The most difficult part of this is finding a Wii!!!  Other than Ebay and paying a lot more than retail, no stores in my area carry a large enough supply to meet demand...

Yeah it is hard to find a Wii. I found some good resources on where to buy a wii online at http://www.buyawii.org.

I love your take on joining your kids playing video games. The Wii is a great opportunity for parents to get involved with what their kids love while at the same time doing something active instead of just sitting on the couch.

I have one at home and it's not only good for kids - elderly or disable people can also use it.  My Mother in law, who use to bowl in a league, suffers from terrible arthritis and had to stop bowling.  Now, she can do it on the Wii without injuring herself.  

I haven't tried boxing yet, but Wii bowling is the only video game I can actually beat my teen-aged son at!

The fun part is that 90% of the time, my 6 yr old daughter will beat her daddy and all his gamer friends at bowling!

We have found that most walmarts in large cities are sold out, however the smaller ares with walmarts still have some in stock because nobody is thinking to look there. that's how we found ours.

I hate to nitpick, but if that's you in the picture, you are WAYYYYY too close your tv while playing.  your just asking for your tv to get smacked by your hand while waving your arms around.  Secondly, your wrist strap isnt on securely.  It needs to be secure on your wrist, not halfway up your hand.

I agree, the Wii is great.  I play mine all the time, and my kids do too. Unfortunately, its still incredibly hard to find.  A recent article on Foxnews said that Nintendo is predicitng it will not be able to keep up with demand through Christmas.  Good luck to those who are still looking for one.

--Mike

Just be careful!  After getting my Wii (a 50 year old who doesn't exercise) I ended up with a stress fracture in my left leg after extended Wii bowling. It included several trips to an orthopedic dr. (who laughed when he heard how I did it) and about 4 weeks in a big, black boot.  I still love my Wii.

I have a Wii...got up one Sunday morning a while back and Circuit City had them advertised in the paper.  Ad said get there early and get a ticket to get one.  Well it was already 11 o'clock so I figured it was too late but what the heck, let's try anyway.  I got my son to drive me over there and we walked in about noon and asked if they had any left and WOW they had two left and I got one of them.  I have never been a video game fan but this one is great.  Get's you up off your seat and on your feet!! Very cool, even for this old lady (I am 55) and my 25 year old son and 22 year old daughter love it too.  Hubby loves the bowling game, I personally like the boxing game....get's all my daily frustrations out...heheeee!

If you are having problems looking for a Wii - go to stores that are smaller or privately owned.  In Minnesota we have small stores that are chain but are called "Game Stop" and "Game Crazy" - I found one about 4 months ago.  I went to 14 different major brand stores (best buy, circuit city) and they were sold out - I went there and they consistently have about 3

I LOVE my Wii!!!  I ended up getting a great deal for it on Ebay and had it in time for Christmas.  I'm a total gamer and hate to leave the house.  Now I can play games and exercise too!  As Jen said, check small video game stores like GameStop, EBGames, GameForce, etc.  They seem to have 1-2 in stock everytime I stop in one to pick up a new game!  It sure beats a monthly gym subscription that gets wasted every year!  

I've been trying to play video games with my son since the 1st Nintendo game console came out.  I got frustrated quickly because I wasn't as quick as he was.  But the Wii - now that's a different story.  I can play all the games with him and I win some of the time.  He is 29 now and I am 58.  I love this and play daily.  I can't wait for the Wii Fit to be released.  I love it!!!!
Carol-Ann, Phoenix, AZ

I've been trying to play video games with my son since the 1st Nintendo game console came out.  I got frustrated quickly because I wasn't as quick as he was.  But the Wii - now that's a different story.  I can play all the games with him and I win some of the time.  He is 29 now and I am 58.  I love this and play daily.  I can't wait for the Wii Fit to be released.  I love it!!!!
Carol-Ann, Phoenix, AZ

I work for a Kroger company, and it is true that they are hard to come by, but there are a few things my co-workers and I have noticed.  People have mostly stopped asking for the Wii unless it's in our ad.  This is understandable and frustrating for the consumer, but find out from your local retailers when their freight comes in.  We usually get a shipment of them in every 2-3 weeks, and it seems to be the same for other retailers in my area.  GOOD LUCK !!

The Tiger Woods game is great.  It's tough to get the short game and putting down at first, but it has great graphics for Wii and the actual control plays impressingly realistic.  The Madden Game is also a ton of fun once you get it down.  It plays with the additioanl "nunchuck" for your other hand, and you actually have to hike, throw, catch, defend, juke, stiff arm, run over...etc!  I got mine from Best Buy.  It's not that overpriced (compared to comparable systems) and it comes with a great game.  Good Luck to all.

I bought the Wii for my husband on e-bay and it has been the best gift ever.  Our two year old absolutely loves it and plays Tiger Woods Golf and loves the Dance Dance Revolution games.  It keeps his little  mind busy and his feet moving on those bad weather days.  It also keeps Mom's sanity as I can play with him and work-out all at the same time.  This is the best purchase ever--our older kids are over more to play Wii and our parents age: 75-90 love playing as well.  It was worth paying a little more on e-bay as the hours of pure fun have been worth it!!!!  I recommend Wii for all ages --this is the only game that I have ever played and I am addicted!!!

I'm in the process of buying a wii, but am confused by all of the accessories and different types of controllers!  PLease tell me what I should buy in addition to the console.  Thanks!

The console comes with one controller, one nunchuck, and one game. I recommend buying Wii play, it comes with a second controller. In addition to that you will have to buy another nunchuck and, if you want all 4 controllers, two more of each. Whole thing will run about $400-$500.

Sue in Cleveland, for starters I would only purchase an extra remote and an extra nunchuk.  The system comes with one remote and nunchuk and the sports game disk that is talked about in this article.

I got a Wii on my first try.  I walked into my Hastings and said, I wish you guys had a Wii.  They said, "we do, there are two in the back we just haven't put them in the case yet."  Try the smaller stores!  Even if they are chain, you are 85% more likely to find a Wii.  The mega-stores will ALWAYS sell out first!  The small stores might keep one in stock for a week before selling it because no one thinks to look there.  Above all, DON'T PAY THOSE OUTRAGEOUSE SCALPERS ON Ebay unless you are desparate!

I've been seeing them at our local Walmart every week.  It seems they get 5 at a time and they normally sell out the same day so go frequently.  

I should note that the Walmart I go to is in a town of only about 18,000.

Just recently, Nintendo has released Wii grips for the Wii controlers.  These will be standard on all new Wii systems.  If you have purchased a Wii and it didn't come with one, go to www.wii.com and there will be a link to get these grips.  They will be sent free of charge.  Also, depending on what you bought the system, the wrist straps have been updated to include a stronger rope.  You can also check www.wii.com to see if you have the newer straps.

I love my Wii.  And even my wife does, and she doesn't play video games much at all.  It pains me to say she can beat me at bowling almost every time.  Wii Academy is a great purchase as well.  And if you loved playing the old nintendo games, you can hook your Wii up to an internet connection (USB or wifi) and purchase some of the old nintendo games.  They start out at $5 and go up to $15.  And you can also play Gamecube games, but you need Gamecube controllers and memory cards, but you can purchase those used at GameStop type places.  Happy playing!

I just got a Wii and i was pretty surprised at how much you did move around with some of the sport games. It is NOT a replacement for real exercise, but I feel it is definitely a step right direction; at least we arent sitting on the couch.

By the way, the Wii is by far my favorite system EVER!

I have to disagree with anyone claiming that working out with the Wii is not real exercise. It is what you make of it.  I conducted my own little experiment to see how much of a workout I was actually getting.  I wore my heart rate monitor while playing Wii tennis, bowling, and boxing, and surprisingly, I was getting as intense as I workout as I would have gotten on an elliptical machine or a stationary bike. Playing tennis, I sustained a heart rate in the 130s, bowling in 110s, and boxing shot my poor heart rate up to 168! I should have prefaced this by saying that I am very fit and have been exercising regularly without exception for 16 years since I was a teen, and I was a certified personal trainer for several years.  It isn't easy to get my heart rate that high.  To make your Wii into a real workout, you need to make sure you are mimicking the real movement of the actual sport.  While playing tennis, for instance, move your furniture out of the way, and make real forehand and backhand swings--move to the left and the right along with your little avatar.  I did this without thinking because I play a lot of "real" tennis, and I just couldn't help moving around while playing.  To get a better workout, you cannot just stand there and move your arm a little bit. Move as if you are doing the real thing.  While bowling, lunge during your bowl just like you would at the bowling alley, and to make it even better (and more challenging) alternate playing as a leftie or rightie to get both sides.  As for boxing, no adaptation is necessary.  It is exhausting!  Just be careful not to get your heart rate too high and take breaks.  After a month of playing with my Wii (about 30-45 min three times per week), I unintentionally dropped 5 lbs. (not complaining) while making no changes to my diet or lifestyle.  I was impressed!

By the way, to my fellow Tampanian who is having trouble locating one, I got mine at Best Buy.  Just keep calling daily until they get them and run to the store immediately because they will be gone by the end of the day.

I think it's great to see baby boomers and their parents getting into video games.  I'm a 29 year old male who started gaming in 2nd grade with the original NES.  Playing games, for me, always felt like a guilty pleasure.  It was something that I was sort of embarrassed about because it felt like it was an activity that my parents didn't understand.  They would just see me sitting in front of the TV playing my games and probably think, "he should be outside exercising."  I think that the Wii has changed a lot of parents' minds about gaming in general, and I think that's a good thing.

I consider myself a hardcore gamer, so unfortunately, the Wii doesn't really fit that niche. But, it is a system that can be a supplement to my more hardcore gaming needs, and it's something that my soon to be bride and I can do together, and get a little exercise in the process.

I found my Wii at a Walmart in Marina, which is a small town outside of Monterey.  You have to go to the places that maybe people haven't thought about.  Good luck this Christmas to those who are still looking.

My son loves it.  I keep wanting to go play, but just don't have the time.  But I think I am going to start playing it.

I bought mine as a package off the wal-mart website.  It cost about $600.00, but by the time you add everything you get you actually save a little bit.  I was told they don't send alot out, so they can keep the price high.

I haven't made the jump to the wii yet, but man i want one!

I've posted a blog with some videos using the the BodyPad fighting system. It's similar to the Wii in that you can throw real punches to throw punches in-game, but different in that it works with PS2 and XBOX. It also allows for kicks so that you can control most fighting games.

These are all games I own and play regularly with the BodyPad system. 19 games so far.
- Capcom Classic Collection
- Dead or Alive 3
- Def Jam: Fight for NY
- Dynasty Warriors 4
- Fight Club
- Fight Night 2004
- Guilty Gear X2
- Knockout Kings 2002
- Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- Metal Slug 3
- Midway Arcade Treasures 2
- Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
- Ninja Gaiden
- Rocky
- Rocky: Legends
- Soul Caliber 2
- Tao Feng
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles
- X-Men Legends

Check out the blog if interested. It really is a great workout and I think anyone using a Wii might enjoy this also...

http://bodypad.blogspot.com

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We find that playing the Wii is an activity that we can do as a family when the weather is not condusive to doing things outside or we don't have a lot of time.  Using the controller is easy so you spend your time having fun rather than using the system and figuring out the buttons.  

Getting the right game is important, however.  Some games available are just games made for other systems and adapted to the Wii, and therefore are mostly finger exercises

Wii's are a great source of entertainment, I think its said how we have to persuade the youth to exerice and be active through video games.....

what is the world coming to, why don't they actually go out and play the real sport..

Oh and just so every knows, the bowling game on Wii is so rigged.  I blow 200's on the game.  So naturally the next time I went to the bowling ally I thought I was set.  Out of 3 games 84 was my highest score.  Thanks Wii for the false sense of pride.

You know, 2-year-olds need to be spending time learning from things other than their tv screen...
Try reading the studies--you'll learn that children who play any kind of video game are less likely to do well in school, especially when they are starting the game addiction that young...

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