It was handy this year that the playstation 3 and wii launches sandwiched my birthday on the 18th. I've really had my eye on the Wii since its announcement though.
Even without the $600 pricetag that the PS3 is sporting, I've just resigned myself to the fact that I don't spend enough time playing video games anymore to enjoy the games that really need that power. I can't wait to watch it in a store, and it's that $600 that will keep me from wanting to pull out my wallet when I see a football game on it for the first time.
I knew that the Wii was going to be more available than the PS3, so I didn't have the feeling that if I didn't stand in line I wasn't going to get one, but I figured that I'd go see what the line looked like early on Sunday morning. I got to Target around 5:30 am and there was a line that stretched about a hundred feet. I really wasn't sure between the tent, chairs and people just there to stand in line with friends where I was. As the line started to wake up from what sounded like a mostly sleep-less night, people started to count themselves off and I appeared to be somewhere between 15 and 20, with 24 being available.
Around 7am, a couple of folks from Target came out started handing out tickets -- I got the pictured 17. They told us to clean up the area and be back by 8 at which time they would escort us through the store where we would be taken in groups of two to select accessories and games, then purchase the Wii.
By 8:30 I was back in my car with a Wii in hand. Only 3 1/2 hours invested, and I had a launch-day Wii.
The thing is a blast to play. The game that comes with it -- Wii Sports -- is simple, but very fun. It includes Bowling, Tennis, Baseball, Golf and Boxing and serves as a nice demonstration of the Wii remote and Nunchuck. The best thing about these games is that they are the types of games that are appealing to just about anybody and you need almost no instruction to play. They are just intuitive and fun.
