.5 times more powerful than GC. The one who said that only makes himself look ignorant (and a troll), since it´s obvious for everyone where he got that number. It´s 2-3 times more powerful than the GC/xbox. Naturally, the power can´t compare to either xbox360 or the PS3, but like someone stated, it´s not necesary.

3. The wii is indeed more expensive than i anticipated, but keep in mind we get wii sports as a pack-in. ´Nuff said.

Pixel Cowboy @ Nov 3rd 2006 5:58PM

Ok, the Wii is not 1.5 times more powerful than the Gamecube. That little piece of mis-information came from a poorly transalted interview with Shigeru Miyamoto. Later translations clarified that he was talking about the development suite (makes more sense as he's a software designer) and the fact that it was an incremental change from the Gamecube dev studio. This also makes sense as the new Broadway CPU is supposed to be very similar to the Gamecube's. In the same way that the development software for a PC would be similar if you were writing for a Pentium or a Pentium 4.
The 2-3 times more powerful figure has been passed around a lot. I haven't seen anything concrete to back this up, Nintendo are being very tight-lipped over the exact contents of the Wii, so I would take it with a pinch of salt.

As for the disdain expressed for Nintendo trying to make a profit, I really do not understand this attitude. Of course they want to make money. No company makes products out of the goodness of their heart. If they do not turn a profit, there will be no company left. Sony's current financial state shows the inherent problems with selling hardware at a loss.

Zoot Suit Jedi @ Oct 31st 2006 8:49AM

Kingston, NY - REPRESENT! See you cats in November outside of Target. Preorder...schmeorder?

Greg @ Oct 31st 2006 9:35AM

Honestly... How can any of you keep a straight face while typing and addressing someone named 'T-Bag'. Try imagining this in a real-life situation. Like 'Good morning, T-Bag, did you prepare the reports for the meeting today?' It's provided me with about 15-20 minutes of good solid laughter. Cheers on the name, Mr. Bag. You have brightened a sad office working man's day.

J @ Oct 31st 2006 9:34AM

When I waited, I was inside a nice warm mall when it opened at 6:00 a.m. It was fun and I wasn't surprised that all the Wii pre-orders were gone by the time it opened up.

Quaddw @ Oct 31st 2006 10:09AM

Everyone just buy what console you want and move on with life gahd

mistashady @ Oct 31st 2006 10:47AM

wow...this t-bag is really t-bagging all the nintendo fanboys...hey t-bag the reason all of us are getting a wii is pretty simple WE WANT TO PLAY GAMES...STRICTLY GAMES.......oh and HAVE FUN PLAYING GAMES.....
get your lips outta sonys ass and quit t-bagging on the fanboys....(had to say it)

Fernando @ Oct 31st 2006 3:59PM

Im from Laredo, TX. I camp past Sunday at Toys R Us at 3:00 am. I like all the "friendshipness" of the gamers. And one thing is for sure: this next gen is Nintendo's Generation. All the big companies are supporting the Wii, more than they support the PS3. And PS3 fanboys, you are going to miss the Rumble feautre.

And the Wii is going to have some very very good graphics. Just look Resident Evil 4 for Gamecube. It have the better graphics of all, and I mean ALL of this generation for every system. Imagine Resident Evil 4 with 5 3 times better graphics. And its only the beggining. Nintendo has the support of all the companies.