Long Wiikend

I realize the title's already been done, but you try to come up with an original pun on 'Wii'.

This was mentioned in Jen's last post, but "Over the weekend, Jeff got a Wii" does not illustrate the enormity of this victory. The Wii is extremely hard to find. It has been out for over a year and Nintendo is still having a hard time keeping up with demand, such that game stores in Grand Rapids have customers standing around in them, waiting for the truck to come in the hopes that today's shipment will include some Wiis. Wiis are selling on EBay for about $370 with shipping -- approximately $100 profit for the seller. So here's what went down:

Jen and I were packing the kids into the van for the ride back from Fort Wayne when I got a call from Lisa (Jen's sister), who was at Target. She had found a toy that had been discussed for Hayden and wanted to know if she should pick it up for us. She and Jen talked a little, then I said to check if they had any Wiis in stock. Jen hung up and I figured that at 8:30 on Black Friday, there was no way they would have any in stock. A few minutes later, Lisa calls back and says that while they didn't have any in stock, the clerk she asked said that someone had just returned one.

Hang on. This is like having the Wonka Bar with the last Golden Ticket in your hand and deciding, "You know what? I don't want to go on a magical journey and have all my dreams fulfilled. I want my dollar back." To me, the above decision is unfathomable. Even if you don't want it, why return it to the store when you can sell it on EBay for at least $100 profit? All I can think is that someone got one and didn't know what they had. Oh, and this signifies by divine providence that I, Jeff, was always destined to wield a Wiimote.

So Lisa purchased the Wii and safely transported it home. (She was warned by Target personnel to keep it double-bagged so she didn't get mugged.) I went over the next day to pick it up and we now have a Wii. Our software library is lacking -- the only game of note is Guitar Hero III (my band is named Doppler FX and I am quickly becoming a rock God), but I don't have a lot of time for gameplay and Hayden is still a little young to "get it".

I won't bore you with yet another gushing review of the device. I will simply state the following: Nintendo are craftsmen. They put a lot of thought and love into their consoles and this console is ridiculously cool. Interacting with the device via the Wii remote is one of the most intuitive experiences I have ever had. I want this interface for all of my A/V components -- TV, Stereo, DVR, etc. While remotes with hard buttons are quicker, any of these devices could benefit from a pointable and clickable on-screen display.