Suggestions on Wii "set-up."

[Kumoriken]

'Ello there. As you've prolly guessed, I'm new here. So, I'll get to the point.
I'm clearing out a whole area/room for when I get the Wii, and I was wondering if anyone could suggest what I should set up in there. Like... Should I get surround sound? If so, what kind of speakers? Should I get a flat-screen TV or something? Etc.
xP Sorry if this seems weird, but I figured I'd just ask.

 

[Sovieto]

No need for surround sound really, it's not THAT great of sound quality. + the wiimote gives a bit surround sound If it really is in your budget, I say get a flat screen TV, about 32" or so, but not only for the Wii, but for YOU in general. By the way dont get plasma, everyone I think knows by now but they die out after 5000+ hours. I got a 27" TV, no surround sounds, but I'm sure I will be good, don't get to big of a TV, like for my friend's 360 and his huge TV, it streches out the game and it looks kinda shitty when you get closer to it.

 

[NateTheGreat]

I would say surround sound makes a MASSIVE difference if you've never experienced it before, even though Wii won't have true Dolby Digital 5.1 (it has Dolby Pro Logic II, which only seperates right from left on the front speakers).
I remember buying the ones I have which were $200, Sony, and popped in Need For Speed and WOW, it was like a car had just pulled up and parked in my room. I would go for a good name brand like Sony, Denon, Harmon/Kardon, or if you can afford it, Bose. Almost any Circuit City or Best Buy you can find will have a $200-$300 all-in-one-surround sound system and Sony is the best in my opinion. Just make sure it has atleast one fiber optic input in the back, which pretty much all surround sound systems have today.

As for a TV, really depends on your budget and living space. If you have a huge room, get a nice projector, if you have a medium room, get like a 32" widescreen LCD TV, or if you have a somewhat small room, I would just go with a good old flat screen tube TV, about 27"-32" because they are sooo cheap now and still offer a very nice picture.

I would say stay away from plasma tvs because of Sovieto's reason as well the fact that they have burn-in problems. I also wouldn't go with a rear-projection TV because you have to be directly in front of them to see the full picture, plus they're huge and dim compared to LCDs and regular old TVs many times.

 

[teqguy]

Contrary to Sovieto's comment that surround sound does not add to gaming... I can recommend from first hand experience that it does add another level of immersion to gaming. It doesn't even have to be a technically advanced game, as I've had friends say their level of enjoyment in games such as Mario Party was increased by playing it with a home theater setup.

If you're looking for a decent 5.1 setup, bear in mind that Bose and other 5.1 "all in one" packages like it are complete and utter garbage. They do not provide the dynamic range, hard hitting bass, and melt your face treble that can be had with your common loudspeaker and amplifier.

Stick with speakers that include a high, mid, and low and avoid technicians telling you the rear speakers don't need to be as powerful as the front... they will be recieving just as much signal, so it's better to match them.

 

[Kumoriken]

Well, I've gamed with my parents projector and surround sound, and it does add to the gaming. But I'm just wondering, overall, if I should spend the money to get some, if I've already experienced it. Keep in mind that money is a factor for me. xP
And can someone provide me with some keywords to search for on eBay for the right speakers?

 

[COLDshiver]

With surround sound, all i can say is: Amazing. For systems that support surround sound, i say Get it! Not just for gaming, Movies sound awesome. My 360 also sounds so amazing with CoD2. In singleplayer, it's just amazing and it helps you immerse yourself into the game. THe Wii supports Surround Sound too so i highly recommend getting it my parents bought some JBL surround sound system and it's amazing.

For the TV, it depends on how much money you want to spend. I currently have a 62-inch HDTV and my 360 is loving it. On the Wii though, there is a chance it will look totally ugly (the lines aren't smooth, really blocky lines). I might maybe get a 50 inch screen at least, plasma/flat/etc. your preference. I wouldn't recommend getting a projector. Accidents can happen (wires tripped over and stuff) unless you nail it on your ceiling or something. Also, you'll need a lot of room anyways to get a big screen. It also gets really hot and i always get scared that it it'll get so hot it'll just blow up.

 

[LukasJunior]

i think u shud get= a huge tele,lol if theres more tele theres more game,thats wt i say!lol.get a gd set of speakers(SURROUND SOUND)a nice chair or sofa,to sit on through the endless hours of playing on the wii,hehe.

 

[MetroidZ]

meh. stereo TV sound for me

 

[teqguy]

In my opinion, you can't buy the "right" speakers, because everyone's perception of sound is different.

So, while you can find some that might come close, the only way you can tailor them specifically to your needs is by building them yourself. Granted, this takes a tremendous amount of research and part gathering, but in the end it pays off.

However, I can recommend setups you won't be disappointed with, based on what a generic perception of what good speakers should sound like.

What is your spending limit?


Oh, and as far as the display is concerned, it recently came to my attention that if you were to play the Wii on a projector, it would need to be positioned in such a way that you would not be standing in front of it. Unless your room has a 10ft ceiling or dimensions larger than 20x15, it would probably very uncomfortable playing.

Although, by building your own projector out of a dismantled LCD screen, you not only save an enormous amount of money(the typical build for these types of projectors costs no more than $600), but also attain a feature no projector on the market(that doesn't cost over $10,000) has been able to attain: full HD resolution.

If you don't have that kind of room, I would go with either a DLP based LCD with at least 1280x720 resolution or a CRT based HDTV and add a signal processor called a line doubler or scaler to increase the Wii's output resolution to full HD. To test how well scalers function, you could try downloading dScaler(dscaler.org).

 

[teqguy]

Youre confusing LCD with Plasma.
LCD only withstands a certain amount of hours. Thats why its reccomended you buy a Plasma screen, They dont die after a certain amount of hours, and they dont turn dark if you look at it from an angle.

Actually, he's right.

Plasma has a horrible lifespan, in addition to costing a bundle for horrible picture.

Sure, the high contrast might look pretty, but it doesn't do you much good when the screen is limited to 1024 x 1024(it isn't even capable of pulling off the minimum 1280x720 for sub-par HD) resolution and most movies are not filmed with high contrast images(ie, everything in an action movie is either bright and vibrant or darkly shaded).

 

[Kumoriken]

X_x;; Gah. So confusing. xP
A lot of suggestions. Well, thanks, everyone.

 

[Sam_Harris]

well i love my lcd it has a good view (no loss of picture) were ever i sit and also ive had it for while and hasnt notice bad picture quality plus there a bit cheaper so yeah

 

[Kumoriken]

Err.... >_> LCD? >_<

 

[NateTheGreat]

Err.... >_> LCD? >_<

LCD, or Liquid Crystal Displays. They're flat screen and flat panel and unlike plasma TVs, they don't have burn in.

 

[Kumoriken]

X_x;; I'm so confused!
Well, I'm just gonna put this issue off for a bit, considdering I just found out I have a $200 phone bill. xP
Well, if you still have any suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em! Thanks!