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thomaser · Sep 13, 2006

So I asked our Nintendo-representative when we could expect to get one of those nice Wii demo-units in our store. Basically, as far as he knew, never. Nintendo only wants those units in places where they can have a person standing at all times to show people how to play. They're afraid to just leave them in stores because they think kids will start beating each other with the wiimotes (inevitable, but still not a very big deal if you ask me)! So stores will, at best, have the units on loan for a short time IF they can get someone to stand there and demonstrate it. At least for the foreseeable future.

If someone can think up a good way to make our own proprietary demo-unit without any chance of the parts being stolen or destroyed, I'm open to suggestions. I mean, we can't fail to have a playable Wii in a Nintendo-only store, can we?

PkunkFury · Sep 13, 2006

Another problem with in store demos may be keeping the players far enough away from the TV. I imagine most EB/Gamestops wouldn't have the room for people swinging their arms around 5 feet away from a TV

SlayrUK · Sep 13, 2006

thomaser said:
If someone can think up a good way to make our own proprietary demo-unit without any chance of the parts being stolen or destroyed, I'm open to suggestions. I mean, we can't fail to have a playable Wii in a Nintendo-only store, can we?

Looks like that rules Liverpool out then...

Screenboy · Sep 13, 2006

SlayrUK said:
Looks like that rules UK out then...

Fixed for ya.

sangreal · Sep 13, 2006

You have a Nintendo only store?

123rl · Sep 13, 2006

SlayrUK said:
Looks like that rules Liverpool out then...

Ouch...:lol

I'd be surprised if we saw any demo pods in European game shops tbh. My shop is pretty small and tbh there's no room for current games. The Wii launches this year, PS3 next year...and there's no room for either:lol If we threw away the PSP pod (most useless pod. Ever.) then that would give enough space for a PS3 pod but not enough for a Wii one.

We want the demo pods to face the counter though because we like to turn the TV onto standby when people are playing

Or connect a 3rd Xbox360 pad to the demo pod and press the XBox Guide button when more than two people are stood at the pod

Back on topic though, there's a serious shortage of space in a lot of game shops. Retailers are going to be more concerned with space for game boxes and POS than demo pods

Roders5 · Sep 13, 2006

I remember an indepentant gaming store opened in my town once, and at the back they had a wall with 2 cubes, 2 playstations, and 2 xboxes. You could pay £1 for half an hour's play with any game you wanted. I always thought it was a good idea but the store last about 6 months.

MrSardonic · Sep 13, 2006

doomed.

if it's so easy to use why do I need some in-store cretin preying over me and scratching his lice into my hair just because I want to try it out wii...he'll just be moaning in my ear about how I should be getting a PS3 anyway

Robinspain · Sep 13, 2006

Wii launch : november 10, Fnac (among other retailers), since Monday, says so:

Brobzoid · Sep 13, 2006

I remember back before we knew how the wiimote worked(before it was shown) a nintendo rep said that it worked in ways that made it impossible to demo in stores. So I will be shocked if they do demo them. Because they would need supervisors and constant help. -_-

Striek · Sep 13, 2006

Doesn't the Wii rely more on first-hand experience to sell it than pretty much any console before it?

Nexus Zero · Sep 13, 2006

I think retail would have been given a ballpark date at best ATM.

As for demo-units, I reckon we're more likely to see small "tours", so to speak, around shopping centres and town centres.

Jan · Sep 13, 2006

I expect to get some wii, at least one, anytime before launch form nintendo, but it seems that there arent too many for press.

kaizoku · Sep 13, 2006

At least we know some stores will run their own demos once it actually releases - ven now some shops have guitar hero "demos" set up.

123rl · Sep 13, 2006

My boss said we can't have Guitar Hero on now because the staff played it too much and didn't do any work:lol

Anyone remember that rumour about Halogen lamps affecting the Wii sensor? Maybe that has something to do with it

Mr. TV Goggles · Sep 13, 2006

123rl said:
My boss said we can't have Guitar Hero on now because the staff played it too much and didn't do any work:lol

Anyone remember that rumour about Halogen lamps affecting the Wii sensor? Maybe that has something to do with it

Apparently it only affects the pointer functionality, which can be fixed by calibrating the Wiimote.

KyanMehwulfe · Sep 13, 2006

Hopefully it's not the same for North American.

Else that's massively going to hurt the Wii's exposure. Hands-on kiosks in places like Toys R Us, Walmart, whatever would likely be unrivaled in terms of really convincing non-gaming adults to buy it for themselves or their kids. Which isn't to take anything away from its marketing appeal in any medium; it's just that I think hands-on is a much bigger deal since the controller is revolutionary.

Can't they just put the kiosk right beside the cashier desks when possible. That'd likely be supervision enough. An actual specific and dedicated attendant for all kiosks seems like overkill.

Ghost · Sep 13, 2006

Dunno about the rest of the world but in the UK if people start waving their hands around in populated areas these days they tend to get shot by anti-terror police.

So its probably a good thing.

McBacon · Sep 13, 2006

Stand next to a Wii and show people to play?

I could do that

iapetus · Sep 13, 2006

SlayrUK said:
Looks like that rules Liverpool out then...

Why does the River Mersey run through Liverpool?

Because if it walked it would get mugged.

Ngeist · Sep 13, 2006

Reggie said the Wii marketing will be based on lots of hands-on seance, so, they have to put lots of demo-units in lots of store.

If they won't for some reasons, there will be some big parties in the big towns in order that as much people as possible can put their hands on it

TiVo · Sep 13, 2006

When the Europeans can prove to me that they can take care of their teeth then I will see that they get some in-store demos.

radioheadrule83 · Sep 13, 2006

iapetus said:
Why does the River Mersey run through Liverpool?

Because if it walked it would get mugged.

Torn between defending the place and admitting thats sorta funny.

Where abouts in Liverpool are you, SlayrUK?

MrSardonic · Sep 13, 2006

Ghost said:
Dunno about the rest of the world but in the UK if people start waving their hands around in populated areas these days they tend to get shot by anti-terror police.

:lol

TiVo said:
When the Europeans can prove to me that they can take care of their teeth then I will see that they get some in-store demos.

huh?

SlayrUK · Sep 13, 2006

radioheadrule83 said:
Torn between defending the place and admitting thats sorta funny.

Where abouts in Liverpool are you, SlayrUK?

Sorry.. im not actually from Liverpool

Im a Yorkshire guy.

Panic_Attack · Sep 13, 2006

Wow, this could be disastrous for the Wii. It's the only console ever that absolutely requires first hand experience to sell to the casual consumer.

Deleted member 1235 · Sep 13, 2006

TiVo said:
When the Europeans can prove to me that they can take care of their teeth then I will see that they get some in-store demos.

I thought that gag was about british people not europeans in general.

Funky Papa · Sep 13, 2006

I can totally see the chavs battling on the streets with stolen Wii nunchucks.

Oh man, the UK launch is going to be something beautiful.

Trojan X · Sep 13, 2006

The Nintendo rep is right. If that machine is going to be out for the public then there MUST have someone to show the person how it works. The only thing is Nintendo need to make sure that the booth is everywhere. There's no point just having the machine on its own just being available to play; there are a lot of clueless people out there.

SantaC · Sep 13, 2006

TiVo said:
When the Europeans can prove to me that they can take care of their teeth then I will see that they get some in-store demos.

are you still living in the 60s?

StRaNgE · Sep 13, 2006

catfish said:
I thought that gag was about british people not europeans in general.

u thought correct! ever seen Austin Powers, they make use of that gag. :lol

K-type · Sep 13, 2006

It seems like only yesterday that Europe wasn't getting PSP demo pods.

Couldn't they just attach a laptop security cable, or some of that braided metal hosing used on public phones and arcade lightgun games?

radioheadrule83 · Sep 13, 2006

I have a feeling this particular UK store rep just didn't know what was happening with kiosks. We do have NOE employed posters here, and people from ONM and such... hopefully someone can shed some light.

I personally have a feeling there will be wii kiosks, just like the ones we've seen pictures of. If its good for other countries (the GC kiosk was similar), why wouldn't they use them?

iapetus · Sep 13, 2006

TiVo said:
When the Europeans can prove to me that they can take care of their teeth then I will see that they get some in-store demos.

This coming from a nation of people that look like this:

Get some exercise, lard-ass.

Ben Sones · Sep 13, 2006

Panic_Attack said:
Wow, this could be disastrous for the Wii. It's the only console ever that absolutely requires first hand experience to sell to the casual consumer.

Not only that, but the controls are supposed to be so easy to figure out that even your grandmother will play it. That concept seems totally at odds with needing a Nintendo representative on hand at every Wii kiosk to show people how to use the hardware.

Xrenity · Sep 13, 2006

Robinspain said:
Wii launch : november 10, Fnac (among other retailers), since Monday, says so:

This is the date.

I'm pretty sure.

F#A#Oo · Sep 13, 2006

TiVo said:
When the Europeans can prove to me that they can take care of their teeth then I will see that they get some in-store demos.

Hmm...better to have bad teeth then........

Ghost · Sep 13, 2006

F#A#Oo said:
Hmm...better to have bad teeth then........

Oh shit! its like the Michelin Man did the horizontal mambo with Ronald McDonald

dak1dsk1 · Sep 13, 2006

I'm European. My teeth are horrible. It's true... Sigh.

Schnicktick · Sep 13, 2006

thomaser said:
So I asked our Nintendo-representative when we could expect to get one of those nice Wii demo-units in our store. Basically, as far as he knew, never. Nintendo only wants those units in places where they can have a person standing at all times to show people how to play. They're afraid to just leave them in stores because they think kids will start beating each other with the wiimotes (inevitable, but still not a very big deal if you ask me)! So stores will, at best, have the units on loan for a short time IF they can get someone to stand there and demonstrate it. At least for the foreseeable future.

If someone can think up a good way to make our own proprietary demo-unit without any chance of the parts being stolen or destroyed, I'm open to suggestions. I mean, we can't fail to have a playable Wii in a Nintendo-only store, can we?

I'd show people how to play. I've got plenty of time, so take me!

giant_frying_pan · Sep 13, 2006

123rl said:
We want the demo pods to face the counter though because we like to turn the TV onto standby when people are playing Or connect a 3rd Xbox360 pad to the demo pod and press the XBox Guide button when more than two people are stood at the pod

See if I shop at your store again!!

Rocked · Sep 13, 2006

I'm sure GAME can get somone standing by it and keeping an eye on things in each store. There's always staff standing around waiting to bother you (if I need help, I'll ask for it!) anyway. Your topic title is misleading.

I've noticed the DS's in GAME don't have a stylus, unless they were all stolen by chavs. :lol

Bad_Boy · Sep 13, 2006

Robinspain said:
Wii launch : november 10, Fnac (among other retailers), since Monday, says so:

that had me confused for a sec there lol, damn european dates switching the order w/ months + days.

thats right along the ps3 launch, RIGHT on it (same day).
that would be interesting.

gears of war
ps3 launch
wii launch
all in the same week?

prediction: internet implodes, then explodes, then implodes again.

Rocked · Sep 13, 2006

thats right along the ps3 launch, RIGHT on it (same day).

PS3 isn't launching in Europe until March?

123rl · Sep 13, 2006

giant_frying_pan said:
See if I shop at your store again!!

We don't do it to every customer...only the ones who really annoy us

It's usually annoying little kids who argue over who gets to play the demo pod. If you argue in front of me then none of you get to play

Jive Turkey · Sep 13, 2006

F#A#Oo said:
Hmm...better to have bad teeth then........

It almost looks like that kid is wearing a fat suit. Damn...

Furoba · Sep 13, 2006

Rocked said:
PS3 isn't launching in Europe until March?

Heh that date for Europe would seriously rock... not so much for Sony.

Rocked · Nov 6, 2006

I spoke to staff in GAME and Hamleys in central London today and they WILL have playable Wii's from December 8th (release date)

Tadaima · Nov 6, 2006

Rocked said:
I spoke to staff in GAME and Hamleys in central London today and they WILL have playable Wii's from December 15th (release date)

The release date is December 8th, my friend.

Panajev2001a · Nov 6, 2006

iapetus said:
Why does the River Mersey run through Liverpool?

Because if it walked it would get mugged.

:lol.

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