Buying a Wii - Wiigion Locks, Wiimporting, Wiinternet, etc'...

AkimboEG

Hey guys, I think I want a Wii.

The thing is, I don't live in the Americas. Or the Europas. So my problems are few:
A. The pricing for next-gen consoles in Israel is ridiculous. A Wii costs 2,200 NIS, which is about 580$. A PS3 costs a mortal soul.
B. There's hardly any representation of Nintendo in Israel. Which, in turn, leads to
C. Delayed releases, limited stock and low availability.

So I'm considering importing one from the states. This is where I need your help, since there's a few issues bothering me. For starters, the region lock. I live in a PAL zone, meaning I'll have to import games rather than buying them local. This too is an issue, as I'm unsure of how much a game comes down to after cross-seas shipment. Also, I wonder if the Wii Network works over here. I know Live doesn't, but maybe Wii's online capability isn't account or region based. If anyone can confirm this one way or the other, I'd appreciate.

And lastly, though unrelated to importing, is this actually a good time to buy a Wii? Is there a new bundle coming out worth waiting for or some such?

Thanks in advance.

Ziggymon

Wii's are region locked

Wii internet is specific to region.

Erm new colour in Japan for the end of the month so id say so in the next few months.

LewieP

Ziggymon wrote: »

Erm new colour in Japan for the end of the month so id say so in the next few months.

Source?

Ziggymon

LewieP wrote: »

Ziggymon wrote: »

Erm new colour in Japan for the end of the month so id say so in the next few months.

Source?

Nevermind looked at the old thread and it seems to been false.

steve-o99

to not have to import games, why not import a PAL one from the UK or something

Kelor

I did this myself, picked it up on Ebay before the prices got too outrageous.

Your best bet if you're looking to import is to get a NTSC console, assuming your TV supports it.

Mainly because when you're looking at buying games, you'll get the US version cheaper, far earlier than you would for the PAL version, if at all.

For the games, I suggest VGPlus. Very quick shipping and they often have specials on titles, as well as a 2nd hand range.

I'm afraid you'll probably have to pick up your Wii off either Ebay or an online bundle if you're going to get one though.


Regarding online play, I live in Australia and have had no issues playing online, though I've only played random matches, not via friend code.

My understanding is you can only play using friend codes against people of the same region, so only against NTSC players, not against your friends PAL systems, though I admit I haven't personally tried it yet, so this may not be true.

I didn't have much in the way of lag issues playing online though when playing on random.

RockinX

AkimboEG wrote: »

A. The pricing for next-gen consoles in Israel is ridiculous. A Wii costs 2,200 NIS, which is about 580$. A PS3 costs a mortal soul.

USD 1,331 in Venezuela. Beat that!

I imported mine from USA. I had a fucking hard time finding someone who shipped to Venezuela for a decent amount of money while winning the auction at 350.

By the way, I have my region set to USA so that Nintendo doesn't restrict my purchases from Nintendo.com, because it has happened in the past (I have a Miami address that redirects packages to my country), and I've had no problems with it. Though you can't brag that you're from your country on Check Mii Out, but that's hardly something to worry about.

Couscous

If you import from the USA, won't your games be cheaper than if you imported from Europe? How much do Wii games cost in Israel?

Ronen

Oh man... every year when I'm in Israel, I sit around with my cousins and my friends there alike showing them the portable consoles I've brought with me. For years they were entranced with the GBA, and once they were pretty readily available there they all had them. The last two visits they've been addicted to my DS (and DS Lite), and have gone so far as asking me to buy a few DSes and games and bring them (which I'm planning on doing when I go next).

The impression I get is that Israel in general is a Sony country... but I won't even begin to imagine how much a PS3 costs there.

Anyway, I don't have much more advice to give. Just felt like sharing... I definitely understand where you're coming from.

cliffski

Man, I badly want a wii, but its like finding a flipping cure for cancer where I live (UK) I gave up after the ninth store said they were out of stock. I can wait a year if I have to, I'm not going to buy a 4 game bundle of crap just to ensure I get the 1 game I might play.

Mr_Grinch

You could potentially mod it for cross country play. A modded American Wii will play all the games you'd expect, a good amount of NTSC-J games (Games from Japan) and a fair number of Pal games. You'd have to check compatibility before buying though. Modding the newer wiis is not easy though if you have no soldering experience.

AkimboEG

Well, what with the pricing of both NTSC and PAL games over here, I might just import them (even from the states) at lower overall costs, if I can just find a reliable way to import.

I am having a hard time finding a retail price Wii, though. There's only these crappy 5-games-you-don't-want-and-a-Wii bundles ranged at over 450$. Is this a holiday season thing, or am I not likely to find a 250$ Wii anymore?

Ziggymon

AkimboEG wrote: »

Well, what with the pricing of both NTSC and PAL games over here, I might just import them (even from the states) at lower overall costs, if I can just find a reliable way to import.

I am having a hard time finding a retail price Wii, though. There's only these crappy 5-games-you-don't-want-and-a-Wii bundles ranged at over 450$. Is this a holiday season thing, or am I not likely to find a 250$ Wii anymore?

Play-asia have some of the bigger US Wii titles in stock, although they mainly stock Jap titles. Send them an e-mail about shipping to Israel.