The debate on the nature of Wii Demo Units has raged on long and hard for a while now. Many concerns arose from the fact that Wii controllers would need to be tethered to the demo units to prevent theft, but while increasing security, seriously hindering the ability of people to break free and play the damn thing. However, today Nintendo of America has put a lot of our fears to rest, revealing that Wii demo units in stores will be manned by shop staff, meaning people get to experience the wireless controller without restrictions in all its motion capturing glory.
In the latest from IGN, Nintendo’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications, George Harrison, has revealed that in the US at least, there will be two styles of Wii demos. Retailers will either receive a pre-built, self-contained interactive unit, or they will receive the game console and controllers, with which they can set up an interactive Wii experience using their own TV. Nothing particularly new or shocking there, however the biggest news is that, Wireless controllers will be used and we (Nintendo) are asking retailers to have staff available to help consumers have a successful first experience with Wii.
This means Staff will have to take time out in the busiest time of the year to man the station and watch over people playing with the Wiimote. The plan bears much similarity to what’s happening here in Australia, where manned demo units in all the big stores will accompany the Wii tours currently slated for November. It’s going to be a busy Christmas for retailers with the Wii, but it’s great to see that we’ll all get to try out the Wii in all its glory before November 9.
Expect the Demo units here in Australia to be similar to the American ones, and stay tuned to Vooks for more news in the coming weeks.
Source: IGN
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