A Few Questions...Just purchased Wii for Grandchildren

[grandpa]

Hi all...first time poster here. We just purchased a Wii for our grandchildren which they'll get for Christmas. We have broadband internet access at our place but the kids will be using the Wii where there is only dial up. Is there anything I should be doing beforehand with regard to initial setup of the Wii (since we have the broadband access here) which will make the Christmas morning setup easier/more enjoyable for our grandchildren? Particularly, we were told at one point by a salesman that there were a large number of the "old games" (??) that could be downloaded over the 'net free of charge for the Wii. I'd like those installed on the Wii and ready to go when the kids get it if possible. Does anyone know the web address of where I can go for these older game downloads and any other pertinent info I might need about this? Also, I was wondering about the necessity or no of having broadband internet connection for day to day usage of the Wii. We've assumed that our Grandkids will be using this device "just plugged into the television" as that's the type of games they've been acquainted with all along but what should we know about this?....Would they be missing a really large part of what owning a Wii is all about without high speed internet access or is this not really that big a deal? Thanks in advance for any advice and please bear with my "non-tech-saavy". My own previous gaming experience is limited to owning an Atari for about 2 weeks during the summer of 1981 before trading it to a friend for some Led Zeppelin albums...:lol:

 

[infamous85]

well when the salesman said you can download older games, he meant you have to actually turn on your wii, there is a channel in the wii called "Wi shopping Channel" and you can buy old games on that channel with wii points purchased either through the shopping channel via credit card or purchased at a store(wal-mart,target,gamestop,ect) and i would say, a wii without an internet connection is pretty limited, you cant go to the shopping channel, you cant update your wii version, cant surf the internet on the wii, cant play some games that are internet capable. well i hope that helps!

 

[Rain Foxx]

Ok first of all the wii uses wi-fi wich for that you need a wirless router of some kind. So i dont give you the wrong answer to make sure just look up
wi-fi on google and get your info there please. Then 2nd of all the "old games"
Are games from like atari and SNES, the old systems. Those games are not free of charge. I repeat NOT FREE OF CHARGE*. What you really have to do is buy wii points that let you download the old games off the wii not a website. the wii points cost real money. (oh and you can either buy them at a store on a card or use your credit card on the shop channel on the wii wich lets you buy it)So your main thing is the internet and you only need to have WI-FI it wirless internet connection. With that you basically on your wii search for the wi-fi,when setting the wii up, and it will find it for you!:smilewinkgrin: I hope I was helpful if i was please
Click on the green mushroom where my name and avater is at the bottom Thanks! if you need more help ask!

 

[masonb15]

Games can't be downloaded free of charge. They have to be bought with Wii points. As far as getting the internet set up, you have really only one option for dial-up. You will need Nintendo's Wifi USB adapter which will give the Wii internet access, even if it is very slow. With this setup though, I've heard that the shop channel can't be accessed (This is where the classic games are downloaded). Games can still be played, and features like the Mii channel (make animated versions of people), Message board (send messages to other Wiis), News channel (pretty self expanatory), and forecast channel (again, pretty simple) should work fine with the setup though. Just try to get the Wii as close to the adapter as possible. You are a good man "grandpa", I hope your grandkids enjoy the Wii!

 

[grandpa]

Okay, let me see if I've got it right so far...

- The place you download the games for the Wii is a channel accessed from the device itself rather than an internet website as such and there are charges for the older games payable via a point system.

- The Wii system is pretty internet dependent for anything close to full potential.


To follow up here, I guess I need to find out two things at this point:

1 - The kids will be using this Wii where there is only an older computer that's not compatible with any of the high speed internet services available in that area. If we were able to sell their parents on the idea of subscribing to broadband, could the Wii work as a stand-alone broadband connected device without the need for purchasing a broadband capable computer? If so, could the broadband cable be connected directly to the Wii rather than employing a wireless router?

2 - Regarding the points system for purchasing games on the Wii shopping channel, is purchasing these games in any way "internet location dependent" such as with some music player music downloads via subscription service or is it pretty much just a straightforward permanent installation on the Wii in trade for points? What I'm getting at is would there be any unforseen issues if I were to set up the Wii at our place, access the shopping channel, and purchase the games to the Wii so the kids would have them to use later at another location-and-broadband-connection?

Thanks again!

 

[Rain Foxx]

ok for the internet you need to have anyting wifi wirless connection its not a cable hook up. Buying the old games you don't have to have a subriscption its a full time deal you just have to go to the channel.

 

[infamous85]

you can use another method of connection that is not wireless but it will require you to buy a Lan connector made for the wii, i think it sells for like 40 US dollars. and yes the wii can work as a stand alone product without a computer, just connect the Lan wire into the Lan connector for the wii(sold separately) or if you want wireless you gotta buy a wireless router and connect the cable modem into the wireless router then get on the wii and locate the signal then ur on. its pretty simple. and for the old nintendo games, you can download it at ANY location, it saves into your wii's internal memory, no matter where u bring it, it will be in the wii. so if you want u can open it at your house, hook it up and purchase wii points and download all the games you think they will enjoy, pack it back up and when they open it and hook it up, all the games will be their installed for them! hope this helps!

 

[XtremeKilling]

how old are your grandchildren? I think they might have some knowledge or maybe research if they are old enough.

and yes the lan adapter can be used if you dont want to hook up to your old pc.

 

[LoganSix]

how old are your grandchildren? I think they might have some knowledge or maybe research if they are old enough. .

I agree, if your grandchildren are under the age of 10, then don't worry about purchasing the "old" games. Check the stores and on-line reviews for some games that are suitable for the age range. WiiSports will be entertaining for the entire family for some time.

Since you can surf on the Wii, if that is all your grandchildren do, then it can be a replacement for that activity. The Wii will not be a replacement for a PC.

 

[FRuMMaGe]

To be honest, there are not too many games out at the moment that actually have internet gameplay.

Unfortunately, the games that are online require a very high level of skill to be able to win (particularly Mario Stikers Charged) and I'm afraid that it may be out of the skill range of young children, as the standard is quite elite at times.

All in all though, if it is just for general gameplay and you have no use for the email/web-browsing capabilities of the system, then it will be fine without an internet connection.

 

[bigwilliiy]

Just use your broadband to buy 5-6 virtual games. pack the wii back and give it to them. and the games will be there and wont need internet connection to play.

 

[Mako]

Internet on the wii is useless.

 

[Eagles]

If you have young grandchildren no internet should not be an issue, because it's not likely they'll play games online anyway. As other people have mentioned, I don't think your grandchildren will enjoy the "old games". It would be of better value to buy the Wii Play + Wii Remote combination, so they get an extra game suitable for their age level and another remote so more then 1 can play at the same time.

Regarding the points system for purchasing games on the Wii shopping channel, is purchasing these games in any way "internet location dependent" such as with some music player music downloads via subscription service or is it pretty much just a straightforward permanent installation on the Wii in trade for points? What I'm getting at is would there be any unforseen issues if I were to set up the Wii at our place, access the shopping channel, and purchase the games to the Wii so the kids would have them to use later at another location-and-broadband-connection?

It's pretty much just a straightforward permanent installation on the Wii in trade for points.

 

[grandpa]

Thanks to all for the help!

We unpacked the Wii last night and got it set up via our broadband so the kids can purchase games with the points if they want or they can opt to buy something off the shelf if they're happier with what's available as hard copy. Their grandmother and I spent several hours playing the included Wii sports games.......you'll never guess who else wants one now :yesnod:

I think the Grandkids will be delighted!

 

[FRuMMaGe]

Thanks to all for the help!

We unpacked the Wii last night and got it set up via our broadband so the kids can purchase games with the points if they want or they can opt to buy something off the shelf if they're happier with what's available as hard copy. Their grandmother and I spent several hours playing the included Wii sports games.......you'll never guess who else wants one now :yesnod:

I think the Grandkids will be delighted!

Good to see you are enjoying it :lol:

I think the Wii is the only console out at the moment that can honestly be enjoyed by the whole family.