Making the Wii HD (or something close to it)

Ever since I got my Wii, one of the minor irritating things about using a high definition television is that I have had to adjust several of my games to get the color contrast and brightness just right. And it was always different than my regular television viewing experience. It was no big deal most of the time to just leave the setting alone, but when I bought Goldeneye, it was pretty much unplayable unless I fiddled with the settings.

So, I decided to mine the forums, message boards and gaming articles to find a solution. The one that turned up to be the most reliable was to buy component cables for the Wii. [For those of you who do not know the difference between standard composite cables and component cables, I provide for you this explanation.] A decision like this is non-existent to a PS3/360 owner since those consoles come packed with component cables (high definition consoles require them).  The Wii, however, is not high definition. So, does using component cables make a difference on the Wii?  Let’s take a look at one particular brand, the brand I bought:

B.O.S.S. Controller Shell for the Wii (review)

 

The B.O.S.S. (Big Over-sized Super Shell) controller shell is made of plastic and comes in four bright colors (red, yellow, baby blue, and green). I wanted the red one, but it is sold out everywhere and costs twice as much as the others on-line. So, I settled for the green one. I am not sure why they went with those colors. I guess they were trying to market it to little kids, but I don’t think it succeeded because the red one is the only one that looks cool. This one little annoying thing (why couldn’t they have a grey, black, white, and regular blue option??) is what kept me from giving it a second look in the store. However, after my hand cramping one too many times using the wii-mote as described above, I decided to give it a try.

Netflix on the Wii

UPDATE 10/18/10: I just found out Nintendo has a Netflix app available in the Wii shop channel that allows you to stream movies without the disc.  Good news all around!

Originally, I had no interest in streaming videos via Netflix through the Wii. Wii is not exactly known for its on-line capabilities and since I would not be able to stream blu-ray quality movies, I was not interested. Even though it is a bargain to receive movies through the mail for only $9.00 a month, I don’t really have time to watch a lot of movies to justify the cost. Then came the announcement that Netflix would also be available for streaming through the iphone. Now that caught my attention.

The Gamestop DuoShot

Gun peripherals for the Wii are aplenty and let’s face it, most of them do not amount to anything more than a gimmick. But, a tempting gimmick it is! The day after I hooked up my Wii, I immediately went up to my local Gamestop and bought two Nyko Perfect Shots, along with Rayman and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles to try them out on.

Since then, I have tried out the Wii Zapper, the Nerf N-strike, and just recently purchased Gamestop’s Duo-shot. And let me tell you, the Duo Shot is far and away the best of the four.