Chris and I were so excited about the launch of the new Nintendo Wii that we mustered up enough self-dignity and humility to wait for it in the long lines early Sunday morning. How early did we show up for the line? We were at Futureshop at Deerfoot Meadows by 3AM today. Crazy? Yes. Worth it? Hell yes! But to put it into perspective, we weren't as crazy as the first four people had been there since 4PM Saturday!
This was the first time either of us have ever "camped out" for a console, but we came well prepared. I brought camping chairs for the both of us and both of us brought appropriate items to keep ourselves warm. I brought a sleeping bag, hoodie, two shirts, long johns, toque and gloves. Chris brought similar items. All this barely kept the cold night air out. I can't even imagine what it would have been like if Calgary wasn't experiencing chinook weather! However, compared to the people behind us, who laid on the cold concrete with just a sleeping bag, blankets and a tarp, we were super prepared. Both of us brought our DS' but it was just too cold to play them, however others in the lineup sacrificed warm fingers to play their DS/PSP. The night was long and involved chatting with the people in the lineup and brief little naps. Some people were extremely interesting to talk to and others were just plain too annoying or geeky. What made the night a little bit more warm (for a brief moment) was when this nice lady bought the 18 of us hot chocolate from Tim Horton's around 4AM! It was fantastic! Thanks Hot Chocolate lady!
The lineup for the Wii at Futureshop Deerfoot Meadows that night went something like this. The lineup was about 5 people from 4PM to Midnight. From Midnight to 3AM (when we came) it grew to 16 people (including us). Only 4 more people came from 3AM to 5AM. There were a few that came at those times, but were not prepared and left after 20 minutes. The line grew significantly after 7AM. And by the time we received our tickets at 8:30AM there were probably 80-100 people in line. Even though there were only 57 tickets given out (because there were only 57 units) some people (stupid people) still decided to wait. Perhaps they thought the employees were lying? Or perhaps they thought that someone at the front after waiting many hours in the cold would decide to give theirs up? Stupid.
They opened the doors up to only a few people at around 9AM. And I ended up getting out of the store around 9:20AM with a Wii console, Wiimote, nunchuk, Rayman and Zelda. Chris bought the same things minus Rayman.
When I got home I ate breakfast, took a shower and slept from 11-3PM. It wasn't much, but it sure felt nice. I didn't end up hooking up the unit until later that night and Tuyet, my bro and I gave Wii sports a try. It was so much fun, and a pretty good workout! I think we most enjoyed Wii boxing and baseball.
Overall if someone asked me "Would you do it again?". The answer would most likely be "No". It was quite an experience, but the loss of sleep and the cold weather really made for a miserable night. The only reason I was only willing to wait for the Wii in the cold was because Chris wanted to do it too. Otherwise I would have bought it a few months after release, just like I did with the 360.
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