Poll: How much are you playing Wii?
by Blake Snow 
{ Feb 28th 2007 at 11:55AM }
Nintendo's "new-generation" console has been out just over three months now, and we want to know:
Technical mumbo jumbo: this is not a scientific or rigorous poll and is only intended to capture the general consensus of Joystiq readers. Results will be posted approximately one week after the poll is opened for votes. Sure, you probably could hack this poll if you worked at it, but it's more fun for everyone if poll results accurately reflect the opinions of all readers, so please refrain from tampering with poll results.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Yeef @ Feb 28th 2007 9:02PM
I barely play my Wii at all. Other than Wii sports once every couple of weeks and a few of the novelty channels it doesn't get touched. I'm not a big fan of 3D Zelda so TP doesn't interest me and th eonly game I've seen so far that I thought I'd like (Trauma Center) was a let down. Not a bad game, but not a very interesting one either.
Most of my gaming time is spent on the PS2 playing Guitar Hero 2 or Rogue Galaxy for now and there's still plenty of PS2 games that have yet to play that interest me.
As far as next gen goes, there's very little that I see myself buying before the end of the year for any of the next gen systems, but tons of games for PS2 I want.
Zoob @ Feb 28th 2007 11:59AM
Hard to say. I'm using more than other consoles, but I'm using it primarily to play Gamecube games.
blank @ Feb 28th 2007 12:02PM
i think there should be another option: i don't own one, yet. but i intend on getting one whenever i can find it.
i would say my gameplay is on par with 360. That's still pretty good since i own a 360, and have to go to my brother's to play the Wii. I do this regularly, and have probably 40+ hours into Wii Sports alone.
Vidikron @ Feb 28th 2007 12:05PM
Less than other systems for me. Nothing beyond Zelda and Wii Sports has any interest for me.
J @ Feb 28th 2007 12:08PM
I play at least once a day. DBZ:BT2 is a favorite here at the dorm. I got no complaints.
Mark Felps @ Feb 28th 2007 12:09PM
I turn it on when it's blinking blue at me, but other than that, nothing but Wii Play and Wii Sports were very impressive to me. When they put something else out I want to play, I'll play it more. For now, though, all the good stuff is coming to the 360. Heck, these days (post-flOw)I play my PS3 more than my Wii. Although flOw should totally have been released for the Wii instead, as their motion sensing is just flat-out better than Sony's.
ShaolinDolemite @ Feb 28th 2007 12:09PM
There should be another option: Had one and sold it because I didn't play it enough. Yes, that's right folks, I sold my Wii. Don't believe the hype.
Josh @ Feb 28th 2007 12:12PM
Haven't touched mine since December
the godfather @ Feb 28th 2007 12:12PM
seeing how i already beat zelda, ff12 on the ps2 has been taking up most of my gaming time, as well as a few games on my new ds lite. this may change once blur is released...
Erik Novak @ Feb 28th 2007 12:13PM
it's my "social" system...if I'm playing by myself, I'm on my 360.
F1ghter @ Feb 28th 2007 12:13PM
I don't own one yet :(
Amazingly enough, I'm so poor I can't even afford a Wii...
BadVermin @ Feb 28th 2007 12:14PM
I played Zelda and Wii sports for a few weeks when I got my Wii, thats it. Nothing but the 360 for the last month or so.
vidGuy @ Feb 28th 2007 12:15PM
I used to play system in the order: XBOX, PS2, Gamecube. Now I own a 360 and a Wii. When I got the 360, I played the system in the order: 360, PS2, XBOX. Didn't really touch the Gamecube anymore.
Since I bought the Wii on launch, I've played other consoles less than 10% of my gaming time. The Wii is where it is at for me. Between Wii games, GC games, and VC games, I've got nearly all the gaming I've wanted for now. I play a little Guitar Hero and Halo now and then, but Wii is for me.
PinkSpider @ Feb 28th 2007 12:21PM
I've had mine since early January. Havent played it for a month or so (This is mainly due to the excellent PS2 catalogue of games).
Thrawn @ Feb 28th 2007 12:26PM
Probably slightly more than my DS at the moment.
Between Wii Sports, Zelda, Metal Slug, Monkeyball, the various Wii channels, and all my Virtual Console games I'm more than sated.
And that's actually competing with Phoenix Wright, Hotel Dusk, and Mario Kart on my DS.
Zertoss @ Feb 28th 2007 12:25PM
I've been hopping between BF2142 on the PC, Heavy Weapon on XBLA, a handful of DS games and Zelda and Sonic on the Wii. I probably play on the Wii more than the 360 but about as much as I'm on my PC or DS.
If I get into Supreme Commander, I'll probably be on the PC exclusively when I'm at home and the DS when I'm away. SC looks cool, but I haven't figured it out yet from my limited time with the demo.
3cubedminus3squared @ Feb 28th 2007 12:26PM
I don't have one yet either. My PS2 sees more playing time than my 360 though.
nonpareil @ Feb 28th 2007 12:27PM
I ^^strongly^^ second adding the option: Nothing beyond Zelda and Wii Sports has any interest for me.
Neal @ Feb 28th 2007 12:27PM
I finally got around to buying Twilight Princess (got it new for 35 bucks) and I have been playing that a lot. There just aren't any good games out for any system. Maybe I'm just not as much of a gamer as I used to be (actually, I know this for a fact... 2 jobs and school doesn't help) but I guess I still miss the simple days of 2D megaman and mario... I liked RPGs on SNES better than the newer systems too.
Reguardless, I don't even own a 360, and I hardly play my PS3. I think MGS4 will resurrect my PS3... but thats about it.
Gbogdan @ Feb 28th 2007 2:49PM
I got a Wii at launch and played it religiously for about 2 weeks, then there was just nothing else left. I got Wario Ware when it came out but it only kept me busy for about 3 days. My parents loved Wii sports when they played it so I have ended up just letting them use it until another worth while game comes out. As of right now I can't stop playing my 360, especially crackdown.
jayman16 @ Feb 28th 2007 12:34PM
@#10 I agree. I only play the Wii when people come over. When I'm by myself I'll never pick Wii Tennis over Rainbow Six or GoW. Every time someone comes over all they want to do is play/see the Wii, I feel like all I do is give demonstrations of the Wii. But it's great for the in-laws! The time zips by!
Jackson Pritt @ Feb 28th 2007 2:39PM
I play it more than my other systems, but the only other ones I have right now are Xbox, DreamCast, and PS1.
I also currently use my Wii primarily to play GCN games, but that's mostly because the way I have my TV set up right now makes it really awkward for me to play more intensive Wii games (like Wii Sports) and I have to rearrange my room every time I want to play anything other than Z:TP.
It's really weird having a video game system where you actually want to be AWAY from the TV. I'm moving at the end of the month, and making sure that the living room at my new place had enough space for 4-player Wii Sports: Tennis matches was one of my highest priorities when I picked a new apartment. ^_^
George McFly @ Feb 28th 2007 12:43PM
Stop calling the WiiCube next gen. It is an overclocked GameCube with a $250 motion controller. Question Plumber Boys...if Sony were to release a $250 dollar motion controller for the PS2 with an overclocked EE and GS...would we call it Next gen? I sure as frack would not...so why do you?
When you finally get your WiiCube...you will be happy. Here is a prediction 4u and all other Plumber Boys out there.....ready? In one to two years you will finally realize that you paid $250 dollars to Ninty for a GameCube with a motion controller. Your games will look so dated and old...not just grafix, no AI, massive deformable environments, realtime weather, aging, time etc. (the new Star Wars is just the tip of the iceberg. Face it Plumber Boys....you have been douped. Meanwhile, I will be playing true next gen games on my PS3. And Xbots will be playing true next gen games with multiple discs on the 360.
In closing Plumber Boys.....
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHa
$250 dollars for a motion controller...and people say that Sony is ripping off the customer.
Pathetic
» Not to mention $5+ for 10yr old games....boy you Plumber Boys love to bend over for Mario
Jake @ Feb 28th 2007 12:40PM
No Wii yet for me. I'll get one once it seems worth it for entertaining non-gamers or it gets some games that appeal to me. I guess I probably couldn't get one if I wanted to. Eventually, it will be 360 for myself and Wii when there are people over.
Charles @ Feb 28th 2007 12:41PM
Wii more than any other system;
DS has been shelved until I get Yoshi's Island DS;
PS2 is waiting for me to finish Zelda so I can play FFXII;
GCN has been given a good home;
N64 and SNES stare vacantly into space
Almack64 @ Feb 28th 2007 12:43PM
Lately I've spent most of my time playing Kirby's Adventure on the VC. Such a simple yet cool game.
REUYL @ Feb 28th 2007 12:43PM
Don't got one, don't want one.
Steve @ Feb 28th 2007 12:45PM
Less than other systems. I bought it on launch day and have already sent it back to Nintendo 2 times for repair. This is a s-l-o-w process and since I've only owned the damn thing for 3 months this down time makes it mathematically impossible for me to choose any option other than "less".
Besides that, the game-ending sky-cannon bug in Zelda ruined the fun of playing the console's biggest timeconsuming game.
I do believe Nintendo needs to get some good games on the market ASAP. Two months of nothing but WarioWare's cheap mini party games and WiiPlay's cheap tech demos ain't gonna cut it for those who want real games, and Nintendo is failing to lead the way with the non-traditional games that Grandma is going to want. A Wii BrainAge, Nintendogs, or something along those lines ought to have been released by now.
steve @ Feb 28th 2007 4:18PM
With all the comments wrt Wii being a console for playing with friends and x360 by themselves, we might do a study about how x360 produces introverts or something like that
Todd @ Feb 28th 2007 12:48PM
@Josh
If you haven't touched your Wii since December, what ARE you touching?
Otter @ Feb 28th 2007 12:49PM
There's only like 3 games out that are any good here in New Zealand, my wii has been gathering dust since December.
Zertoss @ Feb 28th 2007 12:53PM
LMAO @ George McFly
Good one! And still using outdated terms like "next gen" to boot! Classic!
J @ Feb 28th 2007 12:57PM
George McFly is a retard. No matter how much you cry and scream that its an overclocked gamecube, it isn't. That would imply they took the same exact gamecube hardware and overclocked it. It is in fact a totally different set of components built on the gamecube architecture. Is it graphically sub-par to the other systems? Yes. Thats an easy thing to admit. I don't think you'll find wii owners too upset by this since they knew what they were getting in the first place (thanks to people like you constantly stating over and over the obvious). For $250 (same price as a psp value pack might I add) I think owners of this system are content. A huge back catalog makes it more then worth it for a lot of us that were gaming for 20+ years. At the time that you were probably still having the shit wiped from your ass by mommy so I wouldn't go around talking trash. Your stance has no validity and pointing the finger saying ha ha isn't gonna make anyone here feel bad about the system they chose to buy.
Fanboys suck ass and you sir are the epitome of fanboyism.
Ken @ Feb 28th 2007 12:59PM
I got my Wii at launch, and had about 7 or 8 games for it... but after a while I just stopped playing it. The novelty was really nice, and I loved playing it, but I needed the money for rent. Plus it did see any play time probably in the last three weeks.
I'll probably end up getting one again once more AAA games come out (because I have no doubt they will), but for the time being I am perfectly held over by my Xbox 360.
Kite @ Feb 28th 2007 1:03PM
now now...
I would like to request not to feed the troll.
You know who I am talking about :)
ahatter @ Feb 28th 2007 1:27PM
i play wii with friends pretty much just bowling.
but if i am playing solo it is 360 (crackdown)
so i play 360 more.
samfish @ Feb 28th 2007 1:08PM
I play mine maybe about an hour a day.
...which is a hell of a lot more than I played before it came out. Prior to that, I maybe played video games once a week.
But between Zelda, Sonic, Pangya, a stack of GC games and the VC, I'm really quite satisfied with the variety.
Stuart Moulder @ Feb 28th 2007 1:09PM
It's still about the games... What means is that in our house, Viva Pinata on the 360 generates a lot of playing time. Wii Sports is still going strong though. Zelda is great, but fallen out of the most played ranks. And Guitar Hero II still gets some time.
The Wii needs more interesting titles, bottom line. Of course so do the other platforms, but the Wii really needs them.
jay @ Feb 28th 2007 1:10PM
I didn't pick up Excite Truck because of the waves of negative comments. But I got it. And I doubt it's coming out of my Wii till Smash Bros/Mario/Metroid.
Might sell my 360 and buy a HDTV just so I can watch this in progressive. Doesn't help that there are no 360 games that are really entertaining me.
If Mario Kart or F-Zero Wii promise to be this good I'll never need look at any other gaming system again, DS included.
Hikaru @ Feb 28th 2007 1:10PM
Wii isn't an overclocked GameCube, in fact, it's a little more powerful than the original Xbox, it's just tha the PS3 and 360 look way better and adding that the developers are porting existing ps2/GameCube games or are lazy at programming (FarCry).
dvnt @ Feb 28th 2007 1:11PM
I voted less. I'd rather be play Rainbow Six (for example) with friends than bowling over and over now that Zelda is done. Though when friends are at the house Wii is usually the console of choice.
jay @ Feb 28th 2007 1:10PM
oops so yea. I'm playing this more than anything else. even more than DS and PC.
MosquitoControl @ Feb 28th 2007 1:15PM
Not very much now.
I can't find a copy of Excitetruck to rent, which is a downer for me.
My roommate has been playing quite a bit of Zelda, and I've been shocked to see that it's Winder Waker with duller graphics and colors. Same sounds, same music, same effects. I hadn't given it thought, but didn't expect the engine to be that recycled. Only... uglier.
Right now our 360's DVD drive seems to be on the way out, but it's getting the bulk of play. The Wii gets the occasional sports game, my roommate's Zeldaing, and lots of Smash Brothers.
Thad @ Feb 28th 2007 1:15PM
How about more than other non-portable systems?
Because I squeeze in a half-hour of DS every day at lunch, but I don't generally play it at home.
SonicRift @ Feb 28th 2007 1:20PM
I've been playing Mario World and Contra 3 alot on the Wii. The power light on the Wii is still Red, probably do to a power outage 2 Thursdays ago... I'm playing alot of Crackdown and Burnout, thinking about popping Gears in tonight, and considering picking up MKA now that its on the B/C list.
But when friends are over, it's all about Mii Channel, Wii Sports and WarioWare. That's all they're interested in.
ALH @ Feb 28th 2007 1:21PM
bit of a hard question for me because i only really have time for DS at the moment, but if i did have more time for gaming i'd be playing my ps2 and 360 FAR more than my wii. Wii is good for the odd go on a game with a quirky control system- or for letting off some physical steam in wiiboxing- but it doesnt really have anything *that* compelling yet.
Then on the other hand, i have piles of ps2 games ive barely touched and 360 games keep coming out which i want to buy but dont have the time to play.
i have, however, turned my wii on far more often to check daft things like the polls channel etc, and i did kinda spend all of today playing wario ware and wiisports..but it was a one off to show some friends who have not tried wii what wii can do.
matthew @ Feb 28th 2007 1:23PM
I play my 360 almost exclusively, though the Wii still more than the PS3 (waiting for Lair and Team Ico). The biggest problem for me is that the Wii's best game (or at least the one I bought it for), Zelda, looks absolutely terrible on my 42" HDTV even with component cables. Going from Crackdown, Oblivion, or Lost Planet to the Wii is jarring. Its just muddy and jaggy.
I'm not "bashing" the Wii, and I know for a lot of people its graphics are good enough, but for me its really turned out to be a problem and Zelda in particular is nearly unplayable.
Also, I think its totally fair to say that at $250 the hardware is overpriced compared to the 360 and PS3. The guts inside those two are far more advanced and valuable than the $150 and even $350 price difference. Of course, they're losing money or breaking even at best, so its not exactly fair to claim Nintendo is ripping us off. They're are a for-profit company, after all, and a healthy Nintendo is good for games.
I'm confident that developers (especially Nintendo) will start making games that really take advantage of what the Wii has to offer, and the 'gimmick' argument about its controls will be won by Nintendo, as with the DS. It just takes a little time, again like the DS (which I love to death).
What I really hope though (and call me graphics whore if you will) is that developers remain aware of its graphic liabilities and cater their art design accordingly. Some people might disagree, but I suggest staying away from art styles that highlight the shortcomings of the system (Zelda and Red Steel, for example). Simplistic, flat art styles like Wind Waker might work a lot better, at least for people with larger HDTVs.
TDub301 @ Feb 28th 2007 1:30PM
I know I shouldn't give in and lower myself to the level of a Sony fan, but my fingers just won't stop typing.
First off Mr. Mcfly, you are one of many people who remind me of a battered wife who sticks up for her husband. How many times is Sony going to break their promises before you realize that you, sir, are the one who has been "douped"? This POS3 is supposed to have a life expectancy of 10 years. This means that you're going to be playing the same XBox 360 (and later, XBox 720 or whatever they'll call it) ports until 2017 since the idiots at Sony still haven't managed to completely release the system yet (I'm not sure why Europeans would even bother buying one at their launch) and decided to use a dev kit that doesn't make sense to use when you can just make the game first for the XBox which has a more powerful graphics chip then port it over as best you can.
For the past 3 (at least) generations, the least powerful machine has been the leader (including the current generation, which Zertoss kindly pointed out that you still refer to as "next gen"). Now Sony is going to get all cocky and decide to poorly make a big machine and overhype it while rushing it through production and think they'll be successful? Please... In the mean time, you're so caught up in all these affects like real time weather and crap that are good features, but don't make a game fun, they're mostly just hype.
I'm concerned with having fun playing games, just like all traditional Nintendo fans have come to expect from Ninentdo and we haven't been let down yet. Also, Nintendo has historically made capable machines that were more powerful than the competition, do you really think they can't make a new system in the next 5 years that will make PS3 look like a Geo? Probably for much cheaper, too. They're making smarter moves right now (unless you just think it's a coincidence that Wiis are still sold out everywhere, while your POS3s are as eager for a sale as old sickly dogs at the pound).
I think you're just upset that the system you love for some stupid reason is not doing so well.
Hoffer @ Feb 28th 2007 1:33PM
I have a 360, Wii and PS3 and that is also the order in which I play them. I play my 360 A TON. I probably spend like 2-3 hours a week on the Wii. I spend even less than that on the PS3.
Things could very well change as more games come out for the Wii and PS3. Last gen, I played my Gamecube the most. I love me some Nintendo first party games. I kinda think that the 360 will reign supreme in my house this gen though.
Yourself @ Feb 28th 2007 1:31PM
Don't own a 360 or a PS3, but am an avid PC gamer in addition to my console habits. Wii is definitely taking up most of my time these days - after Zelda I went with Metal Slug and Marvel U.A. Seriously, people seem to be overlooking Metal Slug Anthology, but it's a collection of great games, and if you consider the fact that there are 7 of them, it's cheaper than they would be on VC. Currently I play mostly VC games and MS.