Wii Hardware Bundle - Red

I LOVE this thing!!! It's beautiful to look at, exceedingly fun to play and easy to set up. It only comes with one controller and nunchuck so I had to buy 3 more of each. I couldn't find genuine Wii controllers and nunchucks in red so I had to settle for 1 black and 2 white each. No big deal though since it helps to keep it clear who's controller is who's. We've had it since Christmas of 2010 and am just now writing this review. So, I've had some time to play with it. Just the games it comes with are great fun, and there is a plethora of other games to buy. I like the Sports Wii golf game the best. The kids could play Mario all day and I bought "Wipe Out" and "A Boy and His Blob" as extras. Those games are o.k. but Mario is our favorite. Best to use rechargeable batteries in the controllers since it will go through your AA's pretty fast. Just lately connected it to Netflix - OH MY GAWD!!! What a wonderful thing! Movies and shows download via your wireless router and it's just great! It keeps us entertained and informed (news, internet, etc...) and it's everything and I could have hoped for. I was hoping I could connect a wireless keyboard to it but you can't do it that way. You have to connect the keyboard via a cable which I haven't done yet but will eventually. I don't surf the internet much using the Wii but might would if I could just easily type in the web addresses. To use the controller is a S-L-O-W process and highly prone to mistake making since that directional thingy inside the controllers is always bouncing around and buzzing and throwing the arrows off the letters on the screen. I'm not going to get into the technical aspects of it, the other reviews have covered all of that very well. I'll just say that you DON'T have to have a degree in computer science to install it. It does take a little trial and error since you probably will have questions the owner's manual doesn't cover. It took a while to get Netflix going since I had to run back and forth between the Wii console and my desktop upstairs but it finally loaded and you get one month FREE on Netflix - can't beat that! Then it's only $7.99/month and they keep adding more movies and shows depending on what you've already watched. Not everything you might want to see is available but a boatload of stuff is. This whole thing is really a lot of fun - it's almost too good to be true. I can't help but expect something to go terribly wrong............but I certainly hope not!

This review applies to the other colors/bundles in this line of Wiis that were marketed in I think maybe 2009, 2010, and the first half of 2011 as well... maybe not in 2009. I really don't know, but that's not important. We bought this because our old white Wii's lens stopped working, and they had JUST released the "family edition" of the Wii, which replaced the previous bundles/systems (as far as Nintendo still manufacturing and selling products, or in this case, not, goes). The family edition is actually a downgraded Wii with a lower price-tag: The point of it from a business perspective is to try to entice anyone who never bought a Wii yet to buy one now before the Wii-U (Nintendo's next upcoming console) takes over (will probably be late 2012 or something, I don't know). What they removed in the "family edition" of the Wii is all Gamecube software and hardware compatibility, meaning not only can't you use the family edition to play Gamecube games, but you can't even use a Gamecube controller to play Wii games that have an option to use the Gamecube controller. And less importantly, the ability to place it vertically on a stand that came with all previous Wiis is no longer an option with the family edition. In the marketing, they euphemize that part as something along the lines of "The new design is sleek and similar to the original, but designed to rest flat instead of vertically," which ignores the fact that the original Wiis are capable of both -- You, as the customer / owner of the Wii get to decide, based on your preferences and/or based on the nature of the location you'll be keeping your Wii. At least, you used to; and you still can, even in brand new condition, IF and only if you specially order one of these discontinued models from an online marketplace such as this one. But whether or not it can stand vertically, as I already implied, isn't that big of a deal. The big deal is the removed Gamecube compatibility. However, THIS (the product I am reviewing) is not the family edition. These colored, original-Wii models have been discontinued, but you can still buy them in new, unopened condition from many merchants here on Amazon.com. I don't know if I'm just saying this a bit too early, but I'm actually a bit surprised that the prices for them aren't outrageously high right now -- I might've expected $350+ or even more (due to what I would expect there to be a sudden spike in demand for Gamecube-compatible Wiis -- I think that spike probably will happen, but just a bit later and/or more slowly than I initially thought, since it may take more people a little bit longer to catch onto this fact), but I got mine for $238ish after tax and all, so $38 more than the original launch price, except this one's red, I think it's a great deal. As I said, we needed a new Wii to replace our broken one, but need the GCN backwards compatibility. If you never intend to use a Gamecube controller, e.g. if you never plan to play Smash Brothers Brawl using what pretty much everyone agrees is by far the best controller for the game (GCN controller), then go ahead and buy the new, still in stores, family edition for 150 bucks, but if you want the real deal, pick your favorite color and/or bundle, and buy one new (or used if you don't mind getting a used system, if the price drop is worth it to you) of one of these previous models online. These bundles come with one Wii Motion+ controller (and matching nunchuk) included, so you won't have to buy a Wii Motion+ attachment or controller separately in order to play Motion+ games (at least 1 player that is). Also, to clear up any potential confusion regarding Motion+: a question I had before I tried it out was "Does the fact that the Motion+ controller is supposed to be more pin-point accurate make, say, Wii Sports golf handle better, like with the putting for instance?" The answer to that question is unfortunately no. The Wii at any given time, or rather, when playing any particular game, is either using Motion+ mode, or regular old-school mode where the Wiimote's infrared camera bases the cursor's position on where it sees the infrared lights in the sensor bar. (Motion+ doesn't make any use of either those two things, however it requires occasional brief auto-calibration before playing a game.) There are Wii games that are specifically designed to use the Motion+ controls, and require calibration (which is quick and easy) before they'll work each time you start one of those games; when in a Motion+ enabled game, the sensor bar is not involved at all -- You can cover the Wiimote's infrared camera with your palm and it doesn't make a difference. I don't claim to actually understand the technicalities of how the new Motion+ technology works, but what I can tell you based on the previous thing I said is that rather than working by SEEING the lights on the sensor bar, it works by FEELING in some way or another how the Wiimote is oriented/pointed/etc. I'm sorry this review got so rambly and digressed to just vaguely related things; it's probably partly because I don't have much to say about this product except what I said in the title of this review. It's an original model Wii except: * It's red * It comes with a red Wiimote+, * a red nunchuk (and all the rest of the basics of course, cables, manuals, sensor bar etc; SD card not included however, still, though on a somewhat unrelated note, the 3DS's come with an SD card included! Yay!), * Wii Sports (not resort; that's another bundle), and * New! Super Mario Bros Wii. If you prefer one of the other bundles or colors, you should get that, obviously. This is the bundle I most preferred, as red is one of my favorite colors, and Mario is one of my favorite franchises. - T - L - ; - D - R - - V - E - R - S - I - O - N - So TL;DR version (nutshell version): If you care about either playing Gamecube games and/or using a Gamecube controller for certain games, get one of these discontinued models like this red bundle here. If you couldn't care less about ever using anything Gamecube-related with your Wii, then just get the family edition, because it's cheaper, and it's currently new in stores as well. I personally prefer the real deal though, but it's up to you. Despite lacking a lot of information (I mean.. what is there to say really?), I do hope that this review was helpful to someone at least slightly, and I apologize for the length of it. Off I go now.

I was one to be excited about the wii since i first heard about it. sure, i was bummed that it wouldn't be the graphic powerhouse that the xbox360 and ps3 have become, however nintendo has taken a completely different approach to this generation of consoles. nintendo has always been a company that wants to do their own thing, to set new and exciting gaming experiences, and the wii is no exception. nintendo has always been a company that revolutionizes how we play games, and after they succeed, the competition will follow suit. look at sony, coming out with the playstation move, and they ragged on nintendo about their ideas. nintendo is one of the most profitable companies in the gaming industry, they create games in their image. they take pride in their work, and it shows when we play a nintendo developed game. the red wii is a great concept, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the NES. the console looks great, and it has new super mario bros wii packaged in it. finally, a nintendo console that ships with a mario game. history is repeating itself with this release. in all, even though the wii isn't a graphical powerhouse like the ps3/xbox360, it is still an amazing console. nintendo puts more focus into the games, rather than the graphics. they create, fun family games, and we see the occasional mature title here and there too. what this system lacks in graphics, it makes up in gameplay. for those who haven't really played a wii, and still says it's not your thing, give it a shot. pick up mario galaxy, or zelda, mario kart or donkey kong country returns, you will not be disappointed. this console is well worth the purchase!