<p>Okay, so I think I am getting a Nintendo Wii from an online order I placed in November, no small thanks to CCers who helped me find the website that actually still had them. Now I need one more thing…what is a points card? Different places are selling these cards with 2,000 points on them. Is it worth buying as a Christmas extra? Ask your “IT” department aka your son for me and let me know. Thanks!</p>
<p>I can ask after 4:30 today. I do know that it was son’s last request, so not crucial. Whatever it is (costs $20), you can play without it. My son seems to need 4 remotes and 4 Nunchucks (= 6 additional accessory pcs. that add up to a lot of money-one of each I think came with the Wii). This is so that he can play with friends.</p>
<p>northeastmom, thanks that would be great. Your tip about the extra remotes and controllers are good. I’ll check into that too. So I assume that the points put you ahead in the game you are playing?</p>
<p>My understanding is that Wii points can be used to buy games on line, the games are the old nintendo 64 games & other previous systems.(Though I believe Gamecube games are compatible and so you don’t need to purchase those on line). I’m planning on getting my son some Wii points so he can buy some of the older Zelda games to play on his Wii. hope that helps.</p>
<p>Got a Wii at Target, feeling so proud of self:).</p>
<p>By the way, you can use Game Cube controllers (probably not as slick, but should do the trick) with Wii (from what I’ve heard/read); if $$$ is a concern, maybe buy the Nunchuks & hold off on the extra remotes (assuing you have GC remotes). Planning on getting a Wii between now & 12/25 too for the kiddos. MAYBE will allow son to take the GameCube to college, since all those games should work fine on Wii.</p>
<p>Please folks, correct me if I’m wrong about any of the above.</p>
<p>Okay, I just got an explanation from my son. I am sorry, but I had it confused with memory card (not worth buying, at least so I am now told). </p>
<p>Oaklanmom is correct. A pointcard is used to purchase things from the Nintendo Virtual Console. The virtual console is a service that can be used to download old games from Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and Turbo Graphix. Each game costs a certain number of points. These points can be gotten by either purchasing a Wii points card, or by paying by credit card right ON the Wii console!</p>
<p>Super Nintendo games- 800 points each
Nintendo E. S.-500 points each
Sega Genesis-800 points each
Nintendo 64-1000 points each</p>
<p>Disclaimer- My son and I do not work for Nintendo. My son is an avid gamer. I know little to nothing, nor do I care to know much about this. I hope that this is all correct. If not, everyone please set the record straight!</p>
<p>BTW, my son told me that he asked his father to purchase something through the Wii Console by credit card. Daddy refused. He suggested that son purchase the point card before trying to order games.</p>
<p>Okay, okay. Back up a minute. I am still at Square One.</p>
<p>Ie, hoping to even get the Wii console. Alumother, how did you get it at Target? Did it involve getting in line at 5 am?</p>
<p>Our local WalMart (close your eyes, all you Mainers) has them starting at 8 am tomorrow. I naively planned to get there at 7 am (store opening) and calmly browse the kitchenware aisles or something while waiting to stop by the Electronics dept to pick up my Wii.</p>
<p>Now, the store guy tells me people will probably be lining up outside about 2 hours before store opening. We are talking 5 a.m. and projected temperature of 19 degrees? How crazy am I? What would you do?</p>
<p>Oh, he “thinks” they’ll have about 9 units.</p>
<p><em>I do have a thermal coffee mug</em></p>
<p>jmmom, My experience was with Target. I got there at 7am. This was not a minute too soon. They handed out tickets for about 120 units. My number was already in the 90s. I only needed to wait out in the cold for 20 minutes. They told us to come back in 30 minutes. I stopped at for my morning coffee and returned. Now the real waiting began. There was no time to browse for anything. I stood online (everyone was lined up by number) for 2 hours. Fun, fun, fun… It still beat those with the low #s. Those are people who camped out all night in front of the store!</p>
<p>You know, to me, it just isn’t worth possible frostbite or worse. It IS only a game & at worse, the kiddos get IOUs from us & will get the Wii for summer instead of Christmas. In any case, each of us has our own tolerances. The most I will do is call every morning at our local stores & see if it has arrived yet & THEN I will drive down just before the store opens. If I get one, fine, otherwise, the kiddos will get IOUs.
Hey, they got GameCube about a year after it was released & it was only because I realized S would be heading off to college before we knew it & it was a good social agent (he’s a real gamer).
We may find him a N64 for college if we don’t get a Wii. Have been advised thrift shops & Salvation Army has them around.</p>
<p>Himom, I am with you, and I do want my son to learn to wait and be patient. The Wii was something that he has been saving up for since he first read about its development several years ago. He has been talking about it for the last 6 months. That is why I went the extra mile on this one. I have never waited on a line for a game before this.</p>
<p>It doesn’t sound like the ordeal you endured was THAT onerous–at least you didn’t camp overnight in those BRRRR temps. I can see why you were willing to extend yourself for S this time.
My kids don’t seem all THAT concerned at this time, but we’ll see. If it’s not too tough for me to get a Wii, I’ll do it. Refused to get up & wait at 4am the day after Thanksgiving with my SIL (she got one). Oh well, my kids can watch their cousins play.</p>
<p>No, it wasn’t too bad. My son wanted to wait out in the cold at another store, and I refused to allow it. He then found a small store and got his name on a waiting list. He was #6, but then the various franchise stores consolidated their lists and he went down quite a lot on the list. Rather than dealing with that shop, I waited for a couple of hours.</p>
<p>I had no idea that the Wii was in such demand; I could have gotten one the other day at Circuit City but I was there looking for a Playstation 3. I’ve learned that they won’t have any PS3 until Feb. or March, so now I’m back looking for the Wii. These stores really know how to make us crazy.</p>
<p>I was looking for a Wii, that’s what S wants for Christmas and he’s not usually a big wanter of stuff. All my tech friends gave me advice, where to go (they said Best Buy), online trackers, etc. Then I was in Target on Saturday, buying Windex, 409, other glamorous things, and I passed by the game section. There was a display. I hadn’t really even thought of Target. I asked if they had any, and they said they were getting them in the next day. Groan. I knew that meant I had to be there before the store opened, which was 8am. So I woke up at 6am, got to the store around 7:10am (yeah I dawdled). Eventually they told us they had 33 units. We all counted down and I seemed to be person #31. Then they gave out numbered coupons, and yes, I was #31. Then when the store opened at 8 we all walked in single file to the games department and checked out there. I did get Zelda (hooyah) but they didn’t have any extra controllers.</p>
<p>However. My friend whose brother works for a gaming company says they should be able to get lots and lots of systems out before Christmas, so perhaps all this lining up isn’t strictly necessary. However, I got mother hero points and those, as they say, priceless…</p>
<p>Yeah, he can wait. I already I told him I wouldn’t be doing any camping out etc. etc. But I’m willing to go to a <em>little</em> effort. Right now, I’m defining that as I will drive by in my warm-y car when I wake up (luckily I am a true Early Bird). If they’re giving out #s, or letting us in from the cold, I will have my book, my mug, my donuts and I’ll do the waiting. Otherwise, some other time. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it :p.</p>
<p>To set the record straight I didn’t camp out. I got on CC! Some wonderful Dad tipped me to jcpenney.com. I went right there, did not pass go, did not collect $200. I ordered it online with factory shipping coming to me today. Just for a fun fact, the day before the Wii came out I was at Wally World. I asked them about the craziness for PS3. I asked, “how many did you get, like 6?”. The girls started cracking up. They got exactly 6. In the meantime, they had like 40 people who were there for days in line. Why the manager couldn’t go out there and tell them, “we are only getting six” and give each of the first six people a number to come back I am completely not sure. Anyway, supposedly Nintendo is shipping a bunch of Wiis today and lots of the big boxers will have them tomorrow. The frenzy is not as great for them and you can get on Ebay for like $360 or so. By the time you figure the sales tax for your area, etc. it might be the way to go.<br>
In the meantime, now thanks to northeast mom I am educated on the points thing, so Thanks!<br>
Scary that you can use your credit card right on the console. Lucky for me when my DS opened his BofA account when starting college I answered for him, a big “NO THANK YOU” on the credit card thing.
And before I get a lot of posts about “emergenices” that is what cel phones and Grandparents near by are for. Debt consolidators tell adults to freeze or cut up their credit cards for just the same reason.<br>
rant over.</p>
<p>ebeeeee, That is a great tip. If only I had known. Oh well, it was not bad, and my son has what he’s been dreaming about for so long. No complaints here. Target was orderly. It really was pretty good. I was also able to get 2 games, the extra remotes, and nunchucks there too.</p>
<p>If anyone has any Wii or gaming related questions, feel free to PM me. I’m pretty much the CC resident gamer :)</p>
<p>I think I’d probably buy a Wii if I was in a store and they had them. </p>
<p>My son can’t think of a single thing (!) he wants for Christmas - but I think he’d play that. Well, maybe. I don’t know. </p>
<p>But I am feeling a little desperate so far. </p>
<p>The only idea he has is a gift certificate to a place called “Frozen CPU.” Sounds like my kinda store - right up there with Pep Boys and Best Buys. <strong><em>groan</em></strong></p>