Wii and PlayStation 3 Q&A

It's becoming very quickly apparent that everybody has a lot of questions about the Wii (not to mention the PlayStation 3), and we'd be obliged to answer. Go ahead and leave 'em in the comments and we'll post our replies. Please note: the Wii's online channels (Wii shop, News, Weather, etc.) are not yet enabled, so we don't know much more there than you probably do.

[Drew @ Nov 11th 2006 1:42PM]

How loud is the Wii? What are the load times for the games? What way do you insert the disks? In the unboxing videos, what were those 'decals' plastic things?

[scott @ Nov 11th 2006 1:42PM]

Is it possible to attach an external hard drive, keyboard, mouse, etc. to the USB ports on the back of the Wii?

[Brandon @ Nov 11th 2006 1:43PM]

can the ps3 stream video's, movies, pictures, etc. from a PC. If so does it require media center or some type of additional software?

[menziep @ Nov 11th 2006 1:43PM]

what was you main cons about the PS3?

Thanks

[Justin Rossetti @ Nov 11th 2006 1:44PM]

How long the Wii batteries last? Are they rechargeable?

[BHSPitMonkey @ Nov 14th 2006 10:03AM]

If you've looked at any unboxing pictures, you'll have seen that it uses AAA (maybe they're AA) batteries; 2 come in the package, like with any remote-controlled electronics, and they go into your standard-issue battery compartment on the wiimote.

[Alex Zhang @ Nov 11th 2006 1:44PM]

Does the PS3 include an eyetoy?

[Paul Aguirre @ Nov 11th 2006 1:44PM]

What are your sources saying about being able to walk into say Fry's or Best Buy on the afternoon of the 19th and seeing readily available Wii's? Supposedly Nintendo is going to launch about 2 Million units.

[Charles Brusca @ Nov 11th 2006 1:45PM]

Was there a "Wii Startup Disk" included in the box?

[Simon @ Nov 11th 2006 1:45PM]

What is the best way to go about connecting it up to a regular monitor? What cables or connectors provided the best results?

[d @ Nov 11th 2006 1:47PM]

can i stream videos from my pc to the ps3?

[Zozzi @ Nov 11th 2006 1:47PM]

don't you know about compatibility of PS3 sold in Japan/US this week to run in Europe ?

HDMI has nothing to do with PAL/NTSC and only difference would be power adaptor (110V there vs 230V here)

any ideas?

[Tim Burns @ Nov 11th 2006 1:49PM]

Although we've seen images of the PS3 motherboard, they were too small in resolution to make out the chips, does the PS3 hold it's OS in NVRAM or is it relying on the HDD? This is specifically about replacing the drive and how it gets the OS back on the system (is it in NVRAM or do you need to insert a game or other disk).

[chudgoo @ Nov 12th 2006 10:03PM]

http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q208/chudgoo/PS3%20Disemboweled/?start=all

71 pics of PS3 completely broken down...

Now let's see the Wii guts! ;)

[Nathan @ Nov 11th 2006 1:51PM]

How long are the standard composite AV cable's?

[semperfive @ Nov 11th 2006 1:54PM]

Does the Wii's sensor bar limit you from what kind of TV you can hook it up to? For example, a 60" projection TV that sits on a pedastal -- can you put the sensor bar above the TV or does it HAVE to go below? How about for setups where the gamer does not sit directly in front of the V but perhaps off to the side?

Thanks guys!

[rp @ Nov 11th 2006 1:56PM]

Is there a minimum number of characters for the PS3 online names? I hope I can use my standard name which is 4 letters.

Can you do HD in a 4:3 ratio? Our HDTV is 4:3 but supports 1080i (Samsung 62" projection TV from around 2003)

Can you access a USB hard drive? Like connect an external HDD with USB and stream media from it.

That's pretty much it for me, Thanks!

[PreGHz @ Nov 11th 2006 1:56PM]

What's a henway?

[akijikan @ Nov 11th 2006 1:58PM]

About 20 ounces...google conversions

[akijikan @ Nov 11th 2006 1:56PM]

Can your PS3 fold (Folding@Home) out-of-the-box or is that coming in a later update?

[Keegsta @ Nov 11th 2006 1:57PM]

Can the PS3 copy videos from a Data DVD?

[mitch @ Nov 11th 2006 2:01PM]

How steep is the learning curve on the wii, is it worth the invested time learning a new way of gaming?

[pak150 @ Nov 11th 2006 2:02PM]

How much heat does the PS3 dissipate? How hot is it compared to the X360?

[chario @ Nov 11th 2006 2:04PM]

can the ps3 make me dinner?
can the Wii make me smater? xD kidding :P

[Long H @ Nov 11th 2006 2:04PM]

Wii:
1) Have you tried freeloader and will it allow you to play imported games?
2) Does the wii recognize an external HD/keyboard when you hook them up via the USB on the back?
3) Is the blue light always on during gameplay?
4) Is there any screws outside of the Wii allowing you to open the unit?
5) Does the sensor bar not function properly when it is exposed to sunlight from outside or from many reports, when somebody points a laser pointer on it?
6) Does cursor speed change when playing in a totally dark env & in a lighted room?
7) Is the Wii totally silent/cool? (say compared to the GC)
8) What happens when a disc is inserted the other way around?
9) What video formats does the Wii photo channel allow you to play?
10) What the hell does the Sync button do on Wii? Does it 'refresh' the Wii to let it know that a new SD card was inersted?
11) Will the Opera browser allow you to watch flash movies on Youtube? (and to some extent, will it also allow you to post videos via the wii)If so, this would certainly be a great non-game feature. Viewing/posting videos online.

PS3:
1) People have managed to replace the PS3 HD with a normal sized HD (but of course you can't put it back in the PS3 which leaves it dangling outside. However, does the PS3 recognize the drive and allow to still use in (ala preload portions of RR7).
2) Is it BC w/ all the PS2 games you tried?
3) How easy is it for the PS3 to collect fingerprints/dust? Is it already dustmagnet?

[clintwichert @ Nov 11th 2006 2:05PM]

Does the Wii have built-in wifi? IF so, does it support WPA?
How to the graphics of the games for the Wii compare to that of the previous generation consoles?

[Brandizzle @ Nov 11th 2006 2:05PM]

Are you sure that you did everything available in the photo channel? On the Wii website, it shows many more options. Did they scrap these ideas?

[ryan @ Nov 11th 2006 2:06PM]

what is the extent of the motion sensing for the ps3 controller? will it be as dramatic as the wii's?

[Dan @ Nov 11th 2006 2:11PM]

What are the Wii graphics like "in-game"?

Some Zelda videos i've seen remind me of the N64...

[mark @ Nov 11th 2006 2:23PM]

"Some Zelda videos i've seen remind me of the N64..."

Twilight Princess

http://media.wii.ign.com/media/748/748589/img_4061136.html

http://media.wii.ign.com/media/748/748589/img_4061140.html

Ocarina for reference:

http://media.ign64.ign.com/media/000/000437/img_1501534.html

You were saying?

[mark @ Nov 11th 2006 2:17PM]

"3) Is the blue light always on during gameplay?
5) Does the sensor bar not function properly when it is exposed to sunlight from outside or from many reports, when somebody points a laser pointer on it?
7) Is the Wii totally silent/cool? (say compared to the GC)
8) What happens when a disc is inserted the other way around?
10) What the hell does the Sync button do on Wii? Does it 'refresh' the Wii to let it know that a new SD card was inersted?"

After watching various other videos of people using the Wii's they just got (gamespot, etc.) ill answer a few i know.

3.) No, it only flashes when the system starts. Haven't seen an option to keep it on either. (yet anyways)
5.) I'm not 100% sure about sunlight, but the halogen light thing was a rumor. Gamespot had their wii / sensor bar under bright studio lights and it worked flawlessly.
7.) Gamespot held the mic up to the Wii and you couldnt hear anything. They said the only thing they heard was the disc being read.
8.) It will pop the disc back out.
10.) Sync button is for the controllers. First time you use a controller on the Wii you need to sync it to the system your using. So you press the sync button on the back of the controller (under the battery door) and then on the system and they will find each other. has nothing to do with sd cards except for the fact its next to the sd card slot.

[mark @ Nov 11th 2006 2:17PM]

"What are your sources saying about being able to walk into say Fry's or Best Buy on the afternoon of the 19th and seeing readily available Wii's? Supposedly Nintendo is going to launch about 2 Million units."

I can answer that. My store is getting 102 (I work there so I know... lol) And I'm not lining up to get mine, I'm just gonna go that morning and walk in. (Fore refernece: my store had 45 360 pros, 5 cores and 70 people lined up. so im sure there will be some left in the afternoon.

[Wii-Maniak @ Nov 11th 2006 2:35PM]

1)Will I be able to buy a Wii anytime before christmas?
2)If the wii is in a small room will the wii pointer be very sensitive, or can you change the sensitivity?

[humpty @ Nov 11th 2006 2:32PM]

Can you use Wii game save slots for GC games?

[Gavin @ Nov 11th 2006 2:32PM]

When you insert an SD card into Wii with photos and videos on, do they need to be converted to display/save onto Wii?

What video formats does the photo channel support? I'm hoping it'll play the type of MPEG4 that the Samsung NV3 records video in.

When an SD card is inserted with downloaded VC games or other channels on, do the things on the card automatically pop up on the channel interface, or do you have to access a seperate menu for thnigs saved on the SD card?

When you save Wii game save data, do you get a choice of saving it to the internal memory or SD card, or can game save data only be saved to the internal memory?

Basically i'd like to know how everything works reguarding internal memory and SD cards.

Thankyou.

[everrette powell @ Nov 11th 2006 2:32PM]

how is the overrall game play for both?

[Martin @ Nov 11th 2006 2:33PM]

PS3:

1) So does it come with Yellow Dog Linux, or whatever it is called, and what significant features does this have compared to other Linux distributions, like Fedora Core or Ubuntu?
2) If yes, then where is this Linux OS stored(HDD, NVRAM, ROM...)?
3) What video(DivX, xVid, H264...) and audio(MP3, Ogg, AAC, AAC+, FLAC...) codecs does it support?
4) What video containers(MP4, OGM, MKV...) does it support?
5) Can you hook up an external HDD to it through USB?
6) What kinds of USB accessories(mouse, keyboard, HDD, webcam, USB hub...) did it recognise?
7) Anyone tried sticking Win XP on it? :D

Thanks!

[Tim Burns @ Nov 11th 2006 2:52PM]

"PS3:

1) So does it come with Yellow Dog Linux, or whatever it is called, and what significant features does this have compared to other Linux distributions, like Fedora Core or Ubuntu?
2) If yes, then where is this Linux OS stored(HDD, NVRAM, ROM...)?

7) Anyone tried sticking Win XP on it? :D
"

1. No, it doesn't come with the system.
2. It will be stored on the HDD
7. XP won't work, it's compiled for an x86 processor, not the PowerPC based CELL.

[Gadget Extremist @ Nov 11th 2006 2:44PM]

Quote from the first post:
"How loud is the Wii? "

Wii be as loud as Wii can be.

[mannymix03 @ Nov 11th 2006 2:48PM]

Does the sensor bar have to be in the exact center of the display, or can it still be accurate if its a little bit off.

Is the sensor bar setup tough (does it require a level or anything like that)?

[Cory Birdsong @ Nov 11th 2006 2:48PM]

Does Excite Truck indeed support custom soundtracks off of the SD card?

[Matt T. @ Nov 11th 2006 2:49PM]

How does the Wii work on a smaller TV?

Is it hard to aim on the smaller TV?

[jason @ Nov 11th 2006 2:50PM]

How long do the batteries last in the wii controller? Nunchuck change the battery life much?

[jason @ Nov 11th 2006 2:50PM]

How long do the batteries last in the wii controller? Nunchuck change the battery life much?

[takato @ Nov 11th 2006 4:28PM]

I'm refering to 7. Does that mean with a little bit of messing with the code someone could get OSX on the ps3?

[Nova @ Nov 11th 2006 2:53PM]

Do the PS3 can play all (or a big part of) PS2 games?

[gfunk84 @ Nov 11th 2006 2:59PM]

Wii:
1) What are the details of the "Extend your Warranty for Free" booklet?
2) Does Wii support SDHC cards?

[Zon @ Nov 11th 2006 3:05PM]

Can the PS3 video ouput be set to 16:10 instead of 16:9 so as to be connected to a 1920x1200 as apposed to a 1920x1080 display?

[kian @ Nov 11th 2006 3:06PM]

Does Google Reader play nice with the PS3 web browser?

[F @ Nov 11th 2006 3:08PM]

Does anyone else out there believe that the two new game consoles are receiving far more coverage than either of them deserve?