Wii hands-on, unboxing!
By Ryan Block 
posted Nov 10th 2006 6:05PM
posted Nov 10th 2006 6:05PM
We just got our Wii in the mail, so let's get started, shall we? We won't clutter this experience with a whole lot of words, but we can tell you we'll be bringing plenty more Wii coverage in the next few hours, so stay tuned!
P.S. -For the highest quality images here, max that browser as wide as it goes (the images will expand).
I cannot wait to get my hands on one.
shweet cant wait to get one
Damn. Engadget hiring at the moment?
Come on... come onnnn!! (Cartman voice from this week)
Classic Cartman!
Mmmm.... Wii goodness.
Very nice. Too bad I'm going to have to wait til Feb before I can get one.
Stink! So the Wii Sports does not come with a case? Otherwise, looking good. Can't wait to get mine!
Wait How does Engadget get there hands on a PS3 and Wii?
You're just a blog site run by college kids, not even a real member in the eye's of business.
I'd guess that you're wrong about that... after all, they have them, and you don't.
Stylish.
Looks like it comes with a brick too.
that power adapter, with almost 1/4 size of the wii is very lol :D
what's in it, a UPS hamster wheel? :D
I love how Nintendo didn't go all curvy on the Wii, as opposed to the Xbox 360 and PS3. Looks sweet!
i have to wait til cheristmas to get one D:
beside that, it's really cool... nintendo looks a lot like apple O.o
Thing looks very bland without being on the stand and turned on...looks like old plastic box. Still, was VERY COOL when I got to play Ice Age 2.
"Wait How does Engadget get there hands on a PS3 and Wii?
You're just a blog site run by college kids, not even a real member in the eye's of business."
i know i want to know the same thing too. Gameinformer.com got their hands on the Wii already before engadget.com did.
ok, so this is the first time i've seen the sensor bar that comes with this thing, and it got me thinking. I've got a projection system setup, so all my components sit next to my sofa, to shorten the length of wires to the projector. This is about 15 feet away from my screen (which is 100 inch diagional widescreen). I doubt the wire comming from the sensor bar is that long, so how will I get this to reach the Wii. Also, will this work on a 100 inch screen? (btw, GoW kicks ass at 100 inches in HD, just had to throw that out)
Um.... the wiimote is wireless, so why do you need to have the Wii close to you?
If it is anything like my brothers system then if you were to have it in front you would need very long cables to get it to the projector. You might just want to think about putting the wii next to the screen and getting a longer cable.
They sell extension cords for the sensor bar. I saw them on Amazon.com for a hair under $8. I don't know what to say about running the wires. Maybe you can get creative and run it under the carpet (if you don't have a hardwood floor). Good luck.
Woooooooow !!! NES Flashbkack !!!!
i refused to call it its Slave name... Long Live the REVOLUTION!!
The Wii-mote looks HUGE next to the batteries in the above pic's.
Like a 1950 TV remote huge.
Wow... your Wii sure is tiny.
Please tell me those AA batteries recharge in the wiimote.
I know you'll all say get a separate battery charger but thats just inconvenient!
@par:
agreed. why do they even bother using "double A"s??? why not just use a 'real' rechargable battery that is removable???
To the folks that are asking about where Engadget get's it's equipment from, WebLogs Inc, which owns Engadget, Joystiq and a heap of other blogs isn't exactly poor and probably has some good industry connections. Hell, it's exposure for Sony and Nintendo anyway, what's another demo system on top of the hundreds they're distrabuting to more 'grown up' games sites.
I'd still kill for a job with Joystiq though.
Anyway, my point was, in the second picture there is a round clear plastic disk. What exactly is it?
Sorry, I meant ninth not second, the one with all the bits laid out in it. Wasn't thinking.
Science damm it.
lets see the blue glow
small consoles = nice
innovative controller = nice
low power consumption = nice
hinges on device revealing slots = not nice (I can see many of them broken...)
The games will probably make or break things, though.
I agree. Having the flaps open also means there will be more space required than just the dimensions of the box for setting it up. Of course it's just a matter of inches but it seems kind of cheap and sloppy to me.
Please resize your images before posting them, HTML image scalers produce jaggies around the edges of hard lines in images.
Can someone show me a decent battery solution for the Wiimote - there is no way I am going to be buy a bunch of double A batteries to keep this thing rolling.
use AA rechargeables?
If the remotes are anything like the wavebird cont on the game cube they lasted hours.
He's talking about the sensor bar, not the remote
you should've got a photograph with it running, apparently the blue light in the disc drive slot is gone.
from what I've heard the blue drive slot light turns off while a game is playing, so as not to be distracting like every other blue LED thing. It turns on when the system's first on or there's no disk in so you can see the slot in the dark.
Ohh, just reread his post, he has a projection system, so he cant exactly put the sensor bar on top of his television... heh... I feel brilliant...
Engadget likely has more readers than game informer. Blogs are big business now, haven't you heard?
Can anyone confirm if the power adaptor is the same as the GameCube's?
Matt from IGN mentioned the issue with the sensor bar cable. He spoke with a VP of MadCatz and they apparently are producing an extension for the sensor bar that may be available on launch day. Hope that helps.
c'mon...5 pics of the outside of the box? are you kidding? and a pic of the battery compartment? your guys' idea of what's interesting is, um, interesting. oh wait...look: there's the remote sensor! and here's one corner of the remote sensor! wow!!!
can someone please post a picture of the specs on the power brick, importers around the world will thank you
I believe the clear plastic disk mounts under the stand to make it wider. If you look in the video, the bottom of the stand appears to have matching holes for it.
I'm wondering what the parts to the left of the disk are. Anybody?
(As far as the power brick, I believe I saw that it's still 12V out, but a few more watts than the GameCube's, and that's why the plug isn't the same as the GameCube's. Probably still just region-specific on the input voltage side, I'd guess.)
And Ryan, turn on some more lights!! You'll get much better picture quality.
i played the wii in ebgames today, and it was just amazing. Although it took me a while to get used to the controls, it was still great.
It was worth handing over my license to play
cartman waits 500 years an still dosnt get one, an u get one before it comes out...
WEAK!
Bleh. I'm as excited as the next guy about this thing, and I'm totally gonna buy one, but that design looks pretty bad up close. Looks like a chunky mess from the 80s... Still though, I won't dwell on it. The gameplay is what matters and I think the Wii will deliver on that.
Little disappointed in their decision to stick with 480p video output, though. I'm hoping that can be improved with a software update and a better AV cable, but I won't hold my breath...