Nintendo Wii Tips & Tricks

The Wii Remote

• The motion-sensing Wii Remote, or "Wiimote," makes the Wii unique among game consoles, but it can also make game play on the Wii a little more tricky to get used to if you're accustomed to traditional controllers. The Wii comes with only one Wii Remote, so chances are good that a second remote will be one of the first accessories you purchase, since many Wii games are designed for multiple players.

  Always be sure that your Wii Remote is properly configured with your system settings, reflecting the correct position of the sensor bar above or below your TV. Leave plenty of space for motion during game play, and follow the instructions about attaching the wrist strap, since it is really easy to accidentally drop or throw the thing during more-active games!

  The Wii Remote is powered by two AA batteries. If you play your Wii regularly (i.e., on a daily basis or close to this), you will probably find that the batteries run down annoyingly often. Therefore, you may wish to invest in Wii recharger packs or just some rechargeable AAs.

Downloading Games

• Another new feature in the Wii console is its ability to connect to the Internet and download purchased games from a library of hundreds of titles. Some of the titles are made especially for the Wii (they're called "Wii Ware"), while others are classic video games from older consoles, offered under the "Wii Console" title.

  If you plan to purchase downloaded games from the shop channel, you may want to invest in an SD memory card. These games can vary a lot in how much memory they take up (especially between the Wii Ware and Wii Console games), but since they are inexpensive in general, it can be easy to fill up your system memory in no time. You can, however, delete downloaded games from your system and redownload them later without paying for them a second time, so if you're in a pinch, you can free up some space this way.

Game Play

• Game play with the Wii controllers varies quite a bit from game to game. The Wii Remote is capable of receiving extremely sensitive motion input, but some games will be more accurate than others in how they are programmed to receive it.

  In general, you will find that the more complex the type of motion a game requires, the more you will have to get "used to" the motions required to play the game. For this reason, many games will have a portion of tutorial game play to help you master the techniques before you play. Using these whenever you have the chance will help you get the most out of your Wii experience.

Traditional Controllers

• Finally, many Wii games are not played using motion-sensor input, but require traditional handheld controller input. For some games, this means simply turning the Wii Remote on its side, but for others, you will need a special controller with more button options.

  If you have a GameCube controller, you can connect this directly to your Wii and use it for both GameCube games played on the Wii and any Wii games (discs or downloaded) that require a traditional controller.

  Nintendo also released the Classic Controller for the Wii, which can be used for any Wii games requiring a traditional controller. It cannot, however, be used for GameCube games, making the GameCube controller a more versatile choice. If you can't buy a GameCube controller used, there are a number of newly made mimics available at gaming and electronics stores.