Another Wii demo kiosk in the wild documented

That's sweet. I'm gonna check my EB games for any.

The reason you can't see the Wiimote is because the Nintendo reps are going to go to their stores and take them individually. The kiosks came with nothing more than the Wii, (And from what I saw at the stores here in Irving, TX they didn't even get the game on Nov. 2nd). They didn't give me a time as to when their Nintendo Reps are supposed to give them the remotes, but I'd say it's a safe guess to bet next week at the latest. I was there when one of the stores was rolling it out, even helped the manager set one up and tempt to put a gamecube disc in!

Or maybe the reason the remotes aren't on the kiosks themselves is because the store people ask for your photo ID before letting you use it.

That's what I've heard everyone saying so far.

Everything seems to be glowing blue EXCEPT the front slot. Did they opt not to include the glow after all?

4. Everything seems to be glowing blue EXCEPT the front slot. Did they opt not to include the glow after all?
------------------------------------------------
It might just be the demo unit, but when we powered it on and tried to play it, the light never came on. I'm going to say the blue light is still there in the final units, otherwise all this blue light setup would be very misleading.

As for "asking for ID", if that was the case, I would have seen the remotes in the box when I went and had them unpack it, but the Remotes were not in there, and the DM of gamestop said nintendo was bringing them separate.

The "Nintendo Lady," as we lovingly refer to our Nintendo rep, is visiting us within the next day or so. That should mean all GS stores in Illinois will be up and running this weekend.

=\ I'm gonna call my EB and see if they have it set up already, hopfully the Kiosks get set up in North Carolina soon..

Does anyone know which South Florida Eb Games/Gamestop this picture was taken in? I live in West Palm Beach and I went ballistic after I read that this pic came from South Florida.

Please, Virginia, hurry up and don't fall behind this time!

For the millionth time, the slot only glows blue when its awaiting the insertion of a disc. Nintendo decided that it would be far too distraction for a bright blue light to be shining right below the TV, so it dims when a game is being played.

Went to two GameStops in Iowa and no luck yet. When I asked this was the response:
"They're supposed to be here and playable by the end of the week. Oh, wait, it is the end of the week..."

On a side note, my local Target says they aren't getting playable demos because of the wireless remotes. I wonder if it is the frequency the remotes run on (2.4GHz); otherwise, couldn't they just provide a long cord like other stores?

AlexL™ ME TOO!!! NC FTW....I THINK?

-VidGuy

My guess is that
A: They don't want to ruin the aesthetic appeal of the Wii by tethering it (unlikely)
or
B: They haven't quite found a solution to the security issue of the Wiimotes, theivery, vandalism, and whatnot (likely)

Northpark Mall in Dallas, TX has their's in. The system is really cool, odd...but cool.

I spoke with one of the managers for an EB Games near my school about the Wii kiosk they're getting. When asked how they'd secure the Wiimotes, he said, "Oh, no, Nintendo's coming down with a huge fine on any store that tethers the Wiimote to the kiosk." He then went on to mention that Nintendo wants the demo units to have all the freedom of movement that the home unit will have.

As far as making sure people won't run off with them, he gave me two intesesting pieces of information: One, the person wishing to try it out has to present a driver's license or credit card to check a Wiimote out. Two, and more interesting, the demo Wiimotes are keyed to the demo console, so even if someone stole one they couldn't use it for anything.

They should fine them! Have you ever really gone to try a system out? I wanted to see what a PSP really felt like before I bought it, but how can you when they're bolted down to some metallic arm coming out from a wall? Imagine how impossible the wii would be to get a feel for if the remote had a ball and chain attached to it. Plus, the controllers of demo units usually get destroyed quickly, this should help to prolong their life.
And maybe we'll see less 11 year olds hogging up the system all day when the rest of us really want to try it out.

I checked the GameStop in Eureka, CA, and no luck. I didn't ask anyone, as they were really busy, but I'll call later and post back here ASAP.

im sure this is a stupid question and has been answered many times but how many Wiimotes can be hooked up to 1 system? i thought it was 4 but i was looking over Wii.com at the different games again and "wario wares: Smooth moves" said 1 player and some games 2-5 players so can anyone help me with this?

I went to the NorthPark Mall kiosk in Dallas, TX, as well, and sat for a few minutes with ExciteTruck. Thoughts: You'll definitely need time to learn the control scheme...as a total novice, the control didn't come naturally in the least, and the game (which wasn't a demo version, but rather the complete and utter retail version) really seems like a boring racer that is wholly dependent on the WiiMote gimmick. Anybody who has preordered this will be at least a little disappointed.

Also hit the "home" button and dicked around on the menu for a bit...the pointer is very precise and natural. The tiny bit of rumble whenever the cursor locks onto something feels really cool, though after a little while, I just wanted to use the D-pad to zip through all of the menus. Still, very spiff, and I look forward to either better understanding the ExciteTruck control or playing a game that better utilizes the WiiMote.

Oh, and one thing that struck me as odd: the WiiMote isn't tied down or latched to anything. What would stop anybody from walking out with the thing? Is there a magnetic sensor that trips the door alarm? Very peculiar.

I work at gamestop and in an E-mail today, we were told that the Wii-remotes would be kept with us, and with an ID you could kinda check one out. That way no one can steal it, and it will also prevent the dozens of kids breaking it, which is nice. Just look at any DS demo, its scratched to shit.


Im all for the ID policy, should make it easier on us during the holidays, and you can still play the Wii.

I just called up my local EB and they told me that all the stores should have a kiosk set up by November 13th.

I called an EB near my house earlier today in Alabama, and the guy said that they would have their stations in by this Wednesday at the latest. I really want to see if Excite Truck is as sub-par as Sam said, as I was considering picking it up.

Also, the reason Target REALLY isn't getting the kiosk in is because GS got a sweet (but bad for us) deal that, I believe, has given them the right to every Wiiosk.

Further thoughts on ExciteTruck: The only really exciting aspects of the game are the series of high jumps and the possibilities of shortcuts. There's no interaction with other cars, as the tracks are usually too spread out for any tight rally-style moments, so that's disappointing, and getting big air just doesn't have the same thrill that, say, an ATV game has, where you really have to maneuver your landing to survive (and possibly even do a trick while in the sky for bonus). I only raced on one course, so who knows if that track was just a dud and other tracks are full of environmental surprises (or if there are great multiplayer modes...which I doubt), but I'm definitely leaving this off of my crowded list of game purchase nominees.

To 22:

They're not. I tried a couple courses while talking to the clerk. They're all kind of bland. Reminded me of a cartoonified version of Smuggler's Run. I didn't notice the rumble on the menu elements, but did notice the sound effects from the controller in Excite Truck....which started to bug the crap out of me when the novelty wore off.

That particular GS didn't ask for my ID, but they just got the thing in a couple days ago, so I don't think they had passed down that directive yet. The clerk seemed more or less surprised that I even knew what it was and how it worked.

Headed into Gamestop today to see if the Wii kiosk was in, it wasn't and the clerks said that they were expecting it last tuesday. I take it this is pretty common, but I should expect to see it before the week is up.

@ Syntax,

GameStop/EB Games got the kiosks exclusive, but that doesn't mean the Wii can't be PLAYABLE at other stores. The kiosks are the full upright display setup; stores can still put up their own Wii and TV.

Someone mentioned the slot glow, which should be old news by now. It doesn't glow all the time. It only glows when putting a disc into the drive (and/or waiting for a disc, but I'm pretty sure that it glows upon disc insertion).