Wii For Dummies E-Book

Kyle Orland

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 431

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

Just got a Nintendo Wii game console? Thinking about one? Wii offers video games, exercise tools, the opportunity to create a cool Mii character, and lot of other entertainment options. Wii For Dummies shows you how to get the most from this fun family game system. This book shows you how to get physical with Wii Sports, turn game time into family time, make exercise fun with Wii Fit, and discover Wii's hidden talents, like displaying photos and browsing the Web. You'll learn how to: * Hook up the Wii to your TV, home entertainment setup, or high-speed Internet connection * Get familiar with Wii's unique controllers and learn to use the Nunchuk, Balance Board, Wheel, and Zapper * Explore the Wii Channels where you can shop for new games, play games online, check the news, and even watch videos * Create Mii avatars you can share, enter in contests, and use in games * Learn to use your whole body as a controller and get fit while you play * Identify the best games for parties, family events, nostalgia buffs, and even non-gamers * Build your skill at Wii tennis, golf, baseball, bowling, and boxing * Use the Wii Message Board and full-featured Web browser With tips on choosing games, hot Wii Web sites, how to enjoy photos and slideshows on your Wii, and ways to prevent damage to (and from) Wii remotes, Wii For Dummies makes your new high-tech toy more fun than ever.

Leseprobe

Wii For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You Don’t Have to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: The Basics

Part II: The Channels

Part III: The Games

Part IV: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: The Basics

Chapter 1: How the Wii Came to Be

Wii Development and Unveiling

Finding a Wii

Chapter 2: Getting to Know the Wii

Opening the Box

Getting the Rest of What You Need

Hooking Up Your System

Setting Up Your System

Chapter 3: Know Your Controllers

Bonding with Your Wii Remote

Finding the buttons

Safety first

Getting the right grip

Basic Wii Remote actions

Connecting Additional Remotes to the Wii

The Wii Remote Settings Menu

Whipping Out the Nunchuk

Plugging it in

Nunchuk functions

Going Retro with the Wii Classic and GameCube Controllers

The Wii Classic Controller

The GameCube controller

Using Other Controllers

Wii Balance Board

Wii Wheel

Wii Zapper

Wii Guitar Controller

Nintendo DS

Chapter 4: Getting the System Online

What You Need to Connect the Wii to the Internet

Configuring the Wii’s Internet Options

Troubleshooting

WiiConnect24

Connecting to Your Friends: The Wii Message Board

Registering Wii Friends

Sending Message Board messages

The on-screen keyboard

Part II: The Channels

Chapter 5: Wii Channel Basics

Navigating the Wii Channel Menu

Changing the Channel

Playing games with the Disc Channel

Adding new Channels

Turning the page

Reorganizing the Wii Menu

Cleaning Out the Cobwebs: Wii Memory Management

Backing up files

Deleting data

Restoring files

Moving files to another Wii

Handling GameCube data

Chapter 6: The Wii Shop Channel

Setting Things Up

Browsing the Virtual Aisles

Turning Dollars into Wii Shop Points

Wii Shop Channel game pricing

Purchasing Wii Shop Points

Browsing, Purchasing, and Downloading

Browsing

Purchasing and downloading

Gift-giving

Playing Downloaded Games

Which controller do I need?

Suspending play

Operations Guide

Chapter 7: Those Marvelous Miis

The Mii Channel and You

Creating a Mii

Editing your Mii’s facial features

Mii Plaza

Navigating the Mii Plaza

Mii Plaza menu

The Mii Parade

Checking Out the Check Mii Out Channel

Checking Mii Out for the first time

Navigating the Check Mii Out Channel

Posting Plaza

Contests

Chapter 8: The Photo Channel

Viewing Photos and Videos

Getting photos and videos onto an SD card

Navigating the thumbnail menu

Viewing photos

Watching photo slide shows

Watching videos

Posting and Sharing Photos: The Wii Message Board

Posting and viewing Message Board photos

Sending Message Board photos over the Internet

Playing With Your Photos: The Fun! Menu

Mood

Doodle

Puzzle

Chapter 9: The Internet Channel

Web Surfing from Your Couch

The Internet Channel Start Page

The toolbar

Web page navigation

Limitations of surfing on the Internet Channel

Must-Wii Web Sites

Games: WiiCade

Video: MiiTube

Music: Finetune

Search: Clusty

Community: MapWii

Chapter 10: News, Weather, and More

Reading the News Channel

Starting up the News Channel

Scanning the headlines

Global news

News slides

Weathering the Forecast Channel

Setting up the Forecast Channel

The Forecast Channel menu

Settings

Global view

Canvassing the Everybody Votes Channel

Starting up the Everybody Votes Channel

Voting

Predictions

Results

Options and user data

Getting Informed with the Nintendo Channel

Starting up the Nintendo Channel

Viewing videos

Viewing game information

Find titles for you

Settings

Getting Specific with Game-Specific Channels

Mario Kart Channel

Wii Fit Channel

Part III: The Games

Chapter 11: Picking Out Games

Checking the Genre

Checking the Ratings

How games are rated

Games ratings explained

Content descriptors

Other rating sources

Reading Reviews

Getting a Deal

Chapter 12: Wii Sports

Getting Started

Choosing the number of players

Choosing Miis

Skill levels

Tennis: The Racquet Racket

Getting started with tennis

Gameplay basics for tennis

Controls for tennis

Strategy for tennis

Secrets and Easter eggs in tennis

Baseball: Getting into the Swing of Things

Gameplay basics for baseball

Controls for baseball

Strategy for baseball

Secrets and Easter eggs in baseball

Getting Bowled Over with Bowling

General gameplay in bowling

Controls for bowling

Strategy for bowling

Secrets and Easter eggs in bowling

Golf: Hitting the Links

Gameplay basics for golf

Controls for golf

Strategy for golf

Secrets and Easter eggs in golf

Boxing: The S-Wii-t Science

Gameplay basics for boxing

Controls for boxing

Strategy for boxing

Secrets and Easter eggs in boxing

Training Mode

Tennis training games

Baseball training games

Bowling training games

Golf training games

Boxing training games

Wii Fitness

Chapter 13: Wii Fit

Starting Wii Fit for the First Time

Registering the Balance Board

Registering your Mii

Calibrating the Balance Board

The Body Test

Setting a goal

Using a password

Navigating the Wii Fit Menus

Wii Fit Plaza

Calendar screen

Training menu

Taking the Training Train

General navigation

Yoga

Strength Training

Aerobics

Balance Games

Chapter 14: Recommended Wii Games

Five Games for the Non-Gamer

MySims

Endless Ocean

Cooking Mama: Cook Off

Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree

Bust-a-Move Bash!

Five Games for a Party

Rock Band

WarioWare: Smooth Moves

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz

Mario Kart Wii

Rayman Raving Rabbids

Five Games for a Family-Friendly Adventure

Super Mario Galaxy

Zack & Wiki: The Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Super Paper Mario

Part IV: The Part of Tens

Chapter 15: Ten Games to Download

Super Mario 64

Toe Jam and Earl

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Super Mario Bros. 3

Bomberman ‘93

Kirby’s Adventure

Pokémon Snap

Defend Your Castle

Dr. Mario Online Rx

Chapter 16: Ten Types of Accessories

SmartDigital Card

GameCube Memory Card

Controller Charger

Decorative System Skins

Travel Cases

Classic Controller Shells

Controller Sleeves

Wireless Sensor Bar

Cooling Fans

Plastic Remote Attachments

by Kyle Orland

Wii™ For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo Co., Ltd.. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. FULFILLMENT OF EACH COUPON OFFER IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OFFEROR.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008935265

ISBN: 978-0-470-87255-0

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

About the Author

Kyle Orland has been playing video games pretty much nonstop since just before he got a Nintendo Entertainment System for his seventh birthday. At age 14, he started writing about those games professionally when he set up a fansite for Super Mario Bros. HQ on the free Web space provided by his parents’ America Online account. Twelve years later, Super Mario Bros. HQ is still up and running at a more professional-looking home at www.smbhq.com.

From that humble beginning, Kyle has gone on to become a successful freelance journalist specializing in video games. He writes regular news posts and features for popular gaming weblog Joystiq.com, and he writes a variety of columns and reviews for CrispyGamer.com, including Games for Lunch (http://gamesforlunch.blogspot.com), a daily, one-hour playlog. Kyle’s work has also appeared in Electronic Gaming Monthly, Paste Magazine, Gamasutra, GameDaily, and The Escapist, among other outlets. He has been quoted as a gaming expert in The New York Times, The Washington Post, G4TV, and TheStreet.com, among other outlets.

This is Kyle’s second book. He co-wrote The Video Game Style Guide and Reference Manual with David Thomas and Scott Steinberg in 2007 (published by Lulu.com). His favorite game of all time is Super Mario 64.

Dedication

To my wife, Michelle, who never lets me think I can’t do anything I put my mind to.

To my parents, who bought me my first Nintendo Entertainment System and held their tongues when I threw away a nice, secure, decently paying desk job to follow my dream of becoming an underpaid game journalist.

To all the friends, family, and colleagues who wouldn’t let me go crazy while writing nearly 300 pages of reference material about a single game system.

Author’s Acknowledgments

Thanks to Gateway for making a solid laptop that stood up to hours and hours of typing and editing for the making of this book. Thanks to Pinnacle for making the Dazzle, a device that made taking the screenshots for the in-book figures a painless process. Thanks to Sony for making a nice little camera that I used to take many pictures of their competitor’s system. Thanks to Nadeo for making TrackMania, a game that helped keep me sane during many a writing break.

Thanks to Nintendo for providing the hardware and much of the software used in the making of this book (not to mention the decades of gaming enjoyment they’ve provided me through their products). Thanks to my editors at Wiley, including Amy Fandrei, Steven Hayes, Jean Nelson, and Barry Childs-Helton, for making me look good. Thanks to Alexander Sliwinski for making sure you can actually do everything I say you can do in the book. Thanks to the team at Joystiq that helped me get this gig and understood when I went on a functional leave of absence for two months to actually write it.

Thanks to my sister, Paige, for not letting me distract myself from writing by talking to her on Instant Messenger. Thanks to my friend Mike for loaning me a Wii Remote Jacket to use in some figures. Last but not least, thanks to Michelle for forcing me to get out of the house occasionally during the whirlwind writing process.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial

Project Editor: Jean Nelson

Acquisitions Editor: Amy Fandrei, Steven Hayes

Senior Copy Editor: Barry Childs-Helton

Technical Editor: Alexander Sliwinski

Editorial Manager: Kevin Kirschner

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond

Layout and Graphics: Ana Carrillo, Reuben W. Davis, Nikki Gately, Melissa K. Jester, Christin Swinford, Christine Williams

Proofreaders: Debbye Butler, Jessica Kramer

Indexer: Potomac Indexing, LLC

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Introduction

If you’re actually reading this Introduction, you’re probably a customer in a bookstore, trying to decide whether or not you should buy this book. To help you out, I’ve made up a simple quiz:

1. Do you own a Wii?

2. Do you intend to own a Wii soon?

If you answered yes to either question, then congratulations, you are one of the millions of people worldwide who should buy this book! If you answered “No,” please feel free to go out and buy a Wii and then retake the quiz (refer to Chapter 1 for some tips on how to find one). Thank you.

About This Book

Think of this book as the unabridged edition of those tiny user manuals that come with the Wii itself. While those manuals are all right for getting started, this book gives you much more detail on the inevitable issues that come up when using the Wii. From setting the Wii system up with your entertainment center to using the Wii’s many unique controllers; from connecting the system to the Internet to playing games, this book has the detailed instructions and troubleshooting you need to get it done.

This book isn’t meant to be read from front to back. Treat it more like a reference that you can consult whenever you find something confusing or difficult when using the Wii. The book is divided into chapters and sections by topic, so you can easily find what you’re looking for by perusing the table of contents. Failing that, please consult the index for the specific issue you need to know more about.

Conventions Used in This Book

I know that doing something the same way over and over again can be boring, but sometimes consistency can be a good thing. For one thing, it makes stuff easier to understand. In this book, those consistent elements are conventions. In fact, I use italics to identify and define the new terms.

Like all game systems, the Wii comes with a controller. The Wii Remote is the white, wireless, handheld controller that comes with the system and is the main means for interacting with the Wii. The book makes frequent mention of pressing buttons on this Remote. These buttons are clearly labeled on the Wii Remote itself, or you can consult Chapter 3 for more on the Remote’s button layout.

The Remote can also be used to control an on-screen pointer using infrared technology. Moving this pointer over an on-screen option and pressing the A button is referred to in the book as clicking. You may also have to hold down a button on the Remote and drag the pointer to another location on the screen at times. See Chapter 3 for more on using the Wii Remote as a pointer.

In general the Wii can run two types of programs, disc-based games, which are discussed in Part III, and Channels, which are discussed in Part II. Channels are simply applications that are stored on the Wii’s internal memory and don’t require a separate disc to run. See Chapter 5 for more on using the Wii Menu to access Channels and start disc-based games.

When I provide URLs (Web addresses) within a paragraph, they are in a monospace font and look like this: www.dummies.com.

What You Don’t Have to Read

While the bulk of this book is reference material that relates directly to getting the most out of your Wii, some sections simply provide supplemental information that some readers might find interesting. This extra information is placed in sidebars that are broken out in separate shaded boxes.

Any section labeled with the Technical Stuff icon (see the “Icons Used in This Book” section, farther along) is meant for advanced users, and won’t be necessary for the majority of Wii owners.

Foolish Assumptions

I’ve written this book with inexperienced Wii owners in mind — the new gamers who’ve never owned a video-game system before, or the lapsed gamers who last played games on their Atari 2600 or home Pong units. Those with more gaming experience will find shortcuts, tips, and tricks they may not have discovered on their own.

I’m assuming you have a basic familiarity with your television and your specific home-entertainment setup. If you don’t, you may want to consult the documentation for your home-entertainment equipment before you connect the Wii to your entertainment center (described in Chapter 2).

If you’re planning to hook your Wii up to the Internet, I assume you currently have a broadband Internet connection hooked up in your home and understand the basic functionality of your high-speed modem and/or router. A complete tutorial on setting up a home Internet network is beyond the scope of this book — for help there, check out Home Networking For Dummies, 4th Edition, by Kathy Ivens (Wiley Publishing, Inc.).

How This Book Is Organized

I divided this book into parts, organized by topic. Each part deals with one important aspect of the Wii experience. If you’re looking for information on a specific topic, check the headings in the table of contents, or skim the index.

By design, this book enables you to get as much (or as little) information as you need at any particular moment. For example, if you just need guidance setting up the system, refer to Chapter 3; if you’re just looking to use the Photo Channel, look up Chapter 8. By design, Wii For Dummies is a reference that you’ll reach for again and again whenever some new question about the Wii comes up.

Part I: The Basics

After some brief background about the history of Nintendo and the new Wii system, Part I tells you what to do with your new Wii after you get it from the store into your house. This includes information on hooking up the system to your TV or home entertainment setup, taking control of the system with the included and optional controllers, and connecting the system to your high-speed Internet connection.

Part II: The Channels

Video game systems aren’t just about games anymore, and the Wii is no exception. The Wii Menu lets you access other functions through built-in applications called Channels. These Channels open the Wii up to functions that used to be limited to a computer, such as a full-featured Web browser and digital photo viewer. You can also use Channels to create and share cartoon-like digital avatars called Miis and download new games and Channels directly from the Wii Shop Channel. You also discover the News, Weather, and other miscellaneous Channels.

Part III: The Games

Despite the added functionality of the Channels, the Wii is still a game system, and so it’s meant to play video games. Part III details some basic information on how to pick games that are right for you and your family before diving in to a detailed description of two of the most popular games for the system: Wii Sports, which comes packaged with every Wii system, and Wii Fit, the revolutionary personal trainer in a box that uses your entire body as a controller. You can also find some recommendations of games to buy from your local gaming or electronics store.

Part IV: The Part of Tens

I’ve remained true to For Dummies style by including a Part of Tens. The chapters in this part can help you find ten games to download from the Wii Shop Channel, as well as ten optional Wii accessories that can help spice up your Wii experience.

Icons Used in This Book

To make your experience with the book easier, I use various icons in the margins of the book to indicate particular points of interest.

Whenever I give you a hint or a tip that makes an aspect of the Wii easier to use, I mark it with this little Tip thingamabob — it’s my way of sharing what I’ve figured out the hard way — so you don’t have to.

This icon is a friendly reminder or a marker for something that you want to make sure that you keep in mind. Usually this stuff is discussed elsewhere in the book, but who knows if you’ve read that part yet?

Ouch! This icon warns you about potential pitfalls or problems that you could run into, and gives advice on avoiding or fixing the issue. Be sure to read the whole paragraph before you even think of doing anything discussed next to this little guy.

The Wii is specifically designed not to require a lot of arcane, technical knowledge from its users, so this icon isn’t used too often in this book. When it is used, it means this portion discusses some advanced stuff that most users won’t need to worry themselves with. For the most part, if you don’t understand anything next to one of these icons, just ignore it.

Where to Go from Here

Now you’re ready to use this book. Look over the table of contents and find something that catches your attention, or a topic that you think can help you solve a problem.

Do you have any questions about this book? How about comments? Bitter invective? You can contact me online through my personal Web site, www.kyleorland.com.

Part I

The Basics

In this part . . .

Welcome to the wonderful world of Wii! This part of the book is for new Wii owners just getting to know their new systems. First, you get a little background about the history of Nintendo and the Wii’s historic launch. Then it’s time to get busy hooking the Wii up to your entertainment center — and figuring out how to use the Wii Remote and other controllers that work with the Wii. Finally, you discover how to hook the Wii up to your high-speed Internet connection to access a world of new features.

So wander this way, and wade waist-deep into the Wii waters (okay . . . I promise that’s the last time I’ll do that).

Chapter 1

How the Wii Came to Be

In This Chapter

Reliving the Wii’s secretive development

Finding a system in stores

If you’re like a lot of new Wii owners, you probably don’t know much about your new purchase or the story behind it. Sure, you may have heard a snippet on the local news about how the system was almost impossible to find after its initial release in late 2006. You even may have read a newspaper story about how the system is catching on with all sorts of unlikely groups of new gamers.