Comments on: Five Things My Nintendo Wii Has Taught Me About Personal Finance

By: gringo

gringo — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:02:06 +0000

I have been considering the purchase of a Nintendo Wii but not entirely sure yet. Yes, it is cheaper than a PS3 but it doesn’t play bluray dvd’s either.

Does anyone own the Wii Fit?

Why or why not should I purchase the Wii over the PS3?

kthanx!

By: Jaime

Jaime — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 21:33:45 +0000

I agree with the points introduced in this article. It is far better to save up spare change and the like to buy something expensive like a game system than to purchase it on credit. I’m in the process of saving up for one myself, and it’s a much better feeling than just plunking down a credit card.

Instant gratification is overrated, anyway. Buying things without deliberating about them loses its appeal once you realize that you’ve built up thousands of debt just to buy stuff you don’t really need and don’t use anymore.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 01:09:03 +0000

“It seems to me that the Wii would be perfect for a swordfighting/fencing simulation. Or fishing, actually.”

The fishing games that have been released haven’t been that good apparantly. I havn’t played them though so you’ll have to try them out yourself. The Legend of Zelda does have an extensive fishing minigame which I found to be very fun, however I’m not sure I’d pay $50 to just fish without some variety thrown in.

WarioWare is a great choice for multiplayer and it’s a lot of fun when playing with friends. I highly recommend it. There havn’t been any swordfighting games yet but I do own Red Steel which is a first person shooter with some sword fighting thrown in. It’s not what you think. It doesn’t really read your movement and it only slashes in 6 directions like a star *. I just realised that the star shows up as having 5 points there… on the keyboard it’s 6.

By: Lorna

Lorna — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:42:27 +0000

Madame X from open wallet recommended this article to check out. I loved how you found the greatness of you nintendo Wii! I wanted to buy one because it makes you move and not sit. I play dance dance revolution for PS2. That gae was worth my money and my health. Thanks for writing this post!

By: pam

pam — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:45:39 +0000

Sounds to me from this post that even though you carefully saved for this purchase, you feel guilty and are trying to justify the cost.

Don’t sweat the details. Enjoy the Wii, but in moderation! 1.5 hours a day is a lot! Though I’m sure it will reduce after the “newness” has worn off.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:22:23 +0000

I don’t think it is a bad thing to be exposed to marketing. Think about it, even the less expensive, great value products still market themselves. Marketing and advertising is just another way to research and get information, it is purely keeping you educated as to what is available and what choices you have. Of course, this assumes that one would be responsible with the information they hear and reseach further, without just taking the advice of the commercial at face value. If you are responsible with this, just like being responsible with money, you are actually at an advantage.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:33:03 +0000

Taking yourself out of the ‘marketing’ loop is a great thing. All of the gadgets and gizmo’s that come out and catch our attention can be a real burden on a budget only to collect dust a few months down the road. But saving for something gives you the added satisfaction that you really wanted this item and got it, not on a whim but with some saving and effort.

By: mark

mark — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 08:30:49 +0000

Well, I have to comments on this. Especially the line ‘Being out of the marketing loop means less temptation.’

I personally don’t live in the States and live a pretty frugal life and I also make sure I keep myself out of the marketing loops. It might have to do with the fact that I don’t live in the US and I’m not really exposed to the North American culture except for through my business. Which is probably why I’ve never heard of Nintendo Wii anywhere else expect for on this site.

And since I never heard of it before, I never thought of owning it. You see? You actually wore caught in their marketing loop somewhere along the line since a thought of owning a Wii crossed your mind.

Now there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s your money and you have the right to do with it as you pleased. But I just wanted to point out how all-pervasive marketing is and how it envelops us even when we think we’re out of its reach.

By: xshanex

xshanex — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 07:31:06 +0000

“I can’t see paying that much for a system. What happens when the next “greatest console ever” comes out in a few years? You know it will.

I gave up on consoles after Super Nintendo and don’t miss them at all. PC games work just as well.”

the consoles are backwards compatible though. I play lots of xbox games and gamecube games on my 360 and wii. There will always be something new coming out so if we went by that logic noone would buy anything ever.

I play some pc games but to play them these days you need an expensive system or have the be regulated to playing older games. $250 for a wii is nothing when compared to a half decent gaming computer with a passable graphics card. I’m not going to sit and play pc games with my girlfriend or family like I could with the wii….pc games are not for most casual players

must have wii games

excite truck- for 4 year olds to 40 year olds
zelda- classic nintendo goodness
super paper mario- action rpg goodness
rayman raving rabbits- fun party game
resident evil 4- one of the best games out there now on the wii

congrats on finally making the plunge with the wii. I bought one a week after they came out to try out and then resell and thought they were all hype until I played. I’ve been hooked ever since and other than the slow rollout of games

By: Lorrie Bosse

Lorrie Bosse — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 06:34:57 +0000

I have 3 words for you… SUPER… PAPER…. MARIO.

Though it is a game geared towards kids, it is SO fun for adults as well. If you were a fan of Mario back in the day, there are little nods to many of the past mario games.

There are lots of sub games within the game (collecting cards, treasure maps etc), and you can also swap between 2d side scrolling and 3d game play. It is the game we’ve gotten the most game play and hours of entertainment out of.

By: kman

kman — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 02:15:15 +0000

It’s OK to buy something fun from time to time. Not every dollar has to be spent with reams of research behind it. If you can buy something like a Wii and you won’t end up under a bridge because of it,go for it. Life is too short to be serious all the time.

By: Trent

Trent — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 01:14:30 +0000

It seems to me that the Wii would be perfect for a swordfighting/fencing simulation. Or fishing, actually.

By: Dean

Dean — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 23:42:02 +0000

If you get bored of playing the same games and want to try something new, you could try trading some of your older games or game systems for new games on an online site such as http://gametz.com, which is completely free except for the cost of shipping. You can also trade books, movies, and music.

By: BigBuddha

BigBuddha — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 23:15:54 +0000

I’m waiting for a good basketball game to come out on the Wii. then i can indulge my basketball dreams and move about in real life and on the console .. it’s the ultimate for a basketball junkie like myself. Note – i also play basketball “in real life” about 6 hours per week hehe.

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:34:02 +0000

I love my Wii. The best thing about it is how much you actually move when playing. It is a good workout. They are actually coming out with a balance board and fitness program for it next year. I WANT that too! Gotta start saving!!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:24:49 +0000

Hey Trent,

Let me say this, I also saved extra $ here and there and bought a wii! Its amazing, actually, in the long run it will probably save me $, ( not going out to the bars; just staying in and playing wii with friends ; )) Also, Big Brain Academy, wii sports, and wii play are the only games I own! Big Brain Academy is so addicting! I Highly recommend it!

By: Jordan T. Cox

Jordan T. Cox — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:37:43 +0000

Trent… wait… are you saying that you block SSL connections on your router? Please tell me that you’re just manually blocking the clearing-house domain… you’d be amazed at how easy it is to sniff insecure transmissions off the line at any point (WEP’s easy to crack and the ISP techs might not be so honest). *ahem* pop3 /imap passwords *ahem*

Justin’s point about used Gamecube games is fantastic. I LOVE the fact that I can go down to gamestop and pickup a new (to me) game for $10 and be entertained for weeks. It’s a great bargain.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that this will get your kids up and around. Oddly enough, from what I’ve seen its only the adults who are willing to get up and jump around. I’ve had three kids under 10 play my Wii (lol, about to get v&) within the last few weeks and they all get up for about a minute before realizing that they can sit on the couch and not really move.

To those who complain about you needing to get out and play real sports… meh. This is a totally different form of entertainment, not to be confused with actually getting up… putting on clothes… driving to a tennis court… rounding up people… realizing you forgot your ball…

Not to plop on the marketing, but I would definitely check out Warioware. It’s very interactive, highly energetic and just plain a lot of fun.

By: JoeRiv

JoeRiv — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:24:21 +0000

I can’t see paying that much for a system. What happens when the next “greatest console ever” comes out in a few years? You know it will.

I gave up on consoles after Super Nintendo and don’t miss them at all. PC games work just as well.

By: Zachary

Zachary — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:58:33 +0000

This sounds like perfect justification for me to buy an Xbox 360 later this summer!

By: Trent

Trent — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 19:39:04 +0000

“Why don’t you go out and play the REAL games instead of sitting in your living room playing FAKE games, or whatever. Why aren’t you out playing tennis or bowling? Even if it’s expensive think of the health benefits which are priceless???? What are you teaching your kids? Sit on a couch and ‘play’ a sport?”

I think you need to research the Wii a bit. The point is to get up off the couch and play, actually.